Pumpkin Oatmeal Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (familyfreshmeals.com)

I enjoyed these cookies from familyfreshmeals.com. I did you and myself the favor of ordering the ingredients correctly (the original recipe really messed me up that way).

I really like the white chocolate chips in this recipe. 
Makes 3 dozen large cookies or 4 doz small.

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt (try ¾ tsp)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 c butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

1 c pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 c chocolate chips

½ c white chocolate chips

2 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

In a mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until well creamed together. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add chocolate chips and mix. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the oats and mix just until combined. Drop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon on to the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies 12 min or until cookies are lightly browned. Do not over-bake. They will seem a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. You want to keep the nice, soft texture.

Pumpkin Bars (Julie Freeman)

These pumpkin bars are divine! Moist and delicious. The entire family loves these. Definitely not for weight-loss, though!

2 c flour (10 oz)
1 2/3 c sugar (13 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt (originally ½)
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
½ c oil (3.7 oz)
½ c applesauce
1 16oz can pumpkin (2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all dry ingredients. Add wet, stir until mixed well. Pour into un-greased 11x15 pan. (Don’t change pan size. It flops if you do. I used a 9x13 pan and a 6x8 pan.) Bake at 350° for 25-30
min. Watch so it doesn’t get too brown.


Frosting
6 oz neufchatel (low fat cream cheese)
½ c butter
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and sugar. Spread on top of bars once cooled.



Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip & Chips (Our Best Bites)

I halved this recipe from Our Best Bites' version.

Fruit (tart Granny Smith apples)

4 oz cream cheese (you can use light)

3/8 c brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

A pinch of nutmeg

¾ tsp vanilla (you can add more to taste)

Toffee bits (look by the chocolate chips)

Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla with an electric mixer. When ready to serve, stir in about ¼ a bag of toffee bits with more sprinkled on top. Serve in a hollow pumpkin with the spooky cinnamon chips and fresh fruit.

Cinnamon Chips

Flour tortillas

Butter, melted

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar

Metal Halloween cookie cutters

Flour tortillas

Butter, melted

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar

Metal Halloween cookie cutters

Preheat oven to 350°. Brush one side of each tortilla with melted butter. Cut into Halloween shapes and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle shapes with cinnamon sugar. Optional: spray over cinnamon with cooking spray. Bake 8-10 min. Repeat with any remaining tortilla shapes. Allow to cool ~10 min.

Healthy Halloween Snacks

Orange Pumpkin Treats (Blue Skies Ahead)

Insert a slice of celery into an orange.

Banana Ghosts (anotherlunch.com)

My bananas were overripe, but still cute with their mini chocolate chip eyes.

Halloween Sandwiches

Since cookie cutters aren't sharp, I placed them on top of my bologna and cheese sandwiches, then used a sharp knife to do the cutting. I took one for the team and ate the left-over sandwich scraps.

Jack o' Lantern Quesadillas  (inspirationforcelebration)

Stack multiple tortillas and cut out the face with a sharp knife. Lay out the same number of tortillas, add grated cheese, then topped them with the jack o' lantern faces. Bake in a 450° oven for about 2 minutes, but watch closely so the top doesn't burn. They are done when the cheese is melted.

Halloween Recipes To Try

My notes: I want to try these recipes!

(Little Food Junction)

black grapes & carved cape gooseberries. Try using olives and cheese instead.

Mashed Boo-tatoes (Martha Stewart Living)

Use a pastry bag to pipe mashed potatoes into ghosts and sweet potatoes into pumpkins.


Glow-in-the-dark Drinks & Jello (ourbestbites.com)


Tonic water (diet or regular) *must contain quinine
Crystal Light lemonade
Black light

Tonic water is bitter, so only add a little.
OR
Jello
Tonic water

Try only half tonic (or less) to water for making Jello. Make Jigglers.

Spiderweb Soup Topping (Better Homes and Gardens)

Soup (tomato or carrot)
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp milk
Plastic condiment bottle
Toothpick

Mix sour cream and milk and pour into a plastic bottle. Carefully squeeze several circles onto the surface of warm soup. Use a toothpick to drag lines from the center out toward the edges to create a web design.

pictures and text from Better Homes and Gardens


Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (Julie Lloyd)*
3 Tbsp butter
1 ½ c finely chopped onions
3 large cloves minced garlic
¾ c canned tomatoes, pureed
1 c fresh or canned pumpkin puree
6 oz boiled ham cut into 1/8” cubes
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2½ - 3½ c beef stock
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp pepper
Sour cream

Melt butter and stir in chopped onions and garlic. Sauté until soft. Puree the tomatoes in a blender and then add to the vegetables. Add the pumpkin, ham, black beans, beef stock, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook uncovered for 20-25 min, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt. If too thick, add stock. If too thin, continue cooking till thicker. Serve with sour cream.

