October isn’t just about candy, apples and pumpkins! It’s also packed with food holidays and awareness days, from the aforementioned apple day, to awareness about eating better and healthier.

October is:
National Apple Month
~ Apple Recipes
~ Old Fashioned Apple Cakes
~ Apple Almond Tart
~ Granny Smith Apple Pie
~ Apple Crisp
National Apple Jack Month
~ Apple Jack Recipe
~ Apple Jack Pound Cake
~ Apple Jack Cocktail Recipe
~ Apple Jack Brandy Recipes
National Caramel Month
~ Caramel Sauce Recipe
~ Caramel Apples
~ Caramel Apple Cookies
~ Caramel Banana Cream Pie
~ Homemade Caramel Corn
National Chili Month
~ Turkey Chili in the Slow Cooker
~ Beef Chili
~ Vegetarian Chili
~ Healthy Chili (video)
~ Ten Tips for …read more

By Guest Blogger Kathy Zengolewicz
Today I have a craft for you that is very yummy. You can make these for yourself or give them as a hostess gift when visiting this autumn. They make great gifts. I gave them last year for Christmas using a variety of recipes. I chose two recipes today, one for White Hot Chocolate and one for Chocolate Chip Cookies. Can you tell I’m a chocoholic?
For these recipes you will need a quart jar. If your jar is airtight add the ingredients directly otherwise place them into an airtight Ziploc bag and attach the lid. Add …read more

I’m starting to get into the autumn mindset: Our cooler days are just a few weeks off, and I’m already looking forward to dinners that don’t involve the grill or “cold fixins” like salads and sandwiches since it won’t be so miserable to turn on the oven!

So I’m going through and doing my annual “fall cleaning” with my recipe folder, and the one section that I pay a little more attention to is my desserts. I have a habit of printing off pretty much any recipe that catches my eye, or ripping out a magazine article of something that looks …read more

I usually make these chocolate chips accordion treats during the holidays but they’re also good anytime of the year. They are cute little treats to munch on or pair with a cup of hot tea.

INGREDIENTS :
2 sheets of foil, about a cookie sheet long
3/4 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of mini-chocolate chips

For this weekend’s batch of round up links I decided to go with a constant favorite: cookies!
I’ve been in a cookie making mood lately which my family always appreciates. We’ve had good old chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cookies and no-bake cookies.
And now I’ve got myself craving more! I’ll probably try something from below today:
~ New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies at Ezra Pound Cake
~ Soft Ginger Cookies from 6 Bittersweets
~ Gluten-free Chocolate, Walnut and Cranberry Cookies at Lemonpi
~ Hot Chocolate Shortbread Cookies from Jules Food
~ Gingersnap Raspberry Sandwiches at Every Last Cookie
~ Maple and Brown …read more

One of my favorite thing about celebrating holidays is the creativity that starts to flow when it comes to cooking, baking and food in general!

For me, one of the best parts about the 4th of July, aside from the fireworks and an excuse to spend the whole day outside with family and friends, are the fun desserts that people are inspired to create and make.
I’ve always loved the now-classic 4th of July berry cake. I made one years ago for a get-together and have wanted to try again, but I’m afraid it would go bad before my family had a …read more

I don’t think we’ll ever reach a point that we’ve “heard it all,” because every time I think I have, I hear something else.
What do you think about the possibility of your bag of chips, bottle of soda, and plate of store-bought cookies being bulked up with vitamins and minerals? Well in you’re in Canada, this could be coming to a store near you, considering what Health Canada is considering. However, according to articles I’ve been reading, the Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, has put the plans on hold pending further review. A smart move, perhaps?
It seems that some people feel …read more

Before I give you the recipe, let me tell you a story. My nephew from Upstate NY is up here in NC to see my brother-in-law and his family. I found out at about noon today that we’re having a get together party. For 2 hours I couldn’t think of anything I could make for the party. It starts at 7pm. I knew that my dear sister-in-law will have all sorts of dips for chips and most probably finger foods. So I told my husband there is no point in making my own. He suggested potato salad. It’s not a …read more

My husband like toffee bars (HEATH) so once in a while, when I’m not looking, he tries to sneak in a package of HEATH English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits in the shopping cart for me to use when making cookies.
Using my chocolate chips cookies recipe, I make him happy by baking Toffee & Chocolate Chip Cookies.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 package of HEATH English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

Recently I asked your thoughts about selling Girl Scout cookies online. One resourceful Girl Scout had done this lately and it caused a flurry of backlash and discussions about safety and fairness with regard to selling everyone’s favorite cookies.
Some of the comments I received believed that selling online is the next logical step. After all, so much of what we buy and shop for is through online retailers. But safety still remains an issue. Here’s one comment that reflects that:
“I have thought about this actually with my kids fundraisers. But it is a big safety concern …read more