Candy Corn Cheesecake

Good afternoon bloggers! If you are just joining us for the first time, I welcome you. I'm your host, Mandie. Today, I am re-writing this blog. I wrote it previously and deleted it by accident. So, needless to say, this would have been posted hours ago. We will be making a delicious candy corn cheesecake in celebration of Halloween. Before we begin, I would like to share a little background about this delicious treat. Candy corn was created in the 1880's by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company. The 3 colors mimic the appearance of kernels of corn. Did you know that Brach's is the top retailer of candy corn? They sell enough candy corn each year to circle the Earth 4.25 times if the kernels are laid end to end. The NCA (National Confectioners Association) estimates that 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually and can be found in multiple colors for the various holidays that they are being used on, such as Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. That's pretty cool, huh? Okay, now that we've had a little schooling, let's get to baking!

Candy Corn Cheesecake

You will need:

• 2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookies
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1.5 cups honey
• 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• yellow color paste (or gel)
• orange color paste (or gel)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, for topping
• candy corn, for topping decoration

Ready?

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Spray a 10 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. To Prepare The Crust: In a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press the mix into the bottom of the prepared pan. 
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool.
5. To Prepare The Cheesecake: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mascarpone, and sour cream. 
6. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add honey and sugar, then beat until combined. 
7. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
8. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down sides of bowl, and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low. 
9. Add flour, cream, and vanilla, then beat until combined. 
10. Divide the batter into thirds, reserving one-third of the batter white. 
11. In one bowl, add a small amount of yellow color paste, then whisk until combined and add more color until desired hue is reached. 
12. In a second bowl, repeat this process with the orange color paste.
13. Pour the yellow batter into the baked cookie crust. 
14. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, just until set and no longer jiggly. 
15. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
16. Pour the orange batter on top of the baked yellow layer. 
17. Bake again for another 30 to 35 minutes, just until set and no longer jiggly. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
18. Pour the remaining untinted batter onto the baked orange layer. 
19. Bake one last time for another 30 to 35 minutes, just until set and no longer jiggly. 
20. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
21. Refrigerate for 24 hours. 
22. Gently run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan, then release the sides. 
23. Slide a long, sharp knife under the bottom of the crust and carefully slide the whole cheesecake onto a platter, removing the bottom of the pan.
24. In a medium bowl, whip 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream at high speed until stiff peaks form, then spread the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake. 
25. Use candy corn to decorate.
26. Enjoy!

I hope you and your children have a wonderful halloween weekend carving pumpkins, making delicious sweets and trick or treating. I'll catch you all on the flip side. Next week, we start our Thanksgiving celebration. Happy blogging to all! <3

Fang-tastic Dracula Cupcakes

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to another spooktacular edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your host, Mandie. Today, we will be baking Dracula cupcakes. I'm going to touch on the subjects of vampires and Dracula just a bit before we actually begin though. Vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures and may go back to "prehistoric times", but the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The vampire has many names from many different areas such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. John Polidori's 1819 novella The Vampyre established the archetype of charismatic and sophiticated vampire. It was said that this story influenced Varney the Vampire and eventually, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Bram Stoker defined the vampire's modern form and also spawned numerous film, television, and theatrical interpretations that we are familiar with today. Phew! I think after that explaination, that I am ready to make some cupcakes! Let's go!

Fang-tastic Dracula Cupcakes

You will need:

• 24 cupcakes, baked in paper liners
• 2 cans chocolate frosting
• 3 quart-size ziptop freezer bags
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 24 mini cupcakes or plain muffins
• 4 red licorice strings, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• Chocolate sprinkles
• 12 Tootsie Roll Midgees

Ready?

1. Bake your cupcakes according to the box instructions.
2. When they are done baking, let cool for 10 minutes before beginning the frosting process.
3. Spoon 3⁄4 cup chocolate frosting into a ziptop bag and snip off a tiny corner. 
4. Frost the larger cupcakes with the remaining chocolate frosting.
5. Spoon 2 tablespoons of vanilla frosting into a ziptop bag and snip off a tiny corner. 
6. Smoothly spread 1 tablespoon of the remaining vanilla frosting onto each mini cupcake.
7. Pipe double arches on the mini cupcakes with chocolate frosting for the hairline, but be sure to pipe to the edge of the cupcake, then fill in for hair. 
8. Place red licorice on the faces for mouths and 2 sprinkles lengthwise on each for eyes. 
9. Pipe vanilla frosting onto the licorice for fangs. 
10. Place the mini cupcakes on their sides on top of the larger cupcakes.
11. On a cutting board, roll out each Tootsie Roll Midgee into a 2 inch circle. Cut out an 11 x 2 inch square from each, then cut the square diagonally to make 2 triangles. 
12. Place 1 triangle onto each side of face (the frosting will keep it in place), slightly folding the long tip ends for collar.
13. Chill in the fridge until ready to enjoy!

