Mid Week Grocery Spree - Lees Market

Lees Market is fantastic, and that's why Mom and I enjoy shopping there when we're in Westport, MA. Not only is Lees stocked with normal grocery store staples, but it carries all local produce, meats, grains, and specialty items. There is a sushi bar, a beautiful deli filled with ready-made lunches, and a large liquor section. Plus, the store is always spotless. Who wouldn't want to shop here?


On this visit, Mom and I took our time going up and down the aisles. We'd already done our weekly shopping, but we were on the prowl for some hard-to-find items. For example, Mom read on the Internet that San Marzano tomatoes supposedly made the best spaghetti sauce. After an unsuccessful search for them at Stop & Shop, we finally found the tomatoes at Lees ($2.59). We also found two soups by Nile that I've been dying to try - split pea and sweet corn chowder ($1.49 each). Also in our shopping cart was a bottle of Trader Vic gold rum ($12.99) that we purchased to mix with the mudslide and piña colada mixers that we bought at the Christmas Tree Shop a while back.

Since we love buying local goods, Mom and I picked up a product that we had been dying to try. It is called Mad Hectic Oatmeal, and it costs $7.95 a bag. Yes, it is insanely expensive. Made in South Dartmouth, MA, this product is organic, made with flax seed meal and tree nuts, and contains 14 grams of protein per serving (six servings per bag). Mom grabbed the almond pecan flavor and threw it our Lees canvas bag ($.95). We also spotted an adorable pouch of Gray's Pancake and Waffle Mix ($4.99) from Gray's Mill in Adamsville, RI/Westport, MA. Printed on the back of the pouch are the mixing instructions for both pancakes and waffles, and the mix itself is stone ground right at the mill. This was expensive also, but we realize that we would never be able to purchase items like this on a weekly basis. The oatmeal and pancake mix are definitely once-in-a-while treats.

After spending $32.50, we came home and laid out all of our items. We couldn't wait to dig into that oatmeal, so Mom made some for breakfast the next morning. It was really tasty and had a natural sweetness without any added sugar. Mom and I will definitely be heading back to Lees to try more of their fabulous local items. You'll spend a few more dollars if you buy the specialty foods, but the overall quality that you'll find at Lees is worth the cash.

Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England

Fall River loves a good Portuguese feast, so we at New England Bites have decided to feature our favorite one - the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England. Phew, that's a lot to say.

Perhaps this feast is our number one because we can see it from our window, or maybe it's because over 300,000 visitors come from all over New England, Canada, and Portugal, just to hang out in Kennedy Park for four days. Here is a quick itinerary of this weekend's FEASTivities:

Thursday, August 21: From 7-10:45 p.m. "Youth night" features performances by local entertainers. Last year we got to hear a drunk Portuguese guy sing Runaway by Bon Jovi. Let's hope he's back this year!

Friday, August 22: 6-11 p.m. The bishop of Portugal will be giving out food to the needy and two marching bands will be performing. There will also be folk singing, which sounds interesting.

Saturday, August 23: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Governor Deval Patrick and the president of the Azores will sign a protocol between the state of Massachusetts and the regional government of the Azores at the Gates of the City. There will also be a parade, and at the conclusion of the parade, sweet bread and milk will be distributed. Again, there will be more "folklore and follies," along with more concerts and festivities. My favorite part of the evening will be the auction, where a fast-talking Portuguese guy tries to unload cases of chourico and sweet bread.

Sunday, August 24: 12-10 p.m. The big day! After the Mass at St. Anne's Church, there is a three-hour procession that goes from South Main Street to Bradford Avenue, ending up right at Kennedy Park. We usually watch from our window. It's fun to see the people swaying slowly from side to side, but Mom always feels bad for the women who are wearing heels. Their feet look like muffin tops crammed into tight shoes. It looks so painful! After the procession, there is another auction, more concerts, and the closing ceremonies.

