This Week's Menu: 10/27 - 11/2

Banana Ghosts & Tangerine Pumpkins from Weelicious.com

Monday: Family Halloween Party -- bring Pumpkin Bars
Tuesday: Lentil Soup + Apple Slices
Wednesday: Eggs + Toast + Green Smoothies
Thursday: Family Halloween Dinner at In-Law's; bring ____________
Friday: {Halloween} Some combination of the following: Mummy Pizzas (on English muffins) + Pumpkin Oranges + Carrot fingers w/ almond finger nails + Spider Eggs
Saturday: Crock Pot Baked Potatoes w/ toppings (chili, cheese, sour cream, onions) + Green Salad
Sunday: Spaghetti (sauteed veggies and browned ground beef with White Linen marinara sauce over whole wheat noodles) + Green Salad + Corn

Pumpkin Bars

Photo and similar Pumpkin Bar recipe found at Taste of Home

Recipe from my sister, Chalonn

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. cooking oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients and thoroughly mix into wet ingredients. Spread batter into an ungreased jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting (bel
ow). Makes about 2 dozen bars.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. butter
3 oz. cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar

This Week's Menu: 12/20 - 12/27

Photo Source

Friday: OUT for 7th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday: Breakfast for dinner
Sunday: Ravioli with homemade pesto sauce (from freezer) + Fruit
Monday: {Slow Cooker} Hearty Beef Stew* (finally got around to making this -- it's in the crock pot now)
Tuesday: Christmas Eve Appetizer Shmorgasbord at the Redds' house. We are bringing
                 Bacon- Wrapped Jalapeños and Chips with Pomegranate Guacamole
Wednesday: CHRISTMAS DAY!
                        B - Santa Pancakes + Bacon + Eggs
                     L/D - Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches on Homemade Rolls
Thursday: Honey Lime Enchiladas
Friday: Baked Potatoes + Kale Salad + Fruit

Other (i.e., Christmas baking):
Peanut Butter Bars
Pretzel M&M's
Peppermint Brownies
Sugar Cookies for Santa (our Christmas Eve tradition)

Soft Sugar Cookies

2/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. butter
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

3. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Note: we tired these for our Christmas Eve cookies for Santa. We tried rolling them out but that didn't work very well. They turned out best when rolled into balls as recipe suggests. They flattened into perfect cookies and we were still able to frost them for Santa. Also, the dough freezes well. Very yummy!! We used the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe to frost these.

White Chocolate Pretzels

We always had these around the house at Christmas time. We would often put several of these on a plate with Andes Mint Cookies and take them to neighbors and friends for a Holiday gift. They are very addicting! 

1 brick of White Chocolate 

1 bag of small Twisted Pretzels

Melt white chocolate brick in a double boiler. Drop pretzels in melted chocolate to coat well. Pick out with a fork and let extra chocolate fall through fork. Set on wax paper to cool.

variation: Try sprinkling with colorful sprinkles or tiny toffee bits or drizzling with milk chocolate. 

Raspberry Trifle

Mom Christensen

This was a Christensen Family tradition for New Years Day. We would review the previous year month by month and remember all the year's highlights. Then we ate Trifle. Yum!!

2 pkg (3 oz) Raspberry Jello

1-1/2 c. Boiling Water

2 pkg (10 oz) Frozen Raspberries, thawed but not drained

1 pt. Vanilla Ice Cream

2 Bananas, sliced

2 small Angel Food Cakes

4 pkg (3-1/4 oz. each) Vanilla Pudding (not instant)

1 pt. Whipping Cream or Cool Whip

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in raspberries with juice and vanilla ice cream. Pour in large serving bowl. Set in refrigerator. 

Slice bananas over top and break cakes into bite size pieces, placing over top of bananas. 

Cook pudding. Cool and pour over cake and stir a little. Top with cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings to serve. 

Serves 12-15.

Simple Andes Mint Cookies

Sooo easy and so delicious. I took these cookies to a 

Christmas party last year and was complimented all night.

1 dark chocolate cake mix (devil's food cake)

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

10 oz. pkg Andes Mints

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Separate 2/3 of the package of Andes mints. Break into pieces and add to cookie dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. 

When cookies are out of oven, use the other 1/3 of package of mints. Break individual mints in half and place on each hot cookie. Swirl as it melts to create a marble look. 

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Mom Christensen

Combine in pot and heat over medium-low heat: 

1 can Evaporated Milk

3 cans Water

In a separate small mixing bowl combine:

1 cup Sugar

4 Tbsp Cocoa

Add just enough water to the sugar and cocoa to create a paste. Stir ingredients together with a fork. 

Add sugar mixture to pot and stir occasionally until chocolate milk reaches desired sipping temperature. Add 1 tsp. Vanilla before serving. Stir and enjoy. Try adding flavored extracts for a more gourmet taste.