Review: The Christmas Town

Title: The Christmas Town
Author: Elyse Douglas
Publication: 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

The Christmas Town, by Elyse Douglas, is a new time travel, mystery, romance novel that was released on October 11, 2013.

Traveling home for Christmas, two young women in their 20s are forced to drive together during a snowstorm, and they get lost. They cross a covered bridge and, suddenly, they enter the past, finding themselves in a small picturesque Vermont town in 1943. They meet two handsome soldiers, who are about to be sent off to war, and they fall in love with them, while also struggling to find a way to return home to their own time.

With the soldiers’ help, on Christmas Eve, the two women finally have one chance to return to their own time, but they are caught between their love for the soldiers, and their desire to return to the present. At the last moment, they must make the difficult decision and, because it is Christmas, a miracle happens.

 

This was such a cute holiday time travel romance. Although it was somewhat predictable, I did however enjoy the glimpse into an American’s life in 1943. The attention to detail from the clothes, to the shops, and even the way these characters thought and spoke really transported me into this time period. I kept thinking how the heck would I have dealt with rations and the love of my life going off to war? Such a tough thing to go through, but at the same time an important milestone for women because with the boys away they were able to step up to the late and do the men’s work. I liked that the author emphasized how important woman were at this time and how the world seemed to have changed because of it. This seemed like the perfect time for two strong willed working women from 2013 to travel back to 1943. Perfect or disastrous, lol.

These two strangers, Jackie and Megan, find themselves needing each other the most when they take a wrong turn into the past. Just imagine you are driving in the rental car with this woman you hardly know and find out you are stuck in the year 1943!! Eeep! I would pinch myself hard and really hope I was dreaming. Seriously, what the heck would you do? I suppose one could try to fit in as much as possible because it’s not like someone would really believe you. What a pickle that would be.

Jackie is a headstrong, sexy, logical woman who is focused on getting the job done. Being this way, she needed to tone it down for this new world she was in since most women didn’t act this way around these parts. Megan is a bubbly actress who loves the challenge of telling a good lie. Together these women are the Yin to the other’s Yang which helps them get out of a few difficult situations. Nothing brings a friendship together than going back in time to a small town where everyone thinks they are strange or mysterious. *wink*

Since this is a Contemporary Romance novel, it must have smoking hot men in it, right? The author gave us two handsome, strong soldiers. Jeff Grant is a black haired blue eyed hunk with a smile that will make you melt. *swoon* Danny Crawford, or Danny Boy, is a redhead, green eyed, broad shouldered stud with a shy side to him. *double swoon* These good ol’ boys were perfect gentlemen, going off to serve their country in a few days, and wanted to spend their limited time with Jackie and Megan. You can imagine how difficult this all can get when the ladies are desperate to find a way back to their own time and how falling in love might change things completely. Yet another pickle they have managed to get themselves in.

This was a fun read with a lot of great imagery about what the 1940’s would have been like and I enjoyed traveling alongside Jackie and Megan. I did find that, at parts, the story felt a bit dull with hardly any romance scenes. I found it a little disappointing being in the Contemporary Romance genre. Jackie and Megan were not my favorite characters, but I did enjoy the supporting characters a bit more like: Jeff, Danny Boy, and Aunt Betty. Perhaps it’s their small town charm that I found heartfelt and most interesting. This was my first time travel read so I’m not sure if this is indeed the genre for me. If you like to read Contemporary Holiday Time Travel books with less romance, but still a cute story with great imagery, then why don’t you give this book a try.

