How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven

We're betting there's a pretty high chance that you love bacon, since a lot of people do! But if you're tired of greasy stovetops or are interested in trying something new then how about baking bacon? Check out "How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven" below!

How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven

What You Need

Ingredients
1 to 2 pounds bacon

Equipment
Aluminum foil
1 to 2 baking sheets
Tongs
Paper towels
Platter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F: Turn on the oven and preheat to 400°F. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. If you're cooking multiple sheets of bacon, position a second rack in the top third of the oven.
2. Arrange the bacon on a baking sheet: Line a baking sheet with foil (this makes clean-up easier). Lay the bacon on the baking sheet in a single layer. The bacon can be close together, but don't let it overlap or the bacon will stick during cooking. If necessary, use a second baking sheet.
3. Bake the bacon: Place the baking sheet of bacon in the oven and bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it. Begin checking around 12 minutes to monitor how quickly the bacon is cooking. The bacon fat will sputter and bubble as the bacon cooks, but shouldn't splatter the way it does on the stove top. Pour off the bacon grease as needed so the bacon isn't totally submerged in grease.
4. Cool the bacon: Remove the bacon from the oven and use tongs to transfer it to a paper-lined platter to drain and finish crisping. Serve immediately. You can also refrigerate leftover bacon for a week or freeze it for up to three months; warm the bacon in the microwave before serving.
5. Clean up: If you want to save the bacon grease, let it cool slightly, then pour it into a container and refrigerate. If you don't want to save the grease, let it solidify on the baking sheet, then crumple the foil around it and discard.

Recipe Notes

• Even Crispier Bacon: For even crispier bacon, set a metal cooling rack over the foil-lined baking sheet and lay the raw bacon over the cooling rack. Elevating the bacon allows it to cook from all sides and become extra-crispy.

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This post and recipe have been updated. Originally published 02/04/10.

(Images: Emma Christensen)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-perfect-bacon-in-the-oven-107970

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How To Create a Marbled Effect When Decorating Cookies

We've all seen the delicious holiday treats in the display windows and cases at stores. If you're making some homemade ones for yourself and others, check out "How To Create a Marbled Effect When Decorating Cookies" to make your cookies not only delicious, but almost too pretty to eat!

How To Create a Marbled Effect When Decorating Cookies

What You Need

Ingredients
1 batch cookies
1 batch border icing
2 or more batches flood icing, contrasting colors

→ To make the icing, check out How to Decorate Cookies with Icing: The Easiest, Simplest Method

Equipment
2 squeeze bottles
1 toothpick

Basic Marbling:

1. Outline and flood the cookies with icing: Using the border icing, draw outlines around each of the cookies. Fill in the insides of the cookies with flood icing. For more details on this step, read our tutorial on How to Decorate Cookies with Icing.
2. Draw a squiggle in contrasting icing: While the iced cookie is still wet, quickly draw a squiggle of contrasting color down the middle of the cookie.
3. Run the toothpick through the squiggle: Draw the toothpick across the squiggle, pulling the toothpick through each line of the squiggle.
4. Run the toothpick in the opposite direction: Next, draw the toothpick through the squiggle in the opposite direction.
5. Continue running the toothpick back and forth: Continue drawing the toothpick through the lines of the squiggle, back and forth, until you reach the bottom of the squiggle. You can play with spacing the lines further apart or closer together for different marbling effects.
6. Let the cookie dry: Let the cookie dry undisturbed for at least 24 hours.

Strings of Hearts:

1. Outline and flood the cookie with icing: Using the border icing, draw outlines around each of the cookies. Fill in the insides of the cookies with flood icing. For more details on this step, read our tutorial on How to Decorate Cookies with Icing.
2. Drop dots of contrasting icing: While the cookie is still wet, drop small dots of contrasting icing in lines across (or down!) the cookie. How close or far apart you space the dots will affect the tightness of the heart strings.
3. Run the toothpick through one line of dots: Draw the toothpick through the dots like playing connect-the-dots. As you connect each dot, it will smear slightly and create a heart-shape.
4. Run the toothpick in the opposite direction: Move on to the next row of dots and run the toothpick in the opposite direction.
5. Continue running the toothpick back and forth: Continue connecting lines of dots, going back and forth, until you've created several strings of hearts.
6. Let the cookie dry: Let the cookie dry undisturbed for at least 24 hours.

