Halloween Dinner For Two

Halloween Dinner For Two….

I would like to revive a few recipes from a intimate Halloween dinner for two that I made for the Captain and myself quite a while back.

Please excuse the photography…we have come a long way baby. LOL…and since this was before I started a blog, the staging is not so great either.

And please excuse this re-visit of a post as it is a Halloween dinner I made when we lived in Kansas City.

Wow! I remember hanging that yellow striped wall paper on the bottom half of my kitchen/dining room.

Shudder!!!

Sigh!!!

Sorry, I digress.

The following post is from a Halloween Dinner I made while living in Kansas City, Missouri.

I love to decorate the house for the Halloween/Autumn/Fall season…pumpkins everywhere…strings of maple leaves…, black crows and bats!

And I especially love to make food that looks…well, lets just say unappetizing…but still retains that good flavor and taste.

Below is one of my past Halloween tablescapes along with my Menu and printable recipes below!

The table for my Halloween Dinner for two is set and ready to go…..The dinner plates, cups and salad plates are the perfect orange for my decor. I have had this dinnerware for years and I am not sure where I bought them.

The flatware I purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond about 10 years ago.

The black placemats and napkins I found at Macy’s one year.

The spiderweb glasses are a dollar store find along with the orange candle, candle ring and pumpkins I used as my centerpiece.

The orange tray and beverage bucket I found at Target.

The Eyeball Stew in Rye Bread Bowls is actually very tasty! The pearl onions stand in for eye balls.

The Witch’s Brew with worms floating around  ….very refreshing! The worms are the ice cubes to keep the drink cool.

Oh, and the Swampy Spider Web Dip is a wonderful 7 layer dip topped with sour cream and guacamole! Yummy.

Note:  After serving, As the dip gets to room temperature….the spider web begins to “melt” into each ingredient…i.e.; the sour cream and the guacamole, and lines start to disappear…but that just makes it look  more…ahh…well, you know. 🙂

The dry ice in the cauldron gives just the right ambiance as the Witch’s Brew rises above it. You can use a larger cauldron and place a bowl inside to hold the brew which will give a great affect. I only had a small cauldron and since it was for the Captain and myself….I used a pitcher to hold the brew.

And for dessert, black and orange ….decorated sugar cookies and apple cider!

It is not Halloween without caramel apples and I rolled these apples in peanuts because the Captain likes them that way.

Halloween Dinner for two or twenty, these recipes are delish!

Have a great week-end!

Printable recipes are below…..

Eyeball Stew in Rye Bread Bowls

2014-10-24 11:58:52

Serves 4

A quick and hearty stew...just before going out to trick or treat.

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Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound of ground beef
2. 1/2 medium red onion chopped
3. 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4. 32 oz. chicken broth (add more if needed)
5. 2 cups of pinto beans (cooked or you can use canned)
6. 2 cups of your favorite shredded cheese
7. 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
8. small package of frozen or fresh pearl onions
9. Rounds of Rye Bread

Instructions

1. Cut the tops from the rye bread and remove soft bread from inside leaving about 1 inch around the inside of the bread and set aside.
2. Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic until no longer pink (drain and set aside)
3. Gently mash a few of the pinto beans, leaving some of the beans whole
4. To a large pot, add the chicken broth and beans
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn it down to a slow simmer
6. Add the ground beef mixture to the pot and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes
7. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese just before serving to thicken and add the pearl onions (do not over cook the onions)
8. Add the chopped cilantro, saving some for the top of the stew.
9. Ladle the thickened stew into the prepared Rye Bread Bowls
10. Sprinkle more cheese in each bowl and gently move the onions to rest on top of the melting cheese for effect and sprinkle the remainder of the cilantro.

Notes

1. The stew should be thick, but if you prefer a thinner stew, add more water or broth.

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/

Witch's Brew with Wormy Ice Cubes

2014-10-24 12:25:22

This is a great tasting "brew" and the gummy worms add just the right amount of sweetness.

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For the Wormy Ice Cubes

1. 1 cup gummy worms or other creepy crawler candy
2. 2 ice cube trays
3. 1 quart fruit punch

Witch's Brew

1. 1 (6-ounce) package lime gelatin
2. 2 cups boiling water
3. 3 cups chilled pineapple juice
4. 1 (2 liter) bottle chilled lemon-lime soft drink or ginger ale

Instructions

1. For the Wormy Ice Cubes....
2. Arrange gummy worms in ice cube trays, 1 worm per cube.
3. Fill tray with fruit punch as you normally would water.
4. Freeze until solid, 8 hours or overnight.
5. Place into Witches Brew minutes before serving
6. .

For the Witch's Brew

1. Pour the gelatin mix into a large bowl. Slowly stir in the boiling water.
2. Stir at least 2 minutes, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in the pineapple juice. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Wearing heavy duty gloves or using tongs, place the block of dry ice in the bottom of the cauldron. (Dry ice will burn skin, so handle it with gloves and tongs and keep it away from kids and pets!)
4. Use an ice pick to break the block into smaller chunks, if necessary.
5. Fill the cauldron with just enough water to cover the dry ice. It will begin to "steam."
6. Place the punch bowl inside the cauldron, on top of the dry ice. (The cauldron will appear to be magically smoking).
7. Carefully pour the drink mixture into the punch bowl. Slowly add the chilled lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Stir gently to mix.

Special equipment

1. 1 large black plastic cauldron (available at party or craft stores)
2. 1 punch bowl that fits inside the cauldron (I used a smaller cauldron ...couldn't find a large one at my party store...and set the pitcher of witches brew inside....(The affect would be better with a punch bowl)
3. You can also add things like plastic hands, worms etc... coming out of the cauldron.(you might have to hot glue them on the side of the cauldron)
4. 1 block of dry ice (available at supermarkets, ice cream shops or ice companies)
5. If this is an adult dinner....you can add 1 cup (or more) chilled vodka to the brew

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/

Mexican 7 Layer Dip

2014-10-24 13:34:26

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Ingredients

1. 1 (16 oz) can refried black or pinto beans
2. 1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
3. 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained
4. 1 C. salsa
5. 1 C. sour cream
6. 1 C. guacamole
7. 1 1/2 C. shredded cheese
8. 2 green onions, sliced
9. 2 C. shredded lettuce
10. 1 C. chopped fresh tomato
11. Tortilla chips for dipping

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the refried beans and taco seasoning.
2. On a large platter, spread the beans around the platter.
3. Sprinkle green chilies over the top
4. Add salsa to the top of the green chilies.
5. Add the guacamole over the top.
6. Spread sour cream on top of guacamole in a spider web fashion.
7. Using a knife or the handle of a fork, run lines lightly through the sour cream to make the web shape. ( put the guacamole on top of the sour cream for a creepier look, but you can modify to your liking)
8. Garnish with black plastic spiders

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/