Vampire Bat Stew

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds lean pork stew meat (buy whatever cut is on sale and cut into chunks to save some money!)
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, sliced
2 cups baby-cut carrots
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with chile peppers, undrained

Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons cold water
Chili powder or seasoning to taste

Instructions:

Brown pork and onion in skillet over medium to high heat, stir occasionally to get an even brown (just browning, not cooking and if you want you can skip this step since we're headed to the crock pot anyway *wink*).  Put meat, carrots and corn in crock pot.  Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, and garlic.  Stir in the diced tomatoes.  Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours (or high for 3 to 4 hours).

To make the pastry bats:

Combine flour and cheese in large mixing bowl.  Cut in butter until it looks like coarse floury butter crumbles.  Using a fork, fluff in the water to moisten the mixture.  Shape dough into ball and flatten, grab a rolling pin and roll it out (remember to flour your rolling area).  Cut out dough using bat shaped cookie cutters!  Sprinkle with chili powder for added color and flavor (optional step).  Bake at 450 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly brown.  When serving, place a biscuit bat on top of each bowl of stew!

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Ginger Ghouls

Who said gingerbread cookies were only for Christmas?

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar    
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons warm water
1/4 cup raisins for decorating
Different color gel icing

Instructions:

Cream together shortening, sugar, egg and warm molasses.  Dissolve baking soda in warm water, and then add to the egg mixture. Next, add flour, spices and salt,  mix it all up until well blended.  Cover and chill overnight.  Prepare a floured surface and get out the rolling pin and cookie cutters.  Cut out gingerbread men (or other Halloween like shapes!) and place an inch or two apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Use raisins and cinnamon candies for eyes, buttons, etc.  Then add gel icing to make bloody legs, arms, and dripping eyeballs! 

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Eewy Gooey Eyeballs

Ingredients:

3 oz lemon gelatin
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pineapple juice
1 8-0z. pkg cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 cup mayonnaise

Instructions:

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler.  Add marshmallows and stir constantly to melt.  Remove from heat and add the pineapple juice and cream cheese, beat together until smooth.  Fold in whipped cream and mayonnaise.  Allow to cool until firm. Get out the melon baller and scoop full balls.  Decorate using food coloring and a clean small paintbrush (the kind that kids get with watercolors)  Now you have gross slimy eyeballs ready for the party goers!

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Halloween Burgers

Ingredients:

6 hamburgers or veggie burgers
6 slices cheese
Pitted olives
Red and green bell peppers
6 lettuce leaves
6 hamburger buns (split)

Directions:

Using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter cut cheese into pumpkin shapes.  Cut olives into shapes for eyes and nose. 
Cut bell peppers into shapes for mouth and pumpkin top (green pepper). Cook burgers according to recipe and during the last few minutes of cooking top with cheese.  Carefully remove and place into lettuce-lined buns.  Garnish pumpkin face using olives and peppers.  Serve open top.

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Easy Halloween Party Mix

Ingredients:

10 cups prepared popcorn
1 package peanut butter chips
1 cup candy corn
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

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Monster Party Mix

Ingredients:

* Be warned this mixture is very rich and contains quite a bit of sugar… serve in small amounts!

1(11 ounce) package of small pretzels
1 (10 ounce) package miniature peanut butter filled crackers
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (10 ounce) package M&M's
1 (18 ounce) package candy corn

Directions:

In a large bowl combiner pretzels and peanut butter crackers and set aside.  In a large saucepan combine sugar, butter and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.  Pour over pretzel mixture and stir until coated.  Transfer mixture to a greased baking pan. 

Bake at 250F for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and break apart while warm then allow to cool completely.  Transfer to large bowl and toss with candy corn and M&M's.  Store in an airtight container.

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Skeleton Bones

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites
2 cups icing sugar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250F.  In a large bowl beat egg whites until stiff.  Gradually start adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. 

Keep beating and adding sugar until you have a meringue.   Line baking trays with paper.  Using a piping bag with a plain nozzle pipe a straight meringue bone line (approximately 4 inches long). Pipe a meringue ball at the end of each bone.  If necessary shape bones further using a small knife. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until bones have dried out. 
Remove from oven and let cool on paper.

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Easy Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups pureed pumpkin
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 pie crust
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Pour batter into pie crust.  Bake in preheated oven at 350F for approximately 60 minutes or until set through.

Topping:

1 pkg cream cheese
1 cup whipped cream
½ cup powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients together and use to top pie.

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Halloween Poke Cake

Ingredients:

CAKE:
3 ounces orange Jell-O mix
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 package white cake mix

TOPPING:
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 envelope dream whip topping
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 handful of candy corn


Instructions:

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.  Add cold water and stir until mixed and set aside until ready to use.  Prepare cake following the package directions for a 13x9 pan sized cake.  Let the cake cool for some time.  Using a meat fork or a bamboo skewer "poke" holes to the bottom of the cake about an inch apart, you can do it at random or in a pattern it's up to you.  Pour the liquid gelatin into the holes!  Beat together the topping ingredients until stiff peaks begin to form, add food coloring if desired.  Frost your Halloween poke cake, sprinkle with candy corn for decoration.  Allow to chill so that gelatin sets. This recipe can be altered for other holidays and themes as well but changing the flavor of gelatin and adding food coloring to the frosting.

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Cornbread Muffins Made with Real Corn

Traditional cornbread muffins are made with cornmeal, if you don’t have any on hand or prefer fresh corn, you can still make cornbread muffins. This recipe is easy to make and the results are delicious.

We’ve made them with whole wheat flour, but all purpose flour can certainly be substituted.

Ingredients:

    3 cups corn kernels. You can use fresh, canned or frozen. Just defrost first.
    2 cups whole wheat flour
    2/3 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    A pinch or two of salt
    4 eggs, beaten
    2 cups milk
    ½ cup vegetable oil

Makes: 24 cornbread muffins

How to Make Them

Start by preheating the oven to 400 F.

Next, chop up the corn until it looks something like this. I’ve used a Pampered Chef food chopper on a cutting board to achieve this. You could use a food processor, but don’t create a puree…unless you want to hide the texture of the corn in the muffins. It’s actually quite delicious with little bits of corn in it, so I just chop it. Set aside.

Now combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Then, add the beaten eggs, milk and vegetable oil. Stir until well combined.

Then fold in the corn, until it’s evenly distributed.

Now, you can pour the batter evenly amongst 24 muffin tins. The paper muffin cups are optional. I like to use them for easy clean up and then we put the papers in the green recycling bin when we’re done.

Bake at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. They’re done when you gently press your finger on the top and the muffin springs back.

Serve warm. Add a little butter for an even more special treat.

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