Spiderwebs (not pictured):

1. Outline and flood the cookie with icing: Using the border icing, draw outlines around each of the cookies. Fill in the insides of the cookies with flood icing. For more details on this step, read our tutorial on How to Decorate Cookies with Icing.
2. Draw a spiral on the cookie: While the iced cookie is still wet, quickly draw a spiral of contrasting color on of the cookie.
3. Run the toothpick through the lines: Run the toothpick through the lines of the spiral working from the center of the cookie outwards (or from the outside in, if you like!). Run all of the lines in the same direction.
4. Let the cookie dry: Let the cookie dry undisturbed for at least 24 hours.

Recipe Notes

• The Contrasting Flood Icing: You'll notice a little bit of color bleed from the contrasting icing into the icing around it. For the most part, I like this effect and let it be. If you'd prefer more crisp, clean lines, make your contrasting icing slightly thicker than the icing used to flood the cookies.

(Image credits: Emma Christensen)



Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-create-a-marbled-effect-when-decorating-cookies-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-198344

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Winter Recipe: Bigos Stew

Winter months can be a challenge to cook in, but they don't have to be! Check out "Winter Recipe: Bigos Stew" for a tasty dish that everyone will love!

Bigos Stew

Serves 12 to 15

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 pound thick-cut smoky bacon, diced
2 pounds pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound smoked pork sausage, like smoked kielbasa, cut into thick slices
1 pound fresh pork sausage, cut into thick slices
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) good amber beer or red wine
2 medium yellow onions, diced
12- to 16-ounces fresh mushrooms, like button or cremini, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart sauerkraut (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon whole all-spice berries
1 teaspoon whole juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
1-2 cups chicken or beef stock
Salt and pepper

Serve with any of the following: spaetzle, cooked pasta, cooked rice, roasted potatoes, or dinner rolls.

Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position.

Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with about a cup of tap water. Set aside to rehydrate while you prepare the rest of the stew

Warm a teaspoon of oil in a large (6-quart) Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until all the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Lay as many cubes as will fit in a single layer in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Sear without moving the cubes until golden, at least 2 minutes. Continue searing on all sides. Transfer the seared pork to the bowl with the bacon. Continue searing the remaining pork in batches — if at any time the pan becomes dry, add a few teaspoons of oil.

Sear the smoked sausage and fresh sausage in batches like the pork — if at any time the pan becomes dry, add a few tablespoons of oil.

By this point, there should be a thick, gummy, dark glaze on the bottom of the pan. Pour half of the beer into the pot and scrape at the glaze as it bubbles. Once the crust as dissolved, pour the remaining liquid over the seared sausages and pork.

Lower the heat to medium and film the bottom of the Dutch oven with oil. Add the onions and cook slowly until they have become very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and a half teaspoon of salt. Cook until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomato paste and garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour the remaining beer into the pot and scrape up any glaze that has re-formed on the bottom of the pan. Drain the sauerkraut, reserving the juices for another purpose if desired. Add the drained sauerkraut and the seared meats to the pot and stir to combine.

Use a fork to remove the porcini mushrooms from their liquid. Chop them roughly and add them to the stew. Set a small strainer over a measuring cup and strain the liquid leftover from soaking the mushrooms to remove any grit. Pour the strained liquid into the stew.

Gather the all-spice berries, juniper berries, bay leaf, and caraway seeds in a tea ball or knot them in a square of cheesecloth. Stir them into the stew.

Check the level of the liquid in the stew. It should come about halfway up the side of the pan and you should just be able to see some liquid beneath the surface of the ingredients (the ingredients should not be completely submerged). If you need to add liquid, add some chicken or beef broth.

Bring the stew to a simmer. Cover and place the stew in the oven. Cook for 2 hours. Check the stew — if the pieces of pork are so tender that they fall easily apart when pieced with a fork, then the stew is ready. If not, place the cover back on and continue to cook in the oven; check the stew every 30 minutes until the pork is fork-tender.

