Fun Halloween Recipes!

Good Morning!

Don't forget to check out the 50% off special on our Menus On A Dime e-book series this week. These e-books are full of recipes and meal plans to make meal planning easier! Having your menus planned can save thousands of dollars each year in money not spent eating out. Go get it here!

I hope you're having a great week so far! Today is our 15th anniversary, so we're going to quit early today to celebrate! My, where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday!

(You can read about our "frugal wedding" here.)

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Permissions:

If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

---

Today's Tips:

• I love to buy caramels after Halloween when they are on sale. They are great to use for things like the Caramel Apple recipe below or to melt with a little water and use for caramel topping like on ice cream or spice cake.
  


• Don't forget to stock up on candy for your candy wreath or to use as stocking stuffers. Get enough for all those school parties. A bag of candy or two wrapped as a gift for a child or even for an adult works great, too.
  


• Find some cute containers at a thrift shop or garage sale and fill them with candy for for Christmas or hostess gifts. Even colorful candy in a clear cellophane bag with a bow makes a nice little gift out of candy you bought on sale after Halloween. I might not buy something wrapped in orange and black wrappers, but there are many candies that have "normal" wrappers.
  
  

---

Subscriber Special
Menus On A Dime e-book series
Half Price!
(through October 26th)

Dramatically reduce your grocery bill making delicious meals that your family will love! You'll get:

• 121 Menus & 121 Recipes to make meal planning easier


• Pre planned menus so you can cook once and eat three to five different meals!


• Easy meals you can make in 20 minutes or less

Learn More here!

---

Today's Recipes:

Here are some fun recipes for a Halloween dinner or for your Halloween parties.

This first recipe is an inexpensive, easy, no worry recipe, especially if you are feeding a crowd. Halloween night is always hectic for us with people coming and going at different times. This recipe can be kept warm in the crock pot, ready to eat whenever needed. Big and little "kids" alike like this!

Pot of Beans 'N Wieners
(or Pot of Beans 'N Cannibal Toes)

1 lb. wieners, cut into fourths
3 (16 oz.) cans pork and beans with juice
3 tsp. mustard
2-3 Tbsp. bacon grease
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup onion, chopped or 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup barbeque sauce, optional

Place everything in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Don't have a crock pot? Place in an oven proof pan or dish and bake at 200° uncovered for 2-3 hours or until thickened.

When making baked beans, if I want to bake them quickly, I leave them uncovered and bake about an hour at 350° or until thickened. Cooking it on the stove top on medium for about 30 minutes is the fastest method, but I think the flavors blend better when it is baked.

Chunky Caramel Apples
(no dip caramel apples)

26 caramels
2 Tbsp. water
4 medium apples, cubed
Nuts, chopped

Combine caramels and water in a sauce pan and melt, stirring constantly. Place apples in 4 individual bowls and pour caramel over each serving. Sprinkle with nuts.

Chilling Jack O' Lantern Brew

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed milk (do not use evaporated)
1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice
1 (2 liter) bottle of orange soda
Orange sherbet, optional

Chill everything. Mix in order in a punch bowl. Pour punch in cup then add a scoop of sherbet if you want.

Witch's Fingers - Sweet

Take your favorite sugar cookie dough (store bought or homemade) or any kind of "light colored" cookie dough that can be rolled. Roll it into fat finger shapes, pressing on each side of the center to make a knuckle.

You can also take a knife and score a few lines for wrinkles on the knuckle areas. Just look at your own fingers to get an idea.

Add almonds* (pointy end up) for finger nails. Bake according to the directions for your recipe until light brown on edges.

*You can mix some food coloring with a little water and paint the nails red or green before you press them into the fingers.

To serve, stand upright in a mug or glass.

Witch's Fingers - Savory

5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup packed cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. cornmeal
1 large egg
Kosher salt
30 almonds

Blend butter, cheese, flour and cornmeal together in bowl or food processor until looks like sand. Add egg and mix. Pat into 1/2 thick circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 3 days.

Place dough between 2 - 14 inch (about) pieces of wax paper and roll into an 8x10 inch rectangle. Be careful not to wrinkle the paper. Place in the freezer again for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut into thirty 1/2 inch by 5 inch strips. Lay on greased cookie sheet. Bend top of strip under slightly to look like the tip of a finger. Shape knuckles and add wrinkles. Add an almond* for the finger nail. Bake until lightly brown, about 15 minutes.

*You can mix some food coloring with a little water and paint the nails red or green before you press them into the fingers.

Note: For a very quick version, you could form fingers out of breadstick dough and just add the almonds. You can use canned biscuits for this, too.