So I thought it would be fun to share a few Halloween favorites from my recipe book. Be ready for your Halloween party early and try some of these delicious recipes!

Scary Skillet Shepard’s Pie

Prep time-25 min

Total time-25 min

Makes-6 servings

COOK vegetables as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in gravy; simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally.

MICROWAVE cream cheese and 1/4 cup milk in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; beat with whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk and water. Microwave 2-1/2 min. or until hot, stirring after each minute. Stir in potato flakes and Parmesan until well blended. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; cut 1 corner from bottom of bag.

REMOVE 12 peas from mixed vegetables; stir remaining vegetables into meat mixture. Squeeze potato mixture into 6 mounds on meat mixture to resemble ghosts. Add 2 of the reserved peas to each for the eyes.

Cheesy Jack-o-Lantern

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 1hr 10mins

Makes: 24 servings

Ingredients

3 green onions, divided

2 pkg. (250 g each)Brick Cream Cheese, softened

2 cups  Old Cheddar Shredded Cheese, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped red peppers

CUT 4-inch length from green end of 1 onion; slice remaining onions. Beat cream cheese and 1-1/4 cups Cheddar with mixer until well blended. Stir in sliced onions and peppers. Refrigerate 1 hour.

SHAPE into ball; roll in remaining Cheddar. Cut pepperoni into shapes for the jack-o’-lantern’s eyes, nose and mouth; press into cheese ball to make face. Insert green onion piece into top for stem.

SERVE with Ritz Crackers.

Ghost Graveyard

Prep Time: 30mins

Total Time: 2hr 30mins

Makes: 16

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups Oreo Baking Crumbs, divided

1/3 cup butter, melted

1-1/2 cups boiling water

2 pkg. (85 g each) Jell-O Orange Jelly Powder

Ice cubes

3/4 cup orange juice

3 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping, divided

4 PEEK FREANS Shortcake Biscuits

Assorted decorating gels

Colored sprinkles

COMBINE 2 cups of the baking crumbs and the butter; press firmly onto bottom of 13×9-inch pan. Set aside. Stir boiling water into dry jelly powder in large bowl until completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to orange juice to measure 1-3/4 cups. Add to jelly; stir until jelly is slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Pour jelly over crust. Refrigerate 1 hour.

SPREAD 2-1/4 cups of the whipped topping over jelly layer in pan; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup baking crumbs. Refrigerate 1 hour or until jelly layer is completely set. Meanwhile, decorate biscuits with decorating gels to resemble tombstones; let stand until set.

INSERT biscuits into top of dessert just before serving. Drop large spoonfuls of the remaining whipped topping onto dessert to resemble ghosts. Decorate with sprinkles and candies as desired. Cut into 16 pieces to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Halloween Truffles

Prep Time: 1hr

Total Time: 3hr 20mins

Makes: 20 truffles

Ingredients

1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker’s Bittersweet Chocolate

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. butter

1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker’s White Chocolate, divided

Yellow and red food colorings (3 drops yellow and 2 drops red)

3 Tbsp. flaked coconut, tinted orange

MICROWAVE bittersweet chocolate squares, cream and butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted; cover. Freeze 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Use teaspoon to scoop and roll chocolate mixture into 20 balls, each about 1 inch in diameter; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Freeze 20 min.

MICROWAVE 3 white chocolate squares in clean microwaveable 1-cup measuring cup or small bowl 1 to 1-1/2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside. Repeat with remaining white chocolate squares in separate cup or bowl; stir in food colorings. Cool chocolates completely.

DIP 10 chocolate balls in tinted chocolate, turning to evenly coat each ball. Return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chocolate balls and untinted chocolate. Decorate orange truffles with coconut to resemble pumpkins. Use decorating gel to draw eyes and mouths on white truffles to resemble ghosts. Refrigerate 30 min. or until chocolate is firm. Keep refrigerated.

Photo Credits

With this said, I hope I could help one of you out there struggling with NUT-FREE school lunches ideas.

Also please feel free to leave a comment with your peanut-free/nut-free recipes or tips, I’d love to hear them!

Snack Ideas

• Yogurt mixed with fruit or with fruit on the side for dipping

• Hard boiled egg

• Homemade trail mix with cereal, pretzels, raisins

• Celery sticks stuffed with soft cheese

• Whole grain muffin (make a large batch ahead of time and freeze, so you can pull them out as you need them)

• Carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes (or any crunchy veggies) with ranch dressing or a favorite dip

• Popcorn

• Mini-pitas stuffed with cheese

• Half a bagel with cheese

• String cheese and bread sticks

• Cheese and cracker

• Fresh fruit, fruit salad, mixed dried fruit

• Whole grain cereal

• Sliced meat wrapped around cheese sticks

• Graham or animal crackers

Lunch Ideas

• Egg salad on their favorite bread, tortilla, or crackers bagel sandwiches with meat, cheese, tofu

• Soy nut butter is a great peanut butter replacement

• Tuna salad (with or without pasta added in or as a sandwich)

• Cheese sandwich, use pita, whole grain bread, bagel, or crackers

• Pita wrap with meat and/or cheese, lettuce and tomato

• Meatloaf or chicken on whole grain bread

• Pasta or macaroni & cheese

• Deli meat and cheese roll-ups

• Cottage Cheese with fresh fruit or veggie slices (loads of protein!)

