Ooey Gooey Crunchy Chewy Monster Eyeballs

I know using "eyeballs" in a food title is problematic but it's almost Halloween!!!  I will warn you that while these are adorably disturbing, they are a little messy to make...but delicious.

Ooey Gooey Crunchy Chewy Monster Eyeballs

1-1/4 cup dried apricots, small chopped
1 cup dates, small chopped
1 cup pecans, small chopped
1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk
4-5 graham crackers, crushed
1 (16 oz.) package milk chocolate CandiQuik
Wilton candy eye

In a large bowl, mix together dried apricots, dates, pecans and coconut.  Add the condensed milk and mix until well blended.

Put the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes, letting it firm up.

Add enough crushed graham crackers to keep the mixture from being too moist and enough that you can easily roll it into 1-1/2" balls.  Place balls on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Melt the chocolate bark over low heat.  Once ready to go, dip the balls in the chocolate, shake off any excess, and replace on wax paper.  Pop a candy eye on the top before the chocolate hardens.

Spooktacular!  Nice little rush sugar for all the little ghoulies to enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie'scream

I've not been shy over the years about my undying love of all things pumpkin, and tonight I'm excited to bring you another exciting iteration of that love.  This was one of those driving home from work brainstorm creations.  As always, you're very welcome.

Pumpkin Pie'scream

1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin
2 cups light cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup graham crackers, broken into bits
2-3 tbsp. caramel sauce

Whisk together pumpkin, light cream, sugar, spices, and eggs in a deep saucepan.  Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat.

Transfer mixture to a bowl (preferably metal) and place in the fridge to cool off.

Once the mixture has cooled to at least room temperature, put in the ice cream maker and follow directions of machine to make ice creamy.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a metal baking pan and place in the freezer.  Will take a bit longer, but will work the same.

Once the ice cream reaches soft serve stage, fold in graham cracker bits and caramel sauce (loosely so that the caramel doesn't blend too much).

Transfer to a freezer friendly container and allow to set.

Scoop up, top with some whip cream, garnish with some pecan bits and savor the pumpkin fabulousness of a non-pie piescream treat.

DAD'S NOTE

Dad's recommendation is to take this delicious frozen treat and put it in a pie crust and make it a Pumpkin Pie'scream Pie.  Maybe add some whip cream, a couple pecans...an additional caramel drizzle might not come amiss.  Now you know where my genius comes from.

Angel of Death Brown Sugar Bacon Bites

In honor of tonight's premier of The Walking Dead, I chose to try a heavenly treat from The Snacking Dead combining the peppery pop of cayenne with the warm palate embrace of cinnamon served up on a little slice of bacon bliss.  Enjoy.

Angel of Death Brown Sugar Bacon Bites
variation on original recipe because I need new reading glasses

8 slices of bacon, each cut into 3-inch pieces
   I used a full pack, 12 slices, and cut them into thirds
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
   I used 3/4 tsp. because of the reason italicized above
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and add the bacon pieces in a single layer.

Line another baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack on top.  Spray the cooling rack with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cayenne and cinnamon. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the bacon pieces.

Bake until the bacon is well browned, crisp and bubbling, 16-18 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from oven.  Transfer the bacon pieces to the cooling rack and set aside to cool completely and firm up before serving.

ah, that would be Dad not waiting until they are cooled

Deadly delightful.

Did I mention you need to get this cookbook?

Check It Out: The Snacking Dead

Yay! It's finally October, my favorite month of the year. With Halloween creeping up at end of the month and the mid-month premiere of The Walking Dead, I found a fun new cookbook to share with you that combines some of my favorite things...creepiness, tongue-in-cheek humor, zombies, and food!

The Snacking Dead:A Parody in a Cookbook by D.B. Walker is fun and freaky. Recipes interspersed with stories of people eating...and we'll just leave it at that. All the recipes tie into the tale of action, drama, and culinary acumen.

How can you pass on Nachos of the Living Dead, Napalm Spicy Chicken Wings, Very Last Call Beer Nuts or Angel of Death Brown Sugar Bacon Bites? You can't if you expect to survive a culinary apocalypse.

Perfect for any twisted culinary cookbook collection or a great gift for your schambler-loving friends.  I give it an enthusiastic two thumbs off! ;)

The Snacking Dead:A Parody in a Cookbook
D.B. Walker
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2013
ISBN 978-0-7704-35448 ($19.99)