Witch Finger Poppers and Eye of Newt

Yesterday's post kicked off my Halloween week with two fun drinks to get the party started, but no party would be complete without the food. Appetizers are a must and let your guests mingle easily while eating. There is no better way of saying "Welcome to our lovely home" then by offering Witch
Finger Poppers and Eye of Newt to your favorite ghouls when stopping by for a visit.

Witch Finger Poppers are, according to my husband, one of the best jalapeno poppers around and I've been fixing them for many years. What sets them apart from a regular deep fried version is that they are baked and with that, at least a little bit better for you. Seeded and halved jalapenos are stuffed with a filling of cream cheese, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, bacon and seasonings before being dipped in breadcrumbs. Ketchup and a sliced almond complete the grizzly witch fingernail effect. The poppers are then baked for about 30 minutes before serving. Just make sure to cool them a bit before biting into them, unless you are going for the "skin burned off the roof of your mouth feel" (been there, done that, got the t-shirt). 

Eye of Newt is a fun take on my Snappy Deviled Eggs which are a staple at our house as well. This time around the filling gets its "moldy" color from blue, green and yellow food coloring before being piped into the egg halves. A sliced olive along with a sliver of pimiento make up the pupil and finally gel food coloring applied with a toothpick to the white part of the egg add the finishing touch to the "Eye of Newt".

Both of these appetizers add hilarious touches that make your Halloween buffet just a little more ghoulish.  Depending on how many goblins you have coming by this year you might want to go ahead and double the recipes as they never last long!

Party Tips:

- You can make the Witch Finger Poppers the day before your party. Just seed and fill the peppers. Place in baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Set in refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Make the Eye of Newt the morning of your party but wait until a couple of hours before your guests arrive to apply the red food color, otherwise it will "bleed" into the white of the egg.

Witch Finger Poppers
(adapted from Taste of Home Magazine)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
12 medium jalapeno peppers, stems removed, halved lengthwise and seeded*
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheeses, bacon and seasonings. Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each pepper half. Dip tops of stuffed peppers into bread crumbs.

Place a small amount of ketchup at the end of each popper; top with a sliced almond to resemble a fingernail. Place in a greased 15 x 10 inch baking dish (make sure to pack them in tightly or the filling will run out). Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

* When cutting or deeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face (trust me on this!).

Eye of Newt Deviled Eggs
(makes 20 eyeballs)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

10 large eggs, hard boiled
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (your favorite kind)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Blue, yellow and green food coloring

Sliced olives

Diced pimiento

Red food coloring

Preparation:

Peel and halve hard boiled eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Place yolks in a bowl along with mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and hot sauce. With the immersion blender mix everything to desired consistency (you can use a fork and mash if you don't have a blender). Season with salt and pepper. Color egg yolk mixture with blue, yellow and green food color until desired color is reached. Pipe egg mixture back into egg halves. Garnish each egg halve with 1 sliced olive, 1 diced pimiento placed inside the olive. Add red food coloring with a toothpick for the blood-shot eye effect.

Stay tuned for more ghoulish treats on Thursday!

Candy Corn Cordial and Swamp Juice. Say what?

Halloween is without a doubt one of my husband's favorite holidays. Of course my kids love it as well, but that is a given considering the bags of candy they always drag home. I, on the other hand didn't know about Halloween until I met my husband. It wasn't celebrated in Germany, even though I've come to find out that it is starting to become a custom for many people there as well. Over the years, and probably in part because of my kids and husbands enthusiasm, I have come to love this holiday just as much. Join me this week as I'm featuring "howl-worthy" recipes for kids and adults alike. Maybe you are still looking for a few ideas to put the finishing touches on your own Halloween party or maybe you are just looking for fun. In any instance, I'm hoping you enjoy some of these holiday treats!

I'm kicking my Halloween week off with a couple of drinks. One is for all the adults and the other is for the kids, designated drivers, or those that like a good swamp juice. Either way, they are a great way to get your party started. First up a candy corn inspired cordial that is certainly beautiful to look at and even better to sip. Vodka is infused with candy corn for a few hours which imparts the great color scheme. Your vodka won't be tasting exactly like candy corn, but it will add a good amount of sweetness. The colored liquor is then mixed with Grand Marnier, lemon juice and a splash of lemon-lime soda for a bit of fizz.

Next up is the green tinted swamp juice. This drink is a hit with kids and adults alike. Lime jello is dissolved in hot water before being mixed with pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate and lastly a splash of ginger ale. Yellow and blue food coloring assure the perfect color and while I usually don't advocate artificially colored food, Halloween is one of the few exceptions I make. Decorate these drinks with gummy worms or go ahead and freeze little gummy critters in an ice cube tray and drop them into your swamp juice for a "gross" affect.

Both of these drinks are easy to make ahead. Making a big pitcher or punch bowl will free up your hands and makes it easy to mingle instead of playing bartender. All that's left to do when your guests arrive is the splash of soda. Even if you are not planning a party this year, you might be able to surprise your loved ones with one of these drinks and get everyone involved into a ghoulish mood!

Candy Corn Cordial

~Makes 4 drinks~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the infused vodka:

1/2 cup candy corn

1 1/2 cup vodka

For the cordials:

Infused vodka

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Juice of 1 Lemon

Lemon-Lime Soda

Candy Corn, for garnish

Directions:

Infuse the vodka: Combine the candy corn and vodka in an airtight container; set aside for at least 3 hours, then strain.

Make the cordials: Combine the infused vodka, orange liquor and lemon juice in a large measuring cup, add a splash of lemon-lime soda and stir. Pour into chilled martini glasses and garnish with candy corn.

Adapted from: Foodnetwork.com

Swamp Juice

~makes 20 servings~

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 (3 ounce) packages lime flavored gelatin mix

1 quart hot water

1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice

2 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

4 cups cold water

yellow and blue food coloring, optional

2 liters ginger ale

gummy worms, for garnish

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin in 1 quart of hot water. Allow to cool.

When gelatin is cool, pour into a large punch bowl. Stir in pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate and cold water. Add food coloring (if desired) until preferred color is reached (start with a couple of drops of each). Pour in ginger ale just before serving. Garnish with gummy worms.

Adapted from: AllRecipes.com

Tag.... you're it! Twice!

Kooky Girl from Always Tri-ing My Best  and Elisabeth from food and thrift finds both tagged me in this fun "get to know more about me" game that is making the rounds on a lot of blogs. I figured you all might enjoy "learning" a bit more about me. Since I'm supposed to be tagging 8 bloggers as well, this is a great way to find out about some other great blogs you may have not been aware of!

First up Kooky Girl's question for me:

1) What do you most enjoy about blogging ?

The part I enjoy most is probably the whole process of cooking or baking something and see it take shape. The kitchen is almost like my sanctuary, the place I can go to when I need to clear my head by doing something that requires my whole attention. But a close second is certainly meeting so many incredibly nice people.

2) What is your personal achievement or moment that sticks in your mind and why ?

Without a doubt giving birth to my 3 children. They are, and always will be, my greatest personal achievement!

3) What is your favorite party drink ?

Margarita's baby, but a nice Cosmo will work as well!

4) If you could go on holiday tomorrow, where would you go ?

I'd like to say Germany, but since it is cold and rainy there according to my mom and sisters, I think I would probably pick Australia since it is spring there right now.

5) What is the most unusual ingredient in your store cupboard right now ?

Hmmm, not really that unusual but I do have a bottle of Prickly Pear Jam in there.

6) What do you do in your 'free' time ?

What free time? Seriously, three kids, two dogs, a blog, friends, etc. etc. and you get the picture, but if I do get a minute I like to go out for a nice dinner with my husband to re-connect.

7) What is the name of the last restaurant you went to ?

House of Tricks with our amazing friends Sharon and Steve! One of the best meals of all-time!

8) What is your favorite style of cooking to eat out (rather than cook yourself) ?

That's pretty easy to answer: Sushi!!! I love sushi and I don't think I would ever try making my own in a million years. 

 And here are Elisabeth's questions for me:

1) What is your all time favorite comfort food?

That's tough since I like so many different things that are comforting, but if I had to chose one single thing, it would be my mom's creamed potatoes with boiled beef and her homemade dill pickles. I've never attempted to cook it myself and always request it when I visit Germany. No one can make it the way she does!


2) What kind of foods did you take to school, for lunch? (any grade)

We didn't usually have lunch at school in Germany, it was eaten at home. We did have a couple of breaks in the morning, but they were only about 15 minutes long. My standard lunch was a broetchen (like a Kaiser roll) or a sandwich (made with a sturdy rye bread) with butter and some kind of a lunch meat. That and an apple was usually my mid-morning snack!


3) What is your favorite all time cooking show on T.V... past or present...and why?

Again a tough one! I love Tyler Florence, so probably "Tyler's Ultimate". I love watching him take an ordinary dish and transforming it into something extraordinary!

4) Which  celebrity, famous person, or famous chef,  would yo invite to your next holiday party in  your home, and why?

I would love to have dinner with Tyler Florence. He seems like a real down to earth guy that would enjoy a nice homemade meal.

5) Which  holiday you love the most?

Christmas without a doubt! I love shopping for my family and enjoy the whole season that comes along with it, from the baking and cooking, to the decorating. To me there is nothing better than enjoying the season with my loved ones. The kids look forward to certain cookies and dishes all year and I try to make it extra special by incorporating my German customs. It makes the kids feel special and I hope all of this creates the best of memories for them!


6) If you won an all expense paid trip for ten days to the choice of the official Top 3 wine regions  which of the 3 would you pick?  1.) Bordeaux, France, 2.) Tuscany Italy, or Napa Valley, California  (these are in their actual order on the top 10 favorites)

If I could chose right now it would probably be Tuscany, but only if I could take my husband.


7) What kind of food you absolutely hated, growing up, as a young child, or teenager.

Funny question, but I absolutely hated raw tomatoes! I think I was a young adult before I started eating them.


8) What was the most dreaded dish that you prepared and said you would never prepare it again?

Very early on in our marriage I made some deviled crab dish from a recipe on the back of imitation crab meat package and it was probably the most disgusting thing ever. I ended up tossing it. 

I'm tagging the following bloggers which may or may not have been tagged yet, but are worth checking out either way:


Modern Wench
Betty Crapper
Sage Trifle
scrambled hen fruit
Sugar High
Foodiddy
My Kitchen in the Rockies
Stirring the Pot


And here are my 8 questions I'm tagging you all with:


1) What is your favorite kitchen tool to use?
2) What is your all-time favorite dessert?
3) What cooking show would you love to be part of?
4) If you could travel to any country just for the food, which one would it be?
5) Is there a food you can't stomach, no matter how often you've tried it?
6) What is your most treasured recipe?
7) What is your best kitchen tip?
8) With the holiday's approaching, tell us about a food you must have on either your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table!