Something New!!

We are starting something new here at Cricket's Cafe. It is called Friendly Friday. Each Friday I will either feature a recipe from a friend, or follower, or we will feature another blog, or a local business. When we feature a local business you will get the chance to win a prize.

The rules are really easy!

1. You have to already be or become a follower of Cricket's Cafe. And leave me a message that you are a follower.
2. You need to leave a comment about the recipe, blog, or company on my blog.
3. If you have a blog, you need to post something about it on there. If you don't have a blog of your own then you post about it on your facebook page.

Seeeee I told you it was easy!

  Please send all recipes to cricketheffron@yahoo.com If you have a picture of the dish and a picture of yourself that helps.

Our first Friendly Friday is this Friday Oct. 29, 2010
I can't wait to see what yummy recipes we get. I am also sending out invites for to all my friends in the area who have a business. You will get a lot of free blog advertising for the cost of a small prize. So don't be surprised when I call or email you!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Pumpkin-Pecan Pie Oatmeal

Doesn't this look soooooo good. What a great combination of flavors. I am making it next weekend for my family. I can almost smell it cooking right now. What a perfect breakfast for a chilly fall morning. I bet my daughter Brittany is going to love it!!

I found it on one of my favorite blogs. A Whisk and A Prayer. Go there for the full recipe and  while you are there poke around a little. I bet it will turn into one of your favorite blogs too.

Cricket's Garlic Rolls

I was raised in Miami Florida and there were many great places to eat. But there was one  by the beach called Marcella's...or at least I thik that was the name. Anyway it was the best Italian food you could ever eat. The garlic rolls alone were to die for. These are just like the originals except....I didn't have to make dough. I say why...Pillsbury did it for me!!

They are great any time but during the winter months when I tend to make more soups, stews, chili and casseroles they are perfect!!!

Marcella's Garlic Rolls

Sauce:
Make in advance. The longer it sits the better.

In glass jar with lid mix first 4 ingredients. I just use a mason jar

4-9 FRESH Cloves of Garlic Minced(I use the minced kind in the jar) ** 1/2 teasponn of the kind in a jar equals 1 clove of fresh garlic**
2T Dried Parsley
1T Dried Thyme
1 Cup Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Place first 4 ingredients in a jar with a lid, shake it to mix it. The longer it is in here the better.

****DO NOT REFRIGERATE.****

The Rolls:

2- packages of Pillsbury Bread Sticks.
Unroll bread sticks and take them apart stretch each bread stick and then cut in thirds.. Tie in KNOT just like you would do a Knot on the end of a string for sewing. Bake according to package directions.

But you just want them to Start to BROWN BUT NOT BE DARK.
Put them in a plastic basket put waxed paper on the bottom.. Shake sauce pour over the top of the rolls.

Mix until coated then sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts

With a hint of Fall in the air, and Halloween decorations already in all of the stores my mind has turned to hot chocolate, hot apple cider, pumpkin pie and warm doughnuts. I just found the most wonderul recipe that has TWO of my favorites all in one!! Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts! Click on the words and you will be taken to this most wonderful recipe. And if you make some, come back and leave a comment so we all know how you like them...oh...and save me one please!

Fried Apple Cakes

Found this recipe for Fried Apple Cakes and just had to share. They are AMAZING!!!
(makes 8 hearty cakes)


3 cups shredded apples from peeled apples, I used Fuji Apples, but feel free to mix em up.

juice of half a lemon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter and a dash of oil for cooking pancakes

Peel three medium apples. Grate the apples and drizzle the juice of half a lemon over the shredded apple. Place shredded apples in a colander over a bowl and leave for 10 minutes while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Beat the eggs and add the flour , sugar and spices. Whisk until no lumps remain. Press some of the excess juices out of the resting apples and add to the egg and flour mixture.

Over medium heat, melt half of the butter in a heavy bottom skillet and add just a dash of oil. This will help the butter not burn. Dollop large tablespoonfuls of apple batter into the hot butter and fry like pancakes, flipping once. Serve with maple syrup and sour cream.

Ham and Cheese Mini Muffins

These muffins are to die for. I found them on one of my favorite blogs.
They are a great served with your favorite eggs, fresh fruit and juice.
What a great way to spend a lazy Staurday morning!


