Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Halloween Week Day 5

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to a very spooky edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your creepy hostess, Mandie. Today, we will be making two (2) spectacularly ghoulish meals for this upcoming Halloween. These meals are sure to entice your children, your neighbors, and your friends. We will be concocting Scary Pasta with Eyeballs as well as Cannibal Cajun Brain. Sounds disgusting, right? Well, you're wrong. These are delicious and fun meals that will top of the holiday in style! Let's get in the kitchen and get cooking!





Cannibal Cajun Brain





You will need:






  • 3 pounds shrimp, peeled, cooked, de-veined
  • 2 small roasted red peppers, julienned
  • 1 green onion, sliced into 2 inch pieces, julienned
  • For the Gelatin Mixture:
  • 2.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1.5 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • A pinch of salt







  1. Into a purchased  jello brain mold, layer your shrimp in, tails facing the middle of the brain. It's best if you layer them into the brain mold with the tails facing the middle, according to each "hemisphere" of the brain. This will give you the most realistic look. 
  2. Tuck the shrimps in close together. 
  3. Drop bits of roasted pepper and green onion in around the shrimp. These should look like veins and nerves when you're finished. 
  4. Repeat, alternating between shrimp and vegetables, until you fill your Jello brain mold. 
  5. Make your gelatin according to package instructions.
  6. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. 
  7. Remove from heat and stir in the unflavored gelatin. 
  8. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt. 
  9. Pour this mixture over the shrimp in your brain mold, filling to the top. Discard any extra. 
  10. With a rubber spatula, smooth the top of your shrimp and gelatin to create a smooth surface. 
  11. Refrigerate until firm, at least several hours. 
  12. To unmold, set your Jello brain mold in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. 
  13. Place a serving tray underneath, then flip your mold over. 
  14. The brain should pop right out. 
  15. Serve with "fava beans and a nice Chianti"!
  16. Enjoy!







Ready for our next spooky recipe? Let's go!





Scary Pasta with Eyeballs





You will need:






  • 15 Fresh Plum Tomatoes 
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Finely Chopped Garlic
  • 4 tablespoons Fresh Chopped Basil
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 pound linguine
  • 12 small Fresh Mozzarella Balls
  • 4 large Black Olives







  1. Chop the tomatoes into 1/4 inch pieces.
  2. Heat olive oil in large skillet or saucepan.
  3. Add garlic to the saucepan, then saute for about 3 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes and basil with the garlic. 
  5. Simmer for about 15 minutes using the straight part of a spatula to “chop” the mixture while it cooks.
  6. Add sugar, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and allow to simmer 20 minutes on medium heat “chopping” and stirring occasionally.
  7. While the tomatoes are cooking, boil pasta for 11 to 12 minutes or until cooked to desired firmness.
  8. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. 
  9. Press one black olive into the middle of each mozzarella ball. 
  10. Top the pasta with mozzarella "eyeballs". 
  11. Serve immediately.
  12. Enjoy!






I hope you all enjoy this fabulous day. Your children should get a kick out of these awesome recipes, as should anyone who stumbles across them! Happy blogging to all and I'll catch you on the flip side! <3