NIFTY TRICKS FOR BOO-TIFUL TREATS
Halloween is just around the corner. Like any other holiday or celebration, the fun is not only in the event itself, but rather the excitement that the preparation brings– especially to the moms. Choosing and shopping for the scariest for your kids’ costumes, meticulously decorating your home to be the most haunting it can be, and of course, preparing the food and treats.
Many of the neighborhoods, especially homeowners associations and subdivisions prepare for this activity to be a festive treat and for the neighbors to interact. These could range from small, easily organized neighborhood party gathering at the subdivision’s clubhouse, to a full-swing competitive contest for the scariest costumes and spookiest houses.
Whatever the case may be, food and treats will always be in the list. It would be nice if you could whip up several creative and delicious treats that could make your house the most frequented place in the block, and give the kids and neighbors a really good time.
Food, even good looking and good tasting ones need not be expensive. In preparing for anything, creativity and resourcefulness is key. With an ounce of imagination, knowledge of the right ingredients, and some research skills, moms could prepare delectable goodies like a pro. Here are some brilliant ideas inspired by some easy research from the web:
Photo courtesy of http://www.panlasangpinoy.com
Halloween Chicken Empanada
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 mins
Makes 20 puffs
Almost all houses would be giving in candies, chocolates and other sweet treats. Neighborhood kids would take long walks sometimes even skipping dinner time, that’s why something salty and filling, aside from the usual sweets would be a great addition to your trick or treat giveaways. Not only the kids will love you for giving them more energy with something delicious and filling after a long day, but the mothers too because you gave their children something nutritious.
To make a Halloween Chicken Empanada pinoy style, pinoyrecipe.net says you would need the following:
Filling:
450 g (1 lb) chicken breast or thigh meat, deboned and cubed
250 ml (1 cup) water or chicken broth
1 small carrot, diced
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small potato, diced
100 g (1 cup) green peas (thawed, if frozen)
100 g (1/2 cup) raisins (optional)
Crust:
black food coloring
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
125 g(1/2 cup) butter
300 g (2 1/2 cups) flour, plus extra for dusting
65 g (1/3 cup) chilled solid vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
6-7 tablespoons iced water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Equipment:
Knife
Chopping Board
Mixing Bowl
Oven
utensils
Procedure:
1. To make the Crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a sheet of waxed paper and wrap dough in the waxed paper. Chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. To make the Filling, heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add onions and saute about 1 minute, then add garlic and saute a further 1 minute. Add the cubed chicken meat and stir-fry until the chicken browns.
5. Add potatoes and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in water or broth and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
6. Add peas and raisins and simmer a further 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, drain ingredients and transfer to a bowl, letting excess liquid drip. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
7. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F). Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean table top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a pastry board until it is 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Don’t roll it too thin or it will break when baked. Cut 10 cm (4 in) circles using a cutter and a small bowl.
8. Gather the scraps and re-roll them so they can be used again. You should get about 20 pastry circles.
9. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons Filling into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and filling is sealed. Press the edges of the pastry with the tines of a fork.
10. Combine lightly beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush surface of each folded puff with egg mixture. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. With a knife make 2-3 slits on the surface of each puff to allow steam to escape while baking.
11. Bake puffs in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside for a few minutes to cool before serving.
12. Apply black food color to the crust, then top with carrots to give it the authentic Halloween feel.
Blood Red Strawberry Shake
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Children in their vampire or monster costume would love to see make-believe blood in their mouths. This recipe would be quick and easy to whip up, and at the same time would be very yummy and healthy too. Adding honey and food coloring would make it very realistic and kids would love it. Make sure to serve with table napkins to clean up the spills and mess the kids might make.
Ingredients:
4 cups strawberries, hulled
2 cups ice cubes
2 cups milk
4 cups strawberry ice cream
2 teaspoons white sugar
¼ cup of honey
1-2 tbsps of red food coloring
Equipment:
punch/mixing bowl
utensils
blender
Procedure:
1. This is so easy and quick to make. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
2. Ready in 10-15 minutes.
3. Serve in wine glasses for guests or Halloween themed plastic cup containers for giveaway.
Rotten Pandan Swamp Slime Juice
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
It’s Halloween–the only time where you are expected to come up with something that tastes good but looks disgusting. For the adventurous moms who would want to really make those little ones dressed ghouls, goblins and ogres feel at home.
Ingredients:
sugar
1 litre of drinking water
ice
10 drops of pandan flavoring (adjust to taste)
gummy worms and other gummy products
1 can condensed milk
green food coloring
Equipment:
punch bowl
punch ladle
Procedure:
1. In a punch bowl or a huge serving beverage container, mix the water, condensed milk, pandan flavoring, and sugar, then stir. Adjust ingredients to taste. Before serving, mix the gummy worms and gummy products, then serve with ice.