3 Tbsp. butter
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1/2 cup finely chopped cooked ham

1/2 cup "Real Bacon"

Melt butter over medium-high heat; add onion, and saute until tender. Combine bisquick and cheese in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together milk and egg, blending well; add to cheese mixture, stirring until moist. Stir in onion, ham, and bacon. Spoon into lightly greased(PAM) mini muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 425 for 18 minutes. Let stand 2-3 minutes before removing from pan. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.



For Ham and Swiss muffins: Use shredded Swiss cheese instead of cheddar; use 1 cup finely chopped cooked ham; and add 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard with milk and egg. Proceed as directed above.

Cupcake In A Jar

I love the idea of a Cupcake In A Jar! They are sooo easy to make and I think they would be so fun for a picnic or childrens party. Maybe a western theme cookout.

White Chocolate Toffee Bars

These White Chocolate Toffee Bars are AMAZING!! I found them on A Whisk And A Prayer. What a great treat for teachers, neighbors, or to make with the kids. Some of my best childhood memories were time spent with my mom in the kitchen.

Crispy Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Found the recipe for these ohhhh so yummy  Cinnamon Tortilla Chips over at The Cheeky Kitchen and just had to try them. Click on the link and and get the recipe for yourself. They are sooo good and very easy to make!  

What a fun after school snack for the kids, or to go along with a nice bowl of ice cream or even a cup of hot chocolate....the cooler months are just around the corner. Have the kids help you make them and use all different kinds of cookie cutters!

Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites. Our Best Bites

They are soooo good and one of my favorite side dishes.

1 1/2 lb. fingerling or baby potatoes, washed; try and pick the potatoes that are as bite-sized as possible

2 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Tbsp. coarse-grain or Dijon mustard

2 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Rosemary (be sure and strip the needles from the stem before chopping them)

About 5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

Coarsely-ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, combine olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, mustard, and some black pepper.

Set aside. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, and then toss with the mustard mixture.

Now...this is where the beauty of this recipe comes in. You can either do all of this ahead of time and then refrigerate the potatoes until you're ready to finish them off or you can do it all at once. Either way, you're not going to spend more than 30 minutes tops making these beauties and they're so elegant that you could seriously serve them at the fanciest dinner party. So...if you're making these right now, preheat your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. If you're saving them (for up to 6 hours), line the baking sheet and spread the potatoes out evenly and then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake them.

When you're ready to bake these guys and the oven is hot, sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are browning and sizzling. For fancy presentation, place the roasted potatoes on a platter, scrape those delicious bits off the foil, sprinkle them over the potatoes, and then garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary

Awesome Breakfast Casserole

With the weather getting cooler and the hint of fall in the hair and the obvious Halloween decorations up in the stores my thoughts have turned to the holidays and colder weather. Both of those make me think about how we cook differently in the warm months. It seems we make more soups and stews and  yummy casseroles. They warm our bodies, give us extra fuel  and make our homes smell so inviting as they cook. I found this this wonderful recipe for a breakfast casserole that would be perfect for Christmas morning or any morning for that matter. A lazy Saturday or Sunday reading the paper and waiting for this to pop out of the oven sounds soooo nice to me! I found it on one of my favorite sites Our Best Bites

I love that you make it the night before and just put it in the oven the next morning.
I was going to copy the recipe onto my blog but they do such a great job with step-b-step instructions and photos. Just click on the link above and go check it out.

Chocolate Praline Cake

I have several blogs that I visit everyday just in case they have posted something new. Babblings From Brooke  is one of them. This cake recipe is to die for and with the holidays right around the corner I am sure I will make it several times. I bet you will too!

This is absolutely amazing. The topping by far is my favorite part. If you don't like pecans, well, shame on you!



Chocolate Praline Cake
1 box devils food cake mix plus ingredients to make the cake

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 cup pecans, chopped



Make the cake using the directions on the box. Set aside.



Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add brown sugar and whipping cream and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add chopped pecans to the mixture. Pour mixture in the bottom of a bundt pan (must use this type of pan). Then carefully spoon the cake batter over the sugar mixture. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Invert cake onto platter. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whip cream.