Good-BYE October!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

And can I just say.... After a really long month with not alot of extra time on my hands and a messed up computer, I AM GLAD TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO OCTOBER!

We are finally back up and running.... in more ways than one! I am glad to be back in the land of food and family. So, let's start fresh on Monday with a whole bunch of new and fun treats that I find just perfect for the holidays...

"Tuesday's with Dorie" Challenge.... Sweet Potato Biscuits

         We are really enjoying the recipe challenges from "Tuesdays with Dorie". These biscuits were very tasty and I wished that I would have had a big bowl of homemade chili to go with them.You can check out the full recipe "Baking: From My Home to Yours", by Dorie Greenspan,

Make-Over Monday .... Chips Ahoy!

It was a Movie Marathon at our house this weekend, because first it was a long weekend with Monday being "Columbus Day" and reason two was it rained most of the long weekend. At our house when we watch movies we like chips and dip and so this weekend we thought we would try a lower calorie and lower salt chip. We made Sweet Potato Chips.... (I think they are our new favorite snack!)

To make enough chips for four adults, we peeled 3 medium sized sweet potatoes and sliced them very thin. We fried the chips in vegetable oil heated in fryer to 350*. We let them drain on papertowels and lightly salted them to taste.

Sweet Poato Chips have 140 calories per serving with only 9 mg of salt  -vs- Regular Potato Chips that have 150 calories per servings with 180 mg of salt.

Barefoot Bloggers - Cheddar Corn Chowder - Oct..08

This was a great Corn Chowder recipe. We split the recipe in half and it made perfect servings for the four of us. I added grated carrots and I used small red potatoes instead of the regular ones that the recipe called for.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

"Tuesdays with Dorie" Challenge.... Split Level Pudding

      We really enjoyed this very tasty, easy to make pudding. The chocolate ganache added just the right touch. We topped ours with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and some chocolate curls for visual effect. The recipe we were challenged to use was from "Baking: From My Home to Yours", by Dorie Greenspan, pp. 384-385. You can out more challenges and fun at "Tuesdays with Dorie".

Sunday....

For those of you who are new to our site...

Reminder: The Pantry is dark on Sundays!
We are God fearing, church going people who, enjoy a day full of sabbath blessings, family time and everyday, over-the-counter snacks !!!!!!

OCTOBERFEST.....

Yes... WE went! WE Seen! We Did!.... nothing special since we don't drink and the only two food vendors had extremely long lines just for the traditional Brats & Kraut with a side of German Potato Salad and Red Cabbage salad. So we came home and grilled our own!!!!