Spiderweb Cupcakes

Spiderweb Cupcakes

I followed the tutorial on Little Birdie Secrets to make these cute scary spiderweb cupcakes. I just used a box cake mix and quick vanilla buttercream frosting. I bought very cheap spiders from Wal-mart for the top, but next time I think I'll splurge and buy the more expensive kind. The black spider web was made using Wilton's Sparkle Gel in black, and one tube had enough to decorate 24 cupcakes. These were perfect for Halloween!!

Ernest's Karai (spicy) Chili

Ernest made this for the ward Halloween party. I love that he did the cooking! He agreed to share his secret recipe, as long as I didn't put amounts on any of the ingredients.

Ernest's Karai (spicy) Chili

by EF

beef

hot dogs (cut into bite sized pieces)

dark red kidney beans

diced onion

diced tomato

tomato paste

chili powder

garlic

Cook beef and onions; drain. Add remaining ingredients and cook until hot. Serve over rice.

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I just found this draft from July, and didn't realize I hadn't posted it. This dinner was amazing!! Thanks Jessica!

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo
by Our Best Bites

8 oz penne or bowtie pasta
1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (recipe follows or a 16-oz. jar would work in a pinch)
2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 cups chopped chicken)
6 oz (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped
1 14 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 cpu mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8x8" baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Serve with a green salad and breadsticks or a loaf of garlic bread made with Garlic Bread Seasoning.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
by Our Best Bites

2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cups (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 TBSP flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP butter
3 garlic cloves
1 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.