TRICK OR TREAT

Today is Halloween and my kids want to go trick-o-treat'n. So at my lunch instead of me enjoying comfort food at work I walked home and turned on my bbq crock pot to low and threw in a slab of beef ribs.

bbq ribs:

• 1 slab ribs of choice beef,pork
• seasoning salt
• bbg sauce of choice
• liquid smoke

lightly season the ribs and add liquid smoke approximately 1-2 T. Slowly bake at low for 3 hours. On the last 30 minutes of baking add one bottle bbq sauce. Turn the heat to high and continue baking.

Enjoy!

COMFORT FOOD

We are having a comfort food theme potluck at work. I originally signed up to bring pumpkin pie but noticed that the cost for the pie will be over $8.00 ingredient and baking cost. I will bring white cake with a treat in the filling. I want to get creative so I will try to fill the cake with candy inside or a pumpkin cream cheese filling. What do you think? It all depends on whats in my pantry and refrigerator.

cake:

• 1 box white cake mix -any brand

Follow the directions on the box , bake in a bunt cake pan set the cake aside when done

option 1-filling:

• assorted small candies -your preference

If you are serving this cake for children I suggest you don't follow this method unless there will be a parent supervising the child

option 2-filling:

• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 8oz cream cheese
• 1 8oz cool whip
• 1 box vanilla pudding

beat cream cheese until smooth slowly add in pumpkin filling continue beating. Add vanilla pudding beat for another minute slowly add the cool whip and fold in

Assembling the cake:

• With your cake still in the pan cut the middle of the cake to make a hallow filling DO NOT CUT THE CAKE IN HALF PLEASE! Try as much as possible to slowly cut the cake you will need these cut cake pieces to place back on the cake when you are done.
  

When using option 1:

• fill the hollow cake with candy and with the cut out pieces try to patch back the cake as neatly as you can. Flip the cake over and place on a cake plate of your choice
• When icing the cake I recommend you take some icing and fill 1/2 of a sand which bag. This will be your decorating bag. Decorate the cake
  

When using option 2:

• fill the hollow cake with the pumpkin filling with the cut out pieces try to patch back the cake as neatly as you can. Flip the cake over and place on a cake plate of your choice
• When icing the cake I recommend you take some icing and fill 1/2 of a sand which bag. This will be your decorating bag. Decorate the cake

CAPT. BEN'S STUFF CRAB

On my lunch I walked to Goodwill. I did not pack a lunch sack so I depended on my frozen lunch in the freezer or my soup cans @ my works pantry. I did not cheat this morning with coffee because I did not want to pay myself and I had coffee at work. Anyways while I was cruising the aisle in Goodwill I came across ceramic crab shells. It reminded me of stuffed crabs back in Saipan. I never got to learn how to make them so I will attempt to make my version of stuffed crab.This recipe is very simple and easy to make. You don't deal with the actual cleaning and picking of the crab meat. It took me less than 30 to prep. & serve this meal.

Capt. Ben's stuff crab:

1. 16 oz. can Phillips Crab meat
   
2. 16 oz. can coconut milk
3. 2 T. butter *use more/less your preference
   
4. salt/pepper
5. 3-4 T. cornstarch
   
6. 4-5 T. water
   

Open crab meat and dump all the contents of the can into a bowl. Add in 3/4 of coconut milk and 1 T. melted butter *optional Set aside. Set oven to 400 degrees grease your ramekins and place by spoon full the crab meat into your ramekins. You will need a sheet pan place your ramekins on your sheet pan. Slowly open your oven and pull out the rack half way place your cookie sheet on the rack and slowly add hot water enough to cover 1/2 of the sheet pan .Bake @ 400 degrees set your timer for 10 minutes . While waiting slowly melt the remaining 1 T. butter and add the 3/4 of coconut milk bring to a boil. Mix 3-4 T. cornstarch with 4-5 T. water slowly add the cornstarch mixture to coconut milk and stir constantly as the cornstarch will thicken fast. Set aside. Your minutes should be up by now. Slowly open your oven and take out the sheet pan out and spoon the sauce on top of your crab. Place it on the highest rack and broil for another 3-5 minutes or until you see the sauce boiling
Enjoy!

