Spiderweb Sugar Cookies

     Last year I made Spiderweb cookies for my students at school.  They not only thought they were delicious but loved how they looked.  I also had a few people ask me to make them for them this year.  After looking to see the directions on how to make them I realized I never blogged them other then showing a picture.

      Because these cookies are versatile and can be used with different colors for different holidays I wanted to make sure I wrote out the directions on how to make them.  I also went looking for another sugar cookie recipe because while I have a go to recipe, I wanted one that yielded a softer cookie.

       Bridget recently did a sugar cookie comparison in which she made 4 different sugar cookies, two of which I have made before, and compared them.  In all honesty, her own recipe looked the best and I gave it a try.  I ended up loving it.  The cookie is buttery and soft in the middle.  They hold up well to royal icing and stay fresh for close to a week.  I think I have a new favorite!

Spiderweb Sugar Cookies (adapted from The Way The Cookie Crumbles)
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
Royal Icing

1.  In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until smooth.  Gradually add in the sugar and continue mixing on medium until fluffy.

3.  Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until mixed well.

4.  Place the mixer on low and add in the flour mixture, mixing until just blended.

5.  Knead the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc shape.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

6.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

7.  On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the cookies using a 3 inch circular cookie cutter.  (I used a biscuit cutter.)  Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until they no longer look wet on top.

8.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack.  Cool completely.

9.  Make a large bowl of royal icing from THIS recipe.  Place 3/4 of it in a large bowl and 1/4 of it in a small bowl.

10.  Tint the large bowl orange and the small bowl black.  (I used Americolor Food Coloring)

11.  Place half of the orange icing into a piping bag with a small tip.  Pipe a large orange circle onto each cookie.

12.  Place the remaining orange icing back into a bowl and thin it slightly with water.  Put the black icing int a piping back with a small tip.

13.  Working on 3 or 4 cookies at a time flood the cookie with orange icing.  Immediately place a black dot in the center with 3 black circles around the dot.  Immediately drag a toothpick through the black icing.  You can choose to go from the inside to the outside only or you can go both ways for a different design.


14.  Allow to dry over night.  Place in an air tight container and keep for up to 1 week.

Happy Halloween!

This post linked to:
Wonderful Wednesdays,  Recipe Box Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, 

Cheddar Green Bean Casserole

     I enjoy green bean casserole as much as the next person.  The creamy beans topped with crispy fried onions are delicious.  The only thing I don't like about the casserole is the use of creamed soup.  I found this recipe that not only leaves out the creamed soup but adds in cheese and a delicious, crisp topping.

     The green bean casserole is cheesy and tasty.  I enjoyed the creamy cheese sauce and the combination of breadcrumbs, fried onions, and cheese on top.  It's a great alternative to the original casserole and perfect for any cheese lover.

Cheddar Green Bean Casserole (adapted from Life and Kitchen)
For the topping:
2 slices of bread, crusts removed, torn into quarters
1 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
3/4 c. canned fried onions
1/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded 
For the beans and sauce:
1 lb. frozen green beans, thawed in the refrigerator
1 T. butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. black pepper
1 T. flour
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. fat free half and half
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Pulse the bread, butter, salt, and pepper in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. Place the crumbs in a large bowl and mix with fried onions and cheese; set aside.

2.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

3.  In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, melt the butter.  Add in the garlic and pepper.  Stir in the flour and cook for one minute.

4.  Stir in the broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium.  Add in the half and half and the cheddar cheese.  Mix well. 

5.  Add the green beans to the sauce and stir until coated.   Spread in the 9 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with the topping and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges. 

This post linked to:
Meatless Mondays, Mangia Mondays, Bulletin Board,Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show,

Curveball (a Cat McDaniel mystery) by Jen Estes & a Giveaway!

BACK ON THE BENCH

Baseball reporter Cat McDaniel specializes in exposes. Now that very talent has left her unemployed. Desperate to get off the bench and back into the lineup, she is thrilled to land an interview with the Buffalo Soldiers' General Manager Roger "Rakin'" Aiken--Baseball legend, eight-time All Star... and oblivious father to a Major League bratty co-ed named Paige.

