halloween dinner + happy halloween!

My sister planned a super festive dinner for our Halloween party on Saturday. We ate chicken chowder in pumpkin bread bowls and had a black and orange dessert of vanilla ice cream dyed + hot fudge + brownies.

Happy Halloween! I hope you have a safe and festive one!

Who would have thought that dyed ice cream could taste so good?

Spudnuts [recipe]

I have had a few people ask for our Spudnut recipe. I posted it last year, but here it is again in case you are wanting to make some of your own! I have also included more detailed instructions this time around so it is not confusing! Enjoy! This is one of my favorite things about Fall!

Spudnuts
1 quart (4 cups) milk, scalded
1 Tbsp. yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar
8 Tbsp. shortening
4 eggs, beaten
12-13 cups flour
2 Tbsp. salt

Glaze
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix together.

Directions: 
Make 2 cups of mashed potatoes. (I like to do this the day before to cut down on dough time)
Scald milk and let it cool enough so that it doesn't kill the yeast. While the milk is cooling, put yeast and sugar into the hot water to let rise. (Make sure the water isn't too hot that it kills the yeast.) Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Meanwhile, cream sugar and shortening together. Add in beaten eggs and mix. Then add yeast mixture and milk. Slowly add in flour and salt. (You will probably need a few extra cups of flour so it isn't sticky). Once it is mixed well and smooth, let it rise in a large bowl with a clean towel over top. Let rise for 1-3 hours.

To roll out and cut, flour a surface well. Roll out dough into 1/2 inch thick. Use a donut cutter or a cup with water bottle lid to make donut shapes. Let them rise again another 1/2 hour to 1 hour before frying. Fry in vegetable oil.

After they have been fried, let them sit on a paper towel to let some of the grease drain. Then dip them in glaze and eat warm!

mini mummies

what you'll need:

prepared pie crust + little smokies

let the dough sit out for 15 minutes to thaw. then cut into 1/8th inch strips.
wrap the strips of dough around each smokie starting from one end to the other.
leave a little space for the face that you can make with ketchup or mustard.
lay on a pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

a fun and easy Halloween appetizer! 

ghost pretzels

Simply dip pretzel rods in white chocolate or almond bark and then add a cute little ghost face with some milk chocolate.  Easy, cute, and delicious!

creepy food game

In preparation for our ward Halloween carnival, the youth I'm over decorated these boxes. There will be a "creepy" food in each one. The idea of the game is to put your hand inside and try to guess what Halloweenish item the food represents.

the flap reveals the right answer

This is a list of the food that will be in each box and what it represents:

peeled grapes= eyeballs

frozen water in plastic glove= rotting hand

head of cauliflower= brain

wet noodles= worms

popcorn kernels= teeth

Bugles= witches' nails

raisins= warts

dried apricots= ears

banana peel= tongue

Try it out at one of your Halloween parties!

Sugar Cookies [recipe]

We love decorating sugar cookies for holidays. This is my mom's sugar cookie recipe and it's a winner! Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies
1 lb. margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix eggs, butter, and sugar first. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

if you are in town..

free halloween decor for you!

I'm loving a new site called Brejer. You should check out all their cute stuff!

And while you are at it, get some free Halloween decor!

Isn't this so festive? You can download your free one here.

Ghost Treats

This is probably the oldest Halloween treat in the book, but I like how simple and festive they are. The possibilities are endless with what you can do with them...gifts, decorate, etc etc

To make your own Ghosts, all you need is:

• Tootsie roll suckers (I think they work best, but other suckers could be used)
• White tissues
• String or ribbon
• Black marker

Simply fold the tissue over the sucker. Tie your string around the bottom of it to keep it secure. Then draw a ghost face. That's it. I told you it was simple.

FOAD: Fall Dinner

Looking for a cheap way to spruce up your fall table setting? Pick up a bag of fake leaves from the dollar store. Scatter them across the table for a instant burst of festiveness.