Transylvania Pork Stew

Stew Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/4 pounds lean pork stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, sliced
2 cups baby-cut carrots
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with chile peppers, undrained

Pastry Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup (2 ounces) cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons cold water
Chili powder, if desired

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add pork and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned (4 to 5 minutes). Place in slow cooker.
2. Add carrots and corn to slow cooker. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin and garlic powder over ingredients. Add diced tomatoes; stir until combined. Cover; cook on Low heat setting for 7 to 9 hours, or on High heat setting for 3 to 4 hours or until pork is fork tender.
3. Heat oven to 450°F.
4. Combine flour and cheese in large bowl; cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water with fork just until flour is moistened. Shape into ball; flatten slightly.
5. Roll out ball of dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch circle. Cut out shapes using 4 to 5-inch bat cookie cutter. Sprinkle with chili powder, if desired. Place onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. To serve, spoon stew into individual serving bowls; top with pastry bat.

Makes 6 (1-cup) servings.

Tip: Look for stew meat at the meat department of your grocery store. It’s often pieces of meat that have been trimmed away when cutting pork roasts or chops or cut-up pork sirloin. The tougher pieces of pork tenderize when cooked slowly in liquid such as in a stew.

Nutrition Facts (1 serving): Calories: 530 Fat: 32 g Cholesterol: 105 mg Sodium: 700 mg Carbohydrates: 36 g Dietary Fiber: 5 g Protein: 25 g

Crescent Mummy Dogs

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (8 count)
2 1/2 (2.5-ounce) slicesAmerican cheese slices, quartered
10 large hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate at perforations creating 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).
2. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages," stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
3. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on "face."

Makes 10 sandwiches.

Tip: Try a mini version with cocktail sausages.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 15 to 19 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: Serving Size: 1 Sandwich Calories 250 Calories from Fat 160

% DAILY VALUE Total Fat 18g 28% Saturated 6g 32% Trans Fat 1/2g Cholesterol 30mg 11% Sodium 860mg 36% Total Carbohydrate 15g 5% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 3g Protein 8g

% Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 6%

Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Pillsbury and General Mills.

Jack-O-Lantern Cakes

Ingredients

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 bag Snickers Fun Size Bars
2 (16-ounce) cans vanilla frosting
Green and orange food coloring
1 bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies Pumpkin Patch Mix
1 (0.68-ounce) tube black decorating gel
1 bag Twix Fun Size Bars

Preparation

Prep time: 15 minutes | Baking time: 27 minutes | Refrigerating time: 60 minutes | Decorating time: 30 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 mini Bundt pans (each with 6 mini Bundt molds); set aside.

2. Combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. Beat until thick, about 2 minutes; then divide batter evenly between mini Bundt pans.

3. Chop 1 cup Snickers bars and sprinkle on top of batter. Bake 20 to 27 minutes until golden, or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Invert, let cool completely and then remove from pan.

4. Meanwhile, tint 1/2 cup of frosting green, spoon into resealable plastic bag and set aside. Tint remaining frosting bright orange. Spoon 1/4 cup orange frosting into resealable plastic bag and set aside. Stack 2 cakes together (bottom to bottom) resembling a pumpkin shape. If necessary, trim bottoms so they are flat.

5. Place stacked cakes on wire rack set over sheet pan.

6. Heat orange frosting in microwave until thin enough to pour, about 1 minute, stirring well every 10 seconds.

7. Pour frosting evenly over cakes, covering completely. Use small knife or spatula to help frosting cover sides if necessary. Scrape up excess frosting, reheat and reuse if needed.

8. Refrigerate cakes until frosting sets, about 1 hour.

9. Transfer cakes to serving platter. Snip small corner from plastic bags of tinted frosting. Pipe green frosting vines on top of cakes and orange frosting dots to attach M&M's. Pipe eyes, nose and mouth with black decorating gel. Trim 6 Twix bars and insert at top of cakes for stems.

Tip: If you don't have mini Bundt cake pans, use jumbo cupcake pans; makes 12 cupcakes.
Serves

Makes 6 cakes

Haunted House Cake

Ingredients

Orange food coloring
2 (16-ounce) cans vanilla frosting
2 (16-ounce) frozen pound cakes, thawed
1 box thin chocolate wafer cookies
1 (0.68-ounce) tube black decorating gel
1 bag Twix Fun Size Bars
1 bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies Pumpkin Patch Mix
1 bag M&M'S Peanut Chocolate Candies Pumpkin Patch Mix

Preparation

Prep time: 20 minutes | Decorating time: 40 minutes

1. Tint frosting orange and set aside.

2. Spread 1/2 cup orange frosting on bottom of both pound cakes; then press them together. Stand cakes up so that they are vertical on a serving plate.

3. Create pitch of roof by trimming top of one cake on a slight angle. Trim other cake on a steeper angle to make roof look tipsy.

4. Completely cover cake with remaining orange frosting. For roof tiles, break chocolate wafers in half and arrange, overlapping slightly.

5. Pipe black decorating gel for windows. Add Twix bars for door and chimney. Use broken wafer cookies for shutters. Use M&M'S to outline top of roof and sides of house.

6. Grind remaining cookies along with a few Twix bars in food processor. Spread this mixture around base of house for "dirt" and scatter M&M'S on top.
Serves

Makes 1 cake