At this point, the stew can be served immediately, or it can be cooled, refrigerated, and served the next day. This stew is often better the next day. To reheat, place the stew over low heat with the lid partially covering. Warm until the stew is steaming, then serve.

(Image credits: Danielle Tsi)



Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/winter-recipe-bigos-stew-recipes-from-the-kitchn-197927

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5 Tips: How To Quickly Make Your House Look Cleaner Than It Is

Company's coming in a little while, and the place is a mess! What to do? Check out these 5 quick tips to make your pad seem a lot cleaner than it actually may be: "5 Tips: How To Quickly Make Your House Look Cleaner Than It Is".

1. Clean the Three T's: Toilets, Tabletops, the Television. What? The television? Yup! Most living rooms are centered around your tv and the amount of dust that hangs on it, your netflix stack and dvd box set pile that's off to one side could be tell tale signs of why the rest of your house isn't exactly spotless. Plus if you sit chatting in the living room, you'll be staring at it wishing you would have moved it. Toilets and tabletops are a bit more self explanatory, but important none the less.

2. Stash with Efficiency: When company drops in we've all been in a situation once or twice where things get tossed in a basket and shoved in the spare bedroom or closet. It's a quick solution, but it can be done with more efficiency so you can find your stuff later on. Add things to your basket according to the room they go in. That way when company leaves, you can remove the items easily without making 100 trips across your house or apartment to put things where they belong.

3. Pet Hair: Even if you have a sparkling clean house, if your sofa is covered with a layer of dog or cat fur, it suddenly looks less tidy. Keep a rubber glove or your favorite pet hair busting product on hand to knock it all down in a few sweeps.

4. Dishes Be Gone in Seconds Flat: Please don't judge me for this tip. Admitting that I've done it more than once is punishment enough alright? So here goes. Put your dishes in your oven. Wait, what? If you pile your dishes in the sink then it looks like you threw them all in there at the last minute as everyone knows you can't really wash dishes in that manner and you'll still look like a slight slob, even though you have clean counters. Instead, grab a baking sheet and stack like items together and slide them in the oven. They'll slide right back out, be prestacked and ready to be washed so you can recover from the guilt you just gave yourself for following through with this tip. Side note: don't preheat your oven... even by accident... until they're removed.

5. Spend 5 Furious Minutes on Your House Everyday: Isn't that cheating? We're talking about last minute company here, not preparing all week long for them to come! True, but think about how much you can clean in those few minutes before they arrive. 10 blocks isn't much. With traffic and parking and walking up your stairs, 5 minutes is a safe estimate. Bring that panic to your life every day and clean with the same intensity for just 5 minutes and your house will always look better for it. Plus, you still have time to watch Raising Hope without telling yourself you'll pick up on commercials.

Do you have a quick clean-up tip that helps you out when company calls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Re-edited from a post originally published 11.1.11 - JL

(Image credits: Lydia Brotherton)

Original Article Here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/tips-how-to-make-your-house-look-cleaner-than-it-is-159806

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We'd like to wish a happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone out there! Enjoy the food, drink, and company. Here's a festive picture of cats for the occasion.

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Thanksgiving Recipe: Potato Dough Rolls

Still thinking about what to contribute to your Thanksgiving celebrations this year? How about this "Thanksgiving Recipe: Potato Dough Rolls"? We're sure everyone will come back for seconds of this scrumptious dish.

Potato Dough Rolls

Maes 2 dozen rolls

1 tablespoon instant mashed potatoes
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest, optional
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
2 large eggs
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
Milk, cream, or egg yolk, to glaze

Whisk the potato flakes into the boiling water. (Note: You can substitute 1 cup of water that you used to boil potatoes in. If using potato water omit the potato flakes.)

Place the sugar, salt, butter, and citrus zest in a large bowl and pour the boiling potato water over it. Whisk to combine until the butter melts. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool.

In a separate small bowl sprinkle the yeast over 2 tablespoons warm water and set aside until it foams and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Check the temperature of the butter and sugar mixture. It should feel pleasantly warm and not boiling hot. If so, whisk in the eggs, and then the yeast mixture.

