Halloween Cookie Pops

   These cookies are a fun treat to make with your kids.Simply use your favorite homemade or store bought sugar cookie dough, a little food coloring, and some lollipop sticks and you are ready to bake! Here is how I made them....

   Divide your dough into three equal parts. Choose the colors you would like to use. I left one plain, then colored the other two green and orange.
Place a few drops of food coloring into each part and incorporate well using your hands( messy but fun)!

   I then cut each third into smaller portions ( I did 4 portions of each color, because I was using a small amount of cookie dough, a full batch should give you much more). On a lightly floured surface, roll out three different colors to approximately the same length.

   Twist the dough carefully. Then start to roll it up from one end until you have a complete circle.

   Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Carefully place a stick into the bottom of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool completely before lifting, or the stick will fall out! Eat them right away or wrap them up to share as gifts for friends! Have fun!

 *** This idea can be used for any holiday, simply adjust the colors to fit the holiday theme.

*** I used candy apple sticks which are available at www.amazon.com .

Fall Chocolate Covered Oreos

   Fall in my house means Friday night football dinners for my oldest son. I usually like to make a nice tray of cookies, but today I decided to add some special fall themed chocolate covered oreos.These are very easy to make. All that you need are  some candy melts, oreo molds, and of course oreos.  I used a variety of colors in my molds, but feel free to use only milk, dark or white chocolate.Today, I made candy corn, ghosts and of course, footballs.

   Instructions:
 In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Pour a small amount of chocolate into each opening in the mold. Place one oreo on top of the chocolate. Cover the oreo with additional chocolate. Let set for about ten minutes in either your freezer or refrigerator. Turn over and pop out of the molds.Enjoy!!!

*** Chocolate melts can be found in your local craft store, candy supply store, or at www.amazon.com .
***Oreo molds can be found at your local candy supply store or at www.fancyflours.com .

Baby Shower Cookies

Just finished making some favors for a friend of mine who is throwing a baby shower for her daughter this weekend. Wanted to share with you...aren't they cute?

    Have a sweet day!
   Printable baby shower bag toppers available at www.chickabug.com

You Have Been Spooked

Have you ever been spooked, or booed, or bewitched? Well, this could be your year! This is a great way to make the fun of Halloween last for more than just one day.
   This weekend, my family filled up a container with lots of Halloween treats and secretly delivered it to one of our neighbors. When the kids came out in the morning, they were delighted to find this basket waiting for them.
    This is the sign attached to the basket;

You can download this printable at www.laurenmckinsey.com/spooked  . We will continue to leave a special set of treats on the doorsteps of various friends/neighbors throughout the month.
   One suggestion is to leave your name on the printable ,especially if the treats you are leaving are edible. At first ,I wanted to remain anonymous, but then thought that if  I found a basket of goodies on my porch, but did not know who they were from, I would not let my kids eat them. If you only plan on leaving items like a book, or coloring pages, then feel free to keep it anonymous.
    The treats can be anything you would like to give, candy,cookies, crayons, stickers, games, etc. It is more about the fun and the surprise than it is the expense. We filled this one with cider donuts, candies, games, books and a few other treats.

   I hope you have some fun spooking some of your friends ,and watching the kids' faces filled with excitement!! Happy Haunting!!

*** Be sure to check out my facebook page to see one of the lucky recipients of this basket...too cute!!!

Pumpkin Squares

     Normally, I do not post any recipes that include a ready made cake mix as part of the ingredients. I honestly am a "from scratch" kind of girl. However, that does not mean that my kids do not love Betty Crocker brownies, muffins or cupcakes. We are just like every other family in America, and you can always find some of these mixes in my pantry. There are always those days when we need a quick mix handy, and I can certainly appreciate that.  My reason for telling you this, is because last week,my son( who tends to be fussy when it comes to food) ,and I were in Williams-Sonoma. The smell in the store was incredible,and we were asked to try a sample of a pumpkin-type crumb cake.Of course, I did not have to be asked twice. My son, however, had to have his arm twisted,and when he finally gave in, he was happy that he did so. As a matter of fact, when I went to purchase the pumpkin butter needed for this recipe, he asked me to get two.....he liked it that much.
     Here is the recipe from that day. It is both easy and delicious, but does require a yellow cake mix, as well as pumpkin butter. It is a perfect additional to your fall breakfast or dessert table.