Review: White Lie Christmas

Title: White Lie Christmas
Author: Christine Bell and Riley Murphy
Publication: Entangled Publishing, LLC, 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The holidays are here, and Leah Latrelle has made a mess of them. When her out-of-town parents’ concern over her non-existent love life threatens to interfere with her father’s health, she invents a boyfriend who quickly turns into a fiancé. Her family is thrilled, and they change their Christmas plans last minute to meet their future son-in-law. Now Leah has no choice but to come up with the goods. She needs a man, fast. When her friend and business partner, Mick, offers himself up as a sacrifice, she’s all over it. He’s handsome, dependable and available for the job. What could go wrong?Tis the season, and Mick Kilpatrick can’t say no to a damsel in distress. Especially when that damsel is his luscious business partner who has been the object of his reluctant desire for the past year. He hasn’t pursued anything because being a dad is still priority number one. A sexy woman like Leah will only distract him from what’s really important and he can’t have that. He’ll pretend to be her fiancé, but when it’s over, everything will go back to normal. Sure, he’s fantasized about her once or...a million times but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her. Does it?

What a cute sexy novella just in time for the holidays. This will be a Christmas to never forget. *chuckling* Leah Latrelle has really gotten herself into a pickle this time. How on earth is she going to pull this whole “I have a fiance and I’m madly in love” just within a few days of her parents visit?  I have two words for you, Mick Kilpatrick. *swoon* He is every mother-in-law’s dream son-in-law -- successful, fit, tall, extremely handsome, and what a smooth talker. Leah sure picked herself a winner, but with just one problem: will it work and if it does how will this affect their business relationship? All great questions which, believe me, I was asking myself this the whole time reading page after page.

The chemistry between Leah and Mick gets addictive really quickly. Mick who wants this whole fake engagement to be a success and tries so hard to make sure Leah’s parents have a great holiday. Leah on the other hand is a nervous train wreck which I can very much understand. She is lying to her parents and sister about having a fiance. This is a HUGE charade to pull off especially with people who know her all too well. This hot and cold, back and forth between Leah and Mick just pulls you into the story. I found myself saying “awwww” when Mick was extremely sweet then screamed “chill out” to Leah when she was blowing their cover. So many emotions going on while reading!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a steamy, sweet, short holiday read. It will evoke many emotions that you will find yourself talking to the pages as though the character’s will answer you back. *chuckling* I’m very vocal while I read so you can imagine when I ride on the bus. I’m not embarrassed! Well, I enjoyed reading White Lie Christmas very much, loved the romance, importance of family and sexy themes within the story. So if you have a day free, I say pick this book up and enjoy a little holiday cheer. If anything else you can just think of sexy Mick. *wink*

Review: Letters from Home

Title: Letters From Home
Author: Bethane Strasser
Publication: Nov 25, 2013 by Entangled: Flirt
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

An Army doctor, Lena Rodriguez has always been too busy with school or the Army for romance. But the letters she received during deployment have captured her heart. Back home for the holidays, she awaits Christmas morning to meet the man who has turned her life upside down.

When Zack Benson watched his best friend's sister Lena leave for Afghanistan, he knew he had to tell her he loved her. So he sent her anonymous love letters. Now that she’s home, he realizes he's made a tactical error. Lena has fallen for the man in those letters but still thinks of him as a brother. He has to convince her otherwise because if he succeeds, he’ll get the best Christmas present ever. But if he fails, he could lose her for good.

Elena (Lena) Rodriguez, an Army doctor, has been deployed for a year and is about to come home for the holidays. She has received an anonymous love letter every month, plus one for her birthday. Through these letters, the secret admirer has stolen her heart, and she’s anxious to finally meet him face to face on Christmas morning. Because of the small town gossip included in the letters, Lena is pretty sure the letter writer is someone that she already knows--she just can’t figure out who! I liked reading the little snippets from the letters, but I wish some longer parts had been included too so that we could see why Lena was so touched by them.

Zack Benson is best friends with Lena’s brother Mike and has grown up alongside the Rodriguez family. Zack and Lena have a close friendship and have always treated each other like brother and sister. Neither knows the other’s true feelings. Lena has had a secret crush on Zack since her early teens. Zack also has feelings for Lena that he has kept hidden all this time. He regrets waiting so long to pursue a romantic relationship. Zack hopes that Lena will give him a chance once she realizes it was him writing those love letters all along.

