Slow Cooking Into Halloween

Recipe for Pumpkin beef crockpot, Buffalo Meatball Pumpkins, Jack-o-Lantern Cheesy Beef Taco Dip. Here are a few recipes for slow cooking into Halloween.

Recipe for Pumpkin beef crockpot

The Halloween Crock Pot: Slow Cook Beef Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

Slow cook beef – pumpkin soup

• 1.5 lb beef stew meat – cube
• 1 small pumpkin
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 2 carrot
• 1 sweet onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 16 oz kidney bean can
• 15 oz pumpkin mix can
• 4 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp red wine
• 1 Tbsp chopped basil
• 1 Tbsp chopped oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slow cook pumpkin soup
2. Cube all meats if not already done so. Crush garlic.
3. In a container, combine to marinade stew beef, garlic, and soy sauce for 20 minutes.
4. While marinating, finely diced sweet onion and tomatoes. Also cut and chop carrot, bell pepper, and all other herbs.
5. Cut the pumpkin into halves, scoop out seeds, reserve them for roasting or so. Just dice/cube cut all the flesh. Note that you can warm the pumpkin a bit to soften it up for easier handling.
6. In a wok or large enough saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp oil.
7. When hot, stir in sweet onion and tomato.
8. When softened, add ketchup and wait until they’re giving off reddish juice.
9. Now stir in the marinade beef and then wine to brown them.
10. When beef is finely brown, remove from heat and transfer into your slow cooker/crockpot.
11. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix and slow cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.
12. Before serving, test and adjust taste accordingly with salt and ground pepper.
13. Serve hot/warm on a crockpot at your party with some funky witches’ fingers bread.

Buffalo Meatball Pumpkins

https://www.thegunnysack.com/buffalo-meatball-pumpkins/

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds Daily Chef – Casa di Bertacchi meatballs, about 75
• 38 pretzel rods, or other pretzel sticks
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, or cilantro

Buffalo Sauce:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing

Instructions

1. Put the meatballs into the slow cooker, cover, and heat on high for 3 – 3 1/2 hours.
2. Pour the buffalo sauce (recipe below) over the meatballs and stir to coat.
3. To make the buffalo meatballs look like pumpkins, put them on a tray.
4. Break the ends off of the pretzel rods and insert them into the meatballs. Cut a small hole in the top of each meatball before inserting the pretzel, if necessary.
5. Finish them off with a green parsley leaf.

Buffalo Sauce:

1. Melt the butter and then stir in the buffalo sauce, pumpkin puree, and ranch dressing.

Jack-o-Lantern Cheesy Beef Taco Dip

Jack-o-Lantern Cheesy Beef Taco Dip

Ingredients

For the Dip:

• 1/2 lb. (225g) lean ground beef (it’s less greasy than regular beef)
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 7 oz. (198g) canned diced green chilis
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) chili powder
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) paprika
• 1 jalapeño, minced (or to taste)
• 1 cup (240ml) mayonnaise
• 8 oz. (226g) cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 8-12 oz. (226-340g) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• Serve with tortilla chips or crackers

For the Jack-o-lantern face:

• 3 Tortilla chips, preferably blue tortilla chips for eyes and nose
• Jalapeño, for stem
• sliced black olives, for teeth

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set aside about 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, which is for the topping. The remaining cheese is for the dip.
2. Heat pan on medium-high, add oil, and cook beef until brown. Add green onions, green chili, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, jalapeño. Cook for about 1 minute until combined.
3. Add mayo, cream cheese, salt, and remainder of the cheddar cheese. Turn heat to low. Stir for about 2 minutes or until the cheeses completely melted. Use paper towels to blot any excess grease released from the beef.
4. Transfer dip to a round 8-inch baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top layer of cheese is melted and dip is bubbly.
6. Make a jack-o-lantern face by using 3 tortilla chips: two for the eyes, one for the nose. Lay black olives to make the teeth and add jalapeño stem on top. Serve with tortilla chips.