Creepy Crawly Hot Dogs

hotdogs

hotdogsWhat You Need:

1 (16 oz.) pkg. hot dogs
1 T of canola oil
1/2 C of ketchup
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t spicy brown mustard
1 T brown sugar
6 hamburger buns

How to Make It:

Slice all the hot dogs into 8 strips each.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and stir in the hot dog strips.
Cook the strips 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until nicely browned.
Stir the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and mustard into the hot dogs.
Dump in the brown sugar and stir until well blended.
Cook the hot dog mixture for 5 minutes or until completely heated through.
Cover the bottom half of the buns with the hot dogs and cover with the top half before serving.

Kids and adults will talk about these creepy sandwiches for a long time as well as enjoying every single bite. If you prefer regular mustard may be used instead of the brown mustard. You may also add a dash of liquid smoke to the sauce.

Makes 6 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 13 minutes
Total Time: approximately 23 minutes

More great Halloween Resources

In my travels through cyberspace, I found more great resources to help me with my quest for Halloween goodies for our upcoming party.

Today, I am going to share with you the video I found on YouTube.com for a Halloween Fruit Centerpiece.

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Monster Eye Deviled Eggs

devilledeggs

devilledeggsWhat You Need:

3 C of hot water
2 T red food coloring
1 T of white vinegar
6 hard boiled eggs, cracked but not peeled
1/3 C of mayonnaise
2 t Dijon style mustard
1/4 C of green onions, chopped fine
2 T cilantro, minced
12 ripe olives, sliced
1 t ketchup

How to Make It:

In a large mixing bowl put the water, food coloring and vinegar and whisk until blended well.
Add the unpeeled eggs to the mixture and if the water does not cover the eggs completely add more hot water.
Allow the eggs to stand in the colored water for 30 minutes.
With a slotted spoon remove the eggs, dry and peel.
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
Carefully remove the yolks from the eggs and place in a small bowl.
Place the egg whites on a platter.
Coarsely mash the egg yolks with a fork.
Add the mayonnaise and mustard and stir until well combined.
Stir in the onion and cilantro.
Spoon the yolk mixture into each of the egg whites.
Press a slice of olive into the egg yolk mixture then add a dab of ketchup to finish off the eye.
Cover and place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

These are gruesome looking deviled eggs but they taste really great and will be the hit of any party. They have the best bloodshot effect if served within 2 hours of preparation.

Makes 1 dozen

Total Time: approximately 25 minutes

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Give Meals a Halloween Twist

pumpkinseeds

pumpkinseedsHalloween is a fun and exciting time for everyone. Kids anticipate dressing up, treats and being scared. It is as much fun for many parents as it is for the kids. Enjoying Halloween all day long can be one way of keeping those ghosts and goblins excited up to the last minute. Here are few ideas that you can incorporate into your Halloween meals, snacks, treats and parties to keep the excitement fresh all day.

Start them out on their Halloween adventure with a spooky morning breakfast. Toast can be transformed into ghosts by toasting the bread then using a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut the bread into ghosts. Smoother the bread with whipped cream cheese or plain yogurt and add raisins for the eyes.

Pumpkin oranges are another great breakfast idea. Use a toothpick or small sharp knife and carve a jack o lantern face into the outside of the orange. Be careful not to go to deep that you pierce the orange meat.

Lunch can also be transformed both at home and in the lunchbox. Goblin tongues can be the perfect tough. Use mini bagels and lightly spread them with mayonnaise. Cut slices of bologna into the shape of tongue and place on the bagel so they hang slightly over the edge of the bagel.

How about a worm sandwich? Slice hotdogs into several thin slices. Place them in the microwave and heat on high for a minute or so or until the hot dogs begin to curl slightly. Place them on a bun with ketchup to make them slimy.

You can also make ghost sandwiches. Add the filing to white bread then use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the sandwich ghost. Remove the crust for the perfect ghost.

Don’t forget dinner? Transform devilled eggs into scary eyeballs by adding red food coloring to your egg yolks. Place a slice of black olive in the center for the pupil and you have some great blood shot eyes.

Having Italian for your Halloween dinner? Why not add Salty Bones to the meal. Use refrigerated breadstick dough and roll each triangle into a long skinny bone shape. Sprinkle with salt and bake as directed on the package.

Let’s not forget those snacks. Spider snacks can be a fun snack. Spread one round cracker with a dollop of peanut butter. Press stick pretzels into the peanut butter for the legs. Add raisins or small candy pieces for the eyes.