• Hearty soup in a thermos (stew or chili are good too)

• Give them separate containers of ingredients so they can assemble their own foods, such as mini pizzas or burritos.

• Pinwheels with cream cheese and jam, or with soy nut butter and jam

• Pasta Salad with meat or cheese

• Rice Salad or Couscous with mixed in chopped veggies, meat, cheese or tofu

Nut-free Recipes

Pizza Swirls

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Roll pizza crust dough into an approximately 10×14 inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Layer with Genoa salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese to within 1/2 inch from edges of the dough. Roll jelly roll style. Seal the edge with a fork.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice into 1 inch pieces to serve.

Apple Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nut Free-Dairy Free- Egg Free)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup(150 mL) (150 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cup(125 mL) Butter
• 1 apple  peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 tsp (5 mL) Vanilla
• 1-1/2cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2tsp(2 mL) baking soda
• 1/4tsp (1 mL) Salt
• 1 bar (100 g) good-quality dark chocolate chopped

Instructions

1. In food processor, purée together brown sugar, margarine, apple and vanilla until smooth; transfer to large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until combined; stir in chocolate.
2. Drop by 1 tbsp (15 mL), 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, onto parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until edges are golden and tops are firm, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.(Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

Frozen Banana Treats

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 4hrs 15 mins

Makes: 6

Ingredients

3 small bananas

6   Wooden pop sticks

4 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 Tbsp.  Butter

1/4 cup Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter

PEEL bananas and cut them in half. Insert 1 wooden pop stick into each piece of banana. Freeze until firm (about 4 hours).

MELT chocolate, butter and peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes; stir until melted.

PAINT frozen bananas with chocolate mixture using a pastry brush, then roll in chopped nuts, flaked coconut or candy sprinkles.

Watermelon Pops

Prep Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 3hrs 55 mins

Makes: 16

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar, divided

1 pkg.  (85 g)  Lime Jelly Powder

2 cups boiling water, divided

Ice cubes

MIX 1/3 cup sugar and lime jelly powder in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to 1/2 cup cold water to measure 3/4 cup. Add to lime jelly; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 25 min.

MEANWHILE, repeat with remaining strawberry jelly powder but do not refrigerate. Pour into 16 (3-oz.) paper cups. Freeze 20 min. Stir 1/2 tsp. chocolate chips into gelatin in each cup.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in Cool Whip; spread over jelly in cups. Cover with lime jelly. Insert wooden pop stick in centre of each cup.

FREEZE 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups just before serving.

Frozen Chocolate Soufflés

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 5Hrs 10 mins

Makes: 10

Ingredients

3 cups Milk

2 pkg.  (4-serving size each)  Chocolate Instant Pudding

1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

16   Oreo Cookies, chopped (about 2 cups)

This week I am going to talk about different types of cheese and delicious recipes that your families will love! Did you know that there is over 100 different types of cheese? Here are just a few of my favorites that I use often.

Asiago- Asiago is made in the region of Vicenza and Trento. It is a traditional, farmhouse and creamery, unpasteurized, hard cheese. Originally made of ewe’s milk, now is made entirely of cow’s milk. There are two types of Asiago: first one (mistakenly taken for Pressato) is a lightly pressed cheese made from whole milk matured for 20-30 days. Another one (Asiago d’Allevo) is the mature cheese made with skimmed milk. Long and slow maturation process creates fruity, slightly sharp cheese with a compact, granular interior full of small holes. Matured over 2 years, becomes intensely flavored. Can be grated and used as a condiment.

Bocconcini- Bocconcini is a fresh Mozzarella that comes in various sizes, packed in either water or brine. Other fresh mozzarella, such as Fiore di Latte Trecce, etc. are Bocconcini in different shapes.

Blue- It is a white cheese with blue veins and sometimes crumbly interior. This cheese usually has tangy, piquant, spicy and peppery flavor. Use in salad dressings with cream cheese for spreads.

Cheddar- The most widely purchased and eaten cheese in the world. Cheddar cheeses were originally made in England, however today they are manufactured in many countries all over the world. Fully cured Cheddar is a hard, natural cheese. It is shaped like a drum, 15 inches in diameter, with natural rind bound in cloth.