A CURVEBALL WITH A CAVEAT

Aiken offers Cat the team writer position for the following spring, but the opportunity is tempered by a curveball of a caveat: she must first spend the winter as a blogger reporting on the Latin American training facility. She is also supposed to look out for Paige, nominally the team's newest scouting assistant. Being a glorified babysitter and chaperone still beats being an out-of-work sportswriter. Cat reluctantly leaves behind her gorgeous boyfriend Benji and accompanies the party girl to sunny Santo Domingo to balance baselines and conga lines.

HARDBALL FOR REAL

Paige falls for Chance Hayward, an agent who plays hardball--the figurative kind. Joining them on the field is Paige's ex, Junior DeLeon, one of the coaches who'd really like to score with Cat. When an aspiring player turns up dead, it is up to Cat and Junior to devise a game-changing strategy. Will Cat's snooping work in her favor this time, or will she strike out ... losing her job, her boyfriend and her life?  (-synopsis from Goodreads)

The book opens with a determined Cat going for an interview with Roger Aiken, the Buffalo Soldier's manager.  In the middle of the interview the manager gets a call that his troublemaker daughter is in trouble at her college...again.  With a press conference coming up in hours he sends Cat to deal with her.

Cat gets the bratty Paige in the car and back to her father.  Seeing how firm Cat was with Paige, Roger gives Cat a chance to work with the Soldiers...but there is a catch.  She has to fly to Santo Domingo and write about the Latin American training facility.  Cat is excited until she learns that Paige is coming along as well.  Not only will Cat be a reporter on this trip, she's also there to be Paige's babysitter.

The two start out disliking each other but throughout the book you can see them growing on each other.  Even though Paige seems spoiled and bratty she really grew on me and showed personal growth at the end of the book.  

Cat is a strong willed, smart, and sneaky reporter who will do anything to bring down the bad guys and keep the baseball players safe.  Together Paige and Cat begin snooping around when a baseball recruit ends up dead and a slimy agent, Chance Hayworth, acts as though he didn't know the boy even though they had a contract.

Throw in an old flame of both Cat's and Paige's and things heat up quickly in Santo Domingo.  This pair is such an odd couple but it really works in this book.  They seem to despise each other on the surface but when push comes to shove you can tell they care about one another.  Their insults to each other kept me laughing throughout the book.

I read this book quickly and it kept my interest throughout.  I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I found the baseball references to just be another part of the book and I actually enjoyed them.  The characters are realistic and the interactions were so spot on that I could picture them in my mind.

I hope I see more of both Paige and Cat in the future as they make a great team and end up catching the bad guy at the end.  

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Follow the author on Twitter @jenestesdotcom

Would you like to read Curveball?  If so I am giving away one E-Book copy of Curveball in any format!  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you would like to read this book.  Giveaway is open through November 2 at midnight and is open Internationally.  

DISCLAIMER

Every eBook received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours.



This post linked to:
Review Party Wednesday, 

Update:  The winner of the Curveball e-book is: 

gail

i love mysteries
gkuroda(at)gmail(d0t)com

Vegan Halloween Sugar Cookies #SundaySupper

     Here's something you might not know about me:  I LOVE Halloween.  I don't know what it is about the holiday but I just love it.  Even though I'm in my 30's I still get to dress up every year because I work at an elementary school.  The kids enjoy seeing me dress up and I enjoy seeing their costumes.  Perhaps my favorite part of Halloween is the reward party we have for the students.  My instruction assistant and I get to make all kinds of Halloween themed treats for the kids.  Last year we had a Little Monsters party. 

    This year I decided to dress up as a baker.  I figured I bake enough throughout the year that it was an appropriate costume.  I have an apron with my blog's logo on it and I wore a baker's hat as well.  I actually ended up baking Halloween cookies and passing them out the to little brother's and sister's of my students.  It was so much fun!

