Pumpkin Funnel Cake Mix For Halloween

Here are the scarecrow bags I made for the Halloween party at our house this year. The are filled with a pumpkin funnel cake mix. Each guest took one home.

I used brown lunch bags, scrapbook paper for the eyes, noses and mouths. And funnel hats that can be used to make the funnel cakes.

The ingredients for the pumpkin funnel cake mix. 

I did not follow the directions of the original recipe because I made mine as a mix.

Original recipe can be found here

I mixed the funnel cake ingredients together and put them in a ziploc freezer bag. 

This is what I put in the scarecrow bags, along with a copy of the recipe and a sandwich bag of powdered sugar.

Pumpkin Funnel Cake Mix

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar, for dusting

* In a large bowl, mix together the all the above ingredients except the powdered sugar until well combined. 

* Put flour mixture in a zip bag.

* Put about 1/4 cup powdered sugar to a zip type sandwich bag

* Repeat first three steps for number of mixes you need

* I put the flour mixture and powdered sugar in the scarecrow bag along with a copy of the recipe.

Additional Ingredients

Cooking oil

1 egg

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pure pumpkin

1 cup milk

* When ready to prepare the funnel cakes.

* Heat oil to 375 degrees, in a deep pan or electric skillet.

* In a large bowl, beat the egg, brown sugar, pumpkin and milk together until well blended. Make sure batter is free of any lumps.

* Gradually stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, just until well combined.

* Using your finger to cover the funnel opening. Pour 1/2 cup funnel cake batter into the funnel. Slowly release your finger from the funnel opening, pour batter into hot oil using circular motion, connecting the circles of batter. Cook until the funnel cake is golden brown, then gently flip and cook until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels. Cool for about 5 minutes and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Yield: 4 servings

                                                

                  ~ Recipe Source: Allrecipes ~

Halloween 2013

My Daughter Alisha took the photos at our Halloween party this year. Thank you Alisha! 

My daughter Ashley made the sausage balls, we called them mystery meatballs. She found the recipe on Pinterest.

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

1 lb. mild or hot sausage, uncooked

8-oz. cream cheese, softened

1-1/4 cups Bisquick all-purpose baking mix

4-oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Full recipe can be found here

My sister made these for our family Halloween party several years ago. What a great idea and so cute! I made them for our Halloween party this year. They are filled with chicken spaghetti. The original recipe uses spaghetti and meat sauce. The original recipe can be found here...Taste of Home.

They were fun to make. Everyone enjoyed these cute and tasty, little pepper pumpkins.

Worms For Brains
10 large orange sweet peppers
Shredded cheddar cheese
3- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, baked and shredded
1 box spaghetti
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1- (8oz.) box Velvetta cheese
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 can Rotel mild tomatoes and jalapeno peppers
 
     Wash peppers well and dry. Cut top from each pepper just as you would do a jack-o-lantern. Clean out all seeds. Carve eyes, nose and mouth in the front of each pepper. Set aside. Prepare the chicken spaghetti. Cook spaghetti in boiling water until Al Dente. Drain. Over low heat, add velvetta cheese, cream of chicken soup and 1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth. Stir occasionally until velvetta cheese is melted and all ingredients are well blended. Add additional chicken broth if needed for a creamy consistency. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill each pepper with chicken spaghetti. Replace top of each pepper and bake for minutes or until heated through.

My family really enjoys these sweet-sour sausage bites. For our Halloween party we called them, snake bites.

Sweet -Sour Sausage Bites

1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 slices

1 can (20 ounce) pineapple chunks

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 large green pepper, cut into 3/4 -inch pieces

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

* Full recipe can be found here

This recipe for party wings is another great recipe from Taste of Home.

We call them, bat wings and we enjoy making them for Halloween. 

Party Chicken Wings

12 whole chicken wings (about 2 pounds)

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

* Full recipe can be found here

Anyone for poison mushrooms? We like creating fun names for our Halloween party foods and beverages. My daughter Alisha made these stuffed mushrooms for the party. Very good! 

Stuffed Mushrooms

20 large button mushrooms, scrubbed, do not soak in water

8-oz. cream cheese, softened

1 lb. pork sausage, cooked, well drained

1 package ranch dressing mix

milk, (optional)

* Hull mushrooms by twisting off stem, wipe/rinse clean, do not soak in water.