Graveyard snacks are also exciting. Use a cup of popped popcorn. Stir in the mini pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate chips and raisins to finish off the treat.

There are numerous ideas out there that will help in transforming any meal into a Halloween adventure. Cook up something spooky and don’t forget the BOO!

Creamy Mummy Dip

fullmoon

fullmoonWhat You Need:

1 (1 lb.) loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed
3 pieces of string cheese
1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream
1 envelope of ranch dip mix
1 black olive

How to Make It:

The bread dough should rise according to the directions on the package.
Once the dough has risen roll is out to form a 12 inch oval shape with the bottom narrower than the top.
On both sides of the shape make an indention 1 inch from the top to form the mummies head.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the dough onto the sheet.
Let the dough rise 20 minutes in a warm dry area.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the risen dough 22 minutes or until a golden brown.
Lay strips of the string cheese over the top of the warm bread to form the mummy wrap.
Put back in oven 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove the bread to a wire rack to cool.
Blend the sour cream and ranch dip mix together in a mixing bowl.
Cover and place the mixture in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Cut the cooled dough in half horizontally and remove the bread in the middle leaving a 3/4 inch shell.
Lay the mummy bowl on a serving platter.
Fill the bowl with the chilled dip.
Place the top of the bread back on the mummy.
Place two slices from the olive on the head of the mummy for the eyes.
Cut or tear the reserved bread and serve with the dip along with vegetables or crackers.

Use this mummy as a centerpiece for your Halloween party table. Any type of ranch dressing mix can be used to make this scrumptious dip.

Makes 16 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 25 minutes + rising
Baking Time: approximately 22 minutes + cooling
Total Time: approximately 47 minutes

On a Quest for Halloween Tricks and Treats

A greeting card / postcard about Hallowe'en
Image via Wikipedia

As a busy mom of two, I often find myself pulled in several directions at once.  Today is no different in that I am trying to pull together a Halloween Party of epic proportion in just 3 short weeks.  During this party planning frenzy, I am faced with finding props and decorations, coming up with a menu that will work for the 4-6 year old’s taste buds, and fit everything into my theme.  My kids are going with an Alice In Wonderland theme this year, so our party theme is somewhere along the lines of “Twisted Wonderland”, more likely The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Clean Cup! Clean Cup! Move Down!).

Did I mention I am to do this while still having the need to work as well?  Now I am sure there are many moms out there that will find themselves in the same predicament that I now find myself in, and so I shall share any tricks and treats I find helpful along the way.

Tto that end, in my daily travels through cyberspace today looking for all the odds and ends I will need, I came across two really great articles that will help me out.  Maybe they will help you as well this spooky hallows eve.

The first article has some great  recipes  for spooky treats that are sure to delight even my young guests.  Get the recipes for things like Large Snowball Spiders and Spooky Ghosts!  Get your spooky recipes here.  I am sure to snag a few of these to help with my young  jet set’s menu.

The second article, Everything you need to know, craft and cook for a fun-filled holiday, will help you do everything from yummy recipies to great one hour costumes.  My favorite tip out of this article was how to make Victorian pumpkins.  This may fit nicely with my theme of “Twisted Wonderland”.  Although, how to create a Ghostly Gathering might be in order as well.

I will keep you posted on other great resources I find along the twisted path that I will follow to wonderland.

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Fruit Snack Pretzel Ghosts

candies

candiesWhat You Need:

1 (3 ft.) roll of chewy fruit snack
14 (3 inch long) pretzel sticks
2/3 C white baking chips
1 t miniature semisweet chocolate chips

How to Make It:

Using wax paper, completely cover a cookie sheet.
Unroll the fruit snack and cut the long end of it from end to end into 1/2 inch fringe.
Using a sharp knife cut the roll into 2 segments.
Around one end of each pretzel stick, wrap a piece of the fringed fruit snack.
Press the fruit snack with your finger onto the pretzel to make sure it is secure.
On the prepared cookie sheet lay the pretzel sticks.
In a saucepan over low heat put the white baking chips.
With a wooden spoon stir almost constantly and heat the chips 5 minutes or until melted.
Remove from the stove.
Pour 1/2 tbsp of the melted chips over the middle of a pretzel to make a ghost shape.
Continue this process until you have made 14 ghosts.
3 of the chocolate chips are used to make the eyes and a nose on each ghost.
Let the ghosts set at room temperature 45 minutes or until hardened.

