Terrifying Tarantula Meatloaf!
Most of you probably have your own favorite meatloaf recipes–but just in case, we’ve included a simple recipe below, along with our instructions on how to make a Terrifying Tarantula Meatloaf!
Basic Meatloaf Recipe:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 to 2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1/2 to 1 cup cup milk
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestshire sauce or steak sauce
Seasonings, to taste
1 chopped onion or 1 package onion soup mix
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup crumbs (bread, cracker, oatmeal or cornflakes)
1/2 cup tomato soup or sauce or ketchup
Separately: The decorative pieces include–two olives, strip of smile-shaped red pepper, eight skinny unpeeled carrots, squeeze bottle ketchup and mustard,
You will need: cookie sheet, non-stick foil and tooth picks (large ones are better).
Preparation:
Crumble ground beef in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine liquid ingredients–eggs, milk, and ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and/or steak sauce (whatever is handy) beat well; now add seasoning.For example; oregano, basil, parsley and paprika.
Pour over the meat and mix well. If you’re using chopped veggies (onions, peppers) and/or onion soup mix add now and mix again. Then add crumbs, (bread, cracker, oatmeal, and/or cornflakes) and mix again. Then form raw mixture into body of tarantula: 1 large ball for the main body (flatten ball slightly) and then a smaller ball (approx. ¼ the size) for the head.
Place main body ball on cookie sheet (place non-stick foil on pan and turn up edges to keep any juices from overflowing). Then using large tooth picks to hold in place attach smaller head ball. Use two olives for eyes and cut a strip of smile-shaped red pepper for the big smiley mouth.
Take eight skinny unpeeled carrots and wedge four per side along bottom of main body for legs. They will droop nicely over the edge of the plate when cooked.
Decorate top with squeeze bottle ketchup and mustard. Stripes and polka-dots are nice!
Bake it for 1/2 an hour at 400 degrees, then lower to 350 and continue baking for an hour.
Frightenly Simple Pumpkin Soup!
Makes approx. 4 to 6 small servings
1/2 cup onion very finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
3 tbsp. Butter
1 can of unsweetened, unspiced pumpkin mash
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Brown sugar
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or fat free half and half.
For decoration: strips of red pepper, cut into triangle shapes for carved pumpkin eyes and a strip cut to look like a jack-o-lantern’s mouth. Optional: bay or mint leaf to mimic a pumpkin stalk.
Chop the onion and garlic and gently brown with butter in a pan. Put pumpkin mash in with onion and garlic in pan. Add the salt, sugar, nutmeg and pepper. Slowly add chicken broth and heat thoroughly, but do not boil. To serve, pour into a tureen and
add the cream.
Stiff Mashed Potato Ghosts Blobs!
You will need: peeled potatoes, butter and milk (sparingly), enough green peas or olives for two eyes for each ghost blob, salt and pepper to taste, water and a big pot to boil the potatoes in
Preparation: Prepare your mashed potatos as you would normally EXCEPT when adding liquid (milk and/or butter) use very little to ensure that mashed potatos are very stiff.
Taste Tip: instead of salt use a teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder to season potatoes
When mashed potatoes have cooled enough to handle safely, form into little ghost blobs and use olives or green peas for the eyes. Bwa-ha-ha!
Makes 4 to 6 small servings
Ve-r-r-y Nice Chocolate Vampire Cookies!
Makes approx. 3 1/2 dozen cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 sticks plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar, plus more for dipping
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For Decoration: Red M&M’s, candy corn (at least enough to make 3 dozen sets of eyes and 3 dozen sets of fangs).
Preparation:
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine.
Gradually add dry ingredients, and combine with mixer on low speed.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Press down very very lightly to flatten very very slightly. Bake until set, about 8 minutes.
Cool on baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before decorating, so that heat from cookies will not melt candy decoration.
When cool-ish but still soft, use the edge of a spoon to press the shape of a smile into the top of the cookie, then place a candy corn fang in each corner of smile. Use red M&M’s for spooky red vampire eyes. Transfer decorated cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
The Green Stuff!
Good vegetable side dishes include cauliflower cooked whole to look like a brain or broccoli or spinach (because let’s face it, both are scary enough for most kids–even without a special Halloween recipe)!
Share your favorite Halloween tips and treats for a spooktacular Halloween dinner–by adding to the comment list below!
1 Comment
We love halloween at our house! It is also my daughter’s birthday and we always have a big halloween themed party for her (and us!) Pumpkin soup is one of our favorites, very similar to the one listed above, but we add a dash of chili powder for extra spice!