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix(reserve 1 cup and set aside)
1/2c. melted butter
3 eggs
 1/8 c. milk
1 c. flour
1/2c.sugar
1/2c. butter,softened
1tsp. cinnamon
1 jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter(13.5 oz)

    Mix the remainder of the yellow cake mix with1/2 cup of melted butter. Add one egg and mix well. Press this mixture lightly into the bottom of a 9 x 13 square pan. Set aside.

   Mix the pecan pumpkin butter with 2 eggs and the milk. Pour over the crust in the baking pan.
   Mix the 1 cup of reserved cake mix with the flour, sugar, softened butter and cinnamon. Mix until crumbly,and sprinkle on top of the pumpkin mixture.
   Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly ,then cut into squares.

***The recipe calls for a 9 x 13 pan...I really had to stretch the dough to make it fit...you may want to try a smaller pan for a thicker bar.

Apple Crumb Pie

   So, after apple picking with the boys this weekend ,it is fair to say that I am up to my ears in apples. With the weather being as beautiful as it is today, I figured it was the perfect day to bake a pie, an apple pie, of course. I make my own crust, but feel free to use a store-bought crust in a pinch.

Crumb Topping:
1/4 stick of unsalted butter,slightly softened
1/4 c. Flour
1/4 c. Oats
1/4 c. Brown sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
    Blend all of the ingredients together with your fingers, until crumbly. You can make your crumbs as large or small as you want, but I just tend to toss it on top of the pie in little bits until the top is covered.

Pie Ingredients:
1-1/2 a 2 lbs. of apples,peeled and chopped(I used gala,granny smith, and empire)
Zest of  1 lemon

Pie Dough:
2-1/2 c. flour
pinch of salt
2 sticks of butter,chilled and cut into small cubes
1/2 c. ice cold water
    In a food processor, blend the flour,salt and butter until the butter looks like small peas. Slowly add the water,a little at a time, until the dough comes together in a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
    When ready to use, roll out on a well floured surface,then place the dough into a pie plate. Cut the dough that is hanging over the edge until it is about 2 inches longer than the edge of your pie plate. Fold the excess under ,and crimp along the edges with your fingers. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork,and refrigerate until ready to use.

   Mix the apples with the lemon zest.  Pour the mixture into a prepared pie crust. Top with crumb mixture.Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, then lower to 350 degrees until the apples are cooked and the crust and crumbs are golden brown,about another 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly,and serve warm with vanilla ice-cream if desired.

   If your crust and crumbs are getting dark too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Apple Picking

  So, today we ventured out to the eastern end of Long Island to pick some apples with two of our four  boys. The weather was perfect,we were able to ride some horses,which was a nice treat, and we had an afternoon filled with pumpkins,apples,lots of produce,animals(the farm kind,not my kids),and of course,a hay ride. I came home with a ridiculous amount of vegetables.....now,I need to figure out what to do with it all! Here are some pics from the adventure.

   Our first stop was a field filled with peppers,tomatoes and eggplant. We picked plenty of our own,but then spotted a bag of freshly picked goodies that someone had abandoned....so we gladly took the goods with us.
   The fields were vast,and the bushes so high,that we were joking that someone could get lost for days in there.....then we came upon to ladies who had unfortunately lost there keys out here....can you imagine?

  We then paid the farmer and headed down the road in pursuit of some apples.This place was filled with fall fun...candy apples,cider donuts, activities for the kids,and of course, apple trees.Off they go....

   We headed into the orchard,which unfortunately was not so full of apples, but we did manage to put a bag together..some gala,jonagold,granny smith,and fujis.

   So, after picking apples, we checked out some of  the animals ,then headed over to take a quick ride on some horses...this horse was named Brownie,and my kids were in love!

   We also loved seeing all of the corn stalks and pumpkins.It was truly a perfect day.

   Once back at home, we unloaded all of our goddies,and boy, was there a lot! Looks like there will be a lot of tomato,eggplant and pepper meals in our near future.That and some apple pie!!!
  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!