Overview: The beauty of a holiday like Halloween is that it brings us joy and gives us a reason to celebrate with special traditional American Halloween food items! Let’s take a look at some traditional treats for this October!
Trick or treating, carving pumpkins, Halloween costume parties, and telling scary stories filled with monsters and ghosts – if you grew up celebrating Halloween, these are all things you associate with October 31. The holiday has changed quite a bit over the years from its religious origins, but as it exists today in the United States, Halloween is a time when we can all indulge in the darker and creepier side of life… while eating loads of candy!
Halloween is a lot of fun, a little spooky – and for most of us, it’s anything but serious. Historically, the nature of the holiday was religious and was spiritually significant to the people who celebrated it. For many Americans today, Halloween is a time for scary pranks, as well as delicious treats. While there are lots of different ways to celebrate Halloween, a seasonally appropriate snack is a great way to enjoy the day also known as “All Hallows’ Eve.”
Are you also looking for some spooky inspiration for your next party? Try these Halloween specials and score the best treat of all: the respect and appreciation of your family and friends! (Corny? Sure. But it’s the season of candy corn, after all!)
Pumpkin Pie:
Pumpkin pie isn’t just for Thanksgiving! When fall rolls around, people start enjoying pumpkin as an ingredient and a flavor in just about everything. And Halloween is the season of jack-o’-lanterns — so while you’re carving those pumpkins, why not save a few to turn into tasty pies? Before we jump into this recipe, make sure you have a small cookie cutter to decorate!
Ingredients:
◻ Pie Crust
◻ 2 cups flour
◻ 1/2 tsp salt
◻ 2/3 cup shortening
◻ 1/4 cup water
Pumpkin Pie Filling
◻ 2 cups pureed pumpkin
◻ 1 1/2 cups light cream
◻ 2 eggs
◻ 1/2 cup sugar
◻ 1/3 cup brown sugar
◻ 1 tsp cinnamon
◻ 1 tsp ground ginger
◻ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
◻ 1/4 tsp salt
Get your ingredients from Redlands Ranch Market
Directions — Making the Pie Crust:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and make your pie crust first. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, and with the help of a pie cutter, cut in the shortenings until all particles are pea-sized.
Add 2-3 tbsp water to the dough mixture and mix lightly with the fork. Be gentle with the dough — you won’t like it if it gets too hard. Press into ball.
Split the pie dough ball into 2 small balls — one with 2/3 of the dough and one with the other 1/3. Get some parchment paper and roll out the 2 balls of dough. The parchment paper should make it easy to pick up the dough in the same condition and then press it into a pie plate.
Press the larger crust into a 9″ pie plate and set the smaller piece of pie dough aside. This piece will be used later for the decorative crust.
Bake the empty crust in the 400-degree oven for 20 minutes, and lay a thin foil over the pie dough, making sure that all the edges are covered. Fill the tin foil with raw rice to keep the crust flat during the baking process. Bake for 20 minutes and when the crust is done, remove it from the oven, and turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees.
Pie Filling:
After you put the crust in to bake, it’s the best time to get your filling done. In a large bowl, break two eggs, and whisk together. Add sugars, spices, pumpkin puree, and cream. Pour the pie filling into the hot pie crust (once it’s baked).
Lay the pie crust shapes on top. If you haven’t already, use your cookie cutters to make the shapes — we recommend shapes like ghosts, witches, and spiders. Bake in the 375-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes. You’ll know the pie filling has set when you move the dish — the center of the filling will move like gelatin.
Remember, not watery — gelatin-y.
Let the pie cool completely before serving as it needs some time for the filling to set in completely. Let is set before serving and once it’s done, serve with ice cream and enjoy! The spooky shapes on the pie will provide a special thrill for kids of all ages.
Apple Bread:
Ingredients:
◻ 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
◻ 2 tsp ground cinnamon
◻ 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
◻ 3/4 cup sugar
◻ 2 large eggs
◻ 2 tsp vanilla extract
◻ 1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter
◻ 1/4 cup applesauce (use milk if applesauce isn’t available)
◻ 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
◻ 1/2 tsp salt
◻ 2 cups chopped apples
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick baking spray. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, and applesauce (or milk) together in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir to combine. Pour in chopped apples and start folding the mixture slowly. Pour the batter into a loaf pan and stir in for 60-65 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it set for about 10 minutes. Place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
The best thing about Apple Bread is that you can serve it warm or at room temperature. It’s best if you finish it within 3-4 days and store it in an airtight jar.
Are you looking for some gluten-free inspiration for Halloween? Don’t sacrifice flavor; consider trying this Gluten-Free Apple Bread Recipe.
Caramel Corn:
Ingredients:
◻ 10 cups of popped popcorn
◻ 1 tsp salt
◻ 1 cup butter (sweet cream salted)
◻ 2 tsp vanilla
◻ 1/2 tsp baking soda
◻ 1 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Make popcorn the traditional way by adding a tbsp of oil and salt in a pan. Add popcorn, let it pop, and place aside.
Melt one cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of brown sugar until thoroughly mixed. Stir continuously and bring the mixture up to a boil.
When the sugar mixture reaches a boil, add 2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Stir in for a minute and drizzle the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Fold the popcorn carefully until the kernels are all covered.
Let the popcorn cool and serve!
Related Reading: 10 flavored popcorn recipes
Pumpkin Lentil Soup:
Ingredients:
◻ 3 cups chicken broth
◻ 3 cups water
◻ 2 large garlic cloves, minced
◻ 2/3 cup dried lentils
◻ 1 tbsp ground cumin
◻ 2 tbsp dried oregano
◻ 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
◻ 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
◻ 1 can pumpkin
◻ 1/2 tsp salt
◻ 5 cups fresh spinach
◻ 1/2 cup mild salsa
Get your organic vegetables here at Redlands Ranch Market
Directions:
In a 6-qt. stockpot, add chicken broth, water, dried lentils, oregano, cumin, and minced garlic cloves. Tighten the lid to let the lentils come to a boil for about 25 minutes over medium heat.
Take the lid off after 25 minutes and stir in beans, pumpkin, salsa, and salt, and let the mixture boil. Reduce heat, simmer, and stir occasionally. Let it cook for 20 more minutes before adding the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted for 3-5 minutes. TA-DA! The yummiest soup you’ve ever had is ready for your Halloween party!
In Summary:
Halloween is a perfect time for gathering together, cooking traditional meals, and baking spooky decorated cookies and cupcakes. Food is one thing that brings everyone to the same table. They say good food makes a good mood — and we agree with that. This is why we love bringing you the best recipes and being part of your fun and festive meals.
Whatever you’re cooking up this Halloween, we hope you’ll make use of our organically-grown vegetables and fruits. They’re flavorful, nutritious… and our prices are so good it’s scary!