Halloween Menu

Halloween is such an awesome time of year!  It is one of the best times to throw a party because all of your food can be Halloween themed!!  Here is a list of recipes from my blog and others to make your Halloween Party great!

Appetizers:
Mummy Dogs

Goblin Dip with Bone Crackers

Individual Spooky White Pizzas

Main Courses:
Ghostly Shepherd's Pie

Desserts:
Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Brownies

Candy Apples

Candy Corn Cookies

Drinks:
Spooky Halloween Punch

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Strawberry Shortcake Shooters

Have you ever had the shooter desserts at Applebee's? Well this is a take on those.  I love strawberry shortcake, but I wanted to keep myself from eating the entire cake.  So I thought why don't I make individual ones in a shot glass and then it's automatic portion control.  Well except for when you eat 6 of them...which is what I did.  This dessert is super simple and super delish!  To make it even faster, use yellow cake mix instead of making your own and add a little bit of strawberry extract to it.

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons strawberry extract

Strawberries:
1 quart fresh strawberries
1/2 cup strawberry jam

Cream:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons strawberry extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened.  Add flour, milk, vegetable oil, baking powder, vanilla and strawberry extracts.  Beat for one minute or until smooth.  Pour into loaf pan.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the stems of the strawberries and slice them.  Put in a large bowl and mix with strawberry jam.  Put in refrigerator until ready to serve.  It will make a strawberry syrup and the strawberries will soften slightly.

In a large, cold bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer.  After about 5 minutes, sprinkle in the sugar slowly while beating.   Continue to beat until it becomes very thick and forms soft peaks on your beater.  Pour in the strawberry extract and beat for another minute.  If desired, you can pour into a piping bag or into a ziploc bag.  Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

 Once cake is done, allow to cool for an hour.  Remove from pan and make 1 inch slices down the loaf.  Take each slice and using a shot glass, cut out circles of the cake.  To build your dessert, put one piece of cake in the bottom.  Cover with whipped cream.  Then top with a few strawberry slices.  Continue with one piece of cake and top off with whipped cream.

You can also just make a layer cake by making 2 8-inch rounds of cake.  Put all of the strawberries in between the two cakes.  Frost the entire outside with the whipped cream.

Chill for about an hour.  Serve and enjoy!

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay so this might actually be the best recipe I have ever created! It has a lot of ingredients, but is super easy and one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted! It makes a pretty big batch, so you will have plenty of leftovers to enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
2 poblano chilis (optional, 1 for less spicy)
1 1/2 onions
5 garlic cloves
4 corn tortillas
2 32oz containers chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 taco seasoning packet
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup monterey jack cheese
1 6 oz can tomato paste

Toppings:
Cheese
Avocado
Crushed Tortilla chips or homemade tortilla strips
Lime

Directions:
In a large skillet, char the tomatoes, onions with the skin, poblano peppers, and garlic with the skin for about 5 minutes on each side or until brown.  Don't worry if it gets very dark.  This is flavor!

Remove all of the vegetables and remove the skin of the onion and garlic.  Cut the vegetables up into smaller pieces.  A few cuts should do the trick.  No need to finely dice!  Put these in a large pot with 2 32 oz containers of chicken broth, half of the taco seasoning packet, and the tomato paste.  Stir and allow to cook on medium high heat for 45-50 minutes or until vegetables become very soft.  After about 30 minutes, chop up the 4 corn tortillas and put them into the soup! I know this sounds weird, but you are thickening the soup this way!

In another pot, put the chicken breasts and fill with water so that the chicken is just covered.  Stir in the second half of the taco seasoning packet.  Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until chicken becomes tender.  After 30 minutes, shred the chicken and put it back in the pot of seasoned water on medium low heated until needed.

In the same large skillet you charred the vegetables before, char the corn now.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until corn begins to turn brown.  Set aside.

After about 50 minutes of the vegetables cooking in the chicken broth stir to check for tenderness.  If they are tender, in small batches, blend them in the blender.  Once everything is blended, but it back in the pot and allow it to cook for another 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, not you can add your corn, shredded chicken, and one cup of monterey jack cheese.  Allow this to cook for another 20-25 minutes.

While the soup is cooking you can get your toppings ready.  Cheese is always great on the top.  I also like avocado! Don't forget to squeeze some lime on the avocado so it does not turn brown.

You can also crush up tortilla chips, but I made my own tortilla strips.  Slice a couple of corn tortillas into strips while a pot of hot oil is coming up to temperature.  About 375 degrees is a good temperature to fry at. Toss in the corn tortillas and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden.  Drain on a paper towel and season with salt as soon as they come out of the fryer.

