PUMPKIN SEEDS

Every year on Halloween I carve pumpkins with my children. To them they get to express themselves on the pumpkin to me I get to roast all those yummy pumpkin seeds. Have you ever had fresh roasted pumpkin seeds? You cannot compare the flavor to the store bought one. You have the choice of adding more or less with the seasoning of your choice. I love to roast pumpkin seeds..some are spicy ...ai'pika...pika...and some are mild for the kids. They are so simple to make

Cut pumpkin and scoop out seed. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes the rinse with salted water continue rinsing until the seeds are clean thoroughly

• drain seeds on colander
• add salt/pepper or seasoned salt of your choice
• chili sauce - if you like it HOT!

grease cookie sheet and mix all ingredients together and lay flat on cookie sheet bake @ 350 degrees for 30 min or until the seeds have a beautiful roasted color



Yummy...spicy roasted pumpkin seeds...Ai gof mange..yan...ai gof pika pika

SUNDAY BRUNCH

Sunday is always a busy schedule with me. Getting up extra early to make sure I have all my essentials for class after mass. Today was both a sad and special day for me. It is special because it is a day to celebrate All Soul's of all our loved departed. After church I wanted to spend time with my children and less in the kitchen so I made the meals all at once. The brunch menu was:

• Muffin eggs - I usually add a slice of bacon to the eggs but today I wanted it to be simple. Grease muffin pan add an egg to each muffin cup salt/pepper to taste
• Bacon - 1. grease cookie sheet and layer bacon
• Bacon - 2. in a gallon sand which bag add brown sugar/dijon mustard shake
  

• Garlic bread Heat and serve
  

This is how the eggs should look like in the muffin pan -before the egg is baked



Finished product. All the 12 eggs are all baked at one so you don't deal with flipping and the oil splatter's ....Simple & easy


Dijon mustard/brown sugar pictured above...if you love mustard this recipe is so yummy!

Grease cookie sheet and arrange bacon neatly on the sheet. You don't deal with any oil splatters.


Garlic bread just heat and serve ......Ai' gof mang'ge!

This brunch is so simple it gives you enough time to sit down with your kids and catch up...Today would have been a great day to go to the Grotto in Portland but the weather is not permitting that to happen. It is rainy and it's not safe to drive

CHEATING

November is here! You know what that means pumpkin pie! Turkey whole halved or breast ....what ever you prefer Thanksgiving is nearing. I will cheat outside the pantry for a dessert that my good friend Jenna owner of the Cold Stone Creamery is selling...Have you ever had her pumpkin pie? Yumm!
You can log on to view her ice cream novelties @

http://www.coldstone@coldstonecreamery.com

You are in for a treat! Yum I love all her ice-cream creations! I will also make my version of pumpkin pie but I also want to cheat outside the pantry!




*Cold Stone Creamery Pumpkin Pie $9.99 SPECIAL*

SPAGHETTI IN THE PANTRY

Being on a tight budget and needing to feed my children I had to stretch what I had and work with my resources. Spaghetti was definitely it. I had of spaghetti noodle, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce from the pantry. I was ready to cook and I made sure I used my resources in the fridge too
. Leftover bacon, hamburger.Yum!

Easy Spaghetti

• 1 box spaghetti noodle
  
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 onion cubed
• leftover meat
  
• mushroom canned or fresh *optional

*I use generic store brand products the cheap stuff I don't sweat on brand names*
Boil spaghetti noodles and set aside. Saute onion slowly add mushrooms. When mushrooms get soft add leftover meat and heat when hot add spaghetti sauce and slowly stir.
Walla!Yummy!




you can get creative by sauteing the meat and setting them aside. With the picture on top I made a simple white sauce (butter,cream,flour) then topped the noodle with the sauce and add the meat around


I followed the same with the second picture. I heated up the spaghetti sauce then topped the sauce on the noodle then added the meat around

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