Letters from Home is a sweet story of a friendship that blossoms into something more. It’s a novella around 100 pages long, but despite the short length the characters were well-developed. Lena is a hard-working, motivated person who has never given herself the time to date or have a relationship. Zack, a former soldier himself, admires her dedication and understands her sacrifices.

Zack is definitely my type--a tall, handsome, military man with blue eyes and curly brown hair. Oh, and he’s also thoughtful and romantic, let’s not forget that! I love the way he treats Lena. Lena tries to fight her growing feelings for him as she waits for her Christmas surprise from the letter writer, not knowing it is actually Zack.

Just when I thought I had the ending all figured out, the Christmas morning scene surprised me with a dramatic twist. I was a little annoyed at that, but only because I’ve read a handful of books lately that used a similar plot twist.

Overall, I enjoyed this quick and satisfying novella. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an uplifting holiday romance.

A Memorable Valentine's Day!

So last night, my hubbs and I celebrated our 10th Valentine's Day together at one of my favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot.  Hard to believe time has gone by so quickly and we're on our way to marking our 11th year together. 

As we enjoyed our fondue together, we took a little quiz that the restaurant gave us and ended up reminiscing about some of our most memorable dates.  Of all the Valentine's we've shared, there is one that sticks out above all others.

Picture it!  Valentine's Day, Miami, FL 2003...
(I'm channeling Sophia Petrillo here :)

This was our 3rd V-Day together and I wanted to surprise him by making him a delicious home-cooked meal.  I did all my shopping the night before and planned out what I was going to wear.  I hauled ass home after work to shower, change and pack up my ingredients.  I had asked him to make himself scarce so that I could "surprise" him so he took himself to a movie.  En route to his apartment, he called me to say that he was out of his movie and ready to head back.  I was still stuck in traffic though (this is Miami after all) and hadn't even made it to his apartment to start cooking.  I start panicking because I was already late and getting later! 

I finally make it back to his apartment, haul all my crap upstairs and as I go to unlock the door, guess what!  My key didn't work.  Oh, this was not good!  Try as I might, that door was not budging.  I call him to tell him what happened and he said he would try to get a hold of maintenance.  Maintenance was nowhere to be found.  I was stuck!  I sat on the floor of his hallway in my pretty dress and a laundry basket full of wilted lettuce and stinking shrimp and I cried because my evening was going from bad to worse!  

He arrives back at the apartment to find me slumped against his door, all tear-stained face and stinky shrimp.  What a sight I must have been!  I'll never forget it...he bends down and gives me a little box and said, "this should make you smile."  I open to find a beautiful pair of blue and white diamond earrings.  Cue, Isalys's sobbing!  He told me not worry; that he would hide while I cooked.

He opened the door to his apartment and on the dining table I found a talking picture frame with our picture in it surrounded by a heart made of peach rose petals.  It was heart-melting!  He hid himself in the bedroom and watched TV while I made him a Spanish paella and a heart-shaped cake.  Luckily, my meal turned out perfectly.  We ate in the candlelight and danced in the dark.  It was a perfectly cheesy and romantic Valentine's.

After our eating, dancing and clean-up...it was time to go home!  It was getting late and my parents weren't too cool with me being out all night.  My evening was topped off when I got pulled-over for having illegal lights on my car.  Luckily, by that time I was still riding the high of my lovely evening and I was not going to let a cop bring me down!

So that was my Valentine's Day 2003, lol.  We've shared some wonderful Valentines since, but none that were anything like that night. 

I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have found the guy that, while not perfect, is perfect for me and I look forward to many, many more Valentine's Days together ♥

Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovebirds out there!!

A Cuban Christmas...at EBTP

The very cool Lori from Escape Between The Pages invited us to participate in her "Tis The Season" holiday event.

We decided that it might be fun to take you guys on a tour of a typical Cuban Christmas in Miami.