Stir in 2 cups of flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined, then stir in 2 more cups of flour, or just enough to make a shaggy, wet dough. Beat well and do not knead; it will be very sticky.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

To bake the rolls, lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan with olive oil or butter.

Coat hands lightly with flour. Portion the dough into 24 small balls and place closely together in the prepared pan. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the rolls have significantly increased in size.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops lightly with milk, cream, or egg yolk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are browned on top and a thermometer inserted in the center roll reads 190°F to 200°F.

Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

• For Quicker Rolls (No Refrigerator Time): You can also shape these directly after mixing up the dough. This method produces slightly smaller, more dense rolls, but they are still very good. Expect to use a little extra flour on your hands; the unchilled dough will be sticky. Place the rolls in the prepared pan and cover. Let rise for an hour or a little more, until the rolls are doubled in size. Proceed with baking.
• Multiplying the Recipe: This recipe multiplies very well. In fact, I usually triple it for big holiday meals!

Categories: Main, Gatherings, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thanksgiving-recipe-potato-dough-rolls-16086

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Curried Butternut Squash Soup

The weather is starting to get more chilly, so it's time to start making some hot and tasty dishes to give yourself a case of the warm fuzzies. Check out "Curried Butternut Squash Soup" to get going!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 delicata squash
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots cut in 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• Optional: 2 stalks lemon grass (cut in 4-inch pieces)
• Optional: Squeeze of fresh lime
• Optional: Lime leaves

Directions:

Wash both squash and bake whole at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes.

In a large pot, saute onions, carrot, and garlic in coconut oil. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Mix in red curry paste, then add cooked and cubed squash, and coconut milk, and blend well.

Return to pot and simmer with lemon grass for 20 minutes or more. Remove lemongrass before serving. Add a squeeze of lime. Serve into bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

Original Article Here: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11622/curried-butternut-squash-soup.html

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15 Creative Ways to Wrap with Brown Paper

We know that it's really the thought that counts this Holiday season, but why not add a little bit of flair to your gifts by using one of these "15 Creative Ways to Wrap with Brown Paper"!

The possibilities for prettying up a brown paper package are nearly endless. Ribbons, washi tape, handmade gift tags, paint, contrast paper... only your creativity sets a limit. Check out some of these ideas for wrapping gifts with brown paper, which go way beyond "tied up with string."

1. Pick a color scheme and run with it. This pile of presents from A Creative Mintuses a base of Trader Joes shopping bags and embellishes them with washi tape and string in a strict red-and-white palette.
2. Stamp it. Use stamps and ink to create your own pattern or personalize gifts, as in this image from Objects and Use.
3. Sparkle and shine. These simple, adorned presents from The Sweetest Occasion prove that a simple bow can go a long way.
4. Use seasonal greenery. Jennifer from The Odessa May Society created miniature wreaths using evergreen twigs.
5. Layer it. Brown paper can look twice as nice layered with corrugated cardboard or twine, as this DIY from Heartmade shows.
6. Keep it simple. A basic bow, like this one from Babble, can be all a brown paper package needs if the color and pattern are interesting enough.
7. Tag it. The hand-painted tags are what stand out on these presents fromDecor8.
8. Fold it. This origami-inspired present, from Essimar, is surprisingly modern looking with the addition of some patterned washi tape.
9. Pick up a pen. These super-chic gifts from Lark Crafts show just what a silver paint pen and some simple geometrics can do.
10. Personalize it. The only decoration on these presents from The Enchanted Home is their recipients' names.
11. Package a pouch. Mandi from A Beautiful Mess used an old paper bag, a black marker and a sewing machine to create this custom packet.
12. Get tactile. A basketweave pattern of yarns keeps this gift looking cozy, fromLion Brand Yarns.
13. Use a bag. For smaller gifts, a simple brown bag is all you need, from Not on the High Street.
14. Decorate it. Including a holiday decoration in your wrapping, like these snowflake ornaments from Peppersprouts, feels like a present on a present.
15. Get creative. As this photo from Decor8 shows, tags, handwriting, and objects around your home can all add up to create the perfect present.