Stuffed crab yummy! You can bake this as is without the sauce. My daughter and son love it without the sauce

Coconut sauce added to the stuffed crab. I love it this way. Either way I am sure you will enjoy it

CHEATING

This is what I consider cheating. I wake up early in the morning to get my cheap cup of coffee and my coffee maker is not working. Great! I got another excuse to go and get coffee somewhere other than here! As the word yeah slowly pops up on my head.....the word s...t pops up after because I have made a mental agreement with myself yes I said it myself if there were a time that I went out and bought coffee for myself I would in turn pay myself the same amount I paid the coffee. Funny you think huh..well not exactly...You see one of my favorite books is from Mary Hunt The Cheapskate Monthly and in that book it taught me the importance of money and how if I don't really look at how I spend I just flounder the money away as if it was a glass of water. Anyways if you ever come across this book read it! It has taught me great lessons and I am sure it will teach you too.
Back to my cheating I am going out for a cup of coffee and OMG you don't know how I deserve this. I really do. I am going to enjoy every $2.50 dollars worth of coffee hey you never know maybe I can kick up this cheating into an affair and order "toast & or pancakes" whatever choice I make it will be a yummy one...LOL..

OUTSIDE THE PANRTY

Ok...I will admit this morning I went outside the box. But all with a good reason. My eldest son is leaving me to go back to the islands so I woke up extra early, prepared myself for work and woke him up so we can have breakfast and some one and one time together before he leaves...I was in need of coffee and if you like strong coffee like me The Original Pancake House is definitely the place to go to. Their menu is pretty much same..oh...same..oh...but it was once a nice place to go to for the atmosphere was pretty homey but now after my favorite server Dixie left the restaurant is not the same but I went for the coffee and company. I had coffee and toast he had strawberry crepe.

ah....coffee just what I needed and lot's of them with cream of course

My breakfast. Buttered toast & marion berry jam

My son got Strawberry Crepe $8.50 with hot chocolate $2.50

Breakfast was early @ 6:30 a.m. we really did not talk much but we talked. A very typical teenage boy he was excited to go back and be with my mom and I hope this will help us both

CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM

Sunday morning on my way home from church I saw a sign that was advertising: Chanterelle Mushrooms for Sale, For those of us that share the Love for Mushrooms and believe me there is a few of us out there. The sound of Chanterelle Mushroom ....ahh....music to my ears...and my son Alfonso loves mushrooms as much as I. It was a beautiful day and the house selling the mushrooms was less than a mile from my house I decided to walk with my boys, and we did, when we came to the house the mushrooms were in a cooler. I inquired how much the mushrooms were and the lady said $10.00 a pound WOW! Short on cash and I can see my son's interest on the mushrooms I ended up buying 1/2 pound. As we were walking back home I was asking myself how can I make this 1/2 pound mushroom to feed 6 people? Wait last night I made slow roasted chicken with potatoes, celery, carrots, garlic, salt & pepper and I had sufficient left overs to get creative for dinner. I can make soup. Yummy in my tummy. It was 12:00 and I had enough time to cook this soup on low for 4 hours so the actual flavors can mingle and be friendly with each other. I made the soup with lots of Love slowly cooked boy did my children love it. Dinner was super yummy and it only cost me $5.00 for the mushrooms! I did good with my budget

MOM WHAT'S FOR DINNER

Does this sound so familiar??? Mom...what's for dinner? As I look inside the fridge I found carrots, potato, garlic, and chicken..walla...let me roast this! 1 1/2 later @ 350 degrees dinner is ready...


hum....wait a minute I have extra bread..1/4 loaf sweet bread 1/3 whole wheat 1 loaf french bread...I can make bread pudding...

• cube all your bread into same size
• 1 T. vanilla
• 2 egg
• milk approx. 1/3 cup
• shredded coconut *optional
• 1 can 14 oz. condensed milk- set aside
  
• 1 can 14 oz. coconut milk

place cubed bread in bowl and add all the ingredients except condensed milk. grease pan. Add bread mixture. Pour condensed milk over bread mixture and spread evenly sprinkle w/shredded coconut and bake @ 350 for an hour

*on a side note I don't use measuring cup/spoon I measure until I am satisfied and omit when needed*
This is the unfinished product.....(before it is cooked)
Finished product..all it needs is a warm-kah lua cream sauce...YUMMY!