• Tombstone Brownies

    October 30, 2008 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s a super fun Halloween dessert adapted from a Halloween cookbook magazine from the grocery store check out.  These turned out so great, and everyone loved them!  For the tombstone writing you can purchase cookie icing in your baking aisle that comes packaged with a fine tip for writing or you can use white frosting. If you use the frosting for writing, you’ll need to take a zip loc bag and cut a small whole in the bottom corner, then add your frosting and squeeze the frosting out to write RIP.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 packages (10 1/4 oz each) brownie mix plus ingredients to prepare mix
    • 3/4 flaked coconut, tinted green
    • 1 c. chocolate frosting (purchased or homemade)
    • 2 chocolate candy bars
    • White cookie icing or white frosting

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13X9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond edges of pan; grease foil.
    2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool in pan on wire rack.
    3. To tint coconut, dilute a few drops of food coloring with 1/2 teaspoon water in a large plastic bag. Add 1 to 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut. Close the bag and shake well until the coconut is evenly coated. If a deeper color is desired, add more diluted food coloring and shake again. Set aside until brownies are cool. Once brownies are cool, spread the coconut onto your serving platter.
    4. Using foil as handles, remove brownies from pan; peel off foil. Cut brownies into twelve 4X2-inch bars. Frost with chocolate frosting. Place brownies onto the coconut grass.
    5. Break chocolate bars into pieces along scored lines. Using white cookie icing, write “R.I.P.” on chocolate pieces. Let stand until set.
    6. On the bottom of each chocolate piece, spread some chocolate frosting (this helps keep it attached) and press 1 chocolate piece into end of each brownie for tombstone.
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    Tombstone Brownies:

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  • Mummy Dogs

    October 30, 2008 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s a fun Halloween treat that the whole family will enjoy!

    Ingredients:

    • Hot dogs
    • 1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls
    • mustard

    Directions:

    1. Remove rolls from can, and patch the seems together (from the dough I patched 2 triangles together to make a rectangle, so I had 4 rectangles). Make strips out of each of your rectangles. You can make thin strips like I did or thicker strips too.
    2. Wrap the strips around each hot dog. The closer you put your strips, the less hot dog will show. I liked being able to see the hot dog, but if your wrap the strips so that they touch each other, leave a bit of the hot dog showing, because that’s you’re mummy face.
    3. Bake in a 375 oven for about 12 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.
    4. Add eyes using drops of mustard.

    Mummy Dogs:

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  • Spooky Slow-Cooked Chili

    October 10, 2008 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s a great dish to get into the Halloween spirit…delicious chili topped with festive Halloween shaped cheese slices. To accompany the chili, I made my cornbread recipe in a silicone baking pan–shapes were leaves and pumpkins. Everyone loved the cornbread too…-s even said he liked the cornbread better from the silicone pan. I’ve never used a silicone pan before, but I was very pleased with the result. Somehow the cornbread had a crisp bottom, sides, and tops…I’m definitely motivated to buy some more silicone baking pans.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tsp. olive oil
    • 1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 tsp. chili powder
    • 2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
    • 1 tsp. ground coriander
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
      1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
    • 1 15 oz can spicy chili beans, undrained
    • 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    • Cheese and Halloween cookie cutters

    Directions:

    1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet; add onions and meat; cook for a few minutes, then add spices (chili powder through salt), and continue cooking until meat is cooked.
    2. Meanwhile add the can of whole tomatoes to your crockpot insert and break up the tomatoes with your hands; then add the tomato sauce and both cans of beans. When the meat mixture is done add the meat to the crockpot and stir to combine.
    3. Cover and cook HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
    4. Slice your cheese and use your Halloween themed cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Top each bowl of chili with a cheese cut out.

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    Spooky Slow-Cooked Chili:

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  • Halloween Rice Krispies Treats

    October 3, 2008 Author: Rachel
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    My kiddos went wild over these easy festive treats, and I believe we’ve started a new family tradition!

    Ingredients:

    • 3 TBSP butter
    • orange food coloring (or mix red and yellow food coloring)
    • 10 oz. marshmallows
    • 6 c. rice krispies

    Directions:

    1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat; add food coloring to desired color; then add marshmallows. You may want to add more food coloring once the marshmallows are melted.
    2. Place the rice krispies in a large bowl. Pour the melted marshmallows over the rice krispies and toss to combine.
    3. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Dump rice krispies mixture onto foil. Take a sheet of wax paper and spray it with cooking spray; then cooking spray side down press rice krispies mixture so that the entire pan has a thin layer of mixture, about 1/4 inch thick. Let set for a few hours.
    4. With Halloween cookie cutters, cut out your shapes and decorate.
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    Halloween Rice Krispies Treats:

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