(Image credits: A Creative Mint; Objects and Use; The Sweetest Occasion; Odessa May Society;Heartmade; Babble; Decor8; Essimar; Lark Crafts; The Enchanted Home; A Beautiful Mess; Lion Brand Yarns; Not on the High Street; Peppersprouts; Decor8)

Original Article Here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/more-than-string-ways-to-wrap-with-brown-paper-gift-wrapping-guide-196974

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Raw Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing & Ginger Caramel

This is a recipe that smells almost as good as it tastes! Get in one last pumpkin based recipe before the season is over with "Raw Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing & Ginger Caramel" and give your tastebuds a treat!

Raw Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Coconut Vanilla Icing and Ginger Date Caramel

Makes 8 large or 20 mini cupcakes

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (see Recipe Notes)
1 cup pumpkin puree (store-bought or homemade)
3/4 cup maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup coconut flour
1 batch Coconut Vanilla Icing (Recipe below)
1 batch Gingered Caramel (Recipe below)

Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor, coffee/spice grinder, or high-performance blender such as a Vitamix. Pulse until you have a floury consistency. (Avoid over-grinding or you may end up with pumpkin seed butter!) Set aside.

Combine the pumpkin puree, sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla, sea salt, and spices in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin seed flour and blend until smooth. Add the coconut flour and blend until well combined.

Line a cupcake tin with 8 large or 20 mini paper liners. Fill the liners with dough, pressing it down evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days (can also freeze for up to 2 weeks; transfer to an airtight container if refrigerating or freezing for longer than a day).

Just before serving, spread Coconut Vanilla Icing on top of each cupcake. Using a pastry bag, pipe Ginger Date Caramel on top of the icing.

Recipe Notes

• Pumpkin Seed Flour: Pumpkin seeds make a great nut-free flour for this recipe. If you prefer, you may substitute 1 cup of sunflower seed flour or a nut flour such as cashew or almond.
• Sweetener: I prefer maple syrup, but it isn't a raw food. For a strictly raw recipe, use raw coconut nectar or agave nectar.

Coconut Vanilla Icing

Makes about 1/2 cup

1/2 cup room temperature coconut butter (see softening tips)
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar (see Recipe Notes)
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork to combine.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Soften to room temperature before using.

Ginger Date Caramel

Makes about 1/2 cup

8 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon ginger juice (squeezed from freshly grated ginger)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar to taste (optional; see Recipe Notes)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If desired, add additional sweetener to taste.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: You probably won't use the entire batch to decorate the cupcakes, but I find it easier to blend and pipe a batch of this volume. Use any leftover caramel on oatmeal, as a dipping sauce for cut fruit, etc.

(Images: Emily Ho)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/raw-recipe-spiced-pumpkin-cupcakes-with-vanilla-icing-and-ginger-caramel-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196681

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Music for Halloween: The Ultimate Party Playlist

The decorations are up, the food is ready, and the games have all been decided. But wait! What music should you put on for your Halloween Party? How about "Music for Halloween: The Ultimate Party Playlist"?

Dark, deviant, vampy, trampy, nutty, smutty. Pants optional. 'Tis the season for Halloween parties! Here's a little playlist for all the zombies and sexy Dorothies. For all the Batmans and Robins...and Mileys and Robins. For all the giant foam bananas in pajamas. For the year-late Honey Boo Boos. And for you too, obscure Russian poet who no one knows so you have to explain your costume all night. Get out there and work it, twerk it, shake it 'til you break it.

Check out the track list below for ideas to add to your own mix. You can alsoaccess the full Halloween Playlist on Spotify. Just like a recipe, feel free to add and subtract to your taste. You know, toss in some Joy Division, maybe a dash of Thriller, and please add your favorite Halloween party tunes in the comments below.

