Halloween food fun

For the past fortnight, I've been unwittingly drawn to all manner of websites, showing weird and unusual and downright whacky food ideas for Halloween.
Top of the weird yet wonderful would have to be the 'Cheese & Bacon Turtleburgers'

go on,  google it.  You know you want to......

One of the ideas I saw, I thought I could be bothered making for Lunch today.  Mummy onna Stick.

Either make meatballs or buy them pre-made.  Using either Kabana or Saveloys (little boys to most Aussies), make head and bodies on a bamboo skewer.  I then spread them with a smidge of Philadelphia cream cheese, although I know now, I could have bought the homebrand cream cheese in a tub.  I boiled up some egg noodles, nice and wide - wider than fettuchini, although that would still do the trick.
Starting at the head I wrapped a strand of pasta round and round, if the strand was too short, then a second or third could be added.

I laid them down in a pre-greased casserole dish and turned the oven onto just above 'keep warm' - if you are not careful, the pasta could cook and get crunchy.  Before popping them into the oven to re-heat, I made eyes with bits of capers, slipping them just uder the 'bandages'
I had them heating slightly in the oven while heating up some pasta sauce for dipping.
I dished them up - along with a little octopus (should be called a spider today) - simply made by slicing an uncooked little boy , hen popping it in the hot water with the rest. - the legs curl up nicely!

Isn't this cute?

It was fiddly, but I think for a party, I would make the effort to make more and heat gently in an oven.

Another chicken recipe - make it up as you go along!

Once again, though it may not look like something that Top Chef will put out - this tasted scrumptious!

I took 2 chicken fillets and diced them up - flung them in the frypan, with 4 chopped rashers of bacon - rind removed.
Oh yes.. half a chopped red onion.
all in the frypan....browning nicely.
Then... the magic ingredient - a can of condensed cream of chicken soup. I added the can of water and a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken it up. To add some colour, the handful of frozen beans were easy. I left it all to simmer for 20minuts and served it up with mashed potato.

Very very tasty and simple to make.

gotta love those cans of soup!

Chicken & Corn Chowder

A good, hearty soup for a winter's day.

Ingredients:

• 1 BBQ chicken - shredded (skin and all)
  
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 onion - chopped
• 30g butter
  
• 60g creamed cheese
• 440g can of creamed corn
• 3 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 spring onions - chopped

Using a big saucepan, melt the butter, add the onion and saute until just soft.
Add the shredded chicken. creamed corn, chicken stock
Simmer for 15 minutes - stirring from time to time to let the flavours blend.
Using a bit of the hot soup, blend in a small bowl with the cream cheese, until a soft and smooth consistency - then add to the soup and stir until blended.
Mix the cornflour and water together then add to the soup and stir.
Raise the heat under the pan until just boiling - stir as the soup thickens.
Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Toss in the spring onions and serve.

OK - that's the official, copied out of a magazine instructions - my instructions modify slightly.
1 BBQ chook - have you seen the price of these lately? I could not justify spending $11 on a chicken that was going to end up as soup - so I spent $3.50 on a kilo of chicken drumsticks and baked them in the oven - still gives me as much chicken meat - and I can make reserve chicken stock from the bones.
Can of creamed corn / creamed cheese- As always, generic brand will serve the purpose. Often 1/3 - 1/2 cheaper than a name brand - when used in cooking - tastes the same.

I warmed some crusty rolls in the oven and dished up the soup in bowls. It may not look like much, but it is SO TASTY !!!!

enjoy!

Budget Beater - Hot Tuna Roll

Doesn't look all that much, and it's only because my eldest son did ask - "Did you take a photo?" after he'd sat down with his piece. Fortunately, I'd saved a serve for a lunch at work.

Hot Tuna Roll.

Ingredients:
Dollop of butter/margarine
Cornflour or plain flour
Milk
Lump of leftover tasy cheese - grated (about 1 1/2 cups worth)
2 spring onions - chopped
Large tin of Tuna in Brine.

All of my ingredients were generic brand items - the tuna is really good value - at under $2.00 for the tin - I've never noticed any difference from the leading brands.

Method:

Make a basic white sauce - melt the butter, add the flour - I use a whisk and cook it, while stirring for a couple of minutes - I think it burns the excess starch from the flour. Gradually add enough milk to make a thick, but smooth liquid - about twice the thickness of normal milk.
Add the grated cheese and keep stirring until it melts in. Then add the spring onions and any seasoning (salt & pepper or lemon pepper) of your choice. Add the tuna, breaking up the clumps. By now I've given up the whisk and am using a fork or wooden spoon to mix through - heat, stirring, until a suitable thick gloop exists. Take it off the heat.

Oh yes... the Roll bit....
I used a large Cob style loaf, topped it like a hard boiled egg (making a bread lid), scooped out all the fresh bread inside it, to leave a bread shell. I poured the tuna mix into the loaf, popped the lid of the bread back on it. I wrapped it loosely with foil and put it onto a tray in a pre-heated oven (180c) for 20 minutes - until heated through.

Cut into serves and quickly scoop it into a bowl to serve - as the innards WILL ooze out.

Next time I'm tempted to cook this, I think I'll either use individual small crusty rolls or in ramekins with topped bread lids.

A great, quick, cheap dinner - serves 4.

Family verdict: "Yeah, we'll eat it again!"