A lot of people say, "Wow, you guys are so lucky to live near the number one Portuguese feast in New England." Are we? Here are some little known facts about life across from the Feast.

1. Waking up at 2 a.m. because the street sweepers are cleaning up the nightly messes left behind by happy Feast goers.
2. Having to get a parking permit to park on your own street (actually, we're really thankful for this one).
3. LOUD music. It's not just, "I believe I can hear that marching band playing S.O.S. by ABBA." It's more like, "I was going to go to bed early, but I can't because they're playing S.O.S. by ABBA."
4. Buses from Canada arriving early in the morning and waking you up - on Friday and Saturday.
5. Not being able to move your car on Sunday because of the three-hour procession - and having to hear every song played by the marching band directly under your window.
6. The smell of fried foods when you're trying to diet.
7. Unusual animal poop found in the park. We think they still bring in donkeys and buffalo.
8. The glow of the Pepsi machines shining through my window at night.
9. The overwhelming stench of the public toilets on a hot August day.
10. The die-hard celebrators that visit the club on the corner and come out singing and yelling at 2 a.m.

I will say that living across from the Feast has given us many memories - some good and some bad - but we do enjoy eating those delicious homemade malasadas once a year. Enjoy the slideshow!

Laura and Diane Monteiro

NEBS Exclusive: What's in your house?

Other food bloggers have posted pictures of what is in their refrigerators. Fresh from the supermarket, New England Bites is taking it a step further - we're showing you everything! From the Fluff in the cabinet to the stuff in the pantry, it's all available in this nifty slide show. Enjoy.

PS: No wonder we're fat.




C'mon, don't leave us hanging! Send us pics of your fridge and we can compare notes.

Jimmy from Delaware sent us this awesome footage of his food:

Homemade Nutella Ice Cream

My mom is a big fan of Amateur Gourmet Adam Roberts, a popular food blogger who is featured on the Food Network Web site. When she read his post about making the easiest Nutella ice cream (acquired from Clotilde Dusoulier's blog Chocolate & Zucchini), her eyes lit up. If you don't know what Nutella is, check your local supermarket's peanut butter section. There you will find a jar of the most delicious hazelnut/chocolaty spread you'll ever taste in your life. You can pretty much spread it on anything (as Mom and I found out a few years ago). However, this time, Mom wanted to take our love for Nutella to another level.


Ingredients

• A cup and a half of Nutella.
• A cup and a half, plus one tablespoon, of unsweetened evaporated milk.

That's all! Even I could make this ... maybe. Plop the Nutella into a large freezer-safe bowl:




Mmm, appetizing! ... kinda ...


Pour in the evaporated milk and stir until smooth and creamy.




Place bowl in the refrigerator for two hours to chill.




Remove from refrigerator, stir, and place in the freezer.


After a half hour, remove the bowl and - with a fork - scrape the sides (because the ice cream freezes faster around the edges) toward the center and then stir until smooth.




Place bowl back into the freezer. Repeat every half hour until the ice cream has the desired consistency (thick and scoopable).




Enjoy!




What did we think? We loved it! It was rich, thick, and chocolaty. It still tasted like Nutella, but not as intense. Instead, it tasted like the world's best chocolate ice cream. A definite must-try for any ice cream fan. Thanks Adam and Clotilde!

Check out another John video:

R.I.P. St. Anne's School, 1925-2008

Sorry about the blurry pics!! I'm not a pro. E-mail me at info@newenglandbites.com if you have any questions.

-- Laura C. Monteiro, Class of 1992

Happy Easter!

Happy - or hoppy - Easter!

Although the years of my sister and I staying up late to try and catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny are long gone, we still like getting stuff. Mom gets us our favorite Easter candies every year, along with some extra goodies she just can't resist.



