Halloween Food & Recipes

Easy Pumpkin Chili Bowls

from M. Ryan Taylor | serves 3, but is easily doubled

Ingredients:

• 3 Small Sugar or Pie Pumpkins
• 1 C 10-minute Brown Rice
• 1 C Frozen Corn
• 3 T Dehydrated Onion
• 3/8 tsp Salt
• 1 C Water
• 2 Cans of your Favorite Chili
• Optional: serve with Sour Cream and/or Olives

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°
2. Optional: Carve skin-deep designs in your pumpkins using a special pumpkin tool, a linoleum print knife or wood carving tool (available at art/craft stores).
3. Cut a round or jagged jack-o-lantern lid in each pumpkin and clean the seeds and pulp out (this is the hardest part and takes some time, however, assembling the remaining ingredients takes just a minute).
4. Layer 1/3 of each of the remaining ingredients (Brown Rice, Frozen Corn, Dehydrated Onion, Salt, Water, Favorite Chili) into each pumpkin and put the lid back in place.
5. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400° for 1 Hour.

Blue Moon Corn Muffins

adapted from a standard corn bread recipe by M. Ryan Taylor | makes 12-16 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cups all-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Blue Cornmeal*
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 drained can of White Hominy (or Corn)

*Blue Cornmeal can be found online if not at your local grocery or health food store. Arrowhead Mills and Bob’s Red Mill both carry Blue Cornmeal. Yellow Cornmeal will work if you don’t have time to order it.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° & prepare 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream Butter, Sugar, Honey, Eggs and Salt. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in Milk and Hominy (or corn). Spoon into muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Orange Essence Honey Butter

You won’t believe how good this simple butter tastes!
from M. Ryan Taylor | serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C softened Butter
• 4 T Honey
• Zest of 1 Orange

Directions:

1. Zest the Orange with a zester, micro-plane grater, or fine cheese grater and place zest in a small bowl.
2. Add Butter (I prefer salted) and Honey and whip by hand until smooth.
3. Serve in a fun & fancy butter dish for best visual effect.

Play fun Halloween music while you eat.

Red Eyes are Watching

from M. Ryan Taylor | Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 12 ripe Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 12 tsp Sour Cream
• 24 Black and/or Green Olive Slices

Directions:

1. Arrange halved Cherry Tomatoes.
2. Top each 1/2 tsp of Sour Cream.
3. Place an Olive Slice on top

Play fun Halloween music while you eat.

The Green Brain

a Taylor family recipe | makes 1 (very delicious) medium brain

Ingredients:

• 1 small package Lime Green Jell-O Brand Gelatin
• 1 C boiling Water
• 1/2 C Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 C Miracle Whip (or Mayo)
• 1/2 C Evaporated Milk
• 1 C well-drained Crushed Pineapple
• Brain Mold (Oriental Trading or party store)
• Dark Green Lettuce Leaves on Platter

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine gelatin and boiling water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Let cool until liquid becomes syrupy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixed uniformly.
3. Spray Brain Mold with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Pour mixture into the mold. It is all right if it doesn’t fill it entirely, but for a larger brain you may double the recipe and pour leftover gelatin mixture into hand molds (also available from Oriental Trading).
5. Refrigerate until firmly set.
6. Float mold in hot water for a few seconds.
7. Carefully turn mold out onto platter of lettuce leaves.

Suggestions:

• This goes well with almost any spooky dinner or party spread.
• Maintain “The Green Brain” effect longer: slice and serve with a pie server instead of a spoon.
• Play fun halloween music while you eat.