Halloween Shopping Fun

I love Halloween, in Scottsdale it is just cooling off.  (well a little)  I love the kids trick or treating, squashes, carving pumpkins, the whole thing!  So to start off the month, I have some of my favorite Halloween treats perfect for a party for big kids.  

Fred Bone Chillers- what could be more fun than skull and cross bones ice cubes in you spooky cocktail?  What to serve these cocktails in?

Nevermore, these Raven tumblers are perfect!  Poe is much scarier than any ghost!

For decor I love this glitter skull, candles and a  black feather garland.

Have fun at your celebration!

Happy Halloween

Your Trick or Treaters will be coming tonight. I am really excited to pass out candy with Matt and see all the cute kids in their costumes.
Here are some of my favorite Halloween recipes from last year that would be fun for today.
~If you carved a pumpkin, be sure to roast your pumpkin seeds. These add great crunch to salads.
~It might be cold where you live, so rather than putting the kids to bed with bellies full of candy, make a pumpkin soup.
~If carving pumpkins is not your thing, decorate some of Terry and Jessica's amazing sugar cookies. (These really are the best ever!)
~If you know your neighbor kids make these great sweet and salty caramel apples, better yet make them for the adults! (I'll be home if anyone wants to bring me one!)
~If you do want to make a homemade treat that the kids can help with try Mother Green's Gooey Goobers. (This always makes me laugh now, Mother Green was my friend Marianne's mom, now I keep thinking my little sister will be Mother Green too, in just 3 months!)
~If its cold out, the candy givers will need something warm to drink. I think this spiced apple cider is perfect, add a touch of rum!
Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has fun and is safe! Send me pictures of your kids in their costumes to use next year.

Trish and Reese's Halloween Snack

Here is a little Halloween treat from Trish and Reese. They also recomend carving your pumkin virtually! This picture is Reese's Halloween costume from last year, I can't wait to see her costume this year now that she is a big girl!

8 oz white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
4 cups Corn Chex or Rice Chex cereal
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup candy corn

1. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chopped baking bars uncovered on High 2 minutes, until melted and smooth.
2. Gently stir in cereal, pretzels and raisins until evenly coated. Stir in candy corn and decors.
3. Spread on waxed paper or foil until cooled and chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Break into chunks. Store loosely covered.

Fill cellophane bags with this mix and tie with orange and black ribbons

Aunt Karen's Ginger Snap Cookies

Keeping with all the Halloween treats we have been posting lately, Aunt Karen sent her Ginger Snap Cookie recipe. (I bet my mom is excited she loves Ginger Snaps!) The picture is of Matt and our niece Samantha. She is bigger now but just as cute!
Aunt Karen says:
I get many requests for these cookies, they are really good. I thought they would be good for your cooking blog.... they are a good Halloween cookie! Love, Aunt Karen

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 cup molasses ( I use Brer Rabbit Full Flavor)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg.
Add dry ingredients. Form into balls ( on the smaller size) and roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Candy Corn Bark

One of my favorite things about holiday is the theme candy. I have a serious candy corn problem & I count the days until Williams Sonoma puts out the peppermint bark. This is a great Halloween treat! Hope you love it like I do.

16 Halloween-colored Oreos, chopped
1 1/2 cups broken small pretzels
1 1/2 pounds white chocolate, broken into squares
2 cups candy corn
orange and brown sprinkles

Spread the cookies, pretzels and raisins evenly onto a lightly greased small baking sheet. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few chunks, and stir until smooth. White chocolate burns easily.

Drizzle chocolate with a spoon over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly. Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

This wonderful muffin recipe comes from Trisha, a family friend in Utah. (the baby with her pumpkins is Reese, the daughter of Trisha my friend in Colorado)
Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins would be a fun morning after Halloween breakfast, serve with coffee and you have a great breakfast!

8 ounce(s) cream cheese
3 eggs
2 1/2 cup(s) sugar
2 1/2 cup(s) flour
1/4 cup(s) pecans, roughly chopped
3 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 1/4 cup(s) solid-packed pumpkin
1/3 cup(s) vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat two 12-cup standard muffin tins with oil and set aside.
2. Mix the cream cheese, 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Toss 5 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup flour, pecans, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining cinnamon in a large bowl. Lightly beat the remaining eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour the pumpkin mixture into the well, and mix with a fork just until moistened. Evenly divide half of the batter among the muffin cups. Place two teaspoonfuls of cream cheese filling in the center of each cup and fill with the remaining batter. Sprinkle some of the pecan mixture over the top of each muffin and bake until golden and a tester, inserted into the muffin center, comes out clean -- 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Thai Green Curry

I have had a recipe for Thai Green Curry for a long time, I typically make it with cilantro, but after my trip to the farmer's market I had some Thai Basil. (According to CuisineNet, Thai basil is a lighter green than European basil. It has a lemony aroma and slightly spicy flavor and is used in salads in Thailand.) So with my Thai Basil, I was all set to make this curry dish. It is very spicy so adjust the curry and jalapenos to your tolerance of spice. Be sure when you saute the curry and pepper that you open a window, the fumes are potent but the end result is worth it!

