Jack Skellington Cupcakes

When Jennifer Fulton walked in with these we immediately recognized the iconic Halloween face of Jack Skellington of "The Nightmare before Christmas". And the little guys who may be a tad young for the movie will still recognize a fun, slightly creepy face- this was emphatically requested by her 3 year-old son. Added bonus: If you needed to make a bunch of cupcakes or just wanted to mix it up a bit, you could have a pile decorated half with these guys and half with the eyeballs found here.

1 batch chocolate cupcakes
White buttercream frosting
2 toothpicks
1 tube black decorator's icing


Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream frosting. For each cupcake, use the tip of a toothpick to lightly etch the outline of two large Jack Skellington eyes in the frosting . Slowly pipe black decorator's icing onto the etched lines and then fill in the inner circles. Use another toothpick to spread and smooth the icing. {Jenn used a baby spoon and said it worked great} Pipe on two short lines for a nose. Next, pipe a long line across the bottom of the cupcake for the mouth. Randomly top the mouth with a bunch of short icing barbs.

Beef Gravy

Jennifer Fulton showed up a little late to Beef Night, so I'm not sure how many of us got to try this- we were all so full of the other good stuff! This is kind of like stroganoff, but a little heartier. It would also make a good biscuits-and-gravy gravy for breakfast- just substitute sausage for the beef and use it to top biscuits instead of noodles.

1 lb hamburger

1/2 onion

2 C milk

1 cube butter

about 1/4 C flour

Brown hamburger and onion; drain. Melt in butter. Heat milk and add to the mixture. Add flour little by little until pasty. It should be the consistency of gravy, not quite as thick as a stroganoff.

Crustless Ham and Egg Tarts

These look super elegant- like something you'd pay $40 for and still be hungry after eating. But they are actually pretty simple and quite filling- Not to mention delicious! Jenn Fulton brought these and I've noticed that trend with her food- very sophisticated looking and tasting, but simple enough for real life! These would make a beautiful offering for any brunch buffet or as an hors d'oeuvre for a party.

2 tsp olive oil
12 thin slices ham {Jenn says deli ham rounds are the perfect size}
12 large eggs
12 medium cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil all the cups in a 12 cup muffin tin with the olive oil (cooking spray would also work). Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham. Leave the ends of the ham sticking out over the top slightly. Break one egg into each ham slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with one sliced cherry tomato, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of chives.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until the egg has set. Let cool 5 minutes before removing tarts from the tin. Run a knife around each muffin cup to loosen and remove. Serve.

Note: This recipe can be done with scrambled eggs. Just scramble the eggs before pouring them into the ham.

Grape Party Drink

Jen made this when she hosted our Dessert night and even though it obviously wasn't a dessert dish, it was so good everyone wanted the recipe! It's like a hearty grape cider. Someone was talking about making it for a bridal shower and we all thought it would look awesome in a punch bowl with some frozen grapes or grapes frozen in ice cubes.

1 can concentrated white grape juice
1 bottle white grape juice
1 liter Ginger Ale

Mix and serve!

Artichoke and Sun dried Tomato Pasta

Jenn Fulton brought this yummy pasta. The sun-dried tomato give it a nice restaurant-worthy air to it. The sun-dried tomato is also what broke all over her driveway that night!

1 box (16 oz) Penne Pasta
1 (8 oz) Can artichoke hears in water (drained and chopped)
1 jar julienne sliced sun dried tomatoes in oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced

Cook pasta according to the instructions on package. While pasta is boiling, saute garlic in oil. remove tomatoes from the jar (reserve oil for later) and add to garlic. Add artichokes and chicken and continue to saute until everything is heated. Drain pasta and return to pan. Add sauteed mixture along with the oil from the tomatoes into the pasta. Stir and serve.