Witches Hats

These are such cute cookies to make for Halloween!



Witches Hats

1 (13 oz.) pkg. fudge striped shortbread cookies 
32 Hershey Milk Chocolate Kisses
1 (16 oz.) container vanilla frosting (See *Note)
8 drops red food coloring
8 drops yellow food coloring

Unwrap the Hershey Kisses, and set them aside.

Add the entire container of vanilla frosting into a bowl, and stir it with a spoon.

Add the 8 drops of food coloring to the frosting, and mix it in well with the spoon, then add the 8 drops of yellow food coloring, and mix it in well with the spoon. You will have a pretty orange colored frosting.

Unwrap cookies in package, and taking one cookie at a time, hold the chocolate flat side of the cookie (facing upward) in hand.

Using a small spoon or the tip of a butter knife, apply a small amount of frosting in the middle of the cookie. (The frosting should cover the center hole of the cookie.) A tiny bit of the frosting will poke through the other side of the cookie, but that's ok, you won't really noticed that little bit of frosting peeking through.

Apply the chocolate kiss in the center of the frosting, and push it down lightly onto the flat side of the cookie, just till you see the frosting spreading out just a bit underneath the chocolate kiss.

I placed the cookies onto a large jelly roll pan for several hours, so the frosting will become a bit more dry, and to allow the chocolate kiss to adhere to the frosting. (If desired, you could line the jelly roll pan with wax paper before placing cookies onto pan. It also makes it easier for cleaning up afterwards.)

Store cookies side-by-side in a container, and cover with a lid. 
 (There's no need to refrigerate the cookies.)

Yields: 32 cookies

*Note: You may have noticed there will be plenty of the orange frosting leftover. You can either double the above recipe (except for the frosting), to make 64 witch hat cookies, or apply the frosting between graham crackers to make another kind of cookie, or use it to frost a one layer cake or some cupcakes.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Vegetable Soup

I had some fresh vegetables in the fridge which I needed to use up, so I made this vegetable soup which has a hint of curry taste to it. It was creamy and delicious!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Vegetable Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 small cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons all purpose flour (Yes that's correct, 5 TBSP.)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 cup chopped cauliflower (See *Note)
1 cup chopped broccoli (See *Note)
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large stock-pot, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté the vegetables for 8 minutes; stirring frequently.

Add the garlic, and cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Add the flour, and stir until the flour has incorporated into the vegetables. This just takes a few seconds.

Gradually add the chicken broth and water, and stir continuously with a fork, to loosen the flour from the bottom of the pot.

Keep stirring the pot, till the broth has thickened.

Add in the broccoli, the cauliflower, and the bouillon; stir to incorporate the granules.

Turn the heat to high, and bring soup to a boil.

Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer the soup for 20 minutes; stirring occasionally.

Pour in the half-and-half, and add the curry powder, salt, and pepper, and stir.

Heat the soup through, but do not let it come to a boil.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Yields: 4 servings

*Note: When I'm prepping the vegetables to make this soup, I don't actually chop the broccoli and cauliflower. I just cut the vegetables into some-what small floret pieces, but not too small.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Cheddar Cheese Soup

I really like this soup! It's creamy, delicious, and stays nice and creamy even one day after being refrigerated and reheated.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Cheddar Cheese Soup

1 cup chopped broccoli, (See*note)
1 cup chopped cauliflower (See *note)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half cream
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon black pepper

In a large stock-pot, add the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, and the broth.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer the vegetables for 20 minutes; stirring occasionally

Remove the lid, pour in the half-and-half, and stir to combine.

In a small skillet (8-inch), melt the butter over medium or medium high heat, then add the flour, and quickly stir with a fork until smooth. (It only takes a few seconds for this to thicken and become smooth.) 

Add this mixture to the stock-pot, and keep stirring with the fork until well combined, and until the soup has thickened a bit.

Add the cream cheese, and stir until it has melted into the soup.

Now add the cheddar cheese, and stir until the cheese has melted into the soup.

Season the soup with salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls and serve.

Yields: 3 to 4 servings

*Note: When I'm prepping the vegetables to make this soup, I don't actually chop the broccoli and cauliflower. I just cut the vegetables into some-what small floret pieces, but not too small.