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Thai Green Curry Paste (you can adjust depending on how hot you like it, this is as hot as Matt can take!)

2 carrots sliced (I have this great crinkle cutter from Pampered Chef, when you go to a party you have to get something)

1 jalapeno sliced in small pieces (remove the seeds)

1 large chicken breast (boneless skinless) cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 pound large raw shrimp peeled and deveined

14 ounces lite coconut milk

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup chopped Thai Basil (use cilantro if you don't have Thai Basil)

3 Green Onions sliced thin (green and white parts)

1 15 ounce can baby corn

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add curry paste, jalapeno and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken and saute until cooked. Add carrot saute briefly, add coconut milk, broth, fish sauce and lime juice to skillet, simmer, stirring occasionally, it will start to thicken. (About 5 minutes) Add shrimp, basil, green onion and corn. Simmer 2 - 5 more minutes until the shrimp are cooked. (Not to long the shrimp can get tough) Serve over rice. We like Basmati rice. I thought Jason would be excited we were done with the sweets. I was right:

yum, Thai Green Curry! Finally Halloween is over and we can get back to wine pairing...The spicier the better to pair it with this Dr. Beckermann Riesling Spatlese. A perfect match! If you don't like Riesling grab this Gewurzt.

Aunt Karen's Pumpkin Fluff

We are nearing the end of Halloween recipes. This is another one from my Aunt Karen. I love that you can serve this as a parfait, I would add some gummy worms or other spooky candies. This picture is of our niece Lily at Boo at the Zoo.
Aunt Karen says:
Hey Jessie,
I have another simple delicious recipe! This is a light dessert and everyone loves it!! It is just as good with the low calorie ingredients.

2 cups skim milk
1 package sugar- free butterscotch instant pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin (15 oz. 100% pure)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 oz. fat free whipped topping
Make pudding. Stir in canned pumpkin and spice. Either fold in Cool Whip or layer as a parfait.

Halloween Pumkin Soup

Pumpkin soup might seem strange but a pumpkin is part of the squash family. Pumpkin is also getting it's time in the spotlight at many gourmet restaurants, so why not in your kitchen? This soup would be fun to eat from mugs while you pass out candy or if you want to be a little fancier, serve from one of the fabulous fall soup tureens for sale at:
Sur la Table or Williams-Sonoma or this white set at a bargain price from Smart Bargains

2 small sugar pumpkin
3 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Cut pumpkins in half and scoop out seeds. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place pumpkins, flesh side down on the cookie sheet and roast until soft to the touch, about 45 minutes. Remove pumpkins from oven and let cool. Once pumpkins are cool scrape flesh from skins into a food processor. Discard skins. (While not as authentic, if you are in a rush skip this whole first step & use a can of Libby pumpkin puree, throw away the can!) Add chicken stock to the pumpkin and puree. Pour soup into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in cream, nutmeg, sage and salt. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream

Jessica & Terry's AMAZING Sugar Cookies

I would love to tell you that I personally have all the best recipes for everything, but I don't. So I email people that I know have the best recipes & ask for them very nicely. I am so excited to bring you this recipe from Jessica Waldron & Terry Abend in Idaho. Jessica was my roommate when I lived in Salt Lake. Her mom Terry is a spectacular cook, even making me homemade soup when I ate too many funnel cakes & rode the tilt-a-whirl at the Idaho State Fair, I know too much information but we have all been there! When Jess would go home Terry would make us the best Sugar Cookies, always shaped like the season & iced beautifully. I would anxiously wait for Jessica to get back so we could watch 90210 & eat cookies! Here is the recipe & I guess you could watch 90210 on the Soap Opera network or substitute a more current show :)

This adorable cowboy is Jessica's son Jaxon, such a cutie! This is his Halloween picture from last year, his mom said he won't let her pick his costumes anymore so he is going to be a Transformer this year.

Sourcream Sugar Cookies

2 cups sugar
3/4 cups shortening
3 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Cream the sugar and shortening together. Add the baking powder, eggs, and flavorings. Then mix the baking soda into the sour cream in a seperate container. Add the sour cream mixture and flour alternating to the batter. Chill Dough for 1 hour. Roll out and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 box of powder sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and add food coloring as you like.