At first, I was a little confused about how to make this recipe, but all in all, it's really simple. The mini cupcakes threw me through a loop, but I finally figured this cute little cupcake out! Anyway, I am glad you all could join me for this awesome recipe and I will catch you all on the flip side. Happy blogging to all! <3

Graveyard Pudding

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to another frightfully amazing edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your host, Mandie. For this entry of Everyday Meals, we are venturing into the graveyard... well, not ACTUALLY, but we will be taking our time and creating one for dessert! I learned about this dish years ago, but obviously, back then I was too young to understand the recipe and what went into this dish. Finally, I managed to stumble across this delicious treat again and I feel compelled to share it with you all. Let's cut the chatter and get into the kitchen for a bit of fun!

Graveyard Pudding with Whipped Cream Ghosts

You will need:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3.5 cups milk
• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
• 1 package chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
• Gummy worms, garnish

Are you ready?

1. In the top of a double-boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates, stirring, until smooth. 
2. Add butter and vanilla and stir to incorporate, then remove from the heat. 
3. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks. 
4. In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. 
5. Add the milk in a stream, whisking constantly. 
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly to keep lumps from forming and remove from the heat. 
7. Add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks and whisk until smooth. 
8. Add the beaten yolk mixture to the saucepan with the hot milk and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. 
9. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. 
10. Transfer to a large bowl. 
11. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate to cool. 
12. In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks start to form. 
13. Add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks start to form. 
14. Fold half of the whipped cream and most of the crushed cookies into the cooled pudding mixture. 
15. Spoon into a 9 inch square glass baking dish. 
16. Sprinkle with the remaining cookies. 
17. Spoon the remaining whipped cream in blobs on the top for "ghosts" and garnish with gummy worms, slightly poking them down into the surface. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
18. Enjoy!

I hope you all have enjoyed creating something that will entice friends and family this upcoming holiday. Have a wonderful afternoon and evening. I will catch you all on the flip side. Thanks for joining me and I hope to see you all again! Happy blogging to all! <3

Halloween Treats: Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Bride Cakes

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to a brand new, spooky edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your ghastly hostess, Mandie. Today, I've got a double whammy for you all. I'm sure most of you have heard of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, yes? And I'm sure many of you have heard of The Bride of Frankenstein (also subrooted from Mary Shelley's book). Today, we are taking the spooky couple and making cakes out of them! Here's a little trivia before we begin... Mary Shelley was 18 when she conceived the idea of Frankenstein. She and her love (later husband), Percy Bysshe Shelley, visited Lord Byron at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The weather was cold and dreary that summer and the group stayed indoors. Mary, her lover, and Lord Byron had turned their conversation toward galvanism and returning a corpse or body parts to life, when Lord Byron suggested that each of them write their own supernatural tale. Mary Shelley had dreamt her story and thus, the story began... Well, let's wrap up our history lesson and get to baking some spooky snacks!

Frankenstein Cake

You will need:

• 1 package chocolate cake mix
• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Moss green paste food coloring
• 1 can chocolate frosting
• 1 Swiss cake roll or "Ho Ho"

Ready?