1. Sun Ra - Door To the Cosmos
2. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peek a Boo
3. Daft Punk - Give Life Back to Music
4. The National - Anyone's Ghost
5. Blondie - Atomic
6. Sleigh Bells - Demons (Spotify version is a remix by Diplo)
7. The Five Blobs - The Blob
8. ELO - Evil Woman
9. The Magnetic Fields - Strange Powers
10. John Holt - Strange Things
11. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
12. Bonobo - Nightlite
13. Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
14. ESG - Dance
15. Blur - Girls and Boys
16. Harry Belafonte - Zombie Jamboree
17. Janelle Monae - Dance Apocalyptic
18. The Sonics - Psycho
19. Floating Action - Modern Gunslinger
20. Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers Revisited
21. Wild Belle - Keep You
22. Vampire Weekend - Unbelievers
23. The Velvet Underground - After Hours
24. M83 - Midnight City
25. Suicide - Ghost Rider
26. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
27. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
28. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
29. Carl Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On
30. Tom Waits - Temptation
31. Echo and the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
32. Crystal Stilts - Bright Night

(Image: Shutterstock)

Original Article Here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/get-your-freak-on-halloween-party-playlist-196118

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10 Easy Halloween Themed Snacks

Do you need to make Halloween themed snacks for a party? Check out these ten great recipes below. They are simple to make and come out perfect for any occasion. What are you making this year? Learn more at money crashers.

1. Witch Hat Cookies

Decorate your Halloween party table with fun Halloween-themed accessories. Attach plastic spiders to napkin rings, use black paper bats on top of cookie plates, and place orange votive candles around the table for a spooky good time.


Witch Hat cookies charm party guests and work well with your Halloween-themed decor. Even the most inexperienced chef can make these easy, no-bake cookies. A Hershey kiss is placed on top of a store-bought cookie, and wrapped with a little icing to create a tiny witch hat.
Ingredients

• 1 package of Hershey’s Kisses
• 1 package of round chocolate covered cookies
• 1 small container of chocolate icing
• red decorator’s gel icing pen

Directions

1. Lay one cookie on a flat cooking surface.
2. Unwrap a Hershey’s Kiss. Place a small amount of chocolate icing on the bottom of the Hershey’s Kiss and press it onto the center of the cookie.
3. Use the squeezable icing to create a ring around the kiss, like you would see around a hat. Repeat for each cookie.

Pro Tip: Run the icing tube back and forth in your hands for a few seconds to warm the icing. This makes the icing easier to apply to the cookies.

Witch Hat Cookies - Cheryl’s Crafty Jewelry

2. Spooky Chips and Dip

You can use Halloween cookie cutters for more than just making cookies. You can also use them to make tortilla chips, which you can pair with some red salsa for a festive snack. Create ghoulish notes describing your Halloween treats. Cut out paper jack o’ lanterns, bats, or skulls, and use them to display creepy goodies like Spooky Chips and Dip.
Ingredients

• 1 package of white flour tortillas
• cooking spray
• 1 jar of salsa

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a tortilla on a flat cooking surface. Press the cookie cutter into the tortilla and gently pry the shape free.
3. Spray each side with cooking spray and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
4. Bake for six minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional seven minutes, or until brown.
5. Season with salt to taste.
6. Serve alongside the salsa.

Pro Tip: If you have trouble getting the cookie cutter through the tortilla, heat the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds. This makes the breading softer and easier to cut.

Spooky Tortilla Chips and Guacamoldy Dip - Veronica Benzing

3. Brain Punch

Grocery stores and hobby and craft retailers sell molds in the shape of brains during the Halloween season. Use these cheap molds to make an easy theme punch.
Serve the punch in ghostly cups that you make at home. Using ordinary paper, plastic, or Styrofoam cups, and use a black Sharpie marker to draw faces on each of the cups. You can also paste paper pumpkin cut-outs to the cups when serving brain punch to guests.
Ingredients

• 1 package of strawberry JELL-O
• 1 container of frozen fruit punch

Directions

1. Mix the JELL-O according to the package instructions.
2. Pour the JELL-O into the mold and allow it to chill completely.
3. Fill a punch bowl with the fruit punch mix and water. Place the fruit punch in the fridge and allow it to chill.
4. Immediately before serving, slowly lower the brain mold into the center of the fruit punch.

