Witch's Hat Calzones

This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens.

1 3.5-oz. pkg sliced pepperoni
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (a lot)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 8-oz. pkgs refrigerated crescent roll dough (total of 16 crescents)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. water
pizza sauce, warmed

Toppings (optional):
parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
black olives

Cut out designs in 6-12 slices of pepperoni. Jack-o-lanterns are pretty easy because the pepperonis are already round, but you can do stars, moons, triangles, etc. (If you have an hors d'oeuvres cutter, use it.)
Chop up remaining pepperoni.
In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, pepperoni, & parmesan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425.
Lightly grease a large baking sheet; set aside.
Unroll packages of crescent dough; separate dough into individual triangles. (If you don't have a huge baking sheet, just do one package at a time.)
Place half of the triangles on the baking sheet.
Mix together the egg & water in a small bowl.
Brush the edges of the triangles with the egg mixture.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the pepperoni-cheese mixture in the center of each triangle.
Top with remaining triangles. Press edges together so they seal.
Pierce dough a few times with a fork to vent.
Brush dough with egg mixture.
Fold short edge up, forming a hat brim.
Decorate "hats" with some of the pepperoni shapes &/or olives & sprinkle with parmesan, Italian seasoning, &/or red pepper flakes.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.
Serve with warm pizza sauce.

These look so cool, you have to see them for yourself! Your kids will love helping you decorate them.

Mummy Dogs

This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens

12 hot dogs
1 package breadstick dough (12-count)
capers
ketchup
mustard

Preheat oven to 375.
Remove hot dogs from package & pat dry.
Unroll breadstick dough from package.
Stretch dough for each breadstick out to 12 inches & wrap around the hot dog, leaving some of the hot dog showing.
Press 2 capers into the breadstick dough for eyes. (Press hard; the capers don't stick all that well sometimes)
Place Mummy Dogs on a greased baking sheet & bake for 12 minutes or until breadstick dough is golden brown.
Serve with mustard & ketchup, especially if you can find the kind that are crazy colors!

These were a huge hit at the Bloomington University Ward Halloween Party. To see how cute these can be, watch the video!

Amazing Mustard Pork Chops

2 pork chops, about 1-pound total weight
2 teaspoons infused oil (I used Olive Oil)
1/2 cup hard cider (Apple Cider works just as well)
1 tablespoon grain mustard (Something like Grey Poupon or a spicy mustard)
1/3 cup heavy cream (no skimping!!)

(1 Package Gnocchi to serve alongside)

Cut the fat or rind off the chops, and then bash them briefly but brutally with a rolling pin between 2 pieces of cling film/plastic wrap to make them thinner.
Heat the oil in a pan, and then cook the chops over a moderately-high heat for about 5 minutes a side. Season with Salt and Pepper. Remove them to a warmed plate.

Pour the cider into the pan, still over the heat, to deglaze the pan. Let it bubble away for a minute or so then add the mustard and stir in the cream.

Let the sauce continue cooking for a few minutes before pouring over each plated pork chop. If you're having gnocchi with, make sure you turn them in the pan to absorb any spare juices before adding them to your plates.

(This recipe is from Nigella Lawson on the Food Network. I made it and absolutely love it even with cheaper mustard and apple cider. The gnocchi are absolutely perfect in this recipe, especially when they soak up the yummy sauce. Enjoy!)

7-up Marinade

¼ c. oil
½ c. soy sauce
1 can 7-up
¼-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Up to 5 pounds of Chicken or beef

Mix up all ingredients and place in a large Ziploc back with your choice of meat. Marinade over night for best flavor and grill. We often use this for chicken and slice it over a salad. This is also fabulous on flank steak for fajitas. Yum!!
-Tiffany Packard

Poppy Seed Chicken

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream (low fat works)
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 (8 ounce) box of Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Heat Oven to 350 F

Mix soup and sour cream. Add Chicken.

Mix crackers with butter and poppy seeds. Divide cracker mixture in half and mix one half with the chicken mixture. Spread half of the remaining cracker mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Spread chicken mixture over cracker crumbs. Put remaining cracker mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes.

From "Remedies for the 'I Don't Cook' Syndrome"

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Muffins

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup (or a little more) chocolate chips (can substitute nuts if you like)

Heat Oven to 350 F

Cream sugar and Butter. Add eggs and beat well. Sift or mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add bananas, vanilla, and chips.

For muffins, spray or grease muffin cups or use cupcake liners in muffin pans. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

For bread, put batter in a paper lined or well-greased and floured 5x9 in loaf pan or two 41/2x81/2 inch pans/ Bake 1 hour.

Chicken, Dill, and Pasta Salad

3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon onion salt
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken, cooled (can also use canned chicken)
2 cups halved red grapes
2 cups chopped celery
1 package (12 oz) large shell macaroni, cooked, drained, and cooled.
**I've used bow-tie and penne pasta before, works great**

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed, and onion salt.

In a glass salad bowl, combine chicken, grapes, celery and macaroni. Stir in mayonniase mixture. Chill before serving.

Recipe from "Family Dinners: Easy ways to feed your kids and get them talking at the table"