Halloween Dinner

This is the final installment of our Halloween themed meals. These were fantastic. The cheese in the meatballs was amazing!

Dinner Menu

Spaghetti and Oozing Eyeballs

Ingredients

2lb ground beef

1pkg stuffing mix for chicken

1 c. water

2 eggs

1 jar spaghetti sauce

4 sticks of string cheese, cut into quarters

black olive slices

1 pkg spaghetti

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375

2. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water,eggs and 1/4c of spaghetti sauce. Shape into 16 meatballs. Insert 1 cheese piece into top of each meatball, with end of cheese piece just showing at top. Place on baking sheet. Top each with olive slice to resemble eyeball.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are done. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and heat remaining spaghetti sauce as directed on package and jar.

4. Drain spaghetti and serve topped with meatballs and sauce.

Halloween Lunch

LUNCH MENU

apple bites

carrot-finger food

spider crackers

pizza mummies

I was excited to put together a themed lunch but still have quite a few healthy options. Plus Ben loved the novelty of the carrots and apples so he ate them all, quickly. This is a MAJOR deal in our house.

Apple Ingredients

apples

slivered almonds

Apple Instructions

1. Quarter and core an apple. Cut a wedge from the SKIN SIDE of each quarter.

2. Press the slivered almonds in place for teeth. This is tricker than it seems. I only ended up with 2-3 apples at the end.

Carrot Ingredients

veggie dip

carrots

sliced almonds

Carrot Instructions

1. Fill a serving bowl with the veggie dip.

2. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut them to the appropriate size based on which finger they represent. Cut a flat, shallow notch in the tip of each carrot. Use a dab of the dip like glue and attach a sliced almond fingernail atop each notch.

3. Stick the fingers in the dip and serve with other carrots on the side.

Cracker Ingredients

ritz crackers

peanut butter

pretzel sticks

Halloween sprinkles

Cracker Instructions

1. Spread half of the crackers with peanut butter. Cover with the second cracker for the spider's body.

2. Insert 8 pretzel sticks into the peanut butter layer of each sandwich for the legs.

3. Spread more peanut butter on top and decorate with sprinkles.

Pizza Ingredients

english muffins

pizza sauce

black olives - sliced

string cheese sticks

Pizza Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Toast the english muffins and then spread pizza sauce on them.

3. Set olives in place for the yes.

4. Lay strips of string cheese across the muffin for the mummy's wrappings.

5. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

Halloween Breakfast

I decided to go overboard for Halloween this year and themed all of our meals. Ben decided breakfast was his favorite but Nick and I were fans of dinner. Featured first:

BREAKFAST

on the menu:

Pancake Ghosts

Breakfast Sausage Mummies

Slime Juice

please ignore the Sponge Bob plate. I've since learned it's better to photograph food on a plain plate.

Pancake Ingredients

pancake mix

funnel-tipped condiment bottle - ie: ketchup bottles at restaurants

chocolate chips - frozen

powdered sugar

Pancake Instructions

1. Mix your batter according to the batter instructions.

2. Once mixed, fill the condiment bottle with the mix. It helps to first transfer the batter to a measuring cup with a spout. The purpose of the condiment bottle is to allow you to "draw" a ghost shape on the griddle.

3. Place 2 chocolate chips on the griddle (frozen helps keep them from melting) Using these as guidelines for the eyes, draw the rest of the ghost with the batter.

4. Flip once bubbly. Give it another minute or so and repeat.

5. Sift powdered sugar over top before serving.

Sausage Ingredients

breakfast sausage links

puff pastry sheets

yellow mustard

Sausage Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400. On a floured surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry until it's half the original thickness and about double in size.

2. Use a pizza cutter and slice the dough into 1/2 inch wide strips

3. Using a pastry brush, lightly wet one side of each strip with ice water. This will help the pastry strips stick to each other as you roll them.

4. With the wet side of the dough facing out, wrap a strip around each sausage. As you get near the top, leave a gap in the pastry for the mummy's eyes. I would suggest leaving a bigger space than you originally think is necessary. I ended up not having much room for the eyes.

5. Repeat until you're done.

6. Place the mummies, face side up on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for about 3 min. To make the eyes, dip the end of a chopstick into a dab of mustard and dot them on.

Juice Ingredients

orange juice concentrate (country style - must have pulp)

blue kool-aid mix

water

sugar

Juice Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together. Add sugar to taste.

Bathroom Reveal - FINALLY

Our bathroom is done!.....almost. We need to install the closet door but THEN it's done. However, it's done enough to show pictures. Here's the before:

Keep in mind - when I say this bathroom was pink I am NOT kidding. It had pink tile EVERYWHERE! See what I'm talking about.....

(I wasn't even aware people tiled their countertops like that)

I think you get the point.

Now to the after......

Please excuse the foggy window. Nick just showered. Obviously, we still need blinds. What you are seeing here is a brand new floor, all new drywall - the tile removal process pretty much destroyed the walls, a new vanity, new shower (that was tiled pink as well), new rug and shower curtain, new toilet paper holder. Pretty much all new.

We bought the vanity from Home Depot (I'm hiding my head in shame) and the top from Lowe's. New mirror, hand towel holder, faucet and light fixture.

Here's a better look at the vanity. I absolutely L-O-V-E it!

AND Nick found a use for the frames from our wedding cardbox. Once he took it apart we added a couple wedding pictures and hung them on the wall.

Free Movie November 11th!

Donate 5 canned goods at a participating MJR Theatre on November 11th and see the movie of YOUR choice for FREE!! Offer good on November 11th from 4pm - 10pm.

Donations benefit Gleaners Food Bank. If you donate Kroger canned goods, Kroger will match the donation.

Participating theatres: Brighton, Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Southfield, Sterling Heights, or Waterford

source: Macomb Money Savers

Coupons!!

I took a coupon class from Laura, The Sharp Scissors Lady a few months ago and it has definitely paid off! I've started gathering my coupons and slowly started stockpiling some items. I made a trip to Super Kroger in Howell today and hit the jackpot!

My total was $110.77

THEN

The cashier started scanning my coupons.....

GRAND TOTAL = $25.49

The guy behind me said "wow! That's impressive. Is today some crazy coupon day?" Nope, just everyday at Super Kroger!