How to Cooking Tips

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Fun Halloween Party Food Ideas

Halloween food, Halloween party Food—kinwart

 

Getting ready for a howling Halloween party this year? Spruce up your party this year with some icky, but yummy party food. Here are some fun food ideas for your ghostly Halloween party:

 

Snot cubes
Refrigerate yellow and green Jello (any flavors) in ice cube trays. Serve chilled.

 

Worms in snot
Make snot cubes, as directed above, out of Jello. Insert gummy worms in each cube of Jello then refrigerate. Serve chilled.

 

Bad apples
Using a small, sharp knife cut a small, round hole in one side of the top of an apple. Insert a gummy worm inside the hole. Create display of “bad apples” in a wooden bucket.

 

Monster Mash
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:

 

* 10 cups popcorn
* 1 pound plain M&M’s
* 1-14 oz. jar dry roasted peanuts
* 1 cup raisins (optional)
* 1 cup Reece’s pieces (found in baking isle by chocolate chips)

 

Bowl of Brains
Scramble several eggs. To get the gray brain color, mix in green, red, and blue food coloring as you beat the eggs before cooking them.

 

Buggy Ice Cubes
Insert gummy worms or raisins (for bugs) in ice trays with water and freeze. Insert frozen buggy ice cubes in your bowl of party punch.

  

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Simple Halloween treats you Can Make in Minutes

 

 

Halloween is all about the treats. So, how can you make some fun treats at home that your little ones will love? It’s easier than you might think.

 

Do you have some Halloween Cookie Cutters? That’s all you’ll need to make these first three fun and memorable Halloween treats.

 

 

 

Terrifying Tortilla Chips: Start with some flour tortillas and spray a bit of canola oil on them. Sprinkle parmesan cheese or cinnamon and sugar on them. Then cut fun shapes out of the tortillas with a bat, ghost or pumpkin cookie cutter. Put the shapes into the oven for a crispy treat.

 

Spooky sandwiches: Make your favorite sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly works just fine. Then, using a cookie cutter, press hard into the sandwich and you’ll get a spooky treat. If you use a pumpkin shape cookie cutter, add licorice or candy corn to make eyes and nose on a jack-o-lantern face.

 

Creepy Cheese and Cold Cuts: Buy packaged cheese (the kind that you peel the plastic off). Also, buy some cold-cuts. Using a cookie cutter, make spooky shapes. Present the cheese and cold cuts on a platter as an appetizer – or have a sandwich smorgasbord and allow your guests to use the creepy cheese to make their own sandwiches.

 

Here are a few more last-minute ideas for Halloween fun.

 

Wicked Witch Fingers: Do you have some dough and almonds? Believe it or not, you can make witch fingers. Just stretch out the dough into a “finger-shape” including a knuckle. Then, take the almond and press it into the end to make the fingernail. You can experiment with different colors to make witch fingers creepier. “Paint” the fingernail with food coloring (grey or black is perfect), or make the dough a creepy green color. Oooh… spooky!

 

Green Anything: Take your favorite foods and add a drop of green food coloring to them. Are you in the mood for French toast? Make it green. How about pudding? Make it green. You can even serve green milk with your cookies. You’ll be the coolest mom on the block.

  

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Ten Spooky Snacks

 

Soon after school starts back, it’s time for Halloween. Most classrooms have some type of party where the children can dress up and possibly have snacks. If you've been asked to provide something to eat, choose from these ten spooky snacks you can make for your child’s classroom.

 

 

 

Think about what your child finds spooky, and then be playful with those things. Of course you don’t want to have gory, real-to-life items, but you can still plan for finger foods, cupcakes, or a bubbly concoction for a drink. Let your imagination run wild as you plan spooky snacks the children will love.

 

1. Did someone mention ‘finger foods’? Celery is the basis for these treats. Slice celery stalks into three-inch pieces. Then cut each piece in half. Use slices of cherry tomatoes or pimentos to create red fingernails.

 

2. You can also take hard-boiled eggs and create bloodshot eyes out of them. Leave the eggs whole and crack them a little bit, then place them back into water that has been colored red for a few minutes. This will give the red lines on the egg.

 

3. You can also make edible eyeballs out of powdered donut holes. Put a gummy lifesaver on it with red gel icing to help it stick, and then pipe red lines for bloodshot eyes.

 

4. Decorate cupcakes with any number of spooky candies that are available during this time of the year. Eyes, ugly teeth, bats, and skeletons can easily be found at this time of the year, so see what you can find.

 

5. Meatballs can be made to resemble brains, especially if you mix cheese, eggs, and breadcrumbs into the meat and then fry them. Cut the meatballs in half and place them on a plate. Squeeze some squiggles made out of squeeze cheese.

 

6. Create a bubbly drink by adding dry ice around the bowl that you make the punch in. Put small plastic toys like bats, spiders, and flies inside the ice cubes that will float in the drink.

 

7. Melt some chocolate chips in the microwave and put in dry chow mien noodles into them when they’re melted. Mix well. Spoon the mixture onto greased paper and then add mini M&Ms on them for eyes.

 

8. Make ‘ghost’ sandwiches by using a ghost cookie cutter on white bread. Fill the sandwiches with whatever you prefer, and then decorate the top with mini-chocolate chips for eyes for the ghost.

