Gingerbread Jack O Lanterns Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and hold until the meat mixture is ready.
• In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and cook until the mixture is reduced, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and stir until well incorporated. Stir in the cooked macaroni and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut each pepper around the stem and remove to create a lid. Remove the seeds and, if the peppers do not sit flat, trim the bottoms slightly; just be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom of the peppers. Using the tip of a small serrated knife, cut a face like a jack-o'-lantern into the side of each pepper.
• Fill the peppers with the beef mixture and put on a baking sheet with the lids on the side. Bake until the peppers are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large microwavable glass bowl combine white chocolate chips and food coloring. Melt in microwave for 1 to 1/2 minutes stopping to stir every 30 seconds
• Dip the extra-large strawberries into the white chocolate allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Set on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes. If chocolate sets up while dipping just place it back into the microwave for 15 seconds.
• While the strawberries are cooling, place milk chocolate chips into a releasable plastic sandwich bag and close. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Snip 1 corner with scissors and decorate the strawberries like Jack-O-Lanterns.

Steps:

• Remove any bones from the meats and cut into 1-inch square pieces. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion until slightly golden. Add the tomatoes and let cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the pickles and the chopped meats. Mix well, cover, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes to blend flavors. Add reserved juices and enough water to barely cover meats. Place potatoes over meats, cover, and cook until potatoes are done (about 20 minutes).
• While O Diablo is cooking, peel the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Mash the whites with a fork and add to the pot. Mash the yolks and mix with the sugar and the powdered mustard. Add enough of the vinegar from the pickle jar to form a paste (about 1/2 cup). When the potatoes are done, thicken sauce in pot with the egg yolk mixture. Cook 5 minutes more. Add white wine; increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cook another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it set, covered, until dinner is served.
• Cook rice according to package directions. When ready, reheat O Diablo and serve with rice. Some prefer this dish with bread instead of rice to sop up the juices; either way, it is delicious.
• Prepare this dish in the morning so that the flavors will have melded by dinnertime. The leftovers of this dish will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Side Bar: Before you start, set your cream cheese and butter out for several hours, so it can warm up to room temperature. Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Cut the tops off the pumpkins and set aside, With a teaspoon or grapefruit knife, scrape the fibrous pulp and seeds out of the pumpkins. Scrape some of the meat off the inner walls so they are no more than 3/8-inch thick. Put the cream cheese, butter, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until blended. Take care not to mix too much air into the batter. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until each is incorporated. Reduce the speed and beat in the sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Fill the pumpkin shells with the batter and bake, on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Turn the pan and place the tops next to the pumpkins. Bake for 10 more minutes, until barely set and firm. If, at any time, the cakes start to puff up, turn the oven down or remove them. Let cool, in the pan, then refrigerate.;
• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes until the berries have popped and form a thick sauce. Let cool. To serve, spoon cranberry sauce on top of filling. Place the pumpkin lid on a jaunty angle. Stick the birthday candle and mint sprig into the top.

Steps:

• 1. Fill 3½ - to 4-cup container with Keebler® Fudge Stripes™ Dark Chocolate cookie crumbs to form base, if desired. Set aside.
• 2. Prepare Kellogg's® Eggo® Mini Homestyle waffles according to package directions. Cool for 5 minutes. Press one lollipop stick into each waffle. Cool completely.
• 3. Use white frosting, chocolate frosting, food coloring, orange sprinkles, green sprinkles, chocolate morsels and marshmallow pieces to decorate waffles as jack-o-lanterns. Press pretzel pieces into each as pumpkin stem. Push lollipops sticks into cookie crumbs to stand upright.

Steps:

• Put the dates in a small bowl and pour over 125ml of boiling water. Leave to cool for 30 mins. Lightly oil a 28 x 19 x 3cm traybake tin, then line the base with baking parchment.
• Meanwhile, put the oil, black treacle, maple syrup and freshly grated ginger in a bowl and beat together with a fork to mix well. Set aside. Beat the egg in a small bowl and stir in the buttermilk. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and sugar - rub the mixture between your fingers to break down any lumpy bits of sugar. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Blend the dates and their liquid to a thick purée in a small food processor. Pour the egg, the dates and the treacle mixture into the bowl with the flour. Stir together briefly with a wooden spoon just until well mixed - the mixture will be soft like a thick batter. Pour it into the lined tin, gently level the mixture and bake for 40-45 mins. To test if it's done, insert a skewer in the centre - if the skewer comes out clean with no uncooked mixture on it, and the cake feels firm but springy to the touch, it should be done.
• Leave in the tin for a few mins before removing to a wire rack, peeling off the parchment and leaving to cool completely. If you can wait, wrap it well in parchment, then foil. Leave for a day before cutting, as it will become stickier - it will keep moist for 3-4 days.