Halloween Mac O Lantern Food

MAC-O'-LANTERN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pour the evaporated milk in a medium saucepot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Toss together the grated cheeses and cornstarch in a bowl until evenly coated, then add the mustard. Add the cheese mixture to the simmering evaporated milk and whisk constantly, being careful not to scald or scorch the bottom of the pot, until homogeneous and thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of cheese sauce in a heatproof measuring cup.
• Add the sauce to the macaroni and season to taste. Reserve 1 cup mac 'n' cheese and stir the remaining mac 'n' cheese with the beaten eggs.
• Spray the inside of a Bundt pan with a liberal amount of cooking spray. Working quickly, spread the macaroni mixture into the pan and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.
• Microwave the reserved cup cheese sauce (or reheat gently on the stovetop) until pourable, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the orange food coloring until the desired orange color is achieved.
• Using a thin spatula, loosen the mac 'n' cheese from the sides of the Bundt. Turn out on a dish and fill the hole with the reserved cup mac 'n' cheese. Cover with the remaining orange cheese sauce. For extra effect, add the broccoli stem in the center. Serve immediately!

JACK-O'-LANTERN STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and hold until the meat mixture is ready.
• In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and cook until the mixture is reduced, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and stir until well incorporated. Stir in the cooked macaroni and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut each pepper around the stem and remove to create a lid. Remove the seeds and, if the peppers do not sit flat, trim the bottoms slightly; just be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom of the peppers. Using the tip of a small serrated knife, cut a face like a jack-o'-lantern into the side of each pepper.
• Fill the peppers with the beef mixture and put on a baking sheet with the lids on the side. Bake until the peppers are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

HALLOWEEN MACARONS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
• Sift almond flour and 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Sift again into a second bowl, adding powdered orange food coloring. Whisk well and set aside.
• Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until they begin to foam, 1 to 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar and continue whisking until creamy, 1 to 3 minutes more. When the whisk leaves traces in the egg white mixture, increase speed to medium-high. Add 1/2 the superfine sugar while whisk is in motion. When sugar is fully incorporated, add remaining sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form, another 1 to 3 minutes.
• Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in 1/3 the almond flour mixture until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture gently; overmixing will create a runny batter and cookies will not rise. Pour batter into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off. Pipe 32 small circles onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing approximately 2 inches between cookies. Lightly rap the baking sheets to release any air bubbles from the batter; cookies will spread slightly, this is normal.
• Allow cookies to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes; during this time, tops will become opaque and no longer glossy and if you lightly touch them, the batter will give and bounce back.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake 1 baking sheet in the preheated oven until cookies rise and bottoms begin to get crinkly and firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Wait for oven to return to temperature before baking the second batch.
• While cookies are baking, whip mascarpone cheese, caramel sauce, 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, and powdered black food coloring together until fluffy. Store filling in the refrigerator until needed.
• Cool cookies completely before filling. Transfer filling to a clean piping bag and pipe filling onto 1 cookie base and top with another. Use leftover filling to decorate the tops of the macarons if desired. Let cookies rest before enjoying.

HALLOWEEN MAC-O'-LANTERN

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and drain ground beef. Cook and prepare mac 'n cheese according to package directions. Remove and set aside 1/4 cup pizza sauce. Into the prepared macaroni, stir in 1/2 the cooked beef, and the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the cheese. Spoon evenly into a 9" pie dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine rest of meat with reserved pizza sauce and use to create a jack-o-lantern face on top of the casserole. Decorate further to your heart's desire. (Whole long chives can be placed on first to create the pumpkin divisions/lines.)
• 2. *This can also be made with your favorite spaghetti sauce, salsa, marinara, taco sauce or taco seasoning mix prepared to packet directions.

MAC-O'-LANTERN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cook macaroni according to package directions.
• Remove and set aside 1/4 cup pizza sauce.
• Combine prepared macaroni, half the ground beef, remaining pizza sauce, garlic powder, egg, and basil.
• Spoon evenly into a 9 inch pie plate.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Combine remaining meat with the reserved pizza sauce.
• Use to create a jack-o'-lantern face on top of the casserole.
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Let stand 5 miutes before serving.
• Serve with salad.

MAC-O-LANTERN AND CHEESE BOWLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Cut the tops off the peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and membranes. Put the peppers and the tops in the boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Plunge the peppers into the ice bath. Once cool, remove them and use a sharp knife to carve a jack-o-lantern face into one side of each pepper.
• Return the water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain (don't rinse the pasta).
• Heat the half-and-half in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Off the heat, add the macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Season with salt if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes, then divide the mac and cheese among the peppers and cap each with a pepper top.