1. Prepare the cake batter according to package directions. 
2. Pour the batter into a greased and waxed paper-lined 13 x 9 inch baking pan. 
3. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. 
4. Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the batter. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is firm when lightly touched. 
6. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. 
7. To make Frankenstein, cut a piece of cake for the head (about 10 inches x 7 and 3/4 inches) and neck (about 2.5 inches x 4.5 inches). 
8. Cut two pieces for ears (about 2 and 3/4 inches x 1/2 inch). 
9. Save the remaining cake for another use. 
10. Position the head, neck and ears on a covered board. 
11. Place 1/4 cup whipped topping in a small bowl and tint dark green with moss green food coloring. 
12. Cut a small hole in the corner of a small plastic bag and insert a round pastry tip #3, then fill with the tinted topping. 
13. Set aside. 
14. Tint the remaining whipped topping moss green. 
15. Frost the face, neck and ears, building up areas for the forehead, nose and cheeks. 
16. With the reserved dark green topping, pipe the mouth, stitches on the neck and forehead, and eyes with pupils. 
17. Cut a hole in the corner of another pastry or plastic bag and insert the pastry tip #233. 
18. Fill with chocolate frosting and pipe hair 1.25 inches from the top of the head to the forehead and about 4 inches down both sides of the head. Cut the cake roll in half width-wise and place on each side of the neck for bolts. 
19. Store in the refrigerator to chill.
20. Enjoy!

Let's take a moment to breathe before we begin on our Bride. Okay, are we ready? Let's go!

Frankenstein's Bride Cake

You will need:

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup shortening
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Purple and green paste food coloring

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. 
2. Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 
4. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool. Place cakes end-to-end on a 22 x 8 inch covered board. 
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Beat in 6 cups confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. 
6. Beat in enough remaining confectioners' sugar to achieve spreading consistency. 
7. Set aside 1/4 cup white frosting for hair. 
8. Remove 3 cups frosting and tint purple. 
9. Tint the remaining frosting green. 
10. For the bride's face, frost the top and sides of one cake with green frosting. 
11. Frost the second cake with a thin layer of purple frosting. 
12. Insert a medium star tip in each of two pastry bags, then fill one bag with the remaining purple frosting and the other with the reserved white frosting. 
13. Pipe wavy purple hair with streaks of wavy white hair on the bride. 
14. Decorate the bride using assorted candies. 
15. For eyes, use halved marshmallow, halved black raspberry candy and black shoestring licorice. 
16. Add a Jordan almond nose. 
17. Make a smiling mouth and dimples using red shoestring licorice, red colored sugar and halved red raspberry candy. 
18. For ears and earrings, insert gummy stars and candy corn into the side of the cake. 
19. Attach spice gumdrops for bolts. 
20. Use black shoestring licorice and black licorice pastels for scar. 
21. Add a spider made with a black raspberry candy and black shoestring licorice strips.
22. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
23. Enjoy!

I hope you all had fun making these cakes. In my opinion, Halloween is not complete without something Frankenstein. I will catch you all on the flip side with more Halloween treats. Happy blogging to all! <3

Halloween Week Day 7

Good afternoon bloggers! Today, we complete our (very long and drawn out) Halloween Week. I know, I know... I should have completed this DAYS ago, but I love Halloween so much that I wanted it to last for a while. If all goes well, I may stick with the Halloween theme and do some tasty Halloween treats in the upcoming weeks. Today, however, we are finishing with a ghoulish stew that'll brighten any child's face and warm their bellies. Stews are similar to soups, and many people cannot tell the difference. Soups contain more liquid than stews and are less thick. Stews have been around since ancient times. Scythians, during the 8th to 4th centuries BC, were known to "put flesh into an animal's paunch, mix water with it, and boil it like that over the bone fire..." Interesting, huh? Well, now that we've have a little schooling in the background of stews, let's get in the kitchen and concoct some stew of our own!

Beef Stew with Ghoulish Mashed Potatoes

You will need:

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, halved
• 2 cups fresh baby carrots
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1.5 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

Ready?

1. In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. 
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. 
3. About 30 minutes before serving, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. 
4. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan, then add the sour cream, butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
6. Mash until smooth. 
7. Set aside 12 peas for garnish. 
8. Add the remaining peas to the slow cooker, and increase heat to high. 
9. In a bowl, whisk the flour, water and remaining salt until smooth and stir into stew. 
10. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. 
11. Divide the stew among six bowls. 
12. Place mashed potatoes in large resealable plastic bag and cut a 2 inch hole in one corner. 
13. Pipe ghost potatoes onto the stew and garnish with the reserved peas.
14. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a wicked afternoon. I will catch you on the lfip side and I promise to come baring Halloween treats for you and your family to enjoy! Happy blogging to all! <3

Halloween Week Day 6

Good afternoon bloggers! We are making our biggest attempt to finish this very long and dragged out Halloween week. Today, we will be working with chicken wings and food coloring! I love working with food coloring. You can have something so ordinary and it will end up looking fun and entertaining. We will  be making a dish called Barbecued Bat Wings. I know... it sounds horrible, but the taste will be amazing and your children will have a blast eating the "bat wings". We will also be skipping our trivia for the day in order to get right to the recipe. Let's get in the kitchen and get the ball rolling!

