Donut Eyeballs -- Halloween Dessert in a Flash

Zoulah has one more spiffy Halloween idea which comes together in a flash!  Yup, Donut Hole Eyeballs!  They are quick and delicious!

 

 

Just get some eyes.  Zoulah got hers at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section and apply some corn syrup to the back.  If you let them sit awhile, the corn syrup will dry and the eye will become fixed to the donut holes.

 

 

 

Put them on a skewer, as in skewered eyeballs in a bowl or in little cupcake liners.  Zoulah thinks they will be a hit at your Halloween party.

 

 



 

Zoulah saw this concept on the blog Eighteen25.

 

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes.

 

Posted with Home Sweet Home.

Pumpkin Beignets

 

Zoulah, naturally, is in love with pumpkin-anything this time of year.  She had a hankering for some sweet confections, and she remembered the hot and delicious beignets at Disney.  What to her wondering eyes she did find was a recipe for Pumpkin Beignets served at Disneyland at MagicalRecipes.net.  We have eaten the incredibly good beignets at New Orleans Square, but apparently, the pumpkin ones are only served at a club at Disney.  Just in time for pumpkin season, you can make these at home.

 

 

Now, we don't fry too much at the Red Couch home, but we let Zoulah give a try.  Be warned, these will disappear like magic at your home.  They are a bit heavier than normal beignets, because of the pumpkin, but they were sheer delights.  We made them large; this recipe yielded about 12.  Instead of the maple syrup icing as was suggested, we sprinkled powdered sugar laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and the spiced powdered sugar really complimented the beignets.  Zoulah tried the maple sugar glaze, but liked the powdered sugar dusting much better.   

 

Pumpkin Beignet Recipe

 

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup hot water

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil for frying

See below for ingredients for Powdered Sugar dusting

  

Pumpkin Beignet Instructions

 

1.  Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

 2.  Combine flour, pumpkin puree, sugar, heavy cream, hot water, egg, shortening, and salt in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. 

3.  Mix dough just until combined and smooth.  Let dough rest in bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel, 30 minutes.

4.  Transfer dough to a well-floured surface.  Pat to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

5.  Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. 

6.  Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.

 

Zoulah used our electric wok for frying,

 

 

Powdered Sugar Dusting

 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

 

Place ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Mix together well.  While beignets are warm, place powdered sugar mixture in a small holed sieve and sift over the beignets generously.  If desired adjust spices according to your desires.

 

Posted with Home Sweet Home. 



Frankie's Table or Why Frankie is Green

 

  

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes where I am partying with A Fanciful Twist today at her Witches 2015 party.  Click here to access all the other partiers.  Thanks to Vanessa for putting on this annual party.  You really should drop by, because those ladies know how to throw a good party.

 

 

 

As I was deciding what to do for this day's party, I thought of introducing you to the Batty Sisters, my new witches, when I heard a stomping and a groaning from Frankie.  He said "Enough, already, with all of those witches.  There will be too many witches at that party!"  Indeed, Frankie is green with envy about all the attention the witches get at Halloween; that is why Frankie is green.    So Frankie took over my blog today.  I had little say in the matter, I mean Frankie is quite an intimidating character when he wants to be. 

 

 

He gets tired of their cackling, their broom flying, and their casting spells.  Most of all he gets green with envy about all the attention they get.  Little girls and big girls dress up like witches.  How many Frankie's do you see at Halloween?  Oh, the injustice of it all.  See these witches partying here.

 

 

 

Zoulah gets to take over the Red Couch Kitchen every year in her "Bewitchen Kitchen," and Frankie just gets to hold licorice in his oversized hands.  Frankly, Frankie was glad when Zoulah didn't appear on the blog last year.

 

 

 

If one fat old ceramic witch is not enough, there is Beaulah her twin sister cooking up magic on Jaqueline's blog.  Really two of these old witches running around!  As if one is not enough.  They even held a luncheon together one year.    See the luncheon here.  Did Frankie get to hold a luncheon.  No!  And by the way it really gets to him that some witches, like Zoulah and Beaulah have green skin.  What is up with that?

 

 

 Frankie is also a bit "jelly" of Witchie-Poo, a resident witch at the Red Couch Home.  "I mean she gets to sit in the living room in her own chair.  What is up with that?" says Frankie.  Witchie-Poo thinks that Frankie is green with envy because of her beauty.

 

 

 

 Every year the Red Couch Family would make their visit to the Witch Festival at Gardner Village.  Frankie asks, "Did they go to a Frankie Festival?  I think not!"  See the Gardner Village post here.

 

 

 

 

Frankie has been in the Red Couch Family for many years, with little attention given to him for all those years.  Click here for the homemade Licorice that Frankie is holding.  It is a Red Couch favorite at Halloween.  NOW IT IS FRANKIE'S DAY!  You know the old saying, "Every monster has its day!"   I have put together a table in honor of Frankie and his friends.  Of course the color green will be highlighted in honor of Frankie.

 

 

 

 

We will use our green 'plastique" goblets.

 

 

We love to use these napkins at Halloween.

 

 

Frankie's friends will light up the table casting an eery green glow on the table.

 

 

 

 

Each place setting will get its own candle holder.

 

 

The centerpiece of the table will be a cake honoring Frankie, made by the youngest Red Couch daughter.  Now I ask you, has a Red Couch table ever been graced with a witch cake?  The answer would be NO!

 

 

 

 One more look at the table.

 

 

Just a night time view of Frankie's Table

 

 

The stomping and shouting at the Red Couch Home is gone as Frankie got his Day. Now you know why Frankie is green!

 

 

 

Frankie wasn't you to take a piece of licorice as you leave and he thanks you for visiting Red Couch Recipes.

 

Posted with Tablescape Thursday.