Food

Happy Halloween! Here’s one of our creations from the Halloween Party this past weekend…Zombie Flesh Cupcakes!

Brett usually comes up with some fun, creative Halloween-themed food items for his mom’s annual Halloween Party. He usually makes about 2-3 things. Sometimes I’ll make something…usually crockpot meatballs, which require almost no effort on my part lol, but the past few years it’s been all him.

This year, the item I was looking forward to the most were his cupcakes. He takes his cupcake duties pretty seriously and his are some of the best ever. Back when the menu items were discussed, he offered to make cupcakes, but hadn’t decided what exactly he would make.

When we were in WDW last week, one of my must-try items was the King Cupcake only available at the Pop Century resort, which I got on our way home from the World.

It’s a chocolate cupcake, filled with banana, topped with peanut butter frosting and candied bacon bits. It was so delicious, it inspired Brett to make something similar for the Halloween Party!

Zombie Flesh Cupcakes!!

He thought they would be better without the banana filling and I didn’t care either way as long as he kept the other three ingredients. Here are the steps!

 

Chocolate Cake:

This one is easy. Just prepare your favorite chocolate cake…boxed mix, from scratch, already made from the store…we don’t judge We used Halloween cupcake liners like these ones.

 

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Brett used this recipe for peanut butter buttercream frosting and tripled it to make enough for 32 cupcakes. Once ready, he put it in a piping bag and swirled it on top of the cupcakes.

 

Candied Bacon:

Mix together in a bowl: 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 tbs of cinnamon, then coat each piece of bacon, then place bacon on a rack on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

We used Hormel Black Label Maple Flavored bacon to have thick pieces of maple bacon perfect for candied bacon.

Cut up several pieces of bacon into tiny pieces and then cut the rest into pieces a few inches long. Place 1 larger piece on each cupcake and then sprinkle the rest of the bits on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

I think these aren’t just for Halloween and should be made for my birthday too (wink, wink Brett!).

 

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I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement with the group, however I purchased this bacon on my own and totally ate like 6 of these cupcakes myself.

Not only does Hormel offer a plethora of their own products, they also have a large family of products under different brand names, many of whom you probably never knew were part of the Hormel Family.

As part of my partnership as a Hormel Family Blogger, they recently sent me some products to include in a delicious Mexican-style meal to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month…so we made tasty chicken and cheese quesadillas with beans and salsa.

Ingredients:

Soft Tortilla Shells

Shredded Chicken (We bought a rotisserie chicken and cut it up)

Shredded Cheese (We used Public Mexican Blend)

Tomatoes (Diced)

1 can of Black Beans

Herdez® Green Taco Sauce (Mild)

La Victoria® Salsa Verde

This recipe is pretty simple and very fun!

Just lay one of the tortillas flat, sprinkle some shredded cheese down first, then scatter the shredded chicken on top, along with the diced tomatoes, then sprinkle more shredded cheese on top. By placing cheese on the top and bottom, the shells and the ingredients will stick together better.

Place another tortilla shell on top then put it in a pan on medium heat. Flip the quesadilla so that both sides get cooked. Heat the quesadilla until both sides are slightly browned and the cheese is melty, which helps all the ingredients stick together.

Remove from the pan and cut up the quesadilla into triangles to serve.

We poured the green taco sauce over top of the quesadilla and put some of the salsa verde in a small sauce cup for dipping. We placed the beans on the side to enjoy alone or on top of the quesadilla. You could also put them into the quesadilla before heating it in the pan.

The sauces gave our quesadillas a nice little kick, but were definitely still on the mild side.

Here is some additional information about the products used in this meal:

La Victoria® Salsa Brava was the very first jarred salsa in the United States. Since 1917, the brand has been delivering great tasting salsas, taco sauces, enchilada sauces and green chile peppers. Green Taco Sauce Mild gets its pleasant color and savory tangy flavor from delicious green tomatoes and tomatillos. Familiarize yourself with the cooler side of sauce and experience life in the green zone. Gluten Free.

The popularity of the Herdez® brand is built on tradition, quality and trust. After nearly a century, we now offer more than 42 authentic food products in the United States.Herdez® salsa is the No. 1 brand of imported salsa consumed in the United States today. “Made with love” is the Herdez®brand philosophy. Every Herdez® product is crafted from the freshest, finest ingredients, according to the highest standard of quality. Enjoy some Herdez® products in your favorite authentic Mexican dishes today. Following the HERDEZ^® Brand tradition, our unique and fruity Salsa Verde is made with just five simple ingredients: freshly harvested green tomatillos, savory onions, spicy serrano peppers, salt and fresh cilantro.

 

Click here to learn more about the Hormel Family Brand of products.

 

xoxo

Lynn

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I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement with the group. I was given this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Ok well, I may have been trying to ignore the fact that Fall is coming, mostly because I know that it will mean my pool will get down to a hypothermic level in no time. But today is the first day of Fall, so there is no more denying it. Instead, I will embrace it by drooling over delicious pumpkin recipe photos. After all, in addition to the fun outdoor festivals and Halloween spookiness, making at least one pumpkin recipe is something I look forward to during the Fall.

I didn’t have to go any further than my Fall Pinterest board to find many pumpkin recipes that I want to try, including one that I made last year that will most certainly make an appearance this year (if not by me, than from someone else in the family). I narrowed it down to 10, but it sure was difficult! Which one (or more!) is on your must-try list?