Adam's Ribs (Better Homes and Gardens)

I think I'd only use this for a grown-up dinner!

Your guests will love these succulent pork spareribs with spicy Jamaican jerk seasoning. Stab the carving knife through a red sweet pepper heart for party presentation.
Rib Recipe

Pumpkin Dessert

Updated 10/18/15.

1 15-16oz can pumpkin filling (1½ -1 3/4c)
¾ c sugar
1-12oz can evaporated milk (or 1 c dry powdered milk and 1 ¼ c water)
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp vanilla
½ c butter, softened
1 box yellow/white cake mix

Mix first 10 ingredients together and pour into 9x13" pan. (Batter will be very runny.) In a separate bowl, mix together butter and cake mix. Sprinkle over top of pumpkin mixture. Bake at 350° for 50 min. Cover with foil and bake 10 more minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

(The pumpkin batter has been halved from the original recipe.)

Jello Ghosts (Whitney Heap)

Chill Jello in small bowls. When firm decorate with whipped topping in the form of a ghost. Use chocolate chips for eyes.

Witch's Brew (Homemade Root Beer)

I like to use a large canning pot for this witch's brew - it adds to the effect. The kids love the dry ice! Wait to add the dry ice until your audience is ready. It doesn't last very long.

1½ gallons water

4 c sugar

1 oz (½ bottle) root beer extract Brand Name

5 # dry ice (lasted 30 min)

Stir ingredients together. Be careful not to get dry ice cubes in cups.

Mom’s old recipe:

For 5 gallons of drink:

5 pounds granulated sugar

5 gallons water

1 bottle root beer extract (2 fl oz / 1/3 c)

5 pounds dry ice (approximate)

For 1 gallon of drink:

2 c granulated sugar

1 gallon water

1 Tbsp root beer extract

1 pound dry ice (approximate)

Treats: Freeze plastic spiders in ice cubes with orange pop.

Yummy Mummies/Halloweenies

Updated 11/1/13. These are a huge favorite of the kids!
25 minutes.
(This mummy was made with Rhodes rolls dough. Now I use crescent dough. Way faster, easier, and super yummy!)

Crescent dough
Hot dogs
Ketchup 
Mustard (optional)

Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully pull apart crescent triangles. Slice crescent dough into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Wrap strips around the hot dog leaving a space for the head. Wrap a small piece of dough around the head. Place mummy dogs on the sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 13-17 min or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and add mustard or ketchup eyes. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

In 2013, I tried out this version, cutting limbs for the hot dogs. The kids thought it was cool, but it took a lot longer to prepare these (and was a little greasy-gross), and they were harder to eat.

Orange Mashed Potatoes

These potatoes are divine! I love that the orange color is natural - from the sweet potato. Yum!

6 potatoes

1 large sweet potato

¼ c butter

½ c nonfat half & half

Sour cream

Sea salt

Coarse black pepper

Milk

Wrap potatoes in foil and bake in 400° oven for an hour. When cool enough to handle, take off skins and mash potatoes in a large bowl. Add butter, half and half, sour cream, sea salt and pepper. Store in the fridge until mealtime. Before eating, microwave and stir. Add milk if needed for creaminess.

Make into a jack-o-lantern if desired. Spread potatoes in a circular pan. Decorate like a pumpkin face using corn kernels.

Witches' Brooms and Sauce (Pillsbury)

I didn't do a good job of shaping my breadsticks. Pillsbury's brooms look much better.

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated garlic breadsticks

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil

½ c grated Parmesan cheese

2 c marinara sauce

Heat oven to 350°. Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Unroll breadstick dough on work surface. Cut dough in half crosswise, and separate to make 16 strips. Place strips on cookie sheets, 1” apart. Using a small paring knife or kitchen scissors, make 4 thin cuts (2” long) on 1 end of each strip. Spread out cut ends to make bristles of each broom. Brush dough with oil; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 8-10 min or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.

Marinara Sauce (Giada De Laurentils; Everyday Italian) 1 hr 10 min; Makes 2 cups.