     Since I made so many Halloween cookies I wanted to share them with this weeks #SundaySupper.  Our theme this week is a Trick-or-Treat Halloween party and these vegan sugar cookies certainly fit the theme!  I was hoping the cookies would taste just as good as the original sugar cookie and I wasn't disappointed!  I was actually surprised by how flavorful and delicious the vegan cookies turned out.  They were slightly crisp on the edges but soft and sugary in the middle.

Vegan Halloween Sugar Cookies  (adapted from Chez Bettay The Vegan Gourmet)
For the cookies:
2 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. vanilla almond milk
1 t. vanilla
6 oz. Earth Balance Buttery Spread

For the royal icing:
3 c. powdered sugar
1 T. Karo syrup
4 T. vanilla almond milk

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the Earth Balance Spread and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.

2.  Add in the baking soda and mix until blended.

3.  Mix in the almond milk and vanilla.

4.  Stir in the flour until just blended.

5.  Roll the dough into a ball and lift it out of the bowl.  Gently roll it into a log.  Wrap the log with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

7.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on parchment paper.  Roll the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.  Place on the parchment paper covered cookie sheets.

8.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges juts begin to turn brown.  Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

9.  While the cookies are cooling combine the icing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  The mixture should be fairly thick.

10.  Tint the icing the desired colors and pipe onto the cooled cookies.  For information on decorating cookies with royal icing go HERE.

11.  Store cookies in an air tight container for 1 week.

Witches, ghosts, goblins, vampires, zombies, monsters...  Everyone is invited.  You don't want to miss this hair-raising party.  It's sure to be a real scream!      

On the menu for our Trick-or-Treat #SundaySupper Halloween Party:


Bewitching Brews:

• Shrunken Heads in Cider - Girlichef
• Candy Corn Martini - The Messy Baker Blog
• Trick-or-Treat Wine Pairings for Halloween - ENOFYLZ

Ghoulish Gruel:

• Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce - I Run for Wine
• Eggs in Purgatory - My Catholic Kitchen
• Mini Jack-o’-Lantern Sloppy Joe Pies - Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Baked Mummy Cheese Dogs - In the Kitchen with KP
• Meat Head - Ruffles & Truffles
• Goblin Eggs - Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Mummy Hot Dogs - Damn Delicious
• Spooky Kid Pizzas - Sustainable Dad
• Pumpkin Chili, Pumpkin Dip, & Wicken Witch’s Brew - Daddy Knows Less
• Monster Mash - Cindy’s Recipes & Writings
• Sloppy Worm Sandwiches - La Cocina de Leslie

Haunted Snacks:

• Gory Green Monster Eyeball Dip - Shockingly Delicious
• Marinated Mozzarella Eyeballs - Comfy Cuisine
• Eyeball Pinwheels - Home Cooking Memories

Spooky Sweets:

• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Biscoff Cream - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Spooky Ogre Eye Cookies - The Realistic Nutritionist
• Jack O’ Lantern Cookies - Magnolia Days
• Spooky Good Popcorn Snack Mix - The Weekend Gourment
• White Chocolate & Coconut Dipped Strawberry Ghosts - Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Monster Bites - Cravings of a Lunatic
• Vegan Halloween Sugar Cookies - Hezzi-D’s Books & Cooks
• Monster Cookies - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Tunnel of Doom Cake - That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Candy-Stuffed Rice Crispy Treat Pumpkins - Chocolate Moosey 
• Crispy Graham Bones - The Meltaways
• Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies - Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Witch’s Fingers - Noshing with The Nolands
• Sweet Intestines with Broken Glass - The Little Ferraro Kitchen 
• Graveyard Brownies - The Wimpy Vegetarian 
• Boo Candy Corn & Chocolate Chip Cookies - Hip Foodie Mom
• Bleeding Devil Cakes - Momma’s Meals
• Pumpkin Halloween Munch - Big Bear’s Wife
• Halloween Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cake Pops - Juanita’s Cocina
• Jack-O-Lantern Carrot Cake - Galactosemia in PDX
• Ghostly Chocolate Orange Tarts - Happy Baking Days
• Messy Monster Cookies - MarocMama
• Bewitchingly Delicious Butterscotch Broomstick Cake Pops - Mama.Mommy.Mom.
• Halloween Popcorn Cake - Pippis in the Kitchen Again
• Witches Morning Gruel - In the Kitchen with Audrey
• White Chocolate & Dulce de Leche Ghosts - Vintage Kitchen Notes 
• Peanut Butter Candy Bar Cookies - The Cookie A Day Challenge
• Monster Cookie Revel Bars - Baker Street 
• Halloween Cereal Bars - Basic N Delicious
• Ossi di Morti (Bones of the Dead Cookies) - Webicurean
• Pumpkin Pie Pinwheels - Midlife Road Trip

