My favourite holiday is almost upon us. It’s a time for demons, ghosts and ghouls. Add some racy nurses, cops or just about anything in with a couple alter egos and the fun will take care of itself. Here are a couple of recipes to help make your Halloween a fiendishly good time.
CARAMEL APPLES
6 apples
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels
2 tbsp milk
Leave the apples in the fridge overnight, with the stems removed. Butter a baking sheet. Place unwrapped caramels and milk in a microwavable bowl and nuke it for 2 minutes. Stir once and allow cooling briefly. Press a Popsicle stick into the top of each apple. Roll, one apple at a time quickly in caramel until well coated. Place on the baking sheet and refrigerate them until set.
Now if you are not happy enough with just caramel you can finish the apples by then rolling them in such items as cookie crumbs, or candy corn. Perhaps chocolate chips are more your taste or even nuts. Why not try some gummy worms or pretzels pieces mmmmmmm sweet and salty. Sweet and salty! I think I’ll roll mine in cooked bacon chunks after the caramel
That is enough with the kiddy stuff let’s get a little more mature. You know me the veritable flagship of maturity.
Pumpkin maple cheesecake
THE CRUST
1 ¼ cup grahm cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup melted butter
THE FILLING
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese room temperature
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
3 large eggs
¼ cup real maple syrup
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
MAPLE PECAN GLAZE
1 cup whipping cream
¾ cup real maple syrup
½ cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all the crust ingredients and firmly press into the bottom of a spring form pan. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients well and pour into the crust prepared pan. Bake for 75 minutes or until center appears almost set when shaken. Cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. In a saucepan combine whipping cream and maple syrup; bring to a boil. Boil rapidly until slightly thickened 15-20 minutes. Stir in chopped pecans. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Drizzle the maple pecan glaze over each piece of heaven when serving.
Now what about those pumpkins you carve then they rot and finally are tossed in the garbage. I am all for a good pumpkin carving party but what about those seeds. Let’s talk roasting. Sue you can go for the original salty seeds.
BORING SEEDS
1 1/2 cup raw whole pumpkin seeds
2 tsp melted butter
1 pinch salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss all ingredients together and spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy.
Now if you are like me and this isn’t really cutting it anymore try this spicy demon seed recipe.
DEMON SEEDS
2 cup raw whole pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp chilli paste (sambal oelek)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp hot sauce
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss all ingredients together and spread seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Love it.