Miss Mixologist: Happy Halloween Weekend!

I LOVE Halloween. What could be better than dressing up in a ridiculous costume and eating delicious treats? Halloween weekend this year happened to fall on the same weekend many on the East Coast saw the first snow of the year. This weekend called for not only treats, but a dish that would warm me up too. I also have been dying to use my new Babycakes Cake Pop maker. Because of the sugar high most feel around this time of year, my kitchen was turned into a bakery for a few days. This week includes a healthy, chili version of the French classic, Ratatouille, and two equally unhealthy treats. It's all about balance!

I have had my eye on this dish for a while, and with the weather, it was a perfect weekend to make it. I found the recipe for Ratatouille Chili on Eat Better America, a great recipe site that makes over recipes into healthy ones.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1 can northern beans, drained
1 can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1. In dutch oven, or pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add eggplant, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up tomatoes.
Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Next time I will play around with spices a little bit more, but I definitely plan on making this simple dish again.

Now for the good part...treats! First up, Halloween cake pops! I used the same pumpkin cake recipe as my last post, but cut it in half.

First, fill the cake pop maker with batter. Close the lid....

It's like magic!!! Pumpkin cake pop balls!

My cake pop assembly line. Sticks, cake, icing, and sprinkles.

For the coating, I melted cream cheese frosting and then added orange food coloring.

Cake pops!!

Jack O' Lanterns!

And finally....Pumpkin roll out cookies! It took me a while to find a pumpkin cookie recipe that could be made into cut-out cookies, but I found one!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch of salt

1. In a medium bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and orange zest.
2. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
4. Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; stir into pumpkin mixture.
5. Chill dough for 30 minutes.