We’d also love to feature your favorite Halloween recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.


This post linked to: 
Scrumptious Sundays,  Mouthwatering Mondays,

Craft Coffee: Experience Coffee Differently

Craft Coffee: Experience Coffee Differently

Are you a coffee drinker? Then you need to check out Craft Coffee!

Craft Coffee is a coffee subscription service that was introduced to me a few weeks ago. They're trying to change how people experience coffee by sending their subscribers three 4 oz bags of high quality coffee.

Their main focus is quality. They have an expert panel that taste 50+ different coffees from roasters around the country. After a series of tests, only the top three make it into the box.

The beans are roasted literally days before they arrive at your doorstep! So much better than the usual grocery store coffee. You'll literally be drinking the countries best coffee! You'll also have fun drinking your coffee in the mornings since each bag will be different!

Want to give it a try? It costs between $20-$25/month depending on your subscription. Luckily for you, Craft Coffee is offering my readers 20% off their first month by using the code hezzipromo at checkout. It's valid until 11/9.

Not a coffee drinker, but know someone who is? This would make a great holiday gift!

Mini Fruit Tarts with Nutella Pastry Cream

    A few weeks ago my husband and I were in the care driving to Tyson's Corner for a weekend filled with shopping and good food.  Usually during car trips we like to listen to National Public Radio (NPR) because the closer you get to a city, the better the shows are.  On our way The Splendid Table came on.  I adore this show because it's all about cooking.  I always learn a few tips and get great ideas for my cooking and baking.

     The show we listened to talked a lot about Nutella and how popular it has gotten over the years.  They talked about some of the recipes on Nutella's website as well as recipes food bloggers have come up with on their own.  The host was saying that food bloggers really helped to make it popular today because of all the wonderful cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods they have made.  The show even gave a recipe for homemade Nutella which I thought was pretty cool.

     Now here's a secret.  I've never tried Nutella.  It's not for any other reason other then I don't like nuts and couldn't imagine that I would like a nut spread mixed with chocolate.  However, after listening to the show I started coming up with ideas using Nutella.  I was blurting them out and writing them down as fast as I could while my husband completed the drive to Virginia.

     I finally got around to buying a jar of Nutella last week.  I had ideas of ways to use it but yet it kept sitting in my pantry.  Then we got a call that a few friends were stopping by for happy hour and I immediately went to work.  I'd been dreaming of making a Nutella fruit tart and started working on it right away.  While I was making the Nutella pastry cream I tasted it as I do all of my food and was shocked at how delicious it was!

     I then tentatively licked the spoon with the Nutella on it-big mistake.  The Nutella was awesome!  I couldn't believe I had held out this long on something that was so good!  I couldn't really taste the nuts in it because the chocolate is the main flavor though there is another dimension to the flavor which must be the hazelnuts.

    After putting the filling in the mini tarts I wasn't sure what fruits to put on top.  When I think of fruits with chocolate I think strawberries and cherries so that's what I went with.  The rich, red cherries and bright red strawberries looked so beautiful against the chocolate pastry cream.  I then added a few mint leaves for color.  The resulting mini tarts were out of this word!  We gobbled them up along with our friends and everyone commented on how good they were.  I'm now looking forward to making even more recipes with Nutella in them!

