Graveyard Dirt Halloween Dessert

These 'Graveyard Dirt Cups' were the perfect finish to last year's Spooky Dinner!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Oreos

8oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. milk

2-3.4oz. pkg. chocolate instand pudding mix

1 carton whipped cream, thawed

Gummi worms for garnish

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Fold in whipped topping. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture until blended. Scoop into individual cups.

Using a food processor, crush the bag of Oreos until they resemble dirt.  Place 2-3 gummi worms in each cup and top with crushed Oreos.

'Head of Zombie' Halloween Meatloaves

These 'Baby Zombie Head' meat loafs were the entree at our Spooky Dinner last year.  It's my basic meatloaf recipe, so they're tasty!

Meatloaf:

1lb. ground beef

1 egg, beaten

1/2c. oatmeal

1/4c. chopped onion

1/4c. ketchup

1 T steak sauce

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Sauce:

1/2 c. ketchup

3 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp mustard

Mix the meatloaf ingredients and pack into the pan. If you don't have a pan, try shaping into a head-shape and place on a cookie sheet to bake.

This cake pan was perfect for shaping the heads:

Bake for 30 min @ 350 degrees.  Flip onto a cookie sheet.

Cover each meatloaf with sauce. Use olives, onions, red peppers, banana peppers, or what ever you have to decorate the faces.

Return to oven and continue baking for 20-30 min. until sauce has caramelized.

Vampire Kiss Halloween Cocktail

I served this Vampire Kiss Halloween Cocktail from Sandra Lee at my Spooky Dinner last year which was delicious!

Ingredients:
1 part vodka, chilled
1 part Champagne
1 part Chambord
Garnish with wax teeth/candy corn/blood orange slice

Directions:
Pour vodka in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour a little of the Chambord over the back of a spoon to make it float.

I poured some grenadine onto a plate to rim the glasses to look like blood.

 

I froze plastic spiders in ice cubes for a little extra something spooky since I couldn't find wax teeth.

Bloody Brains Halloween Jell-O

Last year we served 'Human brains' at our Spooky Dinner, which were actually pretty good!

Ingredients:

1 3.4oz. box Raspberry Jell-O

1 tub Cool Whip, thawed

Grenadine for Garnish

Make Jello as directed and let set-up in fridge for 1 hour. Fold in cool-whip, and transfer to brain mold (I found mine at a pop-up Halloween store).  Let set at least 8 hours or overnight.

To remove Jell-O from the mold, place the mold in a pan of hot tap water without submerging to loosen the edges. Place a plate upside down on the mold, then flip upright to remove Jell-O onto the plate.

Drizzle Grenadine over the top just before serving to look like blood.

DIY Skull Halloween Place Card Holders

For our Spooky Dinner last year, I wanted to have themed place card holders without spending a lot of money.  I was able to make my own set for only $1!!

I started with a bag of 12 plastic skulls that was only $1.

Using a sharp knife and a cutting board, I cut a slit through each of the hollow skulls to hold the place card.

 

I printed everyone's name on a piece of white card stock. The font I used is called 'Cracked'.  

The slit I cut holds each name card perfectly!

These would also look great spray painted silver or gold for a 'glam' halloween!

Stocking-Up on Stocking Stuffers

It's always fun to give and get stocking stuffers as a little 'something extra' at Christmas time, however if you're not careful they can end-up costing you more than an actual gift!  A lot of retailers send me coupons for free things that make excellent stocking stuffers.  (I'm not sure how I got on these lists, but I'm sure if you snoop around their web-sites you can easily sign-up). Start stocking-up now so you can collect enough goodies for all of your friends and family.  

Here are some great deals that I use for Stocking Stuffers:

$10 off Anything Over $10 Coupons

Find something for $10 and it's free! I get these offers from the following retailers:

 JC Penney-You can easily fiend a piece of clothing here for close to $10. Sometimes it's nice just to get a fresh white tank, something everyone loves but never buys themselves! They also have great deals on jewelry, scarves, hats, mittens, etc.

DSW-Smartwool socks, leg warmers, cute boot socks, or a piece of jewelry

Kohls-Great deals on scarves and jewelry, but you can also find a ton of great kitchen items or wine glasses for under $10. Who doesn't love new dishtowels?!?

Free Stuff

Victoria's Secret-I am always getting coupons for free undies, and the one size fits most lacie's are a great gift option since size doesn't matter!

Bath & Body Works-Free travel size lotion or body wash.  Stock-up early and you can get one of each in the same scent to create a little bundle.

Godiva-Free truffle every month (which you should just eat). However, they give you $10 off the month of your birthday, so if your birthday is close to December Godiva chocolate bars would be appreciated by anyone!

DIY Crafts

It's easy to make multiples of a single craft project to give to everyone on your list.  Some great homemade gifts include wine cork ornaments, tile coasters, wine bottle candles, or Reinbeers!

Hint: Stocking stuffers don't have to be Christmas themed, but if you must, get something basic that will be useful after the holidays and tie it up with a holiday themed ribbon!