Pro Tip: Do not overfill the punch bowl. Make sure you allow for enough room for the top of the brain to rest on top of the punch.

Human Brain Dessert - Emma’s Thoughtful Spot

4. Severed Fingers

You can quickly turn a few almonds and some crescent roll dough into creepy severed fingers to serve at a Halloween party. Once baked, you can arrange these around a bowl of dip or piled onto a serving plate. They look pretty realistic.
Black, orange, and silver dishes all work well on your Halloween party table. During September and October you can also find Halloween-themed paper plates at party stores to display your Severed Fingers.
Ingredients

• 1 package of pre-cut crescent roll dough
• 1 6-ounce container of sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unroll one crescent roll square onto a flat cooking surface.
3. Grab one of the longer ends and gently roll the dough into a finger shape.
4. Press a sliced almond into one end of the dough with the white side facing outward, to make a fingernail.
5. Use a butter knife to cut small lines slightly below the almond and across the middle of the dough, to create knuckles.
6. Place the dough on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining dough squares.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly brown.

Pro Tip: You can use red food coloring to dye the almonds. The red food coloring makes the almond look like a painted fingernail.

Severed Finger Cookies - Living It At Home

5. Mini Mummies

With mini bagels and a few ingredients, you can create spooky toasted pizzas that look like mummy faces. Prepare Mini Mummies ahead of time, and then pop them into the stove to bake during the party. That way, everyone can enjoy the tasty treats right out of the oven.
Ingredients

• 1 package of mini bagels
• 1 jar of premade pizza sauce
• 6 to 10 mozzarella cheese sticks
• 1 jar of stuffed green olives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice a mini bagel in half and lay the bagel on a flat cooking surface.
3. Spread one tablespoon of pizza sauce across the inside of the bagel half.
4. Pull a cheese stick into strings. Starting at the bottom, lay the pieces of cheese across 2/3 of the bagel to look like bandages.
5. Slice a green olive into flat pieces. Place two green olives near the top of the bagel to look like eyes.
6. Place a few more cheese sticks just above the eyes to look like head wrappings.
7. Place the bagel half on a cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining bagel halves.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly melted.

Pro Tip: Leave a small amount of space between each cheese strip. After the cheese melts, the tiny slits will look more like bandages.

Mini Mummy Pizzas - Busy Little Kitchen

6. Frozen Ghosts

Bananas, icing, and chocolate combine to make these frozen ghosts on sticks. Best of all, this no-bake recipe is kid-friendly, so your little ones can help out in the kitchen, too. Frozen Ghosts have to chill out for a total of five to six hours, so make them the night before the party.
Ingredients

• 6 ripe bananas
• 1 package of vanilla icing
• 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12 Popsicle sticks

Directions

1. Peel the bananas and remove any excess strings.
2. Cut the banana in half and push a Popsicle stick through the cut end, being careful not to push the stick all the way through the banana.
3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place the bananas on top.
4. Freeze the bananas until solid, about two and a half hours.
5. Remove the frozen bananas. Use a butter knife or spatula to cover each banana with vanilla icing. Add three chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth.
6. Place the bananas back on the cookie sheet and put them in the fridge until chilled, about three hours.
7. Serve cold.

Pro Tip: You can substitute brown decorator’s icing gel for the chocolate chips.

Frozen Ghosts - Teach Mama

7. Chocolate-Coated Spiders

These snacks are addicting and simple to make. All you need is chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels to create these realistic looking spiders. Chocolate-coated spiders need to rest in the fridge for four hours before you can serve them, so make these the night before your party.
Ingredients

• 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
• 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
• 8 cups of pretzel sticks

Directions

1. Combine half the chocolate baking squares and the peanut butter in a microwave-safe dish.
2. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until the chocolate and peanut butter melt and blend.
3. Break up 4 cups of the pretzel sticks and add them to the chocolate and peanut butter mix. Blend well.
4. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Drop a spoonful of the mixture onto the wax paper to create the spider body.
5. Microwave the remaining chocolate squares in a microwave safe dish until melted.
6. Dip one end of a pretzel stick into the chocolate. Gently press the coated end of the pretzel stick on to the body of the spider to create a leg. Repeat for the other seven legs.
7. Pop the finished cookies in the fridge until firm, about four hours.