2. Serve in earthenware or ceramic glasses for guests or Halloween themed plastic cups for giveaway.
3. From wormy and slimy, our next giveaway treats would be displaced body parts! A proven hit to all the kids.
Photo courtesy of http://www.simplekidfun.com
Cheesy Fingers
Preparation time: 15-25 mins
Best served in fives or tens
Ingredients:
Mozzarella String cheese
cream cheese
green bell pepper or red jujubes (for fingernails)
Equipment:
plastic gloves
preparation tray
chopping board
knife and utensils
Procedure:
1. Wearing plastic gloves or sandwich bags over your hands to keep the cheese as smudge-free as possible, use a paring knife (parents only) to cut each string in half and then carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half.
2. Mark the joint right below the nail as well as the knuckle joint by carving out tiny horizontal wedges of cheese, as pictured.
3. For the fingernails, slice a green bell pepper or red jujubes into 3/8-inch-wide strips. Set the strips skin side down on your work surface and trim the pulp so that it’s about half as thick. Then cut the strips into ragged-topped nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.
Forked Eyeballs
Preparation time: 15-25 mins
Ingredients:
white bavarian donutholes (munchkins, or whatever it is called at your local donut shop)
chocolate chips
tube of red decorator frosting
honey
Equipment:
black plastic fork
preparation tray
knife and utensils
Procedure:
1. Spear the “donutholes” (munchkin, etc) with a fork each.
2. Stick a chocolate chip in the center of the donut by placing honey at the back to settle it in place, resembling the iris of a human eye.
3. Decorate it with red decorator icing to resemble veins of a stressed eyeball. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes in the toaster or in your microwave. Serve.
No matter how simple treats are, packaging and presentation is very important to make you look like a pro. One of the luxuries that the modern mom needs to conserve is time. These recipes are all chosen because they are time saving, easy to prepare and easy to mass produce to serve plenty of your neighborhood friends and kids during this special day. To save time It is a giveaway to trick-or-treating kids, and doubles as food to serve your in-house guests.
Happy Halloween!
Sources:
www.wikipedia.com
http://familyfun.go.com
http://allrecipes.com
Back to top
Many of the neighborhoods, especially homeowners associations and subdivisions prepare for this activity to be a festive treat and for the neighbors to interact. These could range from small, easily organized neighborhood party gathering at the subdivision’s clubhouse, to a full-swing competitive contest for the scariest costumes and spookiest houses.
Whatever the case may be, food and treats will always be in the list. It would be nice if you could whip up several creative and delicious treats that could make your house the most frequented place in the block, and give the kids and neighbors a really good time.
Food, even good looking and good tasting ones need not be expensive. In preparing for anything, creativity and resourcefulness is key. With an ounce of imagination, knowledge of the right ingredients, and some research skills, moms could prepare delectable goodies like a pro. Here are some brilliant ideas inspired by some easy research from the web:
Halloween Chicken Empanada
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 mins
Makes 20 puffs
Almost all houses would be giving in candies, chocolates and other sweet treats. Neighborhood kids would take long walks sometimes even skipping dinner time, that’s why something salty and filling, aside from the usual sweets would be a great addition to your trick or treat giveaways. Not only the kids will love you for giving them more energy with something delicious and filling after a long day, but the mothers too because you gave their children something nutritious.
To make a Halloween Chicken Empanada pinoy style, pinoyrecipe.net says you would need the following:
Filling:
450 g (1 lb) chicken breast or thigh meat, deboned and cubed
250 ml (1 cup) water or chicken broth
1 small carrot, diced
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small potato, diced
100 g (1 cup) green peas (thawed, if frozen)
100 g (1/2 cup) raisins (optional)
Crust:
black food coloring
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
125 g(1/2 cup) butter
300 g (2 1/2 cups) flour, plus extra for dusting
65 g (1/3 cup) chilled solid vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
6-7 tablespoons iced water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Equipment:
Knife
Chopping Board
Mixing Bowl
Oven
utensils
Procedure:
1. To make the Crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a sheet of waxed paper and wrap dough in the waxed paper. Chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. To make the Filling, heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add onions and saute about 1 minute, then add garlic and saute a further 1 minute. Add the cubed chicken meat and stir-fry until the chicken browns.
5. Add potatoes and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in water or broth and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
6. Add peas and raisins and simmer a further 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, drain ingredients and transfer to a bowl, letting excess liquid drip. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
7. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F). Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean table top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a pastry board until it is 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Don’t roll it too thin or it will break when baked. Cut 10 cm (4 in) circles using a cutter and a small bowl.
8. Gather the scraps and re-roll them so they can be used again. You should get about 20 pastry circles.
9. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons Filling into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and filling is sealed. Press the edges of the pastry with the tines of a fork.
10. Combine lightly beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush surface of each folded puff with egg mixture. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. With a knife make 2-3 slits on the surface of each puff to allow steam to escape while baking.
11. Bake puffs in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside for a few minutes to cool before serving.
12. Apply black food color to the crust, then top with carrots to give it the authentic Halloween feel.
Blood Red Strawberry Shake
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Children in their vampire or monster costume would love to see make-believe blood in their mouths. This recipe would be quick and easy to whip up, and at the same time would be very yummy and healthy too. Adding honey and food coloring would make it very realistic and kids would love it. Make sure to serve with table napkins to clean up the spills and mess the kids might make.
Ingredients:
4 cups strawberries, hulled
2 cups ice cubes
2 cups milk
4 cups strawberry ice cream
2 teaspoons white sugar
¼ cup of honey
1-2 tbsps of red food coloring
Equipment:
punch/mixing bowl
utensils
blender
Procedure:
1. This is so easy and quick to make. In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
2. Ready in 10-15 minutes.
3. Serve in wine glasses for guests or Halloween themed plastic cup containers for giveaway.
Rotten Pandan Swamp Slime Juice
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
It’s Halloween–the only time where you are expected to come up with something that tastes good but looks disgusting. For the adventurous moms who would want to really make those little ones dressed ghouls, goblins and ogres feel at home.
Ingredients:
sugar
1 litre of drinking water
ice
10 drops of pandan flavoring (adjust to taste)
gummy worms and other gummy products
1 can condensed milk
green food coloring
Equipment:
punch bowl
punch ladle
Procedure:
1. In a punch bowl or a huge serving beverage container, mix the water, condensed milk, pandan flavoring, and sugar, then stir. Adjust ingredients to taste. Before serving, mix the gummy worms and gummy products, then serve with ice.
2. Serve in earthenware or ceramic glasses for guests or Halloween themed plastic cups for giveaway.
3. From wormy and slimy, our next giveaway treats would be displaced body parts! A proven hit to all the kids.
Cheesy Fingers
Preparation time: 15-25 mins
Best served in fives or tens
Ingredients:
Mozzarella String cheese
cream cheese
green bell pepper or red jujubes (for fingernails)
Equipment:
plastic gloves
preparation tray
chopping board
knife and utensils
Procedure:
1. Wearing plastic gloves or sandwich bags over your hands to keep the cheese as smudge-free as possible, use a paring knife (parents only) to cut each string in half and then carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half.
2. Mark the joint right below the nail as well as the knuckle joint by carving out tiny horizontal wedges of cheese, as pictured.
3. For the fingernails, slice a green bell pepper or red jujubes into 3/8-inch-wide strips. Set the strips skin side down on your work surface and trim the pulp so that it’s about half as thick. Then cut the strips into ragged-topped nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.
Forked Eyeballs
Preparation time: 15-25 mins
Ingredients:
white bavarian donutholes (munchkins, or whatever it is called at your local donut shop)
chocolate chips
tube of red decorator frosting
honey
Equipment:
black plastic fork
preparation tray
knife and utensils
Procedure:
1. Spear the “donutholes” (munchkin, etc) with a fork each.
2. Stick a chocolate chip in the center of the donut by placing honey at the back to settle it in place, resembling the iris of a human eye.
3. Decorate it with red decorator icing to resemble veins of a stressed eyeball. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes in the toaster or in your microwave. Serve.
No matter how simple treats are, packaging and presentation is very important to make you look like a pro. One of the luxuries that the modern mom needs to conserve is time. These recipes are all chosen because they are time saving, easy to prepare and easy to mass produce to serve plenty of your neighborhood friends and kids during this special day. To save time It is a giveaway to trick-or-treating kids, and doubles as food to serve your in-house guests.
Happy Halloween!
Sources:
www.wikipedia.com
http://familyfun.go.com
http://allrecipes.com
Back to top
![[img src: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= a.10150486981433999.375233.340103828998&type=3]](http://www.chicmomsclub.com/chicmomsclub/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Bugsys_Fish_N_Chips-105x100.jpg "Bugsys Fish and Chips")
May 17, 2013 at 5:30 pm 
May 17, 2013 at 1:53 am 
May 15, 2013 at 3:25 pm 