If you want to save time melt the chips in the microwave instead of the stove. Put the chips into a small microwaveable dish and microwave 30 seconds on high. Stir until the chips are completely melted. The completed ghosts can be put in the freezer 5 minutes to harden to save time.

Makes 14 candies

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 5 minutes
Hardening Time: approximately 45 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes

Nutritional Information (approximate values per candy)
Calories 50; fat 3g; sodium 20 mg; carbohydrates 7g; sugar 6g; protein 0g

Participating In Halloween Candy for Soldiers

halloweencandy

halloweencandyDentists from all around the United States have teamed up to start Halloween buy back candy program for our soldiers. Halloween is not a favorite time for dentists. They see it as a time for tooth decay and cavity ridden teeth. While many dentists see it as a bad tooth time, many of our U.S. soldiers see it as a time of missing out on the fun and excitement that Halloween can bring. Dentists want to bring that spooky fun back to our solders while helping to rid our children from too many trips to their office.

Children love to trick or treat. They can dress up, visit family and friends and take in a pumpkin full of candy to enjoy for days to come. Children have their favorite candies and often time pick through their candy to find just the pieces they like. This leaves us with buckets of candy that never gets eaten and eventually ends up in the garbage can. What a waste of time and effort for everyone involved.

Dentists around the U.S. agree that brushing and flossing will help prevent tooth decay but they also agree that the less sugar our children eat the less chance they have in getting those dreadful cavities. This inspired dentist to come up with the candy buyback program.

This program buys unwanted Halloween candy for a dollar a pound. The intent was not to deprive the children of their candy but to buy the candy that children do not want. This gave the children a choice in deciding what candy to sell and what candy to keep.
The buyback candy will then be sent to our soldiers overseas. Operation Gratitude, a non profit organization out of California will distribute the candy so there would be no outlay of money for shipping.

This idea certainly makes everyone a winner. Children can still have their favorite candy and make a little money for the candy they would normally throw away. Dentists and parents can rest a little easier about their children’s teeth as well as parents feeling better about throwing all the expensive candy in the trash. Best of all our solders can have a special treat from our children.

If you are interested in the candy buy back program contact your dentist. If your dentist is not involved talk to them about becoming involved or find a dentist in your area who is. What better way to thank our U.S. solders for their dedication to our freedom.

Orange and Black Ice Cream Cones

orangebatshappyhalloween1

orangebatshappyhalloween1What You Need:
1 (4 oz.) pkg. German sweet chocolate
1/4 C of butter, cubed
3/4 C of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C of flour
1 t vanilla extract
24 (3 inch) ice cream cones
24 scoops orange sherbet
Black sprinkles

How to Make It:

Set the oven to 350 degrees and preheat.
In a microwave safe bowl put the chocolate and butter and microwave for 1 minute on high.
Stir the mixture until very smooth.
Cool the chocolate for 5 minutes.
Pour the chocolate into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar.
Mix in the eggs until completely blended together.
Fold the flour in until well blended.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Stand the ice cream cones into the cups of a metal muffin tin.
Fill each cone with batter no more than 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, be careful not to over bake.
Cool the cones to room temperature.
Place one scoop of sherbet onto each ice cream cone.
Sprinkle with the black sprinkles and serve immediately.

This is a fun twist to ice cream cones. They make a special Halloween treat for kids. You can use chocolate sprinkles instead of black sprinkles if you prefer.

Makes 24 cones

Batty Black Cupcakes

batsstreetlight

batsstreetlightWhat You Need:

1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can chocolate ready to spread frosting
24 fudge stripped cookies, halved
24 chocolate kisses
Red decorating gel

How to Make It:

The cake is prepared and baked according to the direction on the package for 24 cupcakes.
Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire rack.
With the chocolate frosting frost the tops of the cupcakes.
On each cupcake put 2 halves of the cookies to represent the bat wings.
Be sure to put the stripes on the backside of the cupcake.
Carefully press a kiss into the front of the cupcakes to represent the head.
Use the red decorating gel and place two small drops on the kiss to form the eyes.

You can make your cupcakes look really batty by scalloping the edges of the cookies before adding them to the cupcakes.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Preparation Time: approximately 25 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 20 minutes + cooling
Total Time: approximately 45 minutes + cooling