Mini Fruit Tarts with Nutella Pastry Cream (a Hezzi-D original!)
1 package Athens Mini Fillo Shells
1/2 c. whole milk
1 T. cornstarch
3 T. sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 T. butter
2 t. vanilla
2 T. Nutella
5 strawberries, stems removed and chopped
8 cherries, pitted and chopped
5 mint leaves

1.  In a medium bowl dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of the milk.  Mix well and set aside.

2.  Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring the milk to a boil and then remove from heat.  

3. Add the egg and egg yolk to the cornstarch mixture and beat well.  Pour 1/3 of the boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not cook.

4.  Return the remaining milk to a boil on the stove.  Slowly pour in the hot egg mixture, whisking constantly.

5.  Continue whisking until the cream has thickened (it took mine about 2 minutes).  Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.  

6.  Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and mix in the Nutella.

7.  Spoon a teaspoon of pastry cream into each Athens Mini Fillo Shells.

8.  Arrange the strawberries and cherries on top of the pastry cream.  Top with mint leaves.

9.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

This post linked to:
Foodie Friday, Foodtastic Friday,  5 Minutes for Food, Shine on Friday, Gingerbread Sweet, Sweets for a Saturday,

S'mores Brownies

     Have you ever been to an un-birthday party?  A few years ago my parents started a tradition of having an un-birthday party in September.  Everyone in my family goes to my parents for one last pool party, we have dinner, there's desserts, and everyone gets a present.  It's a grab bag and everyone brings a gift and gets a gift.  This year I received a gallon jug of Sonny's Bar-B-Que sauce as my gift.  I love Sonny's sauce so this was perfect for me.  My husband received after shave lotion which is something he does use so it was a practical gift for him.

     My parents provided all of the food for the party so I told them I would bring all of the desserts.  I already knew I wanted to bring an apple dessert and a pumpkin dessert.  I figured I better bring a chocolate dessert as well.  I've been dying to make S'mores brownies ever since I saw a picture of them and figured this would be a great place to bring them.

     Making these brownies seemed easy enough.  They are a basic brownie topped with marshmallows then sprinkled with graham crackers and Hershey bars.  When I put the brownies in the oven to broil I left them in for the required 30 seconds.  When I opened the oven I was in for a surprise-the entire pan of brownies was engulfed in flames!  I panicked for a few seconds and then slipped on my oven mitts and pulled the pan out. Lucky for me the flames died as soon as the brownies were out of the oven.

     Using quick thinking I scraped the burned to a crisp marshmallows off the top, put new marshmallows on top, and then put them back in the oven.  This time I broiled them on the bottom shelf.  That seemed to work and the marshmallows turned golden brown.  When I pulled them out I sprinkled the graham crackers and then topped them with Hershey bars.  They ended up looking beautiful and tasting amazing.  I still can't believe I was able to safe them from the flames!  These were a big hit at the party and the kids especially loved them.

     I'm also sharing these for our fifth week of The 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Meal Planning Magic because they were super delicious and disappeared quickly.  Definitely a great way to bring S'mores inside during the cold winter months.

S'mores Brownies  (brownies adapted from Hershey, S'mores brownies adapted from Prevention RD)
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. applesauce
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 c. mini marshmallows
4 graham crackers, broken into pieces
2 Hershey's Bars, broken into pieces

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

2.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Mix well.

3.  In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar.  Add in the applesauce and mix well.  Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.

4.  Stir half the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix well.  Add in the cocoa powder and stir.  Mix in the remaining flour mixture and stir until well incorporated.

5.  Pour the brownies into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the marshmallows.  Sprinkle the graham crackers over top of the marshmallows.  Turn the oven to broil.

7.  Broil the brownies at least 6 inches from the heat source for 30 seconds, watching carefully so they do not catch on fire!