 

9. Pudding is always a hit with children. Make individual graveyards in disposable cups by filling them with chocolate pudding. Crumble up some chocolate cookies for dirt, add an oval-shaped cookie for the tombstone, and then put a dollop of whipped cream, decorated with mini M&Ms for eyes.

 

10. Jell-o is another favorite among children. Make some green jell-o according to the directions and then add some gummy worms, fish, or bugs before it sets. This will be a fun treat that’s not too spooky.

 

If Halloween is one of your child’s favorite holidays, creating ten spooky snacks might be something you’ll have to do. Use some of these ideas, along with some of your own, to treat your child and their friends to something sweet and just a little bit spooky.

 

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Delicious Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas

 

 

Are you unsure how to celebrate Thanksgiving as a vegetarian? Thankfully, there are lots of options available for a meatless feast! Here is a basic menu suggestion, followed by recipes.

 

* Stuffed Butternut Squash (instead of turkey)
* Crispy Green Beans
* Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
* Cranberry Pear Crisp


1.) Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

* 4 medium butternut squashes
* 3/4 cup wild rice
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
* 2 1/2 cups whole wheat bread, torn into bite-sized pieces (pack firmly into cup to measure)
* 1/2 teaspoon dried sage (or 2 teaspoons minced fresh)
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 cup unsweetened orange juice
* Salt or salt-free blend to taste

 

How to Prepare:

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a fruit spoon to scrape out the seeds. Place halved squash in shallow baking dishes, cut side up. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes, or until you can pierce one easily with a knife but it is still somewhat firm.
  • While the squash bakes, cook the wild rice in 2 cups of water – stir rice into boiling water, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Place cooked rice in the bowl.
  • Sautee onions and garlic until soft. Add them to the rice in the bowl, and stir in remaining ingredients.
  • Cool the squash until you can comfortably handle them, then scoop out some of the cooked flesh, leaving about 1/2 inch of flesh in each squash. Chop the scooped-out flesh and add to the stuffing mixture, then stuff the squashes. Place them in a baking dish and cover. Heat before serving in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

2.) Crispy Green Beans

For a side dish, try these crisp beans that can be eaten with the fingers. To serve 4.

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds green beans (stringless tenderettes or haricot verts)
* 2 teaspoons margarine or butter
* 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
* 1 tablespoon dried chives
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 

How to Prepare:

  • Steam green beans for 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients
  • Toss to coat and serve

3.) Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

For 14 rolls.

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 teaspoons baker's yeast
* 3/4 cup lukewarm buttermilk
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 7 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried nutmeg
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1 large egg
* 1 can pumpkin puree (16oz)

 

How to Prepare:

  • Sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm milk and let sit until bubbly (about 5 minutes).
  • In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the flour mixture.
  • Add the pumpkin and the milk/yeast mixture. Stir it well, then knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding up to a cup of flour to keep dough from sticking.
  • Form dough into a ball, place in greased or buttered bowl, and let it rise, covered, for about an hour (or until it's doubled in size).
  • Punch dough down and form into 14 balls. Place these balls into a 10-inch spring-form pan or non-stick cake pan, cover with a clean towel and let rise about 45 minutes.
  •  Bake risen rolls at 250 degrees F for about 45 minutes, allow to cool, then remove from pan and serve.

4.) Cranberry and Pear Crisp

Serve this as an unusual but seasonal dessert.

Ingredients:

* 3 medium-sized pears, cut into thin slices
* 2 tart baking apples, cut into thin slices (peel if desired)
* 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

Topping:

* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 cup buttery spread or butter

 

How to Prepare:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix the pears, apples, cranberries, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons sugar, and corn starch. Spread into a 9-inch baking pan or pie dish.
  • In another bowl, mix the topping ingredients, cutting the buttery spread/butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and bake for about half an hour.

 

 

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Tips for Cutting Down the Calories this Holiday Season

 

So many of us worry about gaining weight during the holidays, those dreaded holiday pounds can really sneak up on you if you’re not careful. Here are some tips for cutting down the calories and forgetting about the extra pounds this holiday season:

 

 

 

Tip #1: Get another taste tester. If you're doing the cooking this year, stay out of the pot! If you need a food taster, ask somebody else to do it for you.

 

Tip #2: Don’t nibble all day. It’s irresistible to stay away from all the food and sweets when it’s sitting on the counter. This is where even the most faithful dieters throw in the towel. They nibble here and there all day, then eat a full meal. Try not to nibble, have a glass of water or a piece of fruit instead. Cut an assortment of veggie sticks and keep them close at hand. Often we nibble on food out of habit, not because we’re really hungry.

 

Tip #3: Stop after the first plate. Don’t go back for seconds. I know it’s hard. Aunt Suzie’s homemade sourdough bread is probably calling your name. But don’t go back for more! Eat your dinner and stop there. After about 30 minutes or so you’ll brain will have had enough time to register you’re actually full and you will no longer feel like seconds.

 

Tip #4: Drink water. It is a fact that if you drink a glass of water at least 30 minutes prior to your meal you won’t be as hungry as you normally would be. Try to drink as much water as you can throughout the entire day and you won’t be as hungry.

 

Tip #5: Use a smaller plate. You are going to fill up your plate, no doubt about it. So use a smaller plate. Instead of using the big plates, grab a smaller plate to eat off of. You won’t be able to fit as much on it. Less food on your plate means less calories you’re taking in!