Our neighborhood takes Halloween pretty seriously—every year we have a block party, where we get the kids a jumpy house, host games, have a big potluck and create an unimpeded experience for kids to ‘trick or treat.’  

It’s no wonder that Folsom got voted the #1 city in California to raise a family!  🙂

This year I’m stepping up my game and will actually prepare (vs. buy) some treats to take to our block party.

Here are some recipes I’m excited to try:

SHREDDED CHICKEN & RICE STUFFED PEPPERS (HALLOWEEN STYLE)

Slow Cooker Shredded Taco Chicken

IngredientsADA Blog - Top 5 halloween recipes to try

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

Instructions

Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle seasonings on top and then cover with diced tomatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken and allow it to remain in sauce.

Stuffed Peppers

  • 4 bell peppers your choice of color
  • 2 cups Mexican rice
  • 1 shredded chicken breast from the above recipe
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, rinse peppers, slice off the tops and hollow out the insides, be sure to remove any seeds and the white part inside. If desired, use a small paring knife to cut out a jack-o-lantern face. When water is boiling, put the peppers and tops in and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until peppers are tender.  Remove from water and set aside to cool.  Mix the cooked rice, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans together in a large bowl.  Fill each pepper with the chicken and rice mixture and top with extra cheese, if desired. Replace pepper top back on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and pepper is done to desired tenderness.  Alternately, once peppers are stuffed, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, when ready to cook, preheat oven to 350, remove plastic wrap and bake for 1 hour.

Source: Everyday Jenny

LOADED MASHED POTATO SPIDER WEB CASSEROLE

IngredientsADA Blog - Top 5 halloween recipes to try

  • 2 lbs. Idaho® potatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • ¾-1 cup milk or half and half
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 ounces cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded
  • 8 slices bacon
  • ⅓ cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer on the stove top. Peel and chop the potatoes into medium sized chunks. Add the potatoes and a Tablespoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, but not falling apart.
  3. Meanwhile, fry the bacon on the stovetop until crispy. Remove the bacon strips to a paper towel lined plate. Once they’re cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon and set aside.
  4. When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander, then return them to the pot. Place the pot back on the burner, and use a potato masher to mash them over very low heat. We want most of the steam to escape. Continue mashing until no lumps remain.
  5. Turn off the heat, then add 4 Tablespoons of butter and ½ cup of milk or cream. Slowly mash in the added ingredients until smooth. Continue to add the cream, a little bit at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Sometimes I add a full cup, and sometimes it’s only ¾ cup. Taste the potatoes and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Spread the potatoes out into a 9 inch deep dish pie dish and cover with shredded cheese and the crumbled bacon. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Allow the casserole to cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the spider web.
  7. To make the web, add the sour cream to a zip lock bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Twist the bag above the sour cream and use your hand to squeeze the sour cream towards the hole. You may want to practice drawing a line once or twice before doing it on the casserole.
  8. You’ll start the web by drawing four straight lines through the center of the casserole, like you would cut a pie. Start by making a T through the center, and then follow that with an X through the center. In the end, you should have eight equal spaces. Starting in the center of the pie, draw a small circle, connecting each of the eight sections. Move a few inches outward and draw another circle. Move another inch or two outward and draw one final circle. Top with a fake spider of one made from olives. Serve while the potatoes are still warm. You can also prepare this ahead of time, refrigerate, then bake the day of and add the spider web right before serving.

Source: Neighborfood blog

OATMEAL PUMPKIN BREAKFAST COOKIES

 

IngredientsADA Blog - Top 5 halloween recipes to try

  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup flaxmeal (ground flaxseeds)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add in the coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, and maple syrup. Mix on medium until well-blended.
  3. Add in the flour, oats, flaxmeal, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Mix on medium until well-blended.
  4. Fold in the raisins using a wooden spoon.
  5. Drop rounded tablespoonfulls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch between cookies. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and solid. Let cool for five minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.

Source: Whole Fully

EGGS IN A MINI PUMPKIN WITH BACON AND ROASTED SQUASH HASH RECIPE

 

IngredientsADA Blog - Top 5 halloween recipes to try

  • 4 mini pumpkins (4 inch diameter)
  • 1medium red kuri or butternut squash
  • ½ cup onion, minced
  • 4 ounces bacon, diced
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons red chile flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage or rosemary, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 4 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the tops off the mini pumpkins about one third of the way down the pumpkin so that the top makes a nice lid but the center of the lower half is deep enough to hold an egg. Scoop out the seeds and use a spoon to scrape away any of the membrane to make a nice smooth bowl. Cover the stems with foil. Place the pumpkins on a foil lined baking sheet, cut side down. Set aside.
  3. With a chef’s knife or a knife that you are comfortable handling, carefully cut the red kuri or butternut squash into sections. Remove the seeds and stem. Microwave the squash sections to soften them and make them easier to dice, about 3 to 3 1/2; minutes. Peel the squash and dice it into 1/2; inch diced pieces.
  4. Toss the diced squash with the finely diced onion and diced bacon. Remove any of the large pieces of bacon fat, if desired.
  5. Whisk together the vegetable oil, balsamic vinegar, chile flakes, garlic.
  6. Pour vinaigrette over the squash mixture a little at a time and toss until the squash is well coated. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and toss again. Generously season with salt and pepper.
  7. Turn the squash mixture out onto the foil covered baking sheet and spread out evenly.
  8. Bake the pumpkins and the squash together for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Quickly brush the inside of the pumpkins with a little of the leftover vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Crack one egg into the center of each pumpkin. Return the baking sheet to the oven before the pumpkins cool down and continue baking until the eggs are sunny side up, or set whites with runny yolk, about 6 to 8 minutes (check after 4 minutes and keep a close eye on them).
  9. Remove the pumpkins and the bacon and roasted squash hash from the oven, the eggs will continue to cook a little bit more inside the hot pumpkins.
  10. To serve, spoon the hash onto plates and nestle the pumpkins in the center. Lean one top of a pumpkin on each pumpkin.
  11. Sprinkle egg with a little salt and pepper.

Source: Everday Southwest

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE

 

Here are a few easy steps to make ADA Blog - Top 5 halloween recipes to trythe frightfully cute witch’s legs cupcakes pictured below:

1. For the cupcakes, follow baking instructions for your favorite vanilla cake mix.

2. Once completely cooled, top them with bright green or orange frosting and black or purple sprinkles.

3. For the finishing touch, get creative with fondant! This may take a bit of practice, as working with fondant can be tricky. Here are some tips:

  • Make sure to sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar or corn starch on your work surface to make it less sticky. Keep your hands dusted too!
  • To stick them all together, brush a thin coat of water on one of the two pieces and press them together, You can also reinforce the base to the top with a toothpick. Have fun with it!

Source: Punchbowl

And here are my two little girls (far left and far right) with their little friend getting ready to make cupcakes. 🙂

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