Once the soup is ready, pour a big ladle full into a bowl and top with cheese, avocado, and those delicious tortilla strips! Enjoy!

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Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, thinnly sliced
1/2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups dry marsala wine
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup flour
salt
pepper

Directions:
After you clean each chicken breast, slice it into 4 thin slices lengthwise.  Use a very sharp filet knife for the best results.  Season each side with salt and pepper.  Evenly coat in the flour and shake off an excess.  While you are coating, begin getting a large skillet warm with about 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom.

Once oil is hot, saute each chicken breast piece on each side, about 4 minutes a side or just until slightly browned.  Set aside.  Now toss in the mushrooms and saute until they begin to caramelize.  This should take about 10 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms.  With the heat on medium, deglaze the pan with the wine.  Scrape all of the bits off of the bottom of the pan.  Allow to reduce for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth and allow the entire sauce to cook for another 10 minutes.  Put the mushrooms back in and allow to cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Put the chicken back in and with the lid half on and half off cook for 25 minutes, flipping chicken over every 5 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

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Stuffed Shells

Lasagna has always been on of my favorite recipes.  Here is something very similar but with a slight variation because its shells.  Also a quick tomato sauce is included, but feel free to use any store bought sauce if you are short on time!

Ingredients:
12 oz box jumbo shells
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1/4 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese, split into 1 1/2 and 1/2 cup
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese
8 oz container frozen spinach
20 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup store bought alfredo sauce or heavy cream (optional)
4 basil leaves
dried parsley
salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil a large pot of water.  Once water has boiled, add 2 tablespoons of salt and toss in the jumbo shells.  Allow to cook about 14 minutes.  Drain and allow to cool in colander.

In a small sauce pan heat the oil and saute the crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and onions on medium heat until they become translucent.  They will also smell fantastic!  This should take 5-10 minutes.

Then add the tomato paste and stir together with the garlic and onions.  Fill the empty can with water and dump into the pot.  Stir together until completely combined.  Stir in the 2 cans of tomato sauce and fill only one with water and empty into the pot.  Stir until combined. I know this water in a can thing sounds crazy, but it gives it the perfect consistency and flavor!  Leave on a medium low flame and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Put the frozen spinach in the microwave and cook according to the package.  Drain as much excess water as you possibly can.   

Mix the spinach with the alfredo sauce or heavy cream as well as one egg.

Stir in the ricotta,  1 1/2 cups mozzarella, and parmesan cheese until combined.

Line two baking dishes with about 1/3 of the tomato sauce.  Then stuff each shell with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling and line in the baking dish.

Cover the top with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes in the oven.  Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Serve and enjoy!

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Roasted Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

I know the combination sounds super weird, but these were absolutely heavenly!  Sometimes sweet potatoes are just too sweet to eat with dinner, but these were perfect.  The salty cheese and the sweet potato are a
match made in heaven!

Ingredients:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 basil leaves
4 rosemary sprigs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, put the olive oil and the cubed sweet potatoes.  Stick to about a 1/2 inch cube and try to make them all the same size.  Chop up the basil leaves and rosemary sprigs very finely and put into the bowl.  Stir around until each potato is evenly coated.

Pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until potatoes become tender.

Take out of the oven, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (I freshly grated mine), and place back in for another 10 minutes or until cheese begins to melt.  Serve and enjoy!

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Walnut Blondie with Maple Butter Sauce

Have you ever had that awesome dessert at Applebees! Well here is an exact replica of it! The blondie is nice and chewy with the sticky, creamy, warm sauce over top.  Don't forget the ice cream to complete this treat!

Here are the ingredients needed!  I decided to make a double batch after I took the picture, but the recipe below will be for the double batch!

Ingredients:
Blondie:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips

Maple Butter Sauce:
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and walnuts

In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.

Stir in the brown sugar and mix until almost dissolved.

Beat the egg and add the vanilla extract.  Then pour into the butter and brown sugar mixture and mix until smooth.

Slowly pour in the flour mixture into the butter mixture and stir until everything is combined.  Then stir in the white chocolate chips.

Prepare a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and spread the dough into the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

While the blondies are baking, make the sauce.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and maple syrup together on medium heat while slowly whisking.

Once it begins to bubble, slowly stir in the brown sugar until sauce thickens slightly.

Once blondies are finished baking, allow to cool slightly and cut.  Pour the sauce over and serve plain or with ice cream.  Enjoy!

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