Tis The Season - Guest Post with Book ♥ Soulmates

So if you have a few moments to spare, stop by Escape Between The Pages and check out our post.  Let us know what you think about our traditions and tell us a bit about yours!

Christmas Scavenger Hunt + Grand Prize

Updated on 12/5 :
Hi everyone!! Hope you're all having fun participating in the scavenger hunt :) Just an FYI, the letters go up during the week. Weekends are for resting and relaxing! ;)

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away!

Have a great weekend!!


Hi Gang!!
*waves enthusiastically*

It's officially December which means Christmas is right around the corner. We have recruited the help of some of our very favorite bloggers to help spread a little Christmas cheer with a new game & contest for the first 15 days of December.

Starting TODAY we'll be hosting a SCAVENGER HUNT across the blogosphere. 

Here's how it works:

• Vanessa and I have decided on a word that will be split and scrambled.
• Each day, starting on the 12/1, ONE blogger will feature ONE letter button on their blog for ONE day.
• Participants will follow clues (provided by us) that will lead them to your blog to seek out the "letter of the day".
• The chosen word is actually 11 letters...so including today, the contest will run for a total of 11 days with the help of 10 bloggers (there's 10 because we're providing the first letter =).  
• At the end of the 11th day, the participants will have all the letters that they need to un-scramble the mystery word.
• From there, they'll each have a ONE week to unscramble the word and submit their entry.  The form will be posted on Thursday, 12/16!
• The entries will be thrown into a random drawing for a GRAND CHRISTMAS PRIZE consisting of autographed YA books!

Here's a quick run-through on the timeline:
The contest will officially start TODAY, Wednesday 12/1, with us hosting the first letter.  The contest will end with the final letter on Wednesday, 12/15.  Participants will have until 7:00 pm on Tuesday, 12/21 to submit their entry.  The winner will be announced on Wednesday, 12/22.  The package will ship immediately upon receipt of the winner's address so it should get there before the New Years!

Make sense?  I hope so because it's really quite simple!

Wanna know what's up for grabs?

One GRAND PRIZE containing 4 AUTOGRAPHED YA books!

{Dark Flame will come w/ matching bookmark.}

Your first letter is:

{Freebie clue: The word begins with this letter.}

Where to look:

Here is a list of the bloggers that will be participating.
Starting tomorrow, you'll need to visit each of these blogs daily to see who is hosting what letter.  Of course, these are in random order...

All About {n}

The Unread Reader
Hott Books

Mindful Musings

Bewitched Bookworms
La Femme Readers

Reading Angel

Candace's Book Blog

Crazy-For-Books

Cherry Mischievous

Rules:

• Please leave us a comment letting us know that you'll be playing along =)
• To enter the drawing, you must return  by 7 pm on Tuesday, 12/21 and complete the form with the unscrambled word.
• One winner will be chosen using random.org.
• Winner will be announced on Wednesday, 12/22.
• Contest is open to US only {sorry to our int'l followers}

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions ♥

Have fun, thanks for participating and good luck!!

Happy Veterans Day!

As a kid,  Veterans Day was no more than a day off from school.  It's now, as an adult, that I can truly appreciate the significance of this day.  I am not only a military wife, but a friend to many who have served this nation. I know people in each branch of the Armed Forces and I have come to understand & appreciate the sacrifices they've made in the name of their country.

Today, regardless of our personal views on politics or world events, lets remember all our Veterans - past, present & future - for without them, this country would not be what it is today.  God bless our servicemen & women and their families!

Last Friday was a  very special day for us.  My husband was officially inducted into the U.S. Coast Guard's Chief Mess.  He joined the U.S. Coast Guard right out of high school and has decided to make a career of it, which I wholly support.  He has traveled across the country, fought immigrants, drug traffickers and even helped birth babies in open waters; he's survived 20 foot waves with minor injuries, and been held at gunpoint in third world countries and still proudly dedicates himself to his country!  