8.  When the marshmallows are golden brown remove from the oven and top with the Hershey bar pieces.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

This post linked to:
Thursday Treasures, Tasty Thursday,  Fantastic Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Seasonal Inspiration, Strut Your Stuff,

For Keeps by Aaron Paul Lazar

When retired family doctor Sam Moore’s old girlfriend is murdered in a local hotel, the police suspect his involvement. The coroner, a former med school colleague whose husband is about to desert her, reveals that she had a crush on Sam in med school. When she is strangled the next day in her own morgue, Sam is once again in the hot seat.

Sam’s world falls apart when he returns home to find a family member killed in the laundry room, stabbed with his own garden shears. Rocketed into a world of denial and temporary insanity, Sam faces his worst fear, and is locked up in the very same psych ward he was in when his brother Bill died fifty years ago. Sam is determined to ask his long dead brother to help him. Billy, who communicates through a little green marble, has the ability to propel Sam through time and has helped Sam unwrap baffling mysteries in the past.

Sam’s plan: to change time, and bring his loved one back to life.  (-synopsis from Goodreads)

I found this book to be a quick and mostly enjoyable read.  The book opens with Sam being called to a murder scene where he recognizes the victim as an old fling from spring break.  Soon Sam is a suspect in the murder and unfortunately there's more death to come.

Sam is a likeable character who is completely devoted to his wife, Rachel.  Rachel is bound to a wheelchair because she has MS.  Rachel is a very level headed character who is both sweet and realistic.  They have two children, Andy and Beth.  Andy is the father of two rambunctious boys and has been away at war.  Beth is a single mother who is gay.  I enjoyed the variation of the characters and the well developed backgrounds.

After the murder of his old fling, Sam feels the green marble in his pocket glow with warmth.  The marble is his connection to his brother Billy.  Billy passed away as a child but now is connected to Sam by the green marble.  Whenever he needs to see the past, Billy is able to whisk Sam away to see details needed to help him figure out what is going on in the present.

I found the time travel element to interesting.  However, I almost immediately knew who the killer was because of the time travel.  It was easy to figure out though the reason why the person killed was not.   

There were several ups and downs in the story which kept my interest.  In the end there were 3 murder victims, each one more devastating then the last.  After the third murder Sam is so upset that he winds up in the hospital under a doctors care.  While his family and the doctors try taking care of him all he can think about is going back in the past to change what has happened.

I found the time traveling and the changing of the past to be a little too far fetched.  It was interesting to see how each travel backwards changed the future but I thought it lessened the credibility of the story to a point.  

In all I enjoyed the book.  It was a quick, light, and fun read.

To connect with Aaron Paul Lazar visit his website  www.lazarbooks.com

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

This post linked to:
Review Party Wednesday,  

7 Layer Mexican Dip

    This week at work our staff decided that each grade level would pick a theme and make dishes to go with it for lunch and then the entire staff could eat at school for a week.  Our team decided to go with a Mexican theme and I immediately thought of 7 layer dip.  I've had so many different versions of the dip but I wanted to make my own and went with a vegetarian layer dip because of several staff members who don't eat meat.

     I didn't really go by any recipe.  I thought about what I like in Mexican dips, wrote down what I thought went well together in each layer and went for it.  It ended up looking really nice and it tasted great too.  You can really layer just about anything you want in this dip including ground beef or chicken.

7 Layer Mexican Dip (Vegetarian style)
1 can (16 oz) vegetarian refried beans
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies 
1 1/2 c. low fat sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1 1/2 c. medium salsa
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into ring
5 black olives, cut into rings

1.  In a small bowl combine the refried beans and green chilies.  Spread them in the bottom of a clean 10 cup bowl.

2.  In another small bowl combine the sour cream and taco seasoning.  Spread the sour cream in the clear bowl on top of the beans.

3.  Spread the salsa on top of the sour cream mixture.  Sprinkle the lettuce on top of the salsa and then the cheese on top of the lettuce.

4.  Top the dip off with the tomato, avocado, jalapeno, and black olives.  Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours then serve with tortilla chips.

