Category — Halloween Recipes

All the foodies and bloggers out there are going crazy for pumpkins! Okay, this isn’t real pumpkin, but this  infant pumpkin costume is too cute! No infants were harmed for this blog.

I love pumpkins myself, and of course there will be recipes to come, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with Kotomi’s decorated sugar cookies at Bake Greek. Now that the weather has cooled down, I don’t see dripping ice cream cones everywhere. These faux cones will more than suffice!

Can you believe this was done with a sugar cookie and some fondant?

Wilton 10-pc. Gum Paste Tool Set

Okay, maybe I haven’t gotten over this ice cream thing…an Ice Cream Sundae Costume is looking mighty delicious!

Adult Ice Cream Sundae Costume

Butternut Squash Soup is warm and comforting. It’s just what the doctor ordered as we bid summer adieu. This beautiful picture is from Bay Area Foodie who used Thomas Keller‘s recipe. Yum!

Butternut Squash Soup With Brown Butter
1 3-to-3 1/2-pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs sage
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons honey
6 cups vegetable stock, more if needed
Bouquet Garni made of 8 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs Italian parsley,
2 bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, all wrapped in a
packet made of 2 green leek leaves
1/4 cup creme fraiche
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced chives
Extra-virgin olive oil.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the neck off the squash and set it aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop [Rosle Ice Cream Scoop] out and discard seeds. Brush each half inside and out with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet and roast until completely tender, about 1 hour. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool, then scoop out and reserve the flesh (discard sage).

2. Meanwhile, using a paring knife, peel away the skin from the neck of the squash until you reach the bright orange flesh. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 cups).

3. Put the remaining canola oil in a stockpot [Infinite Circulon 7 Qt. Covered Straining Stockpot]  over medium-high heat, add the leeks, carrots, shallots and onions and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to keep the garlic and squash from coloring. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.

4. Add the roasted squash and simmer gently for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and puree. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Place the creme fraiche in a small chilled bowl and stir in nutmeg to taste. Whisk until the creme fraiche holds a shape. Cover and refrigerate.

6. Gently reheat the soup until just hot. If it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and rotate the skillet over the heat as necessary to brown the butter evenly, scraping up any bits that settle in the bottom. As soon as the butter is a hazelnut brown, pour it into the pot of soup — keep a safe distance, it may sputter — then stir.

7. Ladle the soup into six serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of creme fraiche. Grind some black pepper over the top and sprinkle on the chives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Serves 6.

Adapted from ”Bouchon,” by Thomas Keller.

Blogger Kitchy Kitchen has this amazing recipe for Black Rosemary Fizz. Kitchy Kitchen listed her photos and recipe as a summer drink, but I think it’ll be really great as a non-alcoholic beverage for a Halloween party. The deep ruby blood color is so pretty!

Here’s her pretty pitcher:

Lenox “Tuscany Classics” Pierced Pitcher

Crate & Barrel Bitty Bite Glasses

Crate & Barrel Extra Punch Cup 10oz.

Some of the best memories from trick-or-treating were walking around and seeing the neighborhood homes done up in the scariest fashion–some neighbors even had haunted homes us kids could walk through! Here are some super scary decorations that would make any Halloween reveler look twice!

Halloween Window Posters

Put these vampire window posters up and Twilight’s Edward Cullen will be the furthest thing from kid’s minds!

Timberwolf Prop – Scary Halloween Decorations

Imagine this wolf man hanging in your doorway–eep! And of course, since this is cooking&blogging here are some candy molds to place scary suckers around your own haunted house:

Scary Faces Sucker Candy Mold

Man’s best friend in their Halloween finest!

Batman Pet Costume

Ghost Headpiece and 4 Paw Cuffs Pet Costume

Holiday Waiting for Santa Pajamas

Trick-or-treat!

What kind of candy do adults eat for Halloween when the normal, store-bought candy doesn’t cut it? Erin from Erin’s Food Files has the right idea with her Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles.

Here is Erin’s recipe adapted from Whole Foods

“Ingredients:

½ cup white chocolate chunks
2 cups white chocolate almond bark (I think I used around 4-5 cubes)
1/3 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine salt
2 ounces cream cheese, softened

Directions:

Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat or in the microwave for about 1 minutes.

Sur La Table Basics Stainless Steel Double Boiler

Stir often to keep the chocolate from burning. Transfer to a large bowl. Add gingersnap crumbs, pumpkin, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, zest, cinnamon, salt and cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover and chill until just solid enough to roll into balls, about 2 hours.

Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.