So I'm dedicating this post to my main squeeze and number one hero!  Congratulations on making Chief and for all your accomplishments!  I {along with the rest of the familia} are very proud of you and am happy to stand by your side as a Coastie Wife ♥

A special shout out to Christie at Fiction Enthusiast.  She's a military wife also and her hubby just got a promotion as well!  My sincerest thanks to you & your hubby =)

New Layout & October Calendar

Greetings to all our lovely creepy crawlies!!

If you've taken a gander at your calendars lately, you'll notice that it's officially October and we're just a few weeks away from Halloween *woo-hoo*

You'll also notice that we have a deliciously creepy new layout and a calendar chock full of Halloween fun! So check it out and we hope you all enjoy our line-up of guest blogger visits, wicked giveaways, spooky Halloween ideas, and more!

October 1:
Re-launch new design & October Calendar

♥ Week # 1 ♥

October 4:
Guest Blogger Interview with Roxanne Rhoades from Fang-Tastic Books

October 5:
New Releases and Spooky Teasers

October 6:
Wicked Halloween Giveaway!

October 7:
Review: Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

October 8:
Blogger Hop & Friday Follow

♥ Week # 2 ♥

October 11:
Guest Blogger Book Review with Bella from Obsessed!

October 12:
New Releases and Spooky Teasers

October 13:
Wicked Halloween Giveaway!

October 14: Create A Halloween Story

October 15: Blogger Hop & Friday Follow
 October 15: Scottish Graveyard Tour

♥ Week # 3 ♥

October 18: Guest Blogger on Movies with Tasha from
Bookmark Your Thoughts

October 19: New Releases and Spooky Teasers

October 20: Wicked Halloween Giveaway!

October 21: Halloween Pets (photo gallery)

October 22: Blogger Hop & Friday Follow

♥ Week # 4 ♥

October 25: Halloween Celebration with Stephanie & Athenna from Paranormal Haven

October 26: New Releases and Spooky Teasers

October 27: Wicked Halloween Giveaway!

October 28: Author Feature/Interview with Gail Carriger

October 29: Special Halloween VLOG!

and finally...

♥  October 31: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! ♥

Book ♥ Soulmates in October!

Good morning to all our lovely creepy crawlies :)

So it's September and as quickly as time has been going by, October will be here before we know it and so will Halloween! *Woooo*



Since this is our very favorite time of year, we want to do something special so we've decided that Book ♥ Soulmates is going to be ALL about Halloween for the month of October.

Here's what we're working on:
1) We're going to have a new Halloween "look" to be premiered on Oct 1.
2) We're going to focus on reading and reviewing PNR, UF & Sci-Fi books!
3) We're going to be hosting giveaways for all kinds of Halloween goodies (more than just books!)
4) We're going to be working with our friend Natasha over at Bookmark Your Thoughts on some fun Halloween inspired features and reviews.

But now we need YOUR help!

As bloggers, our first priority is to keep you guys happy & impressed so we want YOU, our loyal followers, to tell us what else you'd like to see on on Book ♥ Soulmates. What are your other deeeeliciously creepy ideas?

2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

I haven't done any reading challenges yet and I thought it was high time for one :)

So I've decided that for my very first, I wanted to participate in Nely's 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.

Hosted by: All About {n}

Challenge Requirements:
1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.

2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up, visit Nely's page by clicking on the link above and then leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

Here are the books I plan on reading for this challenge:

Fresh Friday 10.30.09 - Happy Halloween!

Isalys's Choice:

Cheesy Jack O' Lantern
Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min| Makes: 24 servings

What You Need:

3 green onions, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped red peppers
2 slices pepperoni

Make It!
CUT 4-inch length from green end of 1 onion; slice remaining onions. Beat cream cheese and 1-1/4 cups Cheddar with mixer until well blended. Stir in sliced onions and peppers. Refrigerate 1 hour.