Since my all time favorite candy ever is a big bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs (not Creme Eggs), she threw those in my "basket," along with my second favorite candy of all time - Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. To me, they actually taste better than the original peanut butter cups. Also in my bag of treats was a box of Bulls-Eyes (a.k.a., caramel creams), a Russell Stover Coconut Cream Egg, some festive Easter socks, and some adorable Easter candles. Aside from the stuff that our own "Easter Bunny" brought is a stuffed Peep that I bought at CVS yesterday that will forever sit in my cubicle at work. I love that thing! We also have a Styrofoam egg carton containing several marshmallow eggs that for some reason are only good this time of year. I guess my diet will have to wait until I'm done stuffing my face with chocolate.


Mom loves to decorate, so I've decided to post some of her adorable Easter decorations for our fans to enjoy. New England Bites wishes you all a wonderful Easter with your family!

BELIEVE IN THE BUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom's Birthday

Since I was broke on Mom's actual birthday (February 18), I had to buy her gifts, card, and cake when my tax return came through. Unfortunately for me, it came in today - during a huge snowstorm. Not wanting to disappoint Mom, I jumped in my car and headed out to buy some belated birthday goodies. She had mentioned that she wanted her birthday cake to be a Checkerboard cake ($16.95) from White's Bakery in Brockton, MA. She had heard good things about it on the Phantom Gourmet Web site. Who was I to turn down her request?

I called in the cake request at around 1:30 p.m., and luckily they had one in stock. They asked me what I wanted written on the cake, and I simply said, "Happy Birthday, Mom." When I went to pick it up at around 4:45 p.m., a young girl showed me the cake. The words "Happy Birthday, Mom" were written in frosting on a pink ribbon placed on top of the cake. Mom later told me that White's does this so that if a customer doesn't pick up the cake, they can just take the ribbon off and resell it. Good deal!

When I got the cake home, Mom put it in the fridge until after we had dinner. After dinner, Mom, Dad, and I were all dying for a piece (Mal was still at work). Once the slices were passed out, we all dug in. PHENOMENAL!!! Mom said it was like heaven on Earth. It is basically a large checkerboard pound cake, only the texture is quite different. This cake was very light and topped with a layer of real whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The cake definitely melts in your mouth, and it more than lived up to its expectation.

I am so glad Mom enjoyed her cake. She said it was worth the wait! Not only is the checkerboard cake good for birthdays, it would also be good if you were expecting company. I can't wait to have another piece. This cake definitely won't last long at my house!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Laura <3

Happy Valentine's Day!

While most girls my age are getting flowers and candy from their husbands or boyfriends, I'm getting Valentine's Day socks, Peeps, and assorted chocolates from my parents!!

Pictured is a box of Peeps and a card from my father (I love how he gave me Easter candy for Valentine's Day), and a pair of V-Day socks, a bag of Harry and David cherries and strawberries, and a bag of Russell Stover Toasted Coconut chocolates from Mom. Mmm, mmm, good!

Also, my mother made fudge brownies yesterday, slapped on some vanilla frosting, and added some red hearts and sprinkles. I love Valentine's Day! Who needs a man when your parents still buy you things? Not me!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM

NEW ENGLAND BITES!

Ree-SEZ vs. Ree-SEES

What is going on with people? Over the past few years, an increasing amount of my friends, family, and co-workers have been pronouncing the word Reese's as Ree-SEES, instead of its proper pronunciation of Ree-SEZ. I mean, the Hershey Company came up with the candy name Reese's Pieces simply because the word "pieces" rhymed with Reese's. So why the change? Do you really want the name of the candy that you're eating to sound like the word feces?

I decided to call the Hershey Company's toll-free question line. I spoke to a lovely woman who found it very funny that I would call her with such an odd question. I explained to her what has been happening with the word change, and she reassured me that the word Reese's still rhymes with "pieces," and that everyone else is wrong. THANK YOU.

A while back, I heard my sister refer to a Reese's product as Ree-SEES. I almost lost it. Enough is enough, people. Stop lowering yourselves by mispronouncing words. The word is REE-SEZ. Get it right! If you think you're being cute by changing the word, you're not.

