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I know I say this a lot but TGIF! Tonight Gordon and I are headed to a Halloween party, costumes and all! If we get some decent photos, I’ll be posting them on Monday! Also happening on Monday, I’ll be starting my week of Halloween Treats. Throughