Spooky season is officially here! Halloween is a time when creativity is encouraged – and the folks at ‘Cuetopia are ready to help you get into the holiday spirit. Transform plain scary into scary good this year at your Halloween bash with these spooktacular recipes!
Skeleton Platter
This edible skeleton platter is great for meat lovers and for big Halloween parties. Make sure to add this to your food table and you’re sure to fright and delight all your guests!
Ingredients
Skeleton Head
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 8-oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 pimento-stuffed olive, sliced in half widthwise
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
Skeleton Body
- 1 full rack of Meyer’s St. Louis-Style pork ribs, cut in half
- 2 lbs coiled Meyer’s Hot Texas sausage
- 2 lbs cooked pulled pork
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stem removed
- 1 baguette of French bread, sliced & assorted crackers for serving
Instructions – Skeleton Head
- Begin by cooking the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, until crispy, or about 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate & let cool. Once cooled, chop the bacon strips & set aside.
- Combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, scallions, bacon, and salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix until fully incorporated.
- On a piece of parchment paper, mold the mixture into the shape of a skull using your hands. Once molded, wrap the head in the sliced prosciutto & make 2 divots for the eyes & place in the olive halves. Don’t forget to create a nose & mouth indent. Refrigerate until firm, or about 20 minutes.
Instructions – Skeleton Body
- Prepare your grill for medium-high heat. Place the whole red bell pepper onto the grill. Grill, rotating occasionally until charred on all sides & slightly soft. Remove pepper from grill & let cool. Once cooled, slice from stem end to bottom on one side to create one long piece. Set aside.
- Next, add the sausage coil to the grill in one piece. Flip the coil halfway through, until sausage is opaque & completely cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Instructions – Assembly
- When ready to assemble, position the skeleton head at the top of your serving board or platter. Next, place the red bell pepper directly underneath the head, folding slightly to create a heart. Then take your rib racks and align each half around the heart. Remember to have the bone side facing up to resemble the rib cage!
- Position the cooked sausage coil underneath the rib cage to resemble the intestines. Then fill in the spaces around the heart, ribs, & intestines with the pulled pork.
- Lastly, line bread slices & crackers around the skeleton when ready to serve. Enjoy!
BBQ Acorn Squash & Grilled Pumpkins
Although this recipe is more labor intensive, these fun & delicious stuffed acorn squash will have everyone at the party giving compliments to the chef. Fire up the grill for some good ‘ole fall fun cooking!
Ingredients
- 2 Golden acorn squash
- 1 large acorn squash
- 1 lb Meyer’s Texas Beef Sausage, casings removed & finely chopped
- Meyer’s BBQ rub
- 1 package Stove Top stuffing mix
- 1 egg
- ½ cup celery, finely chopped
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 chile peppers, roasted, seeded & ribbed; finely chopped
- ½ cup hot water
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions – Stuffing
- In a bowl, combine stuffing mix and hot water – mix well.
- Add in the celery, onion, & chile peppers & continue mixing. Add in chopped sausage & egg and mix until thoroughly combined. Set Aside.
Instructions – Squash
- Cut a flat spot in the bottom of the golden acorn squash to avoid tip over while on the grill. Next, cut the top off about ½ inch down to create a ‘top hat’ for the scary squash. For the large acorn squash, cut in half long ways.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the inner seeds of the squash. You can dispose of them or you can clean, dry, season, & roast them to create a yummy healthy snack! Season the inside of the squash with Meyer’s BBQ rub. Place a small pat of butter into each squash cavity.
- Add sausage stuffing to the squash until full. Do not pack the stuffing in tightly.
- Using a permanent marker – draw your best scary Jack-o-Lantern face on the outside of the golden acorn squash!
- Prepare your grill for 325°-350°. Place stuffed squash on the grill, stuffing facing up. Grill until the squash is tender & the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165°, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove squash from the grill and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Sweet & Sour Bat Wings
Looking for a dish that really screams spooky? Then these black Sweet & Sour chicken wings are the ideal snack to frighten your guests!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp black food coloring
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 lbs of whole chicken wings
- Optional: 1 tbsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Start by combining the pineapple juice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, & black food coloring in a large bowl. Mix until well blended, and then add in the chicken wings, turning carefully to fully coat them.
- Marinate the wings for 6-24 hours.
- After desired marinating time has passed, and you’re ready to cook the wings, preheat the oven to 400°.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Remove the wings from the fridge and place them on the baking sheets in a single layer.
- Place baking sheets into the oven and bake chicken wings for 30 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar & honey. Set aside.
- Remove the wings from the oven. Brush wings liberally with the honey mixture & return to the oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve cooked wings in your scariest dish & enjoy!
Stuffed Pepper Mummies
This delicious spin on stuffed peppers is a Halloween treat – fun for all ages! Use sweet mini peppers for a mild dish or spice it up using jalapeños!
Ingredients
- 3 oz Meyer’s Beef Texas Sausage, cases removed & finely chopped
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp red chile flakes
- 1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough, well chilled
- 12 large sweet mini peppers OR jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise, seeded with stems intact
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp canned sliced black olives, chopped
- Flour, for rolling out dough
Instructions
- Put Meyer’s sausage links on the grill & keep on medium heat until cooked. Remove from grill and let cool. Remove cases and then chop sausage links finely.
- Preheat oven to 400°. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar, cilantro, chile flakes, and sausage.
- Sprinkle a working surface with flour. Unroll the crescent roll dough & lightly roll to about 9×13 inches. Cut dough crosswise into 24 strips, each about ½ inch wide.
- Fill each pepper half with cream cheese mixture, mounding slightly. Then wrap each pepper half all around with a strip of dough. Place peppers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush tops of dough with the beaten egg.
- Bake peppers until the dough is golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven & let cool about 10 minutes. Using a pastry bag or re-sealable plastic bag with a corner cut off, pipe 2 dots of sour cream onto each pepper for eyes. Lastly, place an olive piece on each sour cream eye & serve immediately.
Sausage Monster Eyes
Are you throwing a party with a large guest list? This easy recipe yields 4-5 dozen Monster Eyes, so everyone will be sure to have a scary bite! Use Meyer’s classic Beef Sausage or Meyer’s Hot Texas Sausage for some added kick to the dish!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Meyer’s Texas Beef Sausage OR Hot Texas Sausage
- 1 10-oz block of extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 cups all-purpose baking mix
- 54 small pimento-stuffed olives
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°.
- Using a large bowl, blend together the baking mix, shredded cheese, and sausage.
- Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Press 1 olive deep into each ball.
- Bake until lightly browned or about 22 minutes. Remove from oven & let cool.
- Serve on large platter & enjoy!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Dip
This easy vegetarian appetizer is a great starter for your Halloween bash feast, and is easy to put together in a flash!
Ingredients
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 15.8-oz cans black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded & finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler in the oven.
- Place the poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil chiles until blackened, or about 8 minutes, turning after 6 minutes. Remove from oven & place in a sealable plastic bag & seal. Let chiles sit for 15 minutes.
- Peel chiles, discarding seeds & membranes. Fine chop & set aside.
- Whisk together red wine vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together green onions, chopped bell peppers, celery, jalapeños, black-eyed peas, chopped chiles, & cilantro. Toss with the vinegar mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve with chips & enjoy!
Image used under license from Shutterstock.com
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