It’s Halloween time!

It’s Halloween time! Time for some spooky dishes, perfect for any Halloween themed party.

WITCHES BREW CREAM CHEESE DIP

6 c. milk

3 boxes pistachio pudding (or cheesecake pudding)

16 oz. cool whip, thawed

16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

Green food coloring (optional)

Gummy eyeballs

Gummy worms/gummy snakes

Instructions

Pour the pudding into a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Whisk for about 3-4 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and pudding. Next fold in the cool whip. Mix until everything is incorporated.

Pour into a bowl (or witch’s cauldron). Stick gummy eyeballs and gummy worms into the top of the dip.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes: If you use cheesecake or vanilla pudding for this dip, you’ll want to add a little bit of green food coloring to the dip while you’re mixing it.

This pairs perfectly with vanilla wafer cookies.

JACK-O-LANTERN STUFFED PEPPERS

Serves 4-6

6 lg. orange bell peppers

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

1 c. cooked rice

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Using a small paring knife, carefully carve jack-o’-lantern faces into each pepper. Set aside the tops and hollowed peppers.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic, sautéing until the onion is translucent. Add the ground beef or turkey and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon.

Once the meat is cooked, drain any excess fat. Stir in the cooked rice, diced tomatoes (with juice), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Spoon the meat and rice mixture into each carved pepper until they’re generously filled. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of each filled pepper, pressing it down slightly.

Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish and cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow the peppers to cool slightly before serving. Place the tops back onto the peppers for presentation if desired.

And of course, dessert.

BLOODY HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES

Cupcakes

Use your favorite vanilla cake mix and bake according to cupcake directions.

Fake blood

¾ c. strawberry puree fresh or frozen

¼ c. sugar

1 tbsp. Lemon juice freshly squeezed

Frosting

⅓ c. mascarpone full fat

⅓ c. powdered sugar sifted

¾ c. cream cheese full fat

Edible glass

½ c. water

¾ c. sugar

⅕ c. corn syrup

Instructions

Edible glass

Start with making the edible glass. Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper. Boil sugar, corn syrup and water until it reaches 300 degrees then carefully pour it over the prepared baking pan. Let it cool in the fridge for a few hours then break it into smaller pieces

Fake blood

Cook the ingredients for about 10 minutes until thickens to a “blood” consistency. After cooking, use a sieve to get a smooth texture. Let it cool before using it.

Frosting

Whip mascarpone, cream cheese and icing sugar with an Electric hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about one or two minutes. Once it has reached the right consistency, do not overbeat as it can become runny.

Assembling

Once cupcakes are cooled to room temperature, make a small hole on each of them and fill them with fake blood, about 1 tbsp.

Frost each cupcake as you’d like. To be fancy, using a decorating tip.

Break edible glass and place 2-3 pieces on each cupcake

Use more fake blood on top of the cupcakes

PURPLE PEOPLE EATER PUNCH