Oven-Roasted Buttery Sweet Potatoes

• 7 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoon STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Mix sweet potatoes in a bowl with STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons STAR Mediterranean Cuisine Cooking Oil 
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off the brown ends of the brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves, cut in half. Mix them in a bowl with STAR Mediterranean Cuisine Cooking Oil, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. 
4. Sprinkle with more kosher salt, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Halloween is one of the oldest and the most popular celebrations observed by people all over the

Photo by http://www.vprades.altanet.org///noticies/view.php?ID=642

world. However, the customs and traditions of celebrating differ from place to place. Every country has its own unique pattern of observing the festival. In spite of all the differences, the basic aim behind all these varied customs remains the same. We would love to share with you a glimpse of what Halloween is like in Spain.

In Spain, Halloween is a three-day celebration, starting on October 31st. The first day is referred to as Halloween or Dia de las Brujas (Day of the Witches). This is also called Samhain or Noite dos Calacús (Night of the Pumpkins) in the north-west region of Galicia. This is followed by the celebration of 'All Saints Day' (Dia de Todos los Santos) on November 1st. Finally, on November 2nd, the natives observe the customs and rituals of All Souls' Day (Día de Los Muertos)

The Castanyada is a popular festival, celebrated in Catalonia, mainly on All Saints' Day. In the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. It consists of a meal of chestnuts, panellets (cakes or cookies in different shapes, mostly round, made mainly of marzipan), sweet potato and preserved fruits, typically with moscatell to drink. Around the time of this celebration, it is common for street vendors to sell hot toasted chestnuts wrapped in newspaper. In many places, confectioners often organize raffles of chestnuts and preserved fruit.

There are certain local parties that have spread to the rest of Spain because of the originality of the celebrations. This is the case of the "Tosantos" of Cadiz. If you find yourself in area on All Saints Day, this should not be missed. Shopkeepers and the owners of stalls all decorate their market with their wares for the holiday. The result is a collection of fruits, vegetables and food products like pork and rabbits, all dressed as the celebrities of the moment, offering up amusing and comic aspects of culture and society in a carnival style.

#Halloween #STARMediterraneanLifestyle

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Do you hate when you are frying and the oil splatters?

Here is a tip:  
 
Sprinkle a bit of flour or salt in the hot oil when it starts to bubble. These two ingredients will absorb moisture from food, preventing splattering.

 
Ingredients:
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 pound fresh pizza dough
• 2 cloves garlic, minced• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup fresh grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 2.6 ounce jar Cara Mia Marinated Mushrooms, sliced
• Fresh or dried rosemary or thyme (for garnish; optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. Heat 3 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, stir to coat in the oil, and cook until the onions start to brown. Add a splash of water to the pan if the onions are sticking to deglaze the pan.
3. Continue cooking until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Sprinkle some flour on the counter or flat surface. Roll the pizza dough out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/3-inch thick. 
5. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough along with the minced garlic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread the Gruyère cheese evenly over the top of the dough then sprinkle on the sliced mushrooms and caramelized onions. 
6. Place the baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the dough is golden. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

We adapted this recipe from Lil' Luna's and switched out butter for our STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil. Theses cookies are so chewy and delicious and so much fun!  When baking with olive oil make sure you use our conversion cart.

Gooey Monster Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 Yellow Cake Mix Box
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil 
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 8 oz. bar cream cheese softened
• 1 egg
• green food coloring
• granulated sugar
• candy eyeballs

Directions:

1. Beat STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until fluffy.

2. Mix in cake mix. Add green food coloring until it's the color you want. Chill for 30 minutes.

3. Roll into balls in a bowl of  sugar. Place on a prepared cookie sheet.

Gooey Monster Cookies

4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

5. While warm push eye balls into the center or all over the cookie.

6. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

We were inspired by a recipe in Sunset Magazine for these spooky eggs.  We adapted the recipe slightly.  Before we get to the recipe, here are some tips for hard boiling eggs.

 
Directions for boiling eggs:

Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs

Place 6 eggs in a saucepan and fill it with cold water. Add a teaspoon of STAR Italian Kitchen White Wine to the water to help keep egg whites from running out if an egg does crack while cooking and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water to help prevent cracking as well as making the eggs easier to peel.

Set over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. The water should come to a full, rolling boil. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan and take the pan off the burner entirely and cover the pan.

Set your timer for the desired time. Leave the eggs in the covered pan for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the cooked eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and tap each gently on the countertop to crack the shell in a few places. Place the eggs in a bowl of ice water and leave them there for at least 1 minute then peel.

Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs Recipe
Servings: 12 egg halves

Ingredients:

• 6  Hard-cooked Eggs, peeled
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
• ½ tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• ⅛ tsp Pepper
• 6  STAR Spanish Ripe Medium Pitted Olives, to decorate eggs   

Directions:

Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs

1. Cut eggs lengthwise in half. Slip out yolks and mash with fork.

2. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Spoon or pipe about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture into the hollow of each egg-white half. Serve immediately or cover and chill refrigerate up to 24 hours.

3. To decorate cut olives in half lengthwise and nestles one half on top of an egg for the body, then cut the other half crosswise into thin slices to form the creepy legs.

Enjoy!

Green Chili and Cheese Skillet Beer Bread

• 2 ½ cup Flour
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper,
• 1 ½ cup Cheddar, shredded
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil
• 12 ounces, Beer – choice of flavor
• 1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir in cheddar cheese, cheese, green chilies and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese until they are combined, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
3. Heat an oven safe skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Pour the butter flavored olive oil into the skillet and swirl around whole skillet until the bottom and sides of the skillet are coated.
4. Once the skillet is heated, drizzle the heated STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil over the dry ingredients and momentarily set aside the skillet. Next, pour the beer over the rest of the bread ingredients and stir until just combined. Be sure to not over mix the bread, it will be lumpy and very thick.
5. Pour the bread batter into the heated skillet and spread out to the batter over the whole pan. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake immediately for 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.