FFF winners from Crocktober Party

I decided that I would do my Foodie Friends Friday posts a little bit different.. 

The first post will just have the winners and host favorite

and

The second post will have the party!

Let me know what you think.

I will have a link on both posts for the other page.

 I will have a winners page and a party page.

Voted Top 3

Double Chocolate Nut Clusters ~Farm Flavors
Crock Pot Loaded Potato Soup ~ Crumbs in my mustachio
Crock pot Italian Pulled Beef Sandwich ~ This and That

Thank you for all that voted for my recipe. 

 It is a honor to be in the Voted Top 3 

Most Clicks

Double Chocolate Nut Clusters ~Farm Flavors
Crock Pot Loaded Potato Soup ~ Crumbs in my mustachio
Potato Soup in the Crockpot ~ Feeding Big 

Sponsor Winners

Congratulations to all the winners

and also to all the recipes linked up...

You are all winners!

Host Favorite

You can pick up your button here
or go to Foodie Friends Friday

This weeks Host Favorite goes to Halloween Candy Bark from Hun... What's For Dinner

Cindy is a fellow Canadian and I have been following her blog for a while

She has some wonderful recipes... 

my recipe that I adapted Almond Bark Halloween Candy

I hope to see you all at this week's party that starts soon

This week's sponsor giveaway!

October Foodie Penpal

I am really not sure where the times goes.  It is already the first of November and I haven't written my October Foodie Penpal post.
 Last month I was paired up to send my penpal Dee a package.  She doesn't have a blog and I didn't think of taking a picture of it so will describe what I put in the package.  She is a wonderful person from Connecticut and told me  she is hosting an annual cookie swap and is obsessed with cookie recipes.  This gave me an idea of what to send her... cookies.  She did also tell me that she would liked baked goods, so it was perfect I could make some Maple Creme Cookies and send her some.. I also included in the package a Michigan Cookie cutter and some local maple syrup to make her own Maple Creme Cookies as I included the recipe.  With cookies you need coffee and seeing it was fall I sent her some Pumpkin Coffee.    She let me know that she received my package and that she" loved Everything in it, especially the maple cookies and the recipe".  Her and her son were going to make Michigan cookies with the cookie cutters.  Glad she liked her package as this was her first penpal swap.
Now, onto my package and as you can see by the picture... I hit the motherload again!  Emily from Indianapolis sent me this package and she did a wonderful job.  As I have no restrictions the only thing that I asked was something that was made in the area and something homemade if she had the time.  And I got both!  So happy.  She sent me me some Cocoa Kettle Indiana Popcorn, I have had Indiana Popcorn but not cocoa kettle and I am sold... YUM!  The homemade gift was raincoast crisps, something I never tried and I started eating them as soon as I opened the box... Another YUM!  I had to write her back to ask for the recipe and will be making some for myself.  The raincoast crisps were in a Halloween treat bag... So, yeah for me, I didn't have to go trick or treating to get a Halloween treat.  Also homemade was some apple butter.  This year I had decided to make my own but had never tasted it, so was nice to compare mine with someone else... Her apple butter was also very YUMMY!
Emily also sent me some tea.. ginger, peach black tea and it is so good.. I am sipping some as I write this post in the wee hours of the morning, or at least I think it is the wee hours. There was also some dark chocolate that I haven't opened and some Fig preserve.  My thoughts for the preserve is maybe making some thumbprint cookies for Christmas.  I will let you know how they turn out.

Thanks Emily for a wonderful package.. You are the best.    

my snack - popcorn and tea

Halloween treat - raincoat crisps!

Here is a the cookies that I sent to Dee
and I promise that I will post the
recipe soon!

Foodie Penpal is a wonderful and fun thing to do

Each month you are paired with someone 

to send a package to and some to receive one from.

The boxes are filled with fun foodie things ~

local food items or even homemade.

The spending limit is $15.

It is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.

contact  Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean 

if you would like to join or if you want more information.

You can click on the picture to get to The Lean Green Bean ~ Foodie Pen Pals..

Almond Bark Halloween Candy

I am not a Halloween person, but I love the candy and I do like watching the young children dressed up in their costume excited to get candy.
One of my favorite Halloween candies is candy corn... and I eat them until I am just about sick.  I found this recipe on the last Foodie Friends Friday recipe... It has everything that I like in candy ~ chocolate, candy corn and m&m's.  The recipe is from one of my favorite blogger's Cindy from Hun.. What's for Dinner.

Almond Bark Halloween Candy

adapted from Halloween Candy Bark

6 square Vanilla flavored Almond Bark

6 square Chocolate flavored Almond Bark

approx 1 - 1 1/2 cup of m&m's and candy corn (  I used candy corn flavored m&m's, fall m&m's and harvest mix candy corn)

Melt chocolate in separate bowls.  I melted mine in the microwave, check about every 30 seconds.  The vanilla flavored almond bark took about 2 minutes to melt and the chocolate almond bark took about 3 minutes to melt.

Place parchment paper on cookie sheet, pour almond bark on cookie sheet and using a knife swirl the two almond bark together.  I put my almond bark beside each other but you can also slowly pour the chocolate flavored almond bark on the parchment paper and then slowly pour the vanilla flavored almond bark.  Again using knife swirl together.

Pour candies over the chocolate and press softly into chocolate. Put into refrigerator to harden.  Take out in about 45 minutes.  To break candy, grab both ends of the parchment paper and drop onto countertop, or you can break it with your hands.  

     

Attiéké with Smoked Salmon Stir fry

We bought Attiéké at an African Market this summer and I finally made it.   Attiéké is a low fat "couscous" make from fermented cassava root.  After some investigation I found that it was produced by Ivory Coast women by a traditional method requiring several hard steps. Although it looks like couscous, it has a distinct nutty flavour.  It can be used as a substitute for rice or pasta and served with stews, poultry, fish and vegetables.  I served it with a Smoked Salmon Stir-fry.

    Attiéké with Smoked Salmon Stirfry

Prepartion for  Attiéké

1 box Marguerite  Attiéké or 8.75 oz (250 g)

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp butter or oil

Place Attiéké in  sauce pan.  Add warm water and stir delicately.  Cover and let sit for 5 - 8 minutes.  Add 1 tbsp butter or oil and cook over very low heat for 4 -5 minutes fluffing with a fork to separate grains.  

Preparation for Smoked Salmon Stirfry

1 -2 tbsp oil

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1 celery stalk, sliced

1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/4 -1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomato Dressing - I used Kraft

1/3 pound smoked salmon cut in bite size pieces.

In frying pan or wok, heat oil and place carrots and celery, over medium heat cook until close to being soft, add red onions and mushrooms and continue to cook until vegetables are soft.  Pour in Sun Dried Tomato Dressing  (depending on how much liquid you will want, will depend on how much dressing to use - start with the small amount and add until it is how you would like it).  Continue to cook for a few minutes.  Add smoked salmon and cook for another couple of minutes, until salmon is warm.  At this point just before serving I will add a bit more onions to taste.  Serve over  Attiéké .

A picture of the  Attiéké box

What it looks like after it is cooked.