Every year I wind up making the same dishes for Halloween, but this year I'm afters something new. Still there is something to be said for the old favorites. Here are a few of the ideas I've used over the years.
Mummy Dogs
This is a Pillsbury recipe, obviously. It is easy and takes just a few minutes. I have my own little variations. I don't use the cheese side dish, although I'm sure some people would love that part.
I like to make different eyes. Instead of mustard I use pimentos. I also make a little mouth out of radishes. The point is to have fun.
INGREDIENTS
1can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
2 1/2slices American cheese, quartered (2.5 oz)
10large hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375°F. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.
With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).
Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages," stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On an ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on "face."
Bloody Punch
This is a fun tasty treat. When I first found this recipe there were directions on how to freeze an ice hand to put in the center. Basically it was made by filling a latex glove with water and freezing it. Then cutting off the glove from the frozen hand. Place it in the center of the bowl. Another fun idea is to add liquid ice to the recipe and let it steam over.
INGREDIENTS
2 12 oz. bag of frozen strawberries
1 6 oz. can of lemonade concentrate1
1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 small box of golden raisins
1 quart ginger ale
DIRECTIONS
In a punch bowl add slight thawed strawberries and mash with a spoon. Add blueberries and golden raisins. Pour ginger ale over top.
Werewolf in the Waldorf salad
You can find this recipe pretty much all over the web. The fun part about this recipe is using your imagination to decorate a werewolf on the top of the salad. The alfalfa sprouts is designed to look like hair. Make fun eyes and mouth out of the the radish and use a carrot for a nose and even some fangs if you like.
This is my husbands favorite part of the Halloween dinner.
Not many people give her credit, but I think the original idea came from Creepy Cuisine, Lucy Munroe.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lg Apples
1 tb Lemon juice
1/2 c Golden raisins
1/2 c Walnuts -- chopped
1 c Diced celery
1/2 c Mayonnaise
1/2 tb Milk
1 t Sugar
1/2 Iceberg lettuce
8 Endive
Alfalfa sprouts
4 Carrots -- peeled
1 Radish
DIRECTIONS:
Peel, core and dice the apples; toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice. Add the raisins, nuts and celery to the apples and toss together. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, milk and sugar until well blended. Add the dressing to the other ingredients and toss. Place 2 or 3 lettuce leaves on individual salad plates and spoon the salad over the lettuce in a "head" shape. To create the werewolf in your Waldorf, decorate each salad with pointy endive ears, alfalfa sprout hair and beard, pointy carrot fangs and radish-half eyeballs
Batwiches
This is fun to make with the kids and easy to do. You can fill the sandwiches with anything from ham to peanut butter and jelly, whatever the kids like.
INGREDIENTS:
Bat cookie cutter
16 slices pumpernickel bread, thin
8 tsp. Mustard, divided
8 slices American cheese
16 deli-sliced boiled ham
pimientos
DIRECTIONS:
Spread each bread slice with 1/2 tsp. Mustard. Top each of 8 bread slices with 1 slice cheese and 2 slices ham, cut to fit if necessary. Top with remaining bread. Using bat template or 3" cookie cutter cut out 2 bats from each sandwich. Use small pieces of pimentos for eyes.
THE END
Well that's basically it for the standard recipes. Every year I try to throw in something different. Maybe a cake or some cookies. Sorry I didn't have my own pictures this time. I'll be sure and take a bunch this year on the new recipes I try out.
