Kitchen Krafts

Jack-o’-Lantern Quesadillas

By Tanya Easterling Clark

4 flour tortillas 6″–7″ (15–18 cm)

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

4 slices cheddar cheese

8 triangular corn tortilla chips

4 black olives

16 thin slices of green and/or red bell pepper

1. Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese.

2. Use a table knife to cut a jack-o’-lantern smile from each slice of cheddar cheese. Then look at the picture and create your jack-o’-lantern quesadillas.

3. Bake at 250° F (125° C) for 12–15 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Carrot-Peanut-Apple Mix

By Juliana Lewis

4 medium carrots, coarsely grated

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1 red apple, cored and chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup plain yogurt or mayonnaise

lettuce leaves

1. In a medium bowl, toss all the ingredients together except the lettuce leaves.

2. For each serving, place a scoop of the salad on a lettuce leaf.

Crunchy Orange Cookies

By Julie Wardell

1 package (18 1/4 ounces/517 g) white cake mix

1 cup crisp rice cereal

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup margarine, melted

4 drops red and 8 drops yellow food coloring

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

2. Form the dough into 1″ (2.5 cm) balls; place them about 2″ (5 cm) apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 12–14 minutes. Cool for a minute, then remove the cookies from the sheet to cool completely.

Old-Fashioned Cider

2 quarts apple cider

10 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup brown sugar, well packed

1. In a large pot, mix all the ingredients together.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks and serve the cider warm.

Photos by Lana Leishman