Witch's Brew

Happy Halloween from the Hills!! I hope you have some spooktacular plans for tonight! We'll be throwing our annual Halloween fest! And this witch's brew will be the drink of the night! This is such a fun and festive Halloween drink. Every age gets excited about it, thanks to the effects of the dry ice. Who doesn't love that wispy look it creates?!

Tonight we will be mixing this recipe up in a large quantity and it will be served in a hollowed out pumpkin! We did something similar last year and loved it! So we're sticking to the same thing again, because you stick with what works! I hope you and yours get as much of a kick out of this drink as we do!

For more Halloween goodies, check HERE. And you should check out the little video of this brew, bubbling over!

• What You'll Need
• Spoonful of raspberry orange sherbert
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1/2  cup ginger ale 
• Dry ice

• What You'll Do
• Scoop a spoonful of sherbert into a glass. 
• Pour in the apple juice, cranberry juice, and ginger ale.
• Very carefully and with tongs, plop in a little piece of dried ice. Let the bubbling begin!

Fruit Filled Jack 'O Lantern Oranges

I think these jack 'o lantern oranges are the cutest things ever! This type of Halloween-inspired treat makes me super excited for littles during the holiday season! Husband agrees with me. While this isn't so much a recipe as it is an idea, I couldn't not share. I think these would be great at a Halloween party filled with fruit or a dip and they would certainly be super festive and fun for children. 

I will be using this concept on orange peppers, cutting off the top, hollowing them out, then 'carving' a jack 'o lantern face into one of its sides for my Halloween party tomorrow. I will be filling mine with a spinach dip (I'll be sharing the recipe) instead of fruit. Any circular fruit or vegetable could have this type of treatment done to it, and the filling ideas are endless! 

• What You'll Need
• Naval oranges (as many as you like)
• Fruit for filling

• What You'll Do
• Cut off the very top of the orange.
• With a knife, go along the very inside of the orange. 
• Scoop out the fruit part of the orange (I used a grapefruit spoon for this part.) 
• Next carve out a jack 'o lantern face.
• Fill with fruit.

For more Halloween food ideas and recipes, click HERE.

Vanilla, Chocolate, & Caramel Dipped Apples

These dipped apples were SO much fun to make! Plus, you can let your creative genius go to work as you pick the toppings and dipping sauces. I stayed more classic with my choices and really loved how they turned out. These are a great pop of color and would perfect for a sweet treat at a Halloween party or after dinner. 

This would also be a fun way to get your children involved in the kitchen, getting them to help you make these super tasty apple treats. Or host a cooking night at your house with your friends, setting a spread out on your counters and chatting while you put them together!

• What You'll Need
• Vanilla Bark
• Chocolate chips of your choice (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate)
• Caramel sauce or caramel candies
• Chopped walnuts
• Slice almonds
• Sprinkles
• Old-fashioned oats

• What You'll Do
• Divide your dipping sauce choices into individual bowls. Melt them in them in the microwave, adding a splash of milk to the chocolate chips and a splash of water to caramel candies. (The vanilla bark will melt fine on it's own, but if you want you could add a splash of milk).
• I used an apple slicer to split my apples into these slices, and I also left the peel on, washing it well beforehand.
• Dip the apple slices into the dipping sauces then into the toppings of your choice. You can mix and match here with sauce flavors and toppings. The options are endless!
• Once you have decorated all of your apple slices, put them in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Then enjoy!

Brownie & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Halloween parties are so much fun to put together! Let's be honest, I LOVE putting any party together and will make one up just to throw it. I believe in party themes, and when you're working on a holiday party it's not hard to prep everything according to that holiday. With Halloween, I am looking for original and festive ideas. This is one of those.

Today I am sharing Brownie & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, a take on a classic. These are the perfect little treats to spruce up the week or serve as a sweet treat for a Halloween party. They're quick and simple too!

• What You'll Need
• 1 box Duncan Hines extra fudge brownie mix
• 1 egg
• 3 TBSP water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (3.4 oz) box pumpkin spice instant pudding 
• Milk

• What You'll Do
• Prepare the pumpkin spice pudding according to the box directions for PIE FILLING (it uses less milk, making thick). Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
• In a bowl, combine the brownie mix, egg, water, and vegetable oil. Mix well.
• On a greased baking sheet, dollop a tablespoon worth of brown mix out, helping to shape it into a disk.
• Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes. You do not want over bake these.
• Let the brownies cool. 
• Put all of the pudding mixture into a baggie, cutting off the tip, then squeezing a helping of pudding on the flat side of the brownie. Top with another brownie, pressing slightly. 
• Store in the refrigerator. 

 For more Halloween recipes, click HERE.

Vanilla Dirt Cake

In honor of Halloween on Friday, I'm sharing Halloween-themed recipes all week long. And I'm throwing it back to childhood with this first one! Who doesn't love some dirt cake?! When I made this sweet treat to share with friends, I took a twist on a classic by turning the top of the dirt cake into a graveyard with the typical gummy worms, and some Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. Using homemade icing I wrote RIP on each wafter to really complete the Halloween look. If you wanted you could add pumpkin candy instead of worms. 

My favorite way to fix this dessert is with vanilla pudding instead of chocolate. I'm a vanilla girl through and through. But, if you are a double chocolate lover, you can pair your Oreos with chocolate pudding. Swapping it out is simple. 

• What You'll Need
• 1 pack of original Oreos
• 2 (3.4 oz) packages of instant vanilla pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (12 oz) Cool Whip

• What You'll Do
• In a bowl, whisk together the vanilla pudding and milk. Then add 1/4 of the container of cool whip.
• In a separate bowl, whip the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and butter together with a hand mixer. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining 3/4 of the container of cool whip.
• Using a food processor crumble the Oreos into pieces. You don't want crumbs, so make sure not to chop up too much. 
• In a bowl, trifle bowl, or individual cups begin adding the crushed Oreos to make a bottom layer.
• Next layer some pudding mixture, followed by a layer of cream cheese mixture, then more crumbled Oreos. Continue this layering until you get to the top of the bowl. Make sure Oreo is the last layer.
• Then decorate the 'dirt' with worms, pumpkins, and gravestones.