Champagne Limoncello Cocktail

I.love.pinterest!  If you're not a member and want to be one, leave a comment with your email and I'll send you an invite.  If you are a member, you should follow me!  Anyways, I find a bunch of cool recipes and crafts and inspiration and home stuff on pinterest.  And some of the stuff I've actually tried.  Really it's only like 0.5% of things I've pinned I've tried, but that's a start!  So it's about time I share the recipes I've tried.  Like this one...

Don't mind the fancy "champagne glass"

Champagne Limoncello Cocktails
Ingredients:
8 (3x1/2") lemon rind strips
8 tbsp Limoncello (lemon flavored liqueur)
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 (750ml) bottle brut Champagne, chilled

Instructions:
Roll up each strip of lemon rind; place 1 in each of 8 champagne flutes.  Add 1 tbsp liqueur and 1/2 tsp juice to each glass.  Divide champagne evenly among glasses.  Serve immediately.

Alterations:
I didn't bother with the lemon rind bit.

Optional:
Rim each glass with sugar - rub a cut lemon wedge on the rim of the glass, and roll in sugar.

This drink paired well with our post egg hunt egg salad sandwiches on Easter.  Let's just say, I had a gigantic bottle of brut, and it was all gone by the time lunch was over.

Champagne Limoncello Cocktails, myrecipes.com

Pumpkin Roll

Who doesn't love a good pumpkin roll?  For Thanksgiving...?  Yea, I do too.  So I decided to improvise and make it up as I went along, and I found a yummy sounding frosting for the middle.

Cakey Part
Ingredients:
1 box spice cake mix
1 can pure pumpkin (15 oz)

Instructions:
Mix 2 ingredients together.  Spread onto greased jelly roll pan.  Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  *Trick I didn't know about at the time, let it cool for a few minutes, then flip the cake onto a towel and roll with towel; this will help it from cracking later.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) brick 3rd less fat cream cheese, room temp.
1 stick butter (1/2 c), room temp.
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Mix in powdered sugar on LOW speed for about 15-20 seconds, then mix on HIGH until combined.  Add vanilla and cinnamon; mix until thoroughly combined.

Making the roll:
Gentle unroll the cake from the towel.  Spread the frosting onto the cake, thickness as you desire.  Roll it back up.  I wrapped mine in plastic and put it in the fridge to help set it a little.  Slice and serve.

Verdict:
It tasted SO good, which is a relief because it looked like a sad pumpkin roll.  I'd definitely make it again!

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

As a healthier option to the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year I decided to make this recipe that was given to me at a weight watcher's meeting.  It was good, really good.  The consistency wasn't as dense as normal pumpkin pie filling.


Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz.)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c splenda or sugar (or to taste)

Instrustions:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
2. Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan.
3. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, and then 325F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Serves 8
Whole Pie:  8 WW Points (or 1 pt for 1/8 of the pie)
Although, WW just revamped their point system, so I don't know how many PlusPoints the pie is yet.

Body Bits Dip

I know this is officially a day late, but it's still really yummy and needs to be shared.  And really, it's hot cheese dip and it's football season...do the math.

Ingredients:
8 oz bulk pork sausage
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 lb American cheese, cubed
2 10-oz cans chopped tomatoes and green chile peppers, undrained
1 5.3 oz pkg cocktail wieners, halved crosswise
Tortilla chips

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until sausage is brown; drain fat.  Transfer sausage mixture to a 3 1/2 to 4 quart crockery cooker (aka crockpot).  Stir in cheese, tomatoes, and wieners.
2. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 1 to 2 hours or until cheese is melted, stirring after 1 hour.  To serve, keep dip warm on low-heat setting, stirring occasionally.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Makes 18 servings.

Alterations/Recommendations:

• I, always trying to "healthify" recipes, used hot Italian turkey sausage.  I just took the casing off and cooked it up!
• If I had them on hand, I would have used turkey lil' smokies.
• And if I could have found it at the grocery store I went shopping at, I would have used 2% velveta cheese.

Nutritionals per serving:
Calories: 168; Total Fat: 14g (saturated fat: 8g); Cholesterol: 41mg; Sodium: 644mg; Carbohydrate: 2g; Fiber: 0g; Protein: 9g

recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Witchy Worm Cookies

Ok, I really am not fond of the "halloween" name for these cookies, but I couldn't think of anything else to call them.  So I'm using the name from the site that I found them.

Ingredients:

2 pkg chocolate chips, 12 oz ea

1 pkg peanut butter chips, 10-12 oz

1 can peanuts, 12 oz

3 oz. Rice/Chow Mein Noodles

Instructions:

1. Melt the buzzard eyes and snails over low heat.  Take off the heat and stir in the spider eggs and fried worms; mix thoroughly.
2. Drop by the spoonful onto wax paper lined cookie sheets.  Freeze until set.  Store in the refrigerator.  (Makes about 40 pieces.)

Adjustments:
I ended up using the whole 5 oz. container of chow mein noodles. 
I'm thinking of adding some rice krispies next time too.  :)

adapted from Bake at 350

What I Made this Holiday Season...

I've made these yummy Lil' Smokies.
And Hot Buttered Rum.  Which has made me gain 3 pounds alone in one week.  And I don't even use rum...
Oh, and these mushrooms...delish!
Cookies , always a winner.
So is this onion dip.  You must make it!
And I made these...Oreo Truffles.  Watch out, yum!
Speaking of dough balls, I made Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough.
Did you say cookies?  Yep, how about Crunchy Jumble Cookies?
A dip is always good!  So I made a southwest one.

Egg Salad Sandwich

I look forward for Easter just for the egg salad sandwiches. They are one of my favorite things, and they are so easy to make. But yet I tend to only have them at Easter time every year.

Ingredients:
Hard boiled eggs - Dye job not required. But look how pretty they are! And the ones that were slightly cracked while soaking in the dye end up giving the mixture some color.
Mayo - I'm a fan of the Low Fat Best Foods (formly known as "reduced fat", look for the green lid). Low fat = fooling myself into thinking it's slightly healthier for me.
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Optional: diced red onion, green onion, celery, relish, or anything else you may think would taste good and bulk it up.

Instructions:
Use your handy dandy egg slicer (slice, 1/4 turn and slice again). It's all too taste. I honestly never measure. If somethings not right I add more of what I think it needs. If I added to much I'll just add another egg.
I'm a fan of my bread being toasted. So I toast it. This sandwich was also used with Sara Lee Delightful bread (2 slices for 1 point). Again, it's a healthy trick.
And voila! You have a delicious, easy to make sandwich!

Hot Buttered Rum

OMG this recipe is so good! My aunt and uncle make it every year when we go down there for Christmas.

Make the whole recipe or cut in half. Store in the freeze and it will last you awhile.

Rum Mix
1 lb. butter
1 lb. brown sugar
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 qt. french vanilla ice cream
3 tsp. vanilla
nutmeg
cinnamon

Freeze mix for later use.

Add 1 tsp. rum mix to jigger rum and 1 cup boiling water. Top with more nutmeg and cinnamon.

Me, personally, I like it with about 2 tbsp. mix and no rum.

Prepare to wear it on your hips.

Candy Corn Snack

The best fall, Halloween treat ever! Super simple. Super easy.
This is what you do. You take a bag of candy corn and a jar of roasted, salted peanuts. Dump them in a container and mix.

Grab handfuls at a time and munch away.

Salty sweet. Where can you go wrong there?