Halloween Food

Monster Apples Recipe

Ingredients

• Apples
• Water
• The juice of one lemon
• Nut butter
• Cream cheese
• Mini marshmallows
• Strawberry jam
• Chocolate sauce
• Tooth picks

Directions

1. Cut the apple into slices – we found an apple slicer is great for this!
2. Mix the water with the lemon juice and place the apple slices in the water, this will help keep the apples from turning brown as you prepare the rest of your ingredients!
3. Mix equal parts nut butter and cream cheese together.
4. Take the apple slices out of the lemon water and shake or dry them off. Spread some of the nut butter-cream cheese mix on one slice.
5. Place the mini marshmallows in a row on the curved edge of one slice of apple to make “teeth”. Optional, cover one or two mini marshmallows with the berry jam, so they look “bloody” (It is Halloween after all!).
6. Spread nut butter-cream cheese mix on another slice of apple, and place on top of the one with the “teeth” so it looks like a mouth. Secure the two pieces together with two tooth picks.
7. Use other marshmallows to create the eyes. Place a marshmallow on top of each tooth pick in the apples. Use a dot of chocolate sauce as the pupil of the eye. The end of a chopstick or a clean paint brush works well for this step.
8. Enjoy!

It’s ALIVEn up The Learning!

• Explore variations on the monster apple. What other kinds of creatures can you make with your ingredients?
• Integrate different foods to try, like kale (which we thought made for a great mustache). It’s totally normal for kids to have an aversion to vegetables, and this is one way to introduce them in a fun and interesting way.
• Pick out monster makings together! Creators often have more fun seeing their vision come to life when they can provide input. Plus, this can lead to some fun food discoveries at the grocery store.

Wicked Good Halloween Dinner

Halloween is an exciting day, and getting a good dinner in before all the treats can be a challenge. Invite kids to help with mixing, measuring, and even some cutting to practice math skills and increase comfort in the kitchen. Plus, it helps give kids ownership and enjoyment of what they will be eating!

Supplies

• Sheet pan
• Large frying pan or grill pan
• Medium sauce pot
• Aluminum foil
• Jack-o’-lantern (or other Halloween favorite) cookie cutter or small paring knife

Ingredients

(Serves 4; total time 30-45 minutes)

• 4 burger patties (beef, turkey, or veggie patties all work)
• 4 burger buns
• 4 slices yellow cheese (American cheese melts the best, but cheddar works too.)
• 4 leaves of lettuce
• 4-8 slices of tomato
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• Salt
• Oil (olive oil or vegetable oil work best)
• 1 head of broccoli

Directions

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Sweet Potato Fries:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Cut sweet potatoes into long thin strips.
   Kids can do all the next steps!
4. Place the sweet potato strips on the baking sheet in a single layer.
5. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil, a couple of pinches of salt and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice to the potatoes and toss to coat them evenly.
6. Place the sheet pan in the center of the over for 25-35 minutes.
7. The fries are done when they are tender if poked with a fork and a little brown and crispy on the edges.

Burgers:

1. While the sweet potato fries are baking, cook the burger patties in the frying pan or grill pan with a little oil.
2. While the first side is cooking for 3-4 minutes, have kids unwrap the cheese slices and use the cookie cutter to cut out a jack-o-lantern from the center of each slice. Keep the cut out for the burgers but the scraps are a great snack while waiting for dinner to finish!
3. Flip the burgers and cook for another 3-4 minutes. In the last minute, place the jack-o-lantern cheese slice on the burgers to melt.
4. Remove burgers from the pan and let them rest for a few minutes.

Broccoli:

1. While the burgers rest, cut the broccoli into florets. Kids can help with this part by using a butter knife or pulling florets off the bunch with their fingers.
2. Heat the medium sauce pan with a little oil in the bottom and add the broccoli to it.
3. Sauté for a couple minutes then add 1/3 cup water to the broccoli. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes.
4. When the broccoli is done its time to assemble everything. Slice the tomatoes and place the lettuce leaves and buns out for family members to add to their burgers. Add any condiments that your family enjoys with their burgers and serve with the steamed broccoli and sweet potato fries and voila, dinner is served!

Hauntingly Good Mix-ups

• Try out making “fries” with vegetables other than potatoes. Carrots, parsnips, and jicama are great options to try. We’ve also used cookie cutters to cut shapes out of slices of sweet potatoes and bake them!
• Use the opportunity for older children to start learning and getting comfortable with knife skills in the kitchen. Cutting the broccoli into florets or helping cut the sweet potatoes is a good starting point.