Recipes for a Spooky Celebration!

Having a Halloween party? We have a few recipes this week just for your spooky celebration. 

If you have a favorite recipe, send it in! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Bubbling Cauldron Punch

Level: Easy

Total: 10 min

Active: 10 min

Yield: 8 servings

3/4 c. frozen limeade concentrate (about 1/2 of a 12 oz. can), thawed

3 (12 oz.) cans ginger beer, chilled

1 cup coconut rum or vodka (optional)

1 pint green tea ice cream

Stir together the limeade concentrate, 3-1/2 cups cold water and 1 can ginger beer in a punch bowl. Add the rum, if using.

Scoop the ice cream into the punch. Pour the remaining 2 cans ginger beer over the top to create foam.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Level: Easy

Total: 20 min

Active: 20 min

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

3 c. orange cheese puffs

2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temp.

3 c. shredded Cheddar

1/4 c. chopped chives

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bell pepper with a long stem

Crackers, for serving

Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it. With the tip of a butter knife, carve lines down the sides to resemble a pumpkin.

Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs. Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper. Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers and slices of bell pepper.

Hot Dog Mummies

Level: Easy

Total: 30 min

Active: 15 min

Yield: 8 servings

1 (8 oz.) tube crescent dough

8 bun-length hot dogs

1 slice white American cheese

Ketchup and/or mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Open the crescent dough tube and unroll the dough onto a work surface. Pinch together the seams to create a rectangle. Cut the dough lengthwise into 8 long strips.     

Take 1 hot dog and 1 strip of the dough and wind the dough around the hot dog while pulling gently to stretch the dough. Crisscross the dough every so often so it looks like mummy wrappings. Near the end of the hot dog, leave a narrow strip of hot dog exposed so you can add eyes after baking. Place the wrapped dog on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough and hot dogs. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While hot dogs bake, use the narrow end of a wide piping tip to punch out 16 small rounds of cheese for the mummies’ eyes. 

Remove the hot dogs from oven. Using a toothpick, smear some ketchup on one side of each cheese round and “glue” it to the open area of the hot dog to create 2 eyes. Using the same toothpick, put a dab of ketchup or mustard in the center of each eye to create a pupil.

Jack-o’-Lantern Chicken and Sweet Potato Potpies

Yields:8

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hour

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. sweet potatoes (about 2)

1 large onion

Kosher salt and pepper

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. dry white wine

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1 small rotisserie chicken

1 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 large egg

Heat oven to 375°F. Oil eight 6-oz ramekins (3-1/2-in. round).

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the wine and then the broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, parsley and nutmeg. Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins (about 3/4 cup each). Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Using a 3-3/4-in. pumpkin cookie cutter and a 3/4-in. triangle cookie cutter, cut out pumpkins and their faces from the puff pastry. Place a jack-o’-lantern on each ramekin, brush with the egg and bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Mummy Hand Pies

Level: Easy

Total: 55 min

Active: 25 min

Yield: 6 hand pies

1/4 c. canned pumpkin

2 T. sweetened condensed milk

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Kosher salt

2 refrigerated pie crusts, thawed if frozen

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 large egg

12 raisins

1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and a pinch of salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Roll out 1 pie crust on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin to form a rectangle about 9 inches by 12 inches. Square off the crust with a knife, reserving the scraps for decorating. Cut the pie crust into 6 equal rectangles, each about 3 inches by 6 inches. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roll out the other pie crust to the same thickness as the first. Cut into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide and 7 inches long. Repeat with the reserved dough scraps. Transfer the strips to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling to the center of each rectangular crust. Use the back of a spoon to spread out the filling, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges.

Lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the pies with the egg wash. Layer the strips of dough, varying the angle of each strip to create a “mummy” look. Seal the edges with a fork and use a paring knife to trim the overhang. Lightly brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash. Add 2 raisins to each hand pie for the eyes.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through for even color, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a baking rack slightly, about 5 minutes.

Serve as is or decorate with a simple icing. Combine the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl with 1/2 teaspoon water. Stir until smooth and glossy. Transfer the icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Pipe the icing onto the hand pies using the stripes of pie crust as a guide. Serve.

Boo-Ger Goober Cookies

Peanut butter-filled sandwich cookies

White chocolate chips

Edible color marker

Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir thoroughly, until it’s smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper. Dip half of the peanut butter-filled sandwich cookies into the white chocolate and then lay flat on covered cookie sheet. When chocolate is set well, draw on faces with edible marker.

Halloween Popcorn Treats

Level: Easy

Total: 1 hr 13 min

Prep: 5 min

Inactive: 1 hr

Cook: 8 min

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Vegetable cooking spray

3 T. vegetable oil

1/3 c. popcorn kernels

3 T. butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

6 c. (12 oz.) mini marshmallows

6 fun-size caramel peanut chocolate bars (such as Snickers), cut into 1/4” pieces

3 (3”) chocolate chip cookies, crumbled

1/3 c. chopped salted almonds,

1/2 c. orange and black chocolate candies

Spray the inside of a large mixing bowl with vegetable cooking spray, and lightly spray a baking sheet. Set aside.

In a 3 quart or larger, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil and popcorn over medium-high heat. Cover the pan and shake gently. Cook until all the kernels have popped, about 3 minutes. Place the popcorn in the prepared bowl.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over low heat. Add the vanilla extract and marshmallows. Stir constantly until the marshmallows have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Using a spatula, sprayed with cooking spray, stir until the popcorn is coated. Spread the mixture over the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the chocolate bar pieces, cookies, almonds and chocolate candies. Using a spatula, gently press the toppings into the popcorn. Allow the mixture to dry for 1 hour.

Break into 2-inch pieces and store airtight in a plastic container.

Serving Suggestion: Place in small plastic bags and seal with colored ribbon.

Quote of the Week:

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time,” said Twain, “and your government when it deserves it.”  

~ Mark Twain