SHAPE into ball; roll in remaining Cheddar. Cut pepperoni into shapes for the jack-o'-lantern's eyes, nose and mouth; press into cheese ball to make face. Insert green onion piece into top for stem.

SERVE with RITZ Crackers.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Vanessa's Choice:

Graveyard Brownies

Prep Time: 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min | Makes: 24 servings

What You Need:

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate, divided
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. decorating gel
24 NUTTER BUTTER Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, tinted green

Make It!
HEAT oven to 350°F.

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Microwave 4 chocolate squares and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in granulated sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely in pan. Meanwhile, use decorating gel to decorate cookies to resemble gravestones.

MICROWAVE remaining chocolate squares and COOL WHIP in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted; stir until well blended. Add powdered sugar; mix well.

USE foil handles to lift dessert from pan; spread with frosting. Stand cookies in brownies; add small amount of coconut at base of each for grass.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And one more to wash it all down with...
Ghoulish Punch
Prep Time: 15 min | Total Time: 15 min | Makes: 10 servings

What You Need:

2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Lime Flavor Gelatin
2 cups cold orange juice
1 bottle (1 liter) seltzer, chilled
ice cubes
1 pt. (2 cups) orange sherbet, slightly softened
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced

Make It!
STIR boiling water into dry gelatin in large bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in juice. Cool to room temperature.

POUR into punch bowl just before serving. Add seltzer and ice; stir.

ADD scoops of sherbet and fruit slices.

Just 1 day to go til Halloween *boo*!

Fresh Friday 10.23.09 - Halloween Edition

Vanessa's Choice:

Spaghetti with Oozing Eyeballs

Prep Time: 20 min | Total Time: 45 min | Makes: 8 servings

What You Need:

2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided
4 sticks KRAFT STRING-UMS String Cheese, cut into quarters

4 pitted large black olives, cut into 4 slices each
1 pkg. (1 lb.) spaghetti

Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.

MIX meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce. Shape into 16 (2-inch) meatballs. Insert 1 cheese piece into top of each meatball, with end of cheese piece just showing at top. Place on baking sheet. Top each with olive slice to resemble eyeball.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until meatballs are done (160ºF). Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and heat remaining spaghetti sauce as directed on package and jar.

DRAIN spaghetti. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Isalys's Choice:
Boo Cups

Prep Time: 15 min| Total Time: 15 min| Makes: 15 servings

What You Need:

2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
3-1/4 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
20 OREO Cookies, crushed (about 2 cups), divided
30 miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make It!
BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in half each of the COOL WHIP and cookie crumbs.

SPOON 1 Tbsp. of the remaining crumbs into each of 15 (6-oz.) plastic cups. Cover with layers of pudding mixture and remaining crumbs.

DROP remaining COOL WHIP by spoonfuls onto desserts to resemble ghosts. Add chocolate chips for the eyes.

Just 7 days to go til Halloween *boo*!

Fresh Friday 10.16.09 - Halloween Edition

Isalys's Choice:

Mummy Face Pizzas

Prep Time: 5 min | Total Time: 15 min| Makes: 2 servings

What You Need:

plain bagel (3-1/2 inch), cut horizontally in half
2 Tbsp. pizza sauce

2 sticks KRAFT STRING-UMS String Cheese

4 slices black olives
(Note: You can always double-up to make more!)

Make It!
HEAT oven to 400ºF.

SPREAD bagel halves with sauce. Pull cheese into thin strips; place in random criss-cross fashion on tops of bagels to resemble mummy bandages. Trim ends with kitchen shears. Add olives for the eyes.

PLACE on baking sheet.

BAKE 10 min. or until bagels are crisp and cheese is melted.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Vanessa's Choice:
Halloween Truffles

Prep Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 3 hr 20 min | Makes: 10 servings

What You Need:

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, divided
Yellow and red food colorings (3 drops yellow and 2 drops red)
3 Tbsp. BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, tinted orange
Black decorating gel

Make It!
MICROWAVE bittersweet chocolate squares, cream and butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted; cover. Freeze 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Use teaspoon to scoop and roll chocolate mixture into 20 balls, each about 1 inch in diameter; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Freeze 20 min.

MICROWAVE 3 white chocolate squares in clean microwaveable 1-cup measuring cup or small bowl 1 to 1-1/2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside. Repeat with remaining white chocolate squares in separate bowl; stir in food colorings. Cool chocolates completely.

DIP 10 chocolate balls in tinted chocolate, turning to evenly coat each ball. Return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chocolate balls and untinted chocolate. Decorate orange truffles with coconut to resemble pumpkins. Use decorating gel to draw eyes and mouths on white truffles to resemble ghosts. Refrigerate 30 min. or until chocolate is firm. Keep refrigerated.

Just 14 days to go til Halloween *boo*!

Fresh Friday 10.09.09 - Halloween Edition

Vanessa's Choice:

Chili Cheese Dip

Prep Time: 5 min | Total Time: 10 min | Makes: 24 servings

What You Need:

1 lb. (16 oz.) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (15 oz.) chili (with or without beans)

Make It!
MIX VELVEETA and chili in microwaveable bowl.

MICROWAVE on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min.

SERVE with tortilla chips, RITZ Toasted Chips or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Isalys's Choice:
Caramel Dipped Candy Apples
*A classic Halloween treat*

Prep Time:20 min| Total Time: 1 hr 20 min| Makes: 5 servings

What You Need:

5 apples, washed, well dried
*You can always do more if you want*

1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Caramels (about 50)

2 Tbsp. water

Make It!
INSERT wooden pop sticks (from bag of caramels) into stem ends of apples. Cover large plate with waxed paper; grease paper with butter.

COOK caramels and water in large saucepan on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring constantly.

DIP apples in caramel; spoon additional caramel over apples if necessary to evenly coat apples. Let excess caramel drip off. Scrape bottoms of apples; place on prepared plate. Refrigerate 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator 15 min. before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Refrigerate leftovers.

Note: Feel free to get creative and add some nuts, maybe bits of Oreo or Halloween colored sprinkles :) The trick is to just have fun!

Just 21 days to go til Halloween *boo*!

Fresh Friday - 4th of July Edition :)

Isalys's Choice:
Hearty American Cheeseburger

What You Need:

1/2 cup A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce, divided

1/3 cup CLAUSSEN Sweet Pickle Relish

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

1 large yellow or red onion, cut into 6 slices

6 KRAFT Singles

6 onion rolls, partially split

6 lettuce leaves

6 slices tomato

Make It!
PREHEAT grill to medium-hot heat. Mix 1/4 cup of the steak sauce and relish until well blended. Set aside. Shape meat into 6 (1/4-inch-thick) patties.

GRILL or broil burgers and onion slices 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until burgers are cooked through and onion slices are tender, occasionally brushing with remaining 1/4 cup steak sauce. Top burgers with Singles; continue grilling or broiling until Singles begin to melt.

COVER bottom halves of rolls with lettuce; top with cheeseburgers, onion, tomato, relish mixture and tops of rolls.

Vanessa's Choice:
Wave Your Flag Cake


What You Need:

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (6 oz.) or 2 pkg. (3 oz. each) JELL-O Gelatin, any red flavor

ice cubes

1 cup cold water

1 pkg. (12 oz.) pound cake, cut into 10 slices

1-1/3 cups blueberries, divided

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Make It!
SLICE 1 cup strawberries; cut remaining strawberries in half. Set aside.

ADD boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to cold water to measure 2 cups. Add to gelatin; stir until ice is melted. Refrigerate 5 min. or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Meanwhile, cover bottom of 13x9-inch dish with cake slices. Add sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries to thickened gelatin; stir gently. Spoon over cake slices.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Spread with COOL WHIP. Arrange strawberry halves on COOL WHIP for stripes of flag and remaining blueberries for stars. Keep refrigerated.