Pro Tip: Sort the pretzel sticks before adding them to the chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Some of the pretzel sticks will break in the bag, so this way you can reserve the full sticks for the legs.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spiders - Not Just a Housewife

8. Dirt Pails

Pudding dirt and worm cups are a much beloved kid’s favorite, mostly because they look gross and a little creepy. However, they’re also a tasty theme snack for an adult’s Halloween party. Repurpose plastic cups into individual serving dishes for this recipe. Add googly eyes to the outside of the cups to up the level of creepiness in your Dirt Pails.
Ingredients

• 1 package of chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 package of Oreo cookies
• 1 package of gummy worms
• 12 plastic cups

Directions

1. Mix the pudding mix and milk according to the package instructions. Set aside.
2. Use a food processor or a cooking mallet to crush the Oreo cookies into fine pieces that resemble dirt.
3. Mix one cup of the Oreo pieces into the pudding mixture.
4. Fill 3/4 of a plastic cup with pudding and top with crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Place 1-3 gummy worms on the top of the cup.
6. Place the cups in the fridge until chilled, about two hours.

Pro Tip: To make the gummy worms look more authentic, press half the gummy worm into the Oreo cookie mixture to give the appearance of a worm crawling out of the dirt, or hang a worm off the side of the cup.

Dirt Pails with Gummy Worms - Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrows

9. All-Seeing Eye

You can create a quick and spooky centerpiece with a pie from your local bakery store. A bit of decorator’s icing turns the pie into a giant eye that follows your guests around the buffet table. The whipped topping needs to thaw and the pie needs to chill before serving, so make this All-Seeing Eye at least one hour before guests arrive.
Ingredients

• 1 banana cream pie
• 1 container of frozen whipped topping
• 1 kiwi
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 tube of red gel icing

Directions

1. Allow the whipped topping to thaw, about 30 minutes.
2. Cover the entire pie with the whipped topping to create the surface of the eye.
3. Peel and slice the kiwi.
4. Place one kiwi slice in the center of the pie.
5. Place the maraschino on top of the kiwi and hold in place with a toothpick, to look like an iris and pupil of the eye.
6. Using the red gel icing, draw squiggly lines from the kiwi out to the edge of the pie, to look like a bloodshot eye.
7. Serve chilled.

Pro Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the kiwi. The peeler will allow you to keep most of the fruit intact and circular shaped, while a knife creates pointed edges.

Halloween Eyeball Cake - Cakefullness

10. Grave Robber Chili

A coffin made from cornbread and stuffed with chili makes up this perfectly themed Halloween dish. Begin making this Grave Robber Chili two hours before the party begins, then stow the dish in a warm oven to serve when guests arrive.
Ingredients

For coffin:

• 2 packages of cornbread mix
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• black food coloring
• ketchup

For chili:

• 1/2 pound of hamburger
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup pinto beans
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1 4-ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 packet of chili seasoning
• 2 cups of water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix the cornbread mix, milk, eggs, and 3-4 drops of food coloring in a medium bowl until moist and sticky.
3. Pour the mixture into a 9 inch by 5 inch bread loaf pan.
4. Bake the cornbread for 30 minutes, or until cooked entirely.
5. Shred the hamburger into small pieces.
6. Cook the hamburger in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
7. Add in the onion, bell pepper, pinto beans, black beans, tomato paste, chili seasoning, and water. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
8. Allow the cornbread to cool for 15 minutes before cutting. Cut off the top of the corn bread loaf with a butter knife to create a coffin lid. Set it aside.
9. Scoop out the cornbread from the remaining loaf to create the main part of the coffin. Leave a 1/2 inch thick edge and bottom.
10. Drain any excess water from the chili. Pour the chili mixture into the coffin.
11. Use the ketchup to write “R.I.P” on the top of the coffin lid.
12. Place the coffin lid over the chili mixture. Serve warm.

Pro Tip: Use a toothpick to test the cornbread. If the toothpick pulls out clean, the cornbread has finished cooking.

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