CIA Bakeware 9-1/2 x 13 inch Non Stick Baking Sheet

Melt remaining 2 cups white chocolate almond bark and transfer to a small, deep bowl. Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture into a ball in your hands, then drop into the chocolate. Working quickly, gently spoon chocolate over to coat. Using a small spoon or fork, lift the truffle out of the chocolate, shake off excess and transfer to prepared sheet tray. Dollop a bit of extra chocolate on any parts that remain exposed, then sprinkle a few gingersnap or graham cracker crumbs over the top, if you like.

Repeat process with remaining pumpkin mixture and chocolate, then chill truffles until chocolate is completely set, about 1 hour.”

Plate and serve. This Waechtersbach plate is funky!

Waechtersbach Halloween Ghost Plate

These pumpkin carvings are so precise! Here are some great pumpkin carving tips and images from BlogOnCherry:

1. Select a pumpkin that is ripe, has no bruises, cuts or nicks.

2. Do not carry a pumpkin by its stem; it may break, and do not bruise it as it will not last as long.

3. For easy cleanup, place your pumpkin on several layers of newspaper before carving.

Kids: have a parent or other adult cut a circle around the stem of the pumpkin for you. They should use a sharp knife with long, sturdy blade for best and safest results. Or, you can do it yourself with a safer, plastic “pumpkin carving” knife available at many supermarkets during the pumpkin season.

LamsonSharp Pro 4″ Pumpkin Carving Knife

Parents: knives are very sharp, so make sure that the proper supervision is maintained when the children carve their pumpkins.

4. Make sure the hole is large enough to reach in and pull out the seeds and stringy membrane.

Use this pretty Crate & Barrel Shelby Bowl to gather all the membrane!

5. The bottom of the pumpkin could also be cut off instead, this will allow the pumpkin to sit up straight and make removing the seeds easier!

6. When cleaning out the pumpkin, use an old soup ladle to get out the seeds.

Calphalon Stainless Utensils Ladle

7. Try carving a giant pumpkin, it is easier to carve than a regular pumpkin.

8. Examine your pumpkin to determine the best place to carve his or her face. Draw an outline of a face on a plain sheet of white paper (use simple bold features), or print one of the free templates (click here to go to the full-sized print-ready template).

9. Tape your paper to the pumpkin where you want the face to be. Score the design onto the pumpkin by punching through the paper into the pumpkin with a large nail or pin.

10. Carefully cut out the design following the holes that were “punched” with your plastic knife. When you are finished cutting, simply push out the pieces to view the final results.

Country Living put together this great Halloween tablescape. It’s not cheesy but, as they say, “elegantly eerie.”

Here are my suggestions for Halloween that can carry over to everyday home decor:

L’Objet Black Key Candle

Votivo Dalian Collection “Clean Crisp White” Candle

West Elm Manzanita Wall Tealight Holder

Delft Skull Plates by Douglas Little

Black Ceramic Vase

Alexander McQueen was the king of skulls–he could make something macabre into something beautiful.  McQueen’s skull motif is probably one of his most famous, and in the spirit of the month, all hail McQueen!  Here are some of my favorite  McQueen items that have inspired me in the kitchen to make skull candy:

Women’s Alexander McQueen Studded Skull Clutch

Women’s Alexander McQueen Skull-Print Chiffon Scarf

Skulls Candy Mold

And Skull and Crossbones Ice Cubes? A party isn’t complete without these!

Halloween Party Skull Ice Cube Tray Kitchen Tools

Nothing is easier to serve at a Halloween party than a big batch of cupcakes.  No cake to cut, no plates or silverware-just grab and go! Here a few fun ideas for decorating Halloween cupcakes:

These monster cupcakes are decorated with candies, marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and licorice.  The bottom right cupcake’s tentacles are made from strips of Laffy Taffy, and the bottom left is constructed out of gum drops and Good & Plenty licorice candies.  Click on the photo to see a diagram of all the candies used.

These spider cupcakes look like a real chocolate fix!   They are chocolate cupcakes and chocolate icing topped with chocolate sprinkles, red hots for eyes, and black licorice ropes for legs.

Other ideas for decorating Halloween cupcakes:  Candy corn, candy pumpkins, gummy body parts, orange frosting, marshmallow ghosts, etc.

It’s easier and much quicker to make a lot of cupcakes if you have at least two cupcake pans, so you can work on filling one while the other is in the oven.  The pumpkin cupcake pan above turns out 4 jack-o-lantern cupcakes, and it’s available at Oriental Trading Company.  For a non-stick option, try silicone bakeware.

Need more ideas?  Check out our Halloween recipes!