 This post linked to:
Wonderful Food Wednesday,  Recipe Box Wednesday, Whatcha Whipped Up, Cast Party Wednesday, 

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

      Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!  In this hop each blog will be giving away a different prize.  There are over 500 blogs participating in this hop so please see the Linky List below for all the participating blogs!

      I am giving away 4 fabulous books!  One winner receive each of the following books:

• Dead Asleep by Jamie Freveletti
• This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
• The Peculiars (ARC copy) by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
• The Janson Command by Paul Garrison

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

French Onion Pork Chops

     When the weather starts getting colder I start looking for comfort food. My favorite comfort foods are soups, macaroni and cheese, and pot pies.  Unfortunately many of my favorites are super high in calories so I can only have them occasionally.

      When I found a recipe for French Onion braised chicken I was intrigued.  The recipe only called for a small amount of cheese and none of the bread or croutons that go on top.  I liked that it incorporated one of my favorite soups with poultry to make it a main dish recipe with less calories and fat then the soup.  I had taken pork chops out of the freezer so I substituted them in for the chicken in this recipe.

       I was surprised by the rich, delicious flavor of the pork chops and broth.  The pork is made really tender by baking in the French Onion broth.  The cheese on top is broiled at the last minute to give it that classic browned topping of French Onion soup.  I really enjoyed this twist on a classic.

French Onion Pork Chops  (adapted from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. rosemary
1 t. thyme
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/4 c. white wine
1 c. beef broth
1 t. olive oil
4 boneless pork chops
4 slices Swiss cheese

1.  In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil, and butter.  Add the onions and let them cook down, stirring occasionally.  As you are caramelizing the onions you do not want them to cook too fast so keep an eye on them. 

2.  After allowing the onions to cook down for 15 minutes add in the garlic, herbs, and remaining sugar.  Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes or until onions are caramelized.

3.  Stir in the white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

4.  In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown in the skillet, about 2-3 minutes per side.

5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6.  Pour the onion mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Place the pork chops on top of the onions.

7.  In the same skillet that cooked the pork chops, add the beef broth and scrape up any brown bites.  Pour the broth over top of the chicken and onions.

8.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are fully cooked.  Place a slice of cheese on top of each pork chops and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

This post linked to:
The Bulletin Board, Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesdays,

Salted Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie #SundaySupper #Bakeforacure

     October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Every year millions of American women are diagnosed with breast cancer.  With the statistics being 1 in every 8 women having breast cancer at some point in their life chances are you will know someone who has it.  My grandmother had breast cancer, my next door neighbor had breast cancer, and one of my best friends mother had breast cancer so it is a cause near and dear to my heart.  In college I joined the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and was happy to find that we participated in many events for breast cancer awareness.

     This week #SundaySupper is going to #Bakeforacure.  The challenge was to bake something in a pie pan.  I've made many pies over the years so I wanted to challenge myself to make something else in the pie pan.  Since my favorite "cake" is a giant chocolate chip cookie cake that's what I wanted to make.

     Of course I couldn't just make a giant cookie, I had to jazz it up.  I decided the best way to do that would be to put a layer of homemade caramel in the middle of it.  Boy was I glad I did!  The cookie took longer to bake then I thought it would be it was worth the wait.  The caramel made a sweet, crispy coating on the outside edge of the cookie but stayed gooey on the inside.  The cookie was sweet, chocolatey, and full of caramel.  I could have eaten the whole thing myself!  Luckily I took it in to work to share with my fellow teachers.

Salted Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie (adapted from Modern Alice)
For the cookie:
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
8 T. butter
1/4 c. applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. chocolate chips

For the caramel:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
2/3 c. heavy cream
3 T. butter
1 t. sea salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a pie pan with cooking spray.

2.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.

3.  In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars.  Add in the applesauce and mix well.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

5.  In a heavy bottomed saucepan combine the sugar and water.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Increase heat and boil for 5-7 minutes without stirring until the syrup is a deep amber color (do not let it burn!)

6.  Immediately remove from the heat and add the heavy cream.  Be careful it doesn't spatter.  Stir in the butter and salt.

7.  Pour half the cookie dough into the pie pan and smooth with the back of a spoon to even it out.  Pour the hot caramel on top of the cookie dough.  Sprinkle with additional sea salt.

8.  Place spoonfuls of the remaining dough on top of the caramel.  Try to fill in as many places as possible so that the dough will melt together and form a crust.

9.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the cookie is golden brown and the inside is firm.

10.  Cool on a wire rack and cut into slices.

The Sunday Supper Team loves to partner with like minded brands with a great mission behind their great products.  We are honored to partner with Chantal Cookware this week for a special #SundaySupper featuring their new Easy as Pie Dish.  We are not only featuring this beautiful Pie Dish, we are encouraging every one of our followers to join us in our #BakeForACure event.

Chantal and the Sunday Supper Movement have come together to encourage everyone to take a couple of hours out of their busy week and bake for someone who has been affected by cancer or someone in the medical profession who makes a difference in the lives of cancer patients.  A small gesture to show someone how much you care can make a difference in their day.

Do you want to participate but wonder what to bake?  The #SundaySupper Team has some mouth watering suggestions.  From sweet to savory, you will be inspired to bake and put a smile on someone’s face.

These #SundaySupper Contributors, were provided with a beautiful Easy As Pie Dish by Chantal Cookware.  They will be sharing their recipes with you this Sunday and also their thoughts on this Beautiful Pie Dish.   Many are giving away their dish along with their pie to brighten someone’s day.

Check out these gorgeous Sunday Supper Recipes:

• Pecan Pie by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Nana’s 3LB Deep Dish Apple Pie by I Run For Wine
• Upside-down Apple Pie by Comfy Cuisine
• Coconut Pie by Basic N Delicious
• Italian Chicken Pie by Momma’s Meals
• German Apple Pie by Mrs. Mama Hen
• Funny Cake by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Sweet Potato Pie with Gingersnap Crust by Webicurean
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream by The Meltaways
• Lemon Meringue Pie by The Messy Baker Blog
• Ham and Spinach Quiche by Magnolia Days
• Pink Salmon Quiche by My Catholic Kitchen
• Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel Topping by Juanita’s Cocina
• Grilled Eggplant Moussaka With Greek Yogurt White Sauce by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie by Big Bears Wife
• Pumpkin Maple Pie by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Spiced Pumpkin Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Crust by Daily Dish Recipes
• Pasteis de Nata ~ Portuguese Custard Tart by Family Foodie
• Chocolate Pie by Diabetic Foodie
• Fancified Shepard’s Pie by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Pink Lady Pie by From Fast Food to Fresh Food

As you may have noticed, when the #SundaySupper Team does something, we come together and do it with a bang.   Check out these additional recipes, perfect to take to someone who you want to make feel special this month.

• Butterscotch Pudding Triple Chip Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Pie by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Flatbread with Grapes, Gruyere, Rosemary and Red Onions by Shockingly Delicious
• Salted Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Candy Bar Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Quiches by In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Apple Cranberry Slab Pie by Generation Y Foodie
• Gratin of Potatoes, Onions & Leeks by An Appealing Plan
• Garlic rosemary yeast rolls by Gotta Get Baked
• Italian Tomato Tart by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
• Impossible cheeseburger pie by In the Kitchen with KP
• 10 Grain Muffins by Mangiamo!
• Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie by Mama Mommy Mom
• Date Crumb Pie by girlichef
• Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Doughnuts by What Smells So Good?

Do you want to get your own Easy as Pie Dish?  Chantal is offering  will be 20% OFF of ALL Chantal Pie dishes on www.chantal.com. BAKE4CURE must be entered at checkout to receive the pie dish discount. The coupon discount code is active October 16, 2012 through October 30, 2012.

This post linked to:
Tuesday Talent Show,  Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Totally Tasty Tuesday,