Barbecued Bat Wings

You will need:

• 4 pounds chicken wings
• 2 cups ketchup 
• 1.5 cups molasses 
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• Hot sauce to taste
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Black food coloring
• Blue food coloring
• Green food coloring

Let's do this!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Boil the chicken wings for twenty minutes in a large pot. 
3. While the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce. 
4. Whisk together the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth in a large roasting pan. 
5. Add enough black, blue, and green food coloring to the sauce to make a dark black sauce. 
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once. 
7. Drain the wings well and add them to the sauce and toss to coat evenly, poking the wings liberally with a fork. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the temperature to 450 degrees. 
9. Toss the wings in the sauce again to coat evenly. 
10. Bake until the sauce is thickened and slightly blackened, flipping the wings over occasionally, about another 15 minutes. 
11. Serve hot or at room temperature.
12. Enjoy!

I hope you have a great Sunday. Enjoy this creepy recipe. Share it, hide it, or do what you do. I hope this was a fun recipe for you all and I'll catch you all on the flip side. Happy blogging to all! <3

Halloween Week Day 5

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to a very spooky edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your creepy hostess, Mandie. Today, we will be making two (2) spectacularly ghoulish meals for this upcoming Halloween. These meals are sure to entice your children, your neighbors, and your friends. We will be concocting Scary Pasta with Eyeballs as well as Cannibal Cajun Brain. Sounds disgusting, right? Well, you're wrong. These are delicious and fun meals that will top of the holiday in style! Let's get in the kitchen and get cooking!

Cannibal Cajun Brain

You will need:

• 3 pounds shrimp, peeled, cooked, de-veined
• 2 small roasted red peppers, julienned
• 1 green onion, sliced into 2 inch pieces, julienned
• For the Gelatin Mixture:
• 2.5 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• A pinch of salt

1. Into a purchased  jello brain mold, layer your shrimp in, tails facing the middle of the brain. It's best if you layer them into the brain mold with the tails facing the middle, according to each "hemisphere" of the brain. This will give you the most realistic look. 
2. Tuck the shrimps in close together. 
3. Drop bits of roasted pepper and green onion in around the shrimp. These should look like veins and nerves when you're finished. 
4. Repeat, alternating between shrimp and vegetables, until you fill your Jello brain mold. 
5. Make your gelatin according to package instructions.
6. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. 
7. Remove from heat and stir in the unflavored gelatin. 
8. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt. 
9. Pour this mixture over the shrimp in your brain mold, filling to the top. Discard any extra. 
10. With a rubber spatula, smooth the top of your shrimp and gelatin to create a smooth surface. 
11. Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours. 
12. To unmold, set your Jello brain mold in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. 
13. Place a serving tray underneath, then flip your mold over. 
14. The brain should pop right out. 
15. Serve with "fava beans and a nice Chianti"!
16. Enjoy!

Ready for our next spooky recipe? Let's go!

Scary Pasta with Eyeballs

You will need:

• 15 Fresh Plum Tomatoes 
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons Finely Chopped Garlic
• 4 tablespoons Fresh Chopped Basil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 pound linguine
• 12 small Fresh Mozzarella Balls
• 4 large Black Olives

1. Chop the tomatoes into 1/4 inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet or saucepan.
3. Add garlic to the saucepan, then saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and basil with the garlic. 
5. Simmer for about 15 minutes using the straight part of a spatula to “chop” the mixture while it cooks.
6. Add sugar, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and allow to simmer 20 minutes on medium heat “chopping” and stirring occasionally.
7. While the tomatoes are cooking, boil pasta for 11 to 12 minutes or until cooked to desired firmness.
8. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. 
9. Press one black olive into the middle of each mozzarella ball. 
10. Top the pasta with mozzarella "eyeballs". 
11. Serve immediately.
12. Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoy this fabulous day. Your children should get a kick out of these awesome recipes, as should anyone who stumbles across them! Happy blogging to all and I'll catch you on the flip side! <3