Halloween Recipes

Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 4-6 orange peppers
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (roughly 1/2 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
• 3/4 cup tomato paste (one 6-ounce can)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 4 cups, or about two 10 oz. packages frozen vegetable medley, thawed (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
• 1 pound Idaho® russet potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Slice the top off of each of the peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and, if desired, use a paring knife to carve a jack o’lantern face into each pepper.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until it is browned. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the tomato paste, Worscestershire sauce, and beef broth. Add vegetables, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. While the meat is cooking, place the Idaho® potatoes and a pinch of salt into a pot of cold water, cover, and bring to boil. Remove cover and boil for 10-12 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot, add ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, milk, and salt. With potato masher or hand mixer, mash to desired consistency.
4. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
5. Divide the meat mixture between the peppers, then top with the mashed Idaho® potatoes and remaining cheese, and place in a glass baking dish.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until heated through, peppers are tender and cheese and potatoes are slightly browned.

 

Pizza Skulls

 Ingredients:

• 1 (13.8oz) can refrigerated pizza dough
• 6 Tbsp pizza sauce
• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled Italian sausage
• 24 slices pepperoni, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray skull pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Unroll pizza dough and press into a 15×10-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 strips. Drape each strip into skull cavity. Sprinkle with a little cheese, top with 1 Tablespoon of sauce, 4 pepperoni slices and some sausage. Top with remaining cheese. Fold dough over and press seams to seal.
3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

*Can freeze baked skulls for later.*

printable version: Pizza Skulls

 

MUMMY PUMPKIN COOKIES

Ingredients:

For the Crust :

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into cubes-chilled
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup ice water

(or you can use 1 package Refrigerated Pie Crust (2 crusts)

For filling and topping;

• 3/4 cup reduced pumpkin puree (place 1 cup pumpkin puree on several layers of paper towel, wrap and press to soak excess moisture until you get 3/4 cup pumpkin puree)
• 2 oz cream cheese -slightly softened
• 2 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg white-lightly beaten
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

1. To make the crust pulse together in a food processor flour, salt and sugar, then add butter and pulse until look like a coarse meal (don’t over-process, just pulse until butter is no longer in large pieces). Add chilled water 1-2 tablespoon at the time and pulse several times( if it doesn’t come together in clumps add remaining water). If you don’t have a food processor you can make the dough using two fork or pastry blender. Gather dough onto working surface, divide into two portions, shape each into 5-inch disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
2. To make the pumpkin pie filling in a bowl stir together cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar to blend. Add reduced pumpkin puree to cream cheese mixture along with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract. Cover bowl and chill until ready to assemble the cookies.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
4. To assemble the mummies roll out first disk of the dough onto a floured surface to about 13 x 11-inch rectangle . If the edges start to crack a little when rolling, seal them and continue rolling. Trim edges to get straight edges, then cut into rectangles( I made nine 4×3 rectangles, but you can make them smaller or larger, what ever you prefer) Roll out second dough disc and cut into 1/2 inch stripes.
5. Arrange the rectangles, spaced apart on prepared baking sheet and spread heaping 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie filling onto each rectangle, leaving rim on all sides uncoated. Brush uncoated edges with the mixture of lightly beaten egg white and 1 Tbsp water. Top with strips to create mummy look, then seal edges with your fingertips, and trim the excess of the stripes. Brush the stripes with egg whites and sprinkle with mixture of 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
6. Bake until golden brown about 20 minutes.
7. Stick candy eyes onto cooled mummies.

printable version: MUMMY PUMPKIN COOKIES

 

Shrunken Heads in Cider

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 8 large Granny Smith apples
• 32 whole cloves
• 2 gallons apple cider
• 2 (12-ounce) cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 2 cups spiced rum (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together lemon juice and salt; set aside.
2. Peel apples and cut each in half through the stem; remove seeds and core. Using a sharp paring knife, carve a face, as desired, on the rounded side of each apple half. Place apples in lemon mixture for one minute; transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. Place apples, face-side up on prepared baking sheet and transfer to oven. Let bake until apples are dry and begin to brown around the edges, about 90 minutes. Remove apples from baking sheets and press cloves into the “eye” sockets.
4. Combine cider, lemonade, and rum (if using) in a large punchbowl; float shrunken

printable version: Shrunken Heads in Cider