Cottage Cheese – Snow-white cottage cheese which is produced in United States, Britain and other countries. It is a creamy, lumpy cheese sold in pots. It is an acid curd cheese, relying on the natural tendency of warm milk to curdle (no use of rennet). Once the floppy curd has formed, it is cut into pieces and heated gently in whey until it reaches desired texture. Then the whey is removed (by draining and rinsing). This cheese ripens in one or two days and has a fat content of five to 15 per cent.

Feta - Feta is one of the most famous cheeses in Greece. It is made in various sizes, often as a loaf-shape. Feta is solid, but crumbly with some fissures. Pure white, it has a milky fresh acidity. Feta was originally made with either ewe’s milk or a mixture of ewe’s and goat’s milk, but today most feta is made with pasteurized milk and tastes of little besides salt. Some people are put off by the strong salt content but the salt is intended only as a preservative and is not supposed to overpower the taste of the cheese. Feta can be soaked in fresh, cold water or milk for a few minutes or longer, if necessary, to make it less salty. It has a fat content of 40 – 50%.

Fresh Ricotta -  Light, delicate and moist. Made from whey so it’s low in fats and calories and contains a lot of vitamins. Another very famous type of fresh cheeses.

Havarti - Havarti is a traditional, creamery and semi-soft. It is a simple, washed-rind cheese with irregular holes throughout. There is an enriched version, with added cream which is softer and feels more luxurious in the mouth. There is also a version with caraway seeds. Havarti is named after the farm in Denmark where Hanne Nielsen first made it.

Mozzarella- The plastic, spun-curd buffalo milk cheese Mozzarella, originated from southern Italy. Pasteurized milk is curdled at 90 degrees F and the curd is cut. Extra time in the vat is allowed so that the curd can sink to the bottom and so that the lactic acids can soften the curd to make it easier to knead. The curd is treated with extremely hot water (200 degrees F) and is kneaded into a shiny lump. Bits of the mass are taken off cooled salted and are soon ready to be marketed.

Parmesan-  Named after an area in Italy, Parma Parmesan is one of the world’s most popular and widely-enjoyed cheeses. Milk used for Parmesan is heated and curdled in copper containers but not before most of the milk’s cream has been separated and removed. Curd is cut and then heated to 125 degrees F, all the while stirring the curd to encourage whey runoff. The curd is further cooked at temperatures of up to 131 degrees F, then pressed in cheesecloth-lined moulds. After two days, the cheeses are removed and salted in brine for a month, then allowed to mature for up to two years in very humid conditions.

Swiss-  Swiss has a firmer texture than baby Swiss, and is known for being shiny, pale yellow with large holes. Flavor is mild, sweet and nut-like. It is an American imitation of the Swiss Emmental. The process is specifically designed so that no rind forms on the cheese (maturing takes place in vacuum-packed plastic wrapping) for mass-production purposes. The taste of the cheese is very mild. It can be eaten with apples, pears, grapes and thinly-sliced prosciutto ham and salami, fruity white wine, aged red wine, crane-raspberry juice, tomato or vegetable juice.

Cheese Stuffed Shells

Prep: 30 mins

Total: 57 mins

Makes: 5

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoe  Cheesy Bake

Prep: 25 mins

Total:1 hr 10 mins

Makes: 14

Ingredients

In my salads I love to do a variety of meats, veggies and noodles! All these recipes are guidelines. Mix and match and make your own signature salad.

Enjoy!

Berry Chicken Salad

Prep: 20 min

Total: 20 min

Makes: 6

Ingredients

TOSS salad greens with all remaining ingredients except dressing in large bowl.

ADD dressing; mix lightly.

Southwest Ranch Salad

Prep:15 mins

Total: 15 mins

Makes: 4

Ingredients

PLACE 1 cup greens on each of 4 dinner plates.

TOP with remaining ingredients.

SERVE immediately.

Grilled Steak & Veggie Salad

Prep: 15 mins

Total: 25 mins

Makes: 4

Ingredients

HEAT barbecue to medium-high heat. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing; brush remaining dressing onto top of steak and cut-sides of peppers.

PLACE steak and peppers, dressing-sides down, on barbecue. Grill 10 min. or until steak is medium done (160ºF) and peppers are crisp-tender, turning steak after 5 min. (No need to turn peppers.) Meanwhile, cover 4 serving plates with greens; top with tomatoes and onions.

CUT steak across the grain into thin slices; cut peppers into strips. Arrange steak and peppers over salads. Drizzle with reserved dressing.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Prep: 15 mins

Total: 15 mins

Makes: 16

Ingredients

TOSS cauliflower, broccoli, onion, cheese and bacon bits in large salad bowl.

MIX dressing and mustard.

POUR over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

(To blanch vegetables, plunge into boiling water briefly (2 minutes), then into cold water to stop the cooking process. This will also retain the color and flavor)