* Heat cream cheese on low until creamy, add cooked sausage and ranch mix. Stir until well blended. Add a little milk, if mixture is too thick

* Spoon into mushrooms, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

* Mushrooms should be tan when cooked through.

Our fruit bat tray with fruit fluff, sometime we call it ghost goo (recipe here). Fruit trays are great any time. Everyone enjoys them.

Caramel apple dip. My sister Denise made these and gave me the recipe.

I wanted to make them for our party so everyone could take one home, to enjoy later.

This is another recipe found on Pinterest. 

Caramel Cream Cheese Apple Dip

1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened

1 container caramel sauce (approximately 16.oz)

1 package heath bits

Granny smith apple

* Full recipe can be found here

This is another family favorite recipe, that I got from my sister Denise. She adds scoops of orange sherbet for even more flavor. And the green and orange colors are perfect for Halloween.

It's Brew Ha Ha Punch. But we renamed it Goblin's Brew. 

Brew Ha Ha Punch

2 cups sugar

2 quarts water

2 (0.13-ounce) envelopes lime drink mix

1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice

1 quart ginger ale

* Full recipe can be found here

Not So Creepy Cupcakes. This is Nana's Pumpkin Cake recipe, found here. We used it to make cupcakes.

The Post Card Project Cookie Swap 2013

This is my first time participating in a cookie swap. 

Veronica of Veronica's Cornucopia hosted the swap. 

This is her third year hosting the post card project cookie swap. 

 First you sign up for the cookie swap, then get matched to three other participants, bake and send a least a dozen cookies or bars to each of your matches and then wait by the mailbox for your  matches to send cookies to you :) I chose to make magic in the middles cookie, soft and chewy molasses cookies and cranberry coconut chews.

The ingredients needed to make the magic in the middle cookies. 

Chocolate Cookie Dough

1-1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened baking cocoa or Dutch process cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar, (extra for rolling cookie balls in)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Full recipe can be found here.

I drizzled the cookies with melted milk chocolate and sprinkled them with multicolored sugar. This was my daughter Andrea's favorite cookie.

The ingredients needed for the coconut cranberry chews. Please overlook the egg in the photo, there is no egg in this recipe.

My husband enjoyed the coconut cranberry chews. 

I forgot to take a picture of them before packaging them for mailing.

Coconut Cranberry Chews

1-1/2  cups (3/4 lb.) butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

2 teaspoons vanilla

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

1-1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Full recipe can be found here

The ingredients needed for the chewy gingersnaps.

Soft And Chewy Molasses Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Granulated sugar, for rolling cookie balls in before baking

Full recipe can be found here

I love gingersnaps, and molasses cookies so these were my favorite cookie. 

They are delicious! I also prefer soft chewy cookies over crisp or crunchy cookies.

Be careful, not to over bake.

I drizzled them with melted white chocolate.

I packaged my cookies in a cake boxes with a cake board in the bottom of each for extra

support. I then used cookie bags and wrapped the cookies, two to a bag, back to back and sealed each bag with a festive sticker. 

I placed them in the box in four stacks and put bubble wrap in between the cookies.

I then wrapped each cookie package with gift wrap. Wrapped the entire box in more bubble wrap and put each cookie package in another box surrounded by crumpled tissue paper. Ready to take to the post office and have them mailed to Marcia, Kaleigh and Michelle, my three cookie swap matches. I hope each of you like your cookie packages! I enjoyed baking them for you!

And a great big thank you to Veronica for all you do to make the cookie swap a pleasant experience for us all!

I made a Santa cookie package Marcia

A candy cane cookie package for Michelle

And a snowman cookie package for Kaleigh.

For reasons unknown to me, Michelle, chose not to send cookies to her three matches, as agreed.

Please give serious thought before signing up to participate in any cookie swaps/exchanges. 

Read all guidelines and rules for the cookie swap you are interested in, very carefully. Make sure you can follow and meet all of them before signing up. If, for any reason you do not think you can meet all of the requirements, please don't sign up. It is very disappointing to those you are matched with, when you fail to send them the cookies they are expecting. At the very least, let the host of the cookie swap know that you can not send your cookies. So other arrangements can be made.