Now get me a peanut butter cup!

Yum vs. Yuck - New England Bites picks their faves!

Because someone forgot to bring her camera to the Bristol House of Pizza yesterday, we were not able to do an official review. However, after watching a pre-Superbowl Phantom Gourmet marathon, we at New England Bites were inspired and decided to post a list of our favorite places to dine - and the places that we think are not up to par. I'm sure we'll get some hate mail because we don't think that the Olive Garden can even compare itself to a real Italian restaurant, but we've braced ourselves. Let us know what you think by telling us where you like to eat. Is there a donut shop that you adore, or is there a restaurant that you wouldn't visit even if the meal was free? Post a comment below, or write us at info@newenglandbites.com.

APPETIZERS

YUM
Newport Jai Alai's Grand Grill ♥♥♥♥♥ - Great choices, portions are substantial, prices are very reasonable, and food arrives hot and delicious.

YUCK

Bugaboo Creek Steak House ♥♥ - Laura is still having nightmares over the appetizer that put her under the weather for a couple of days.

ASIAN CUISINE

YUM
Super Buffet 2000 ♥♥♥ - Great selection, buffet is well stocked, and food is always hot and delicious.

YUCK

Oriental Pearl ♥ - Dirty restaurant; food was unimpressive.

BAKERIES

YUM
White's Cafe and Pastry Shop ♥♥♥♥♥ - Beautiful display, huge variety of pastries, and everything is absolutely delicious.

YUCK

Terminal Bakery ♥♥ - Bakery is old (and showing it), and pastries tend to be very dry.

BREAD BASKETS

YUM
Bittersweet Farms Tavern ♥♥♥ - Nice variety of breads in the basket; came fresh and warm.

YUCK
Bella Roma ♥♥ - Tried to cut into the bread, but it crumbled apart. Mess!

BREAKFAST

YUM
Pogos II Restaurant ♥♥♥♥♥ - Very innovative menu, huge portions, reasonable prices, and delicious food.

YUCK
Cornerstone Bakery & Restaurant, The ♥ - Horrible service; cold food; uninspired menu.

BURGERS

YUM
Johnny Rockets ♥♥♥♥ - Very high quality beef, nicely spiced, good sized pattie, and a little pricey, but worth it.

YUCK
Vinny T's of Boston ♥♥ - Ordered a well-done burger, got a blood rare – and I mean dripping!!!

CANDIES

YUM
Godiva ♥♥♥♥ – Chocolates are rich and melt-in-your-mouth, but not overtly sweet.

YUCK
Victorian House of Chocolate ♥ - Chocolates were so sweet that they hurt Mom’s teeth; inattentive sales person.

COFFEE SHOPS

YUM
Dunkin' Donuts ♥♥♥♥ - Best coffee around, improved donuts, and tasty breakfast sandwiches. It's New England’s best!

YUCK
Sip N Dip Donuts ♥♥ - Lousy coffee; donuts uninspired.

COMFORT FOOD

YUM
Crossroad Pub ♥♥♥♥♥ - Food always fantastic; service is always great; relaxing atmosphere.

YUCK
Old Country Buffet ♥♥♥ - Used to be better; buffets were half full; quality wasn’t there.

DESSERTS

YUM
Gennaro's Eatery ♥♥♥♥♥ - Not a large variety, but quality can’t be beat. Servings are huge, and absolutely delicious.

YUCK
Stop & Shop – Very blah desserts; often very dry and overly sweet.

DONUT SHOP

YUM

Allie's Donuts ♥♥♥♥♥ - Tremendous variety; always freshly made; chocolate ones are to die for!

YUCK
Ma's Donuts & More – Middletown, RI ♥♥♥ - Typical variety, little on the small side, and just nothing special.

FAMILY RESTAURANTS

YUM
Roger's Spa & Restaurant ♥♥♥♥ - Very homey atmosphere, delicious foods, great portions, and reasonable prices.

YUCK
Crowther's ♥ - Big disappointment! Food was terrible, service was blah, and they seemed to be out of everything!

FAST FOOD

YUM
KFC ♥♥♥♥ - Great chicken, delicious sides, and it makes a quick family meal when you’re in a hurry.

YUCK
Wendy's ♥♥ - Food is too greasy, fries come out of box in a clump, and Mom usually tastes it for the rest of the day.

FINE DINING

YUM
Lucia Italian Restaurant ♥♥♥♥♥ - Very charming interior, delicious foods, authentic Italian, fantastic desserts, a great dining experience.

YUCK
Milano Restaurant ♥ - Way too expensive for the amount of food, and the food wasn’t that great. It was very disappointing.

FULL SERVICE CHAINS

YUM
Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub ♥♥♥♥♥ - Great food, great service, nice variety menu, and we always have a good time.

YUCK
Applebee's ♥♥♥ - Menu is too eclectic, hit or miss deal, and there is a reason why they call it “Crapplebee’s.”

ICE CREAM

YUM
Lickety Splits Ice Cream ♥♥♥♥ - Ice cream is very flavorful; nothing fancy, but great quality.

YUCK
Mister Peepers' Ice Cream ♥♥♥ - Good cake pieces, but flavored ice creams are too sweet.

ITALIAN CUISINE

YUM
Gennaro's Eatery ♥♥♥♥♥ - Warm and relaxing atmosphere, fantastic service, food is authentic Italian, portions extremely generous, the taste is fantastic, and Mom loves Gerry – the owner, and Mom’s crush!

YUCK
Milano Restaurant ♥ - Mystery meat, raviolis were half-filled, portion was ridiculous for the price, food wasn’t that tasty.

MEXICAN CUISINE

YUM
Sam Diego's Mexican Cookery ♥♥♥♥♥ - Huge menu, fun atmosphere, friendly service, great variety of food and drinks, and everything is always fantastic!

YUCK
Taco Bell ♥♥ - Although Laura goes often, it sometimes turns on her. Also, the service needs work.

PIZZA

YUM
Bristol House of Pizza ♥♥♥♥ - Handmade pizzas, fresh real cheese, delicious sauce, nicely spiced, and you get a lot for your money. We think it’s the best pizza around!

YUCK
Papa John's ♥ - Terrible pizza, the sauce is much too bitter, nothing special about the toppings, and we were just very unimpressed.

SALADS

YUM
Texas Roadhouse ♥♥♥ - Great salads, huge portion, good variety, very fresh ingredients, nice variety of dressings, and they’re delicious!

YUCK
Johnny MacAroni's Restaurant ♥♥♥♥♥ - Laura found that the marinated eggplant in the antipasto had a weird flavor that infected the other veggies. This eggplant may also be in other salads. It just didn’t taste good. ***NOTE: ASIDE FROM THE SALADS, THIS RESTAURANT REMAINS ONE OF OUR ALL-TIME FAVORITES.***

SANDWICHES/HOT DOGS

YUM
Black Goose Cafe ♥♥♥♥ - Sandwiches are made on fresh bread, large portions, fresh ingredients, and real roast chicken is used instead of deli meat.

YUCK
JJ's Coney Island Hot Dogs ♥♥ - Made everyone sick. They soak the dogs in a type of onion water – not good.

SEAFOOD

YUM
Iggy's Doughboys & Chowder House ♥♥♥♥ - Seafood is fresh, delicious, and a generous portion. You won’t pay a lot of money, and there is a nice variety.

YUCK
Crowther's ♥ - Fish was inedible. We both ended up sending it back, and not paying for it. Surprisingly, the chef was not shocked. The chef expected them to come back. So why serve them?!?!

VALUE

THE MOST FOOD FOR YOUR MONEY
Kozy Nook ♥♥♥♥ - Nice variety, very inexpensive, homemade and delicious, and you get a hearty meal for a low price.

THE LEAST FOOD FOR YOUR MONEY
Waterstreet Cafe ♥♥♥ - Where was my meal? Big plates with no food on it, and a big price.

Happy New Year!

I hope 2008 turns out to be a great year for everyone, and we at New England Bites look forward to trying more new restaurants and visiting some old favorites. A big thank you goes out to all of our fans for supporting us. Keep your eye out for our upcoming contests, where you'll have a chance to win some fantastic prizes. Once again, have a great 2008!

Laura and Diane Monteiro
New England Bites

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Dinner with New England Bites

Hello to all our fans! I hope you all had a very merry Christmas with your families and friends. I also hope you had a lot of delicious food to eat. We sure did!

... and look at how cute Chips looks in her Santa hat!

Our Christmas table included lasagna rolls, meatballs, ham and cheese slices, turnips and carrots, mashed potatoes, French pork stuffing, turkey breast in gravy, three turkey legs, hot rolls with butter, sandwich rolls, pickles and olives, whole cranberry sauce, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, potato chips, Pepsi, three kinds of egg nog (regular, vanilla spice, and cinnamon), and chocolate and apple cream pies. Not shown are the two candy trays filled with cashews, cheese curls, and chocolates. We're soooo full!

Checkout the slideshow of our Christmas house!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Turkey and French Pork Stuffing"

By Diane M. Monteiro

Thanksgiving is an eating holiday, and there's nothing my family likes better than eating. My mother, the saint that she is, makes a huge Thanksgiving buffet for us every year, and her French pork stuffing has always been a huge hit. Since everyone always asks Mom how she cooks her turkey and what we ate for dinner, I have decided to share our lovely meal with our fans. We hope that you enjoy my Memere's French pork stuffing recipe as much as we do, and we hope that you have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

French Pork Stuffing

Ingredients

• Heavy sauce pan or dutch oven
• Three pounds of Stop & Shop ground pork ($2.99/lb.)
• *Three 6 oz. boxes of Kraft Stove Top Turkey Stuffing ($.88/box)
• Water

*You can use any kind of stuffing mix you want, but Stove Top was on sale!

1. Break up the frozen pork into the dutch oven set on medium heat. Cover it.



2. While its cooking, mash the pork with a potato masher or fork every so often until the meat is minced.

3. Since the meat is still browning, prepare your stuffing mix. If you want a meatier stuffing, use only two boxes of the Stove Top. If you want a more breaded stuffing, use all three.

4. Pour the two (or three) boxes of Stove Top into a large bowl. Add four cups of warm or hot water and mix. If the stuffing is still dry, continue to add 1/2 cup of water until the stuffing is moist and easy to stir.


5. Set the stuffing mixture aside until the meat is cooked.


6. Once the meat is cooked through, drain almost all of the fat from the dutch oven. Leave some fat at the bottom so that the stuffing will be moist and easy to reheat.


7. When the meat has been drained, add the stuffing mix to the dutch oven. If you think it needs a little more moisture, add 1/2 cup of water.

8. Add salt, pepper, and Bell's Seasoning Mix to taste. Mix.


9. Keep the entire mixture on very low heat and stir.

10. If you think it needs a little more moisture, add water.

Turkey

Stats

• Almost 22 lbs.
• Shady Brook Farms variety purchased at Stop & Shop ($.59/lb.)
• Thawed for just about four days in the refrigerator.

1. The night before Thanksgiving, remove the turkey from the plastic wrap. Remove neck and gizzard bag from turkey and discard. Wash turkey thoroughly and put it on paper towels. Dry the turkey.

2. Start buttering it up. Slide your hands under the skin and add some butter pats. Butter the outside of the turkey. Mom was doing all this at 12:30 a.m.!

3. Put your buttered turkey on a turkey rack inside of a discardable aluminum turkey pan so the turkey can sit out of its juice. Mom also puts a cookie sheet under the aluminum pan for extra support, and purchased a turkey lifter to help her remove the turkey after it has been cooked.