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll - Of course I had to start with a pumpkin recipe I know is delicious! We made this last year for a Fall festival, but Brett’s aunt makes it every year. I’m looking forward to it! From Yours Truly = The Photographer’s Wife

Skinny Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino - It’s a shame I have yet to ring in the season with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, but perhaps this frappuccino recipe will fulfill my desire to both indulge in pumpkin spice goodness while holding on to what’s left of the summer warmth (Florida = still in the 90 degree range). Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crepes - Ignore the misspelling in the photo and think about how delicious these would be. I love the crepes in the France Pavilion at Epcot, so I’m sure these would be equally tasty. Source: Somewhat Simple

Pumpkin Pie French Toast - Oh boy, pumpkin…french toast…maple syrup…”these are a few of my favorite things!” Source: Lovin’ from the Oven

Pumpkin Bread with Salted Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Buttercream - Wow 2 pumpkin components? Where do I begin? I bet the salted caramel makes for a great taste paring with the pumpkin. Source: A Kitchen Addiction

Pumpkin Coffee Creamer - I’ve always wanted to try making my own coffee creamer and this sounds like the perfect use to on that asap. Source: Glam Hungry Mom

Baked Pumpkin Donuts - What better to pair with my pumpkin creamer flavored coffee than a pumpkin donut. And these are baked, so better for you than frying! Source: Piarecipes

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake - Gosh this sounds delicious. Why don’t I see this flavor in ice cream shops? They should totally do that. Because I said so. Source: Your Home Based Mom

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - Brett loves making cupcakes, so I’m sure this would be something I could easily convince him to make for me us. Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle - Trifles always look so pretty…and tasty. Just be sure you scoop allllllll the way to the bottom to get every layer of pumpkiny goodness. Source: Taste of Home

And while I was perusing through pumpkin recipes, I came across this index of over 100 pumpkin recipes from Something Swanky. It’s probably a little more than I can handle, but you are sure to find something there to please your taste buds.

xoxo

Lynn

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Oh.Em.Gee. These are one of my favorite side dishes ever. They are so buttery, garlicky delicious. I feel like Paula Deen….”Cheese and butter y’all!”

Unfortunately, we’ve been dieting lately, so I pretty much picked the worst time ever to post about these because I am forced to longingly look at food photos. One day, we shall meet again buttery potatoes…one day.

But just because I am taking a break from their deliciousness, doesn’t mean you have to. Seriously, get on this recipe asap…you won’t be sorry.

 

Ingredients

1 bag of small potatoes (gold or small red work best)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Of course, you can always add a little more or less (why less?) of the cheese and butter, depending on how you like your potatoes and the size of the bag.

Mix everything except the potatoes in a large bowl.

Clean and cut the potatoes into 1/2 - 1 inch chunks.

Boil the potatoes until tender and then mix with the toppings in the large bowl.

Enjoy! I just love how all the ingredients just cling to each potato, making each mouthful so full of flavor.

 

If you would like to see more recipes and food related posts, click here to see our food archives.

 

xoxo

Lynn

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Ok, this isn’t a typical recipe post. I think we all know how to make a salad and a sandwich. But did you know that Hormel offers some delicious varieties of pre-packaged sandwich meat? We didn’t either, and when we received a few packages this month as part of the Hormel Family Blogger program, we were interested in trying them out.

Did you know that the Hormel® Natural Choice® line is the first nationally distributed line of all natural sandwich meats with zero preservatives and no artificial colors or flavors?

This is because all of our meats are preserved using High Pressure Processing (HPP), a cutting-edge, USDA-approved, all-natural process that doesn’t require preservatives. Instead, intense cold water pressure protects food against bacteria, while maintaining freshness and enhancing flavor.

Our Deli Sandwich Meats are also low in fat and trans fat free, with no added nitrites or nitrates and no MSG. These meats are also gluten free.

And since they’re all natural, they taste just like your holiday ham or Thanksgiving turkey.

We enjoyed a salad and sandwich for dinner the other night. We needed a quick and easy weeknight meal that was still pretty healthy. After all, we’ve been trying to eat better and be more active (not only for overall health, but also because we have a cruise coming up!). We grabbed our Hormel Natural Choice Turkey and all the other fixins and were sitting down to eat within just a few minutes.

We like to keep it pretty simple - The salad was made of green leaf lettuce, tomato, cucumber, craisins, feta cheese and croutons. We used just meat, cheese, mayo, mustard, green leaf lettuce, cucumber and tomato on the sandwich (I would like onion too, but Brett hates them enough that you will hardly ever find an onion in our house).

Hormel Natural Choice lunch meat comes in 12 varieties! We really enjoyed the turkey varieties, especially the Cracked Black Pepper and Honey flavors, and Trent even tried ham for the first time and enjoyed it.

Another great thing about Hormel lunch meat is that it is readily available in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store….so no standing in the deli line!

To learn more about Hormel Natural Choice products (there’s more than just sandwich meat! including bacon! mmm bacon), you can visit their site here: http://www.hormelnatural.com

You can also snag a coupon for your next Hormel Natural Purchase here: http://www.hormel.com/updates/coupons/

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xoxo

Lynn

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I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement with the group. I was given this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.