Easy, Fun Halloween Meal!

in #food7 years ago

Every Halloween I try to put together a meal that the family will have a blast with. I have decided to share this year's Halloween meal with the Steemit community. If you decided to make any or all please post your photos in the comments as I would love to see how yours came out!

Appetizer:

This Halloween appetizer is a big hit no matter where I take it and it's super easy to make. It is called the Flayed Man (it's a cheese ball).

Ingredients:
1 plastic face mask (I bought mine from a local craft store)
2 (3 ounce) packages prosciutto
2 pimento-stuffed green olives
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
6 ounces shredded Havarti cheese
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

Directions:

  1. Lightly coat plastic face mask with cooking spray (see Cook's Notes). Line the face mask with plastic wrap, taking care to press it down fully into the nose and eyes.

  2. Reserve two or three slices of prosciutto and set aside. Tear the remaining slices of prosciutto into strips and lay them into the mask to form the "muscle tissue." Start around the eyes, leaving eyes blank, and then create the cheeks, chin, and forehead.

  3. Take the two whole green olives and position them in the eye holes, pimento side-down. Set the mask aside.

  4. Combine the softened cream cheese, Cheddar, and Havarti cheeses in a mixing bowl. Add the roasted red peppers. Use an electric mixer or clean hands to mix until thoroughly combined.

  5. Take a heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture and arrange it to form an eye around one olive, and then the other. Gently lay handfuls of the cheese mixture all around the mask, taking care not to move the slices of prosciutto. Press the cheese down as you work to fill in all of the crevices. When the mask is full, gently press in the cheese mixture all around the mask. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

  6. Invert the mask onto a serving platter and gently remove the mask and the plastic wrap. You should be left with a gorgeous (and freaky) face. If there is cheese showing around the bottom edges, use the reserved prosciutto slices to cover it before serving.

Flayed man.jpg

Main Dish:

For the main dish I am making Zombie meatloaf. Again easy and fun to make. You can also get creative with the side dishes, but I just normally keep it simple and serve it with garlic mash potatoes and corn.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup buttery round crackers, crushed
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 hard-boiled egg, cut in half

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons bbq sauce
5 cloves garlic, cut into small pieces

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease the foil.

  2. Mix ground beef, onion, crackers, milk, Cheddar cheese, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt together in a bowl. Transfer beef mixture to the prepared baking sheet and form into a skull-shape, leaving holes for "eye sockets" and a "mouth". Place hard boiled egg halves into the "eye sockets", shaping the beef mixture around them to hold in place.

  3. Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and barbeque sauce together in a bowl until sauce is smooth. Spread 1/2 of the sauce onto the entire beef mixture, including the "eyes" and "mouth".

  4. Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 to 60. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

  5. Arrange the garlic pieces in the mouth for the "teeth". Brush the remaining sauce over the meatloaf or serve on the side.

zombie meatloaf.jpg

Dessert:

For dessert I will be making dirt cups! Don't worry it's not really made with dirt. These are once again super easy and fun to make. One year I made a whole grave yard scene.

Ingredients:
2 cups cold milk
1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) package chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

Directions:

  1. Beat milk and pudding mix together in a bowl until well blended and slightly thickened; let stand to thicken, about 5 minutes.

  2. Stir whipped topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies into pudding. Spoon 1 tablespoon crushed cookies into each serving cup. Fill each cup 3/4-full with pudding mixture and top with remaining crushed cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
    dirt cup.jpg