"Spooky" Meal Ideas
Getting ready for Halloween with some spooky meal ideas. No tricks here, these are all sure to be a treat!
ITS NOT TOO LATE! If you have a tried-and-true recipe for the holidays, send it in for an entry into our next drawing for your chance to win Darlene’s “The Cookie Book!”
The winner will be featured in our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide (Nov. 19, 2023) and other recipes will appear in a future Now We’re Cookin’ edition.
Good luck!
Submit your recipe and register to win at: clickit.entries@gmail.com
(All submissions will be entered into the drawing and need to be received by Oct. 25, 2023. Each winner will be announced and contacted. We do not ship the prizes, but are available for pick up Mon.-Thurs., 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
Pumpkin Waffles
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 6
Pumpkin Waffles
2-1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. milk
1 C. canned pumpkin
4 eggs, separated
1/4 C. butter, melted
Apple Cider Syrup
1/2 C. white sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C. apple cider
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. butter
Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir milk, pumpkin, and egg yolks together in a separate bowl. Whip egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form.
Stir the flour mixture and 1/4 C. melted butter to the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine. Use a whisk or rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, stirring gently until incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Cook waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions.
To make the syrup: Stir sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Stir in apple cider and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 2 T. of butter until melted. Serve warm.
Bats and Cobwebs
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 6
1 (8 oz.) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 (28 oz.) jar pasta sauce
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water, bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the bow tie pasta and return to a boil. Boil pasta, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
Cook and stir ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain fat. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
Stir cooked pasta and half of the mozzarella cheese into the sauce; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
Roasted Delicata Squash
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
4 - 6 serving(s)
2 med. delicata squash (about 2 lbs.)
1/4 C. salted butter, melted
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
On a large cutting board, cut one squash in half. Use a spoon to scrape out and discard seeds. Slice the squash crosswise into 1-inch thick slices and place slices in a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining squash.
Pour the melted butter over the squash, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with the sage, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Add the parmesan cheese, tossing to coat.
On an unlined baking sheet, place the squash in a single layer. Roast until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
How do you tell if a delicata squash is ripe?
A ripe delicata squash is yellow or cream-colored with green and/or orange stripes. It should be firm and a little bit heavy, just like a juicy watermelon! Avoid squash that is light green, lightweight for its size, or has an off-color or soft spots.
Do you eat the skin of delicata squash?
This type of squash is so easy to prepare because there is no need to peel it. In fact, the name came about because it has a characteristically delicate skin. The squash has a perfectly edible and beautiful peel. It is also more tender than butternut or acorn squash, making it much easier to cut up.
Apple Hand Pies
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Additional Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Yield: 4 hand pies
2 T. butter
2 lg. green apples - peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 C. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp. water
1 lb. prepared pie dough, cut into 4 pieces
1 egg
2 tsp. milk
1 tsp. white sugar, or as needed
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; let butter brown to a light golden color and smell toasted, about 1 minute. Stir apples into hot butter; sprinkle with 1/4 C. white sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Cook and stir apple mixture until apples are softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in cinnamon and water; continue cooking until apples are soft and sticky, 1 to 2 more minutes. Spread apple filling onto a plate to cool. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Form a dough piece into a ball, place on a floured work surface, and roll into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup apple filling in the center. Fold dough over filling, leaving about 1 inch of dough on the bottom side visible below the top side. Gently press dough closed around filling, using your fingertips. Fold the overhanging bottom part of dough up over the top edge, working your way around the crust, and pinch the overhang tightly to the top part of the crust. Crimp the edge tightly closed, pinching a little bit of dough with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and using your index finger on the other hand to push a small notch into the pinched dough. Continue pinching and notching all the way around until crust is tightly crimped together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Transfer pies onto prepared baking sheet. Whisk egg with milk in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Brush top of each hand pie with egg mixture and sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp. white sugar. Cut 3 small vent holes in the top of each pie. Bake in the preheated oven until pies are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 min. Let cool for at least 15 min. before serving.
To make in the air fryer: Prepare recipe as directed, except preheat air fryer to 350°F. Coat both sides of pies with cooking spray. Working in batches if needed, arrange pies in an even layer in air fryer basket and cook until golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 10 min. Let cool about 10 min. before serving.
Here’s a recipe for buttercrust pastry dough that would work perfectly for the hand pies.
Buttercrust Pastry Dough
Yield: 1 lg pie or 4 turnovers.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Additional Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min.
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. butter, cut into 12 cubes, frozen
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 T. ice water
Place 1 C. flour into a food processor with the blade attachment. Sprinkle frozen butter cubes over flour. Cover with remaining 1 C. flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse in short bursts until butter is broken down into small pieces, about 1 minute.
Drizzle in ice water. Pulse with longer pulses until mixture turns pale yellow and resembles bread crumbs, 10 to 12 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Pulse 1 to 2 more times.
Transfer mixture onto a work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to overnight before rolling out.
Creepy Candied Corn
Total Time Prep: 30 min. Bake: 60 min.
Makes : 7 quarts
3 pkgs. (3.3 oz. each) butter-flavored microwave popcorn
1-1/3 C. sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1/2 C. butter, cubed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 5 drops green food coloring, optional
Preheat oven to 250°. Pop popcorn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to 2 very large bowls; discard any unpopped kernels.
In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir 3 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and, if desired, food coloring. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans.
Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Break into clusters. Store in airtight containers.
Cinnamon Bundt Coffee Cake
Submitted by Mary Mortenson – Drummer Test Kitchen
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding
1/4 C. oil
1/2 C. applesauce
3/4 C. water
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Swirl mixture
1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Combine cake mix, pudding, oil, applesauce, water, eggs, and vanilla. Mix at high speed for 8 minutes. Grease Bundt pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon to make swirl mixture. First, layer half the batter in the pan, then add half of the swirl mixture. Next, add rest of the batter, and sprinkle the rest of the swirl mixture on top. Swirl entire contents with knife. Bake at 350° F for 60 minutes. Enjoy.
Quote of the Week:
“Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.”
~ Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing