Last Minute Halloween Treats

We aren't having our Halloween bonfire with our teens and their friends until the weekend after Halloween, so I still have time to decide on treats for the party. If you are rushing around this week trying to figure out a homemade treat to make, try one of the following recipes. I'm going to make at least two of the following bars, plus I'll pick up candy after Halloween when it's marked down. Teens eat a lot, so I may have to make 3 or 4 pans now that I think about it:)

Halloween Crispy Bars

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine
1 pkg. (10 oz.) marshmallows
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups candy corn

Grease a 9x13 pan with margarine or spray well with pan spray.In a large pan, slowly melt the margarine over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they have completely melted in with the margarine. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Add the rice cereal and candy corn. Stir until well coated. Spread margarine on your hands and press into the pan lightly until even in the pan. Chill, then cut into squares.

Crispy Caramel Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:
5 cups crispy rice cereal
1 bag caramels of 49 caramels
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
3 tbsp. water

Melt the caramels over low heat, mixing with the water. In a large bowl place the cereal. Add the caramel and mix. With buttered fingers, press the cereal mixture into a 13 x 9 inch buttered pan. Sprinkle the chocolate and butterscotch chips evenly over the top of the cereal mixture. Place in 200 degree oven for 5 minutes until morsels are soft. They won't actually melt, but will be soft so they can be spread. Remove from the oven and use a butter knife to spread and swirl the softened chips evenly. Cut in squares.

Triple Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. cocoa
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup stick margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups cocoa crispy rice cereal

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or spray a 13x9 baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well with a dry spoon or fork. In another large bowl, beat the margarine and brown sugar until light. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and the cereal to mix well. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool. Frost if desired, or cut into squares and serve as is.

German Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cups margarine, stick variety
1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups toasted oat cereal or crispy rice cereal
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.. Melt the margarine in a 15 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan by placing in the oven once it's heated. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the melted margarine and pat evenly onto the pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips and cereal. Drizzle condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake 20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

On OFL you'll find more recipes for Halloween:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/main.html

Mexican Bean Burrito Soup

My husband loves my chili, and I appreciate his loyalty to one of my dishes, but sometimes I just want to shake it up with something different. Today I put together a soup that mixed a few recipes with my own twist and I came up with Mexican Bean Burrito Soup.

Mexican Bean Burrito Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 cup smooth taco sauce
32 ounces ready to serve beef broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. Adobo seasoning with cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 can Northern, pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can refried beans
3/4 cup uncooked instant brown or white rice
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a soup/stock pot and saute the onion until soft. Add the ground chuck, breaking apart as it browns. When the meat is browned and no longer pink, add the beef broth, water, taco sauce, spices and beans. Mix with a wooden spoon, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-8 minutes, then add the rice. Cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes if it's brown instant rice. If it's white instant rice, remove from heat at that point and cover. Allow it to sit covered for up to ten minutes after removed from heat.

Serve in bowls with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips. Serves 6.

OPTIONS: If you want to leave out the meat, add another can of beans. This would also be good with shredded cooked pork or chicken in place of the ground beef. Sour cream and extra hot sauce could be served with it as well.

On OFL I shared more spicy soups:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/soups.html

~Brenda