Halloween Recipe Roundup
PIN IT!GUYS! Halloween! It’s in 3 days! How excited are you?
On a scale from 1 – 10, I’m currently at a 140. Primarily because I’m spending Halloween in Mexico this year which means I get to partake in Day of Dead festivities! That’s definitely being crossed off my bucket list. Since I won’t be in the US, I had to soak up as much American Halloween as I possibly could these past few days. Which means horror movie marathons, eating candy and making as many cute and creepy edible snacks as possible. I don’t think Halloween is complete unless you have deviled eggs shaped like bloody eyeballs, am I right?
To help get you in the spooky Halloween mood (and give you fun things to keep your kids entertained), I’ve rounded up my favorite Halloween snacks! Just looking at them makes me smile (and feel a little queasy at the same time).
Appetizers/Snacks/Soups
These spooky snacks, soups and appetizers are a great way to liven up any Halloween party. I mean, how stinkin’ cute are those boo-nanas?
- Boo-nanas!
- Bloody teeth treats
- Crispy bone crackers with red pepper jelly
- Eyeball soup (tomato gazpacho)
- Bloody eyeball deviled eggs
- Monsters eye (olive) pumpkin soup
- Scary cats deviled eggs
- Pumpkin tangerines
Entrees
The inner child in me is DYING over these fantastic Halloween entrees, especially that ghost pizza. I mean, mozzarella ghosts, I DIE. Your kids (or husbands who act like kids) will also love the fun meatloaf mummy, if they don’t mind eating something that’s staring at them mid-fork, that is.
- Spooky ghost pizza
- Mummy meatloaf
- Quinoa stuffed jack o’ lantern peppers
- Spider web pizza
- Graveyard lasagna
Desserts
When I’m baking Halloween inspired cookies, this is when I let my inner mad scientist come out. This is when I stop giving a s*** and really let my creative juices flow. I mean, when else can I turn mini donuts into eyeballs or create a cupcake that looks like an oozy brain? Or even better, pipe little ghosts on a bright orange cake? OR create cookies that look like fingers and then arrange them in tons of jelly so they look bloody and oh so severed? I’m really a 5 year old trapped in a 27 year olds body, so these desserts really reflect that. Your family, kids and friends will LOVE them.
- Bloody eyeball donut bites
- Oozy brain cupcakes
- Tombstone frozen parfaits
- Pumpkin sugar cookie pops
- Jack o’ lantern pie pops
- Funfetti cake in a jar
- Ghost sugar cookie pop
- Eyeball truffles
- Bloody severed finger cookies
- Frozen Halloween ice cream sandwiches
- Mini ghost orange Halloween cake
Drinks
I know, you’re shocked. A boozy milkshake, WHO KNEW? I really had no idea how I was going to stage this one, so I just drizzled some red icing gel in the mug and poured my luscious boozy shake over it. The end result was the gorgeous gradient “blood” look you get. I added two little lines to look like vampire bites, of course. These drinks are a fun way to get your booze on this Halloween!
Looking at these all over again make me REALLY want to throw a huge party and feature all of these fun concoctions. Eh, maybe next year 🙂 Happy haunting my friends!
Peanut Butter Soup
You know what goes really well with peanut butter? Here, I’ll tell you. Cilantro. Chili powder. Vegetable broth. And a spoon. Because guess what, peanut butter soup just works.
No, I haven’t lost it. No, I’m not entirely “cray.” A few weeks ago, I was contacted by McCormick to create something to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. They offered me an amazing gift basket filled with Mexican themed goodies, like spices, an awesome molcajete and some fabulous props. When it came to using these ingredients, I knew I wanted it to be with something unique. Something with flavor. Something other than a taco, fajita or rice dish.
So clearly, I thought “why don’t I mix peanut butter with Mexican seasonings and add some broth?” I mean, that’s what you would say out-loud too when you receive a giant basket of Mexican goodies, right?
This soup sounds SO crazy. It sounds like something you’d hear someone babbling about in a state hospital. Trust me, though, it’s actually incredibly addictive. The flavors are so weird, but they work together. It’s filled with ingredients that are never paired together but work swimmingly. It’s like when you meet someone who is a polar opposite to who you are and end up completely meshing with. Opposites attract, in both real life and food.
Peanut Butter Soup
Serves about 6.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2/3 cup chopped carrots
- 1/4 cup AP flour
- 28 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons McCormick chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
For the directions on how to make this, grab the recipe here on SheKnows!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 424
Fat: 18 grams
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Fiber: 3.3 grams
Protein: 14.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Claire
Tags:Mexican recipes, peanut butter recipes, soup recipes, soups and stews
Super Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Click, click. “Hi, um, is this thing still on? *Clears throat.* “I’m happy to see you all still here, still reading this blog despite the extended week and a half absence. I, um, had a lot going on this week.” *Cough, cough* “But, I’m back again and it’s going to take a lot more than strong deadlines and a bunch of work to keep me away again!”
