Pumpkin Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 hamburger buns, split
American cheese slices

Instructions:

Brown ground beef (or turkey) and drain off fat.  Add garlic and onion and cook until tender.  Stir in pumpkin, tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder and salt.  Bring up to boiling point.  Reduce heat simmer for 10 -15 minutes.  Spoon mixture onto buns and top with cheese, place under broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese watching so it doesn't burn.  Optionally you can cut the cheese slices into jack-o-lantern face shapes before topping and melting then serve without a bun top.

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Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and drained          
4 tablespoons margarine, melted
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9" pie shell, baked
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Mash together your cooked sweet potatoes with melted butter or margarine.  Whip in eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  When well mixed add in the milk and vanilla.  Pour it all into your baked pie shell and heat in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.  It's done when the center is somewhat firmed up.   Scatter chopped pecans over the top of the pie before serving. 

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Sausage and Cabbage One Dish Dinner

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb kielbasa, cut into about 1/2-inch slices
6 cups chopped green cabbage
3/4 cup canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Shredded parmesan cheese
Cooked egg noodles

Instructions:

Cook the sausage in a large skillet until browned on both sides.  In the same skillet melt the butter and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and chili flakes over medium-low heat.  Return sausage to the skillet and add in the chopped cabbage and broth.  Cook stirring for about 20-25 minutes or until cabbage is tender.  In a large pasta bowl, toss with parmesan cheese and hot cooked noodles.  Season to taste using salt and pepper.

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After Trick-or-Treating Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

ICING:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions:

Get out the big mixing bowl and beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin.  Combine the dry ingredients, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add this to the pumpkin mixture and beat together well.  Pour your mixture into an ungreased jellyroll pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting. 

Recommended Frosting:

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla.  Add just enough milk to help get a nice spreading consistency.  You can add a few drops of orange or green food coloring to make them even more trick-or-treat like!

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Walking into Spider webs Brownies

Ingredients:

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Instructions:

Stir unsweetened chocolate and butter over low heat until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and beat in the sugar while still hot.  Let it cool off for about ten minutes then add eggs and vanilla, blending well.  Next you'll gradually stir in the flour and nuts.  Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.  As soon as you take the brownies out of the oven drop spoonfuls of marshmallow creme on top!  Spread it out evenly like frosting a cake.  Time to make some webs.  You can grab a premade squeezable tube of decorator chocolate if you have a shop nearby that sells cake decorating supplies.  If not, you can make one up yourself. 
Melt semisweet chocolate and pour into a Ziploc bag.  Snip a tiny corner at an angle and use the bag like a decorating bag to drizzle web designs over the brownies. 

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Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

Ingredients:

4 miniature pumpkins
1/4 cup raisins, plumped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 slightly beaten egg

Instructions:

Place whole pumpkins in a baking pan; pour water to about 1 inch deep in the pan to surround the pumpkins for cooking.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 - 45 minutes until a knife slices into the pumpkin gently.  Allow pumpkins to cool.  Cut across the top to make a lid, just like it was a mini jack-o-lantern.  Scoop the seeds and stringy goop out and discard.  Scrape the fleshy part out and put on the cutting board.  Chop the flesh. Cover raisins with water and bring to boiling point, cover and let sit until ready to use.  Sauté the onions in butter.  Combine with pumpkin flesh, rice, almonds, raisins, cinnamon and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the beaten egg to hold it all together.  Now you're ready to fill up your pumpkin shells!  Fill so that the filling is sticking up out above the top of shells, big heaping spoonfuls.  Top each with it's lid and bake filled shells at 350 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes.   On both baking occasions be mindful of the stems getting to close to the heat source.

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Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cups brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries

Directions:

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs and oil.  Mix well.  Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir well.  Fold in the cranberries.  Transfer mixture to two lightly greased loaf pans.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 45 to 55 minutes or until golden and baked through.  Cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

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Rum Balls

A favorite holiday treat!

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup rum
2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions:

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish. Heat for 1 minute to start off stir well, then heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between and continue until smooth.  Blend in sugar, corn syrup and rum.  Mix in the crushed wafers and nuts and stir until those are evenly spread out through the mixture.  Cover dish and refrigerate until it seems firm enough to shape.  Roll into bite sized balls between the palms of your hands.  Then roll the balls in powdered sugar.  If you like more nuts you can roll them in a mixture of chopped nuts and sugar.   Store in a sealed container for about a week to get the best flavor before eating and handing out these goodies. 

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Pumpkin & Goblins Punch

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 (1-liter) bottles of ginger ale
1 package orange sherbet

Directions:

In a punch bowl combine condensed milk and orange juice concentrate.  Add ginger ale and mix well.  Right before serving top with scoops of orange sherbet and serve.

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Any Time Party Mix

This is also really good for halloween and fall football parties.  The nice part about it is you can make this without getting the kitchen overheated or it leaves the oven free for making other things.

Ingredients:

4 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
4 cups Cheerios® cereal
3 cups pretzel sticks
1 (12 ounce) can salted peanuts
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Instructions:

Get out the crock pot!  Mix up the cereals, pretzels and peanuts and put in the crock pot.  Combine butter, parmesan cheese and salts.  Drizzle over the dry mixture and toss for coating.  Put the lid on and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours.  Stir at least once each hour to avoid burning. 

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