4. If you are going to stuff your bird, now is the time to do it. Since we do not stuff the bird, Mom wrapped the turkey legs together and covered the entire bird (in the pan) with foil.

5. Place the covered turkey in the oven at 275 degrees overnight. Mom put hers in at 12:50 a.m. When you wake up the next morning, your house will smell like turkey! Trust me, it's fantastic and it drives my cat nuts.

6. On Thanksgiving Day, after the turkey has cooked for about eight hours, remove the foil. Mom did this at 9 a.m. Don't discard the foil. It will be used later on. You will note that the pop-up timer on the turkey is almost out.

7. Melt a stick of butter and brush the butter over the entire turkey. Don't use all the butter because you'll be doing this again soon, but be generous. The butter will give the turkey a lovely golden brown color.

8. Raise the temperature of your oven to 375 degrees. Place the buttered turkey into the oven uncovered. It should be finished in about three hours. When finished, the turkey should be at 190 degrees (according to Mom's poultry thermometer). You can test the turkey's temperature by sticking the thermometer in the thigh of the bird.

9. Remove the turkey every 45 minutes until the bird is done so you can continue to brush butter on it. Remember, you're looking for golden brown skin.

10. At 11 a.m., Mom took the turkey's temperature. It was about 180 degrees and looked like this:

11. At 11:40 a.m., Mom removed the turkey from the oven for the last time. It was done and was exactly 190 degrees. The pop-up timer was all the way out, and the turkey had a lovely golden brown skin:

12. Let the turkey rest for about 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of your Thanksgiving meal. Cover the turkey while its resting with the foil that you removed earlier that morning.





Thanksgiving goodies include: veggies and dip, potato chips, cheese and crackers, turnips and carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, pickles and olives, hot rolls and sandwich buns, rolled ham and cheese, canned cranberry sauce, apple cream and chocolate cream pies, mints, three flavors of egg nog (plain, sugar cookie, and gingerbread), and Diet Pepsi.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM

NEW ENGLAND BITES!

Happy Halloween!

"Ghost in a Graveyard"

By Diane M. Monteiro

My mother loves Halloween. Even though my sister and I are older, she still decorates the house with pumpkins and ghouls, fills candy bags for trick-or-treaters, and makes her famous "ghost in a graveyard" desserts. After spotting a similar recipe in a magazine which featured a larger graveyard, she decided to make individual plots for each family member. It was a huge hit, and now we've decided to share this adorable treat with our fans. We hope you enjoy, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

Ingredients

• Nestle's Toll House Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate ($2.69)
• Brach's Candy Corn ($1)
• Pepperidge Farm Black & White Milanos ($3.19)
• Stop & Shop Homestyle Bakery Dutch Cocoa Cookies ($1)
• Kraft Cool Whip (on sale for $1)
• 2 Kozy Shack 22 oz. Real Chocolate Puddings ($2.99 each)
• *4 clear glasses (11 oz.)

*There are four members of our family, but feel free to make as many plots as you wish!

1. Take seven cookies (depending on size), and crumble them into a bowl to resemble loose dirt.


2. Take out four Milanos (or however many graves you're making); on the white side, write with black gel the initials of your family member, along with a little cross. Repeat for each cookie. Set aside to dry. Leave room at the bottom of the cookie to stick in the pudding later.


3. Layer chocolate pudding with "dirt" and place into glasses. Leave space on top for decorating. Make sure the loose "dirt" is on top.


4. Place "tombstone" into "dirt."


5. Take Cool Whip and make your ghost. Use two small circles of Whip and stack them on top of each other. Take two chocolate chips and use them for eyes when finished.


6. Add candy corns for extra effect (you can also use candy pumpkins, but Stop & Shop was out of them this week).


7. Keep cool until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
<

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM

NEW ENGLAND BITES!