¼ c extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 (32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 dried bay leaf

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 min. Add the celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 min. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Re-warm over medium heat before using.)

Vegetable Skeleton (Taste of Home)

Courtenay made this vegetable skeleton at my request for Halloween 2010. It turned out so cute! You can really use any vegetables you want and just arrange it in the shape of a skeleton.

Head of cabbage or iceberg lettuce

Zucchini slices

Red and yellow bell pepper slices (full-circle and cross-cut)

Celery sticks

Carrot sticks

Sugar snap peas or snow peas

Broccoli florets, peeled

Cauliflower florets

Radishes

Cherry tomatoes

Cucumber slices

Mushroom slices

Parsley

1 c Ranch Dressing

To make head:

Line half of small bowl with lettuce for the skeleton’s hair. Fill with dressing. Place at one end of large tray or baking sheet for the skeleton’s head. (OR: Cut head of lettuce or cabbage in half. Hollow out a small bowl in the center of one half of the lettuce or cabbage half. Fill with dip. Add cherry tomatoes for eyes and nose. Use a red pepper slice for the mouth. Add broccoli florets around outside for hair.)

To make the body:

Use celery stalks for the bones. Use zucchini slices for the joints. Use sugar snap peas for the ribs. Use full-circle slices of red pepper for the pelvic bones. Take cauliflower florets and use for hands and feet. Use pieces of whole carrots for the fingers and toes.

Sugar Cookies (Betty Crocker)

Makes about 28 cookies. $1.40 with tax; $0.05 per cookie; $0.60 per dozen
½ c shortening
¼ c butter or margarine, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla 
2 ½ c white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt 

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 400°. Roll dough 1/8” thick (the thicker the better) on a lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 min or until very light brown around edges.

Make jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. 

Quick Pizza Dough (April Ashton)

Updated 11/11/12. Makes one cookie sheet of dough.

1 c warm water
1 Tbsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
2½ c white flour*

Add the water, yeast and sugar first. Then salt, oil and flour. Mix until bread is pulling away from side of the bowl. Mix for about 4 min or knead till elastic. Let rest for a few min. Roll dough into desired shape. Pull off an extra portion if the dough is very thick. Roll that onto an extra (smaller) pan (about ½ a cookie sheet). Poke with a fork to avoid bubbles, then top with desired toppings. Bake at 450° for 14 min. Crust should be slightly brown.

Top with half of a 7-oz jar of pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Additional fun toppings: ham, olives, Alfredo chicken, tomatoes, pineapple; BBQ chicken, cilantro and green onions. Tip: Let your kids slice olives with an egg slicer.

*You can substitute up to 1 cup of white wheat flour for the regular flour with good results. Add 1 tsp of wheat gluten if you do.


For variation, make pizza balls and dip them in pizza sauce.

Divide the dough into 15 balls. Add a slice of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese to each. Seal. *Spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil. Arrange the pizza balls. Spray again with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and herbs. Bake at 425° for 17 min. Dip in heated pizza sauce.

*Try melting butter in the bottom of the pan first, then rolling each ball in that.


For Valentine's Day, divide the dough and let the kids each make their own heart-shaped pizza.


For Halloween, cook your pizza on a circular pan and make it look like a Jack-o-Lantern:


Or make Candy Corn Pizza (from ourbestbites.com)

Make a thick ring of cheddar around the outside edge and a thick layer of mozzarella in the center. (You can see that mine isn't thick enough to cover the pizza sauce completely.) Cut into wedges.

Cheesy Carrot Soup

$2.79 w/tax

4 c chicken broth (2-14oz cans or use 4 c water and 4 bouillon cubes)
2 c coarsely chopped carrots (4 carrots)
2 c cooked white beans (or 8 bean cubes)
1 tsp onion powder (or ¼ onion, chopped)
¼ c dry powdered milk
1 c grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Original or Garlic & Herb
¼ tsp salt
Dash of pepper
Keebler Club crackers, Saltines or bread bowls

Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add carrots, beans and onion. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, ~25 min. Transfer hot mixture to blender. Add milk and puree until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. Add cheese and stir till melted. Add seasonings. Pour into serving bowls. Serve with crackers.

*This makes a great orange meal during Halloween time!



Tip: I cooked up enough white beans for 3 batches of soup, so divided an onion into the bags and carrots, too. So I'll be ready for 2 more rounds of carrot soup. Yippee!