Mummy Dogs

Happy Friday everyone!! I'm so excited about Halloween tomorrow. No, we don't have any kids (except for our cat & dog, who we definitely consider our babies) but we still love to celebrate on Halloween. I mean, who says it's just for kids anyway? I don't think so. We each will sort of dress up, like last year I wore black and painted a kitten face on, and my husband wore a football jersey and put the black lines under his eyes and spiked his hair to make it look like it had been sweaty and he just took off his helmet. We have some candy, 1 or 2 baked goods, we get pizza, play games, and watch Ghost Hunters (on sci-fi channel), and maybe a scary movie. We have a great time, just the two of us. I love that we can have so much fun together. I was thinking of making some Halloween inspired petit fours for our night tomorrow. I'm thinking we'll also have some jello shots!! It will be a great time. I've got at least one last Halloween treat for you all..Mummy Dogs! You really can't go wrong with these, they are so kid friendly. I guarantee you put these in front of your kids on Halloween and they will be thrilled! I used homemade dough, which was actually kind of difficult to work with on these, so as much as I hate them, I would maybe suggest using a canned biscuit or crescent roll. Also, don't pay attention to the cheese in the picture unless you can find a better way to incorporate it than me. I was planning on putting it under the dough, but it just wouldn't work out. After I photographed them, I just melted it on top. Give these a try with your kiddos tomorrow for lunch, or dinner!!

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Ingredients:

the amounts will differ depending on how many you make

Hot Dogs

Dough (homemade, or canned)

Mustard

Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese, if desired

Directions:

Roll a strip of dough about a foot and a half long, and start twirling it around the hot dog, and at the end, wrap the dough completely around the end of the hot dog, leaving a space between that and the last twirl of dough so you have a place to put your "eyes". Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree (that's what my dough calls for) oven for 12-15 minutes. In the space between the dough on the hot dog, dot 2 eyes with mustard. If desires, melt cheese inside or on top.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Good afternoon! Hope everyone has been enjoying their day. How adorable are these cookies? Believe it or not, they're SO simple to make! They have a hint of lemon flavor thanks to the juice of a lemon and fresh lemon zest. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of actual candy corn at all. However, I still see it as a Halloween staple and sometimes I will buy some just to set it out because it's so festive, I love the look of it. These cookies are a perfect way for those of us who don't like candy corn to still, well, sorta, enjoy it! Make these this Halloween, everyone will love them!

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Ingredients:

2 Sticks Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Red Food Dye

Yellow Food Dye

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange (refer to the chart on the back of your box). Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. Flip it back over and place it on a cutting board. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

Roasted Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic Vegetables

Good morning! It's been chilly here in Texas this weekend! It's only 54 degrees outside right now, brr! I love the cold weather, but I won't get too excited as it's supposed to be in the 80's later in the week. Last night I made a delicious whole chicken with vegetables to go along side. It was so good! I personally love lemon with chicken, and could always eat it that way. If you're not a fan, just leave it out! The vegetables were so good as well. I left the skin on the potatoes and I didn't peel the carrots because I like the rustic look and taste of it, but feel free to make it to your liking. Another great thing, is that while the chicken is cooking, you can prepare your vegetables, then just cook them right along side the chicken, and if you time it right, everything will be done at the same time. I can't wait to share this with you, so let's just get right to it, shall we?

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Ingredients (chicken):

1 Whole Chicken (mine was around 4.5 lbs)

3 Small Lemons

2 Garlic Cloves

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 Teaspoon Dried Italian Seasoning

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions (chicken):

Rinse chicken under cold water and remove any innards. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a baking dish. Melt your butter then add the juice of 2 lemons, the Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, and mince your garlic, then sprinkle some salt on it, and mash it until it becomes sort of pasty, then add that to the butter as well; mix everything together. With a brush, brush the butter mixture all over the chicken, coating all areas evenly. Place leftover squeezed lemon pieces in the cavity of the chicken. Place in a pre-heated 475 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and take chicken out and slice up your last lemon and cover the chicken with it, then cover it with foil and poke holes to vent and continue cooking for 2 1/2 hours.

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Ingredients (potatoes):

5 Medium Sized Russet Potatoes

3 Large Carrots

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

6 Garlic Cloves

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions (potatoes):

Wash potatoes and carrots. Cut potatoes in medium sized chunks. Cut carrots whole, starting at the small end going up to the big end, just in thick disks. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle salt & pepper and mix everything with your hands coating it all evenly. Take a small piece of foil and add your peeled garlic cloves, close up the foil, and clear a small space on the pan and place it right on it. Cover the entire pan with foil and put in a pre-heat 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove pan, and take off foil and stir vegetables, and take garlic out of the foil, and mash it with the back of a spoon (as it should be soft by now) and mix it evenly throughout the vegetables. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes without the foil.