To say these past few weeks have been insane is the biggest understatement of my life. Not only was my book due, but I also had a wedding to go to, boxes to (still) unpack and daily deadlines for work. Somedays I didn’t have enough time to shower or do dishes better yet cook something amazing for you guys. BUT, Backstreets back, alright, and I’ve got weeks of amazing things to share with y’all.
It’s funny. I thought after my deadline that life would slow down a bit. HA! How wrong I was. I have about 9 recipes to make today (I wish I was kidding), a 2 day trip starting tomorrow, 6 recipes to make the night I get back and then another 4 day trip after that. Oh and when I get back, I have a few days to myself then another trip to Mexico and then, the next day, a trip to Canada.
Don’t you want a nap just reading that?
Before I die of stress, can we talk about these super soft peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for a quick second? I made these two days ago and there isn’t a cookie left. Actually, there aren’t even crumbs. All that remains of these incredibly soft and fluffy cookies are a memory and some photos. And I’m not even embarrassed about it. You want to know what makes them so giant and incredible? An ice-cream scoop.
Seriously, this is how much dough is in one amazing cookie. You’ll want to eat the entire batch once you make these. I promise you. They are, hands down, the fluffiest, softest and most incredibly delicious cookies I’ve EVER made.
Super Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 12 -14 large cookies (24 smaller cookies). Recipe slightly adapted from The Foodie Bride.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 12 – 14 minutes
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Warm peanut butter for drizzle
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, applesauce, sugars and egg until fluffy and creamy. Add in vanilla and mix until combined. In another bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon measurer), scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12 – 14 minutes, or until golden brown. (NOTE: You may want to squish the cookies down a bit with a spatula to make them more level).
Nutritional information per large cookie:
Calories: 268
Fat: 12 grams
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 4.75 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Claire
Tags:chocolate chip recipes, cookie recipes, healthy recipes, peanut butter recipes
Creamy Herbed Goat Cheese & Tortellini Salad
This creamy herbed goat cheese & tortellini salad is the perfect fall dinner or side salad!
I am addicted to horror movies. Is that weird? Now that it’s October, I can’t watch anything that doesn’t leave me sweating, jumping out of my seat or on edge for the rest of the day. I’ve always been a scary movie junkie, though. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been the genre of movies I’ve just drawn to. Maybe it’s because I watched them from a VERY young age.
My parents would invite my aunts and uncles over, drink too much wine and then put on a movie so us kids wouldn’t run around the house, break things and eat spoonfuls of sugar. One night? They chose The Shining. My cousin Liz and I weren’t horribly scared, but my older cousin Curt was in TEARS. He couldn’t sleep in his bedroom for weeks because he swore he saw the dead twin girls staring at him from his bathroom. Even since then though, my cousin Liz and I have been obsessed with watching scary movies. One night we watched all 3 of the Pet Cemetery movies, alone, in the basement of her 1800’s house.
I just love the thrill of being scared. This is also why I drag E to every possible haunted house in the area, force him to watch scary movies with me and suggest we go visit old insane asylums and stay the night. This is also why I watch ridiculously scary shows about people being haunted. Like I am right now. Which is probably why my heart is beating out of my chest and I just screamed because the dishwasher buzzed.
Anyone else a scary movie and haunted house junkie? Or am I just a little nuts?
Grab the recipe for this herbed goat cheese & tortellini salad here!
Nutritional information per serving (about 1/2 cup):
Calories: 291.75
Fat: 10 grams
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Fiber: 4.25 grams
Protein: 14 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Caprese Tofu Burgers (And a $100 gift card giveaway!) – GIVEAWAY CLOSED
This is why I was really excited to participate in the BlogHer Wildwood review and try some of their meatless products, like the baked tofu snacks and crumbles. Although we don’t eat them often, we love burgers and it’s hard to find good veggie substitutes. Honestly, I think we’ve probably tried every brand out there without much luck. They are bland, really chewy or very crumbly, which is why I decided to use the tofu stacks to make my own version of veggie burgers.
To give the burgers a bit more oomph, we topped each tofu patty with mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. Even without the add ons, I think these tofu patties would be amazing on their own. They are hearty and thick, which make them feel like a burger when you’re eating them, which is half the fun of eating a burger, when you have to grab it with both hands because it’s so hefty.
Perfect for any time, any season, any day, trust me. I LOVE these burgers! Now, for the fun part. A $100 visa gift card giveaway! Wanna know how to win? Simply answer this question in the comments below! What would be your ideal recipe when using Wildwood products?
Caprese tofu sliders
Yields about 4 sliders.
Ingredients:
- 2 packages Wildwood baked tofu patties
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella
- 4 slices tomatoes
- 4 whole wheat slider buns
- Fresh basil
- Balsamic glaze
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. place tofu patties on a greased baking dish and bake for about 5 minutes or until warm. Immediately top with fresh mozzarella (it’ll melt a little). Place patty on the bottom of the slider buns.
2. Add tomatoes, fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Top the tomatoes with the top of the bun and enjoy!
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Sweepstakes Rules: GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
- Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 10/1/2013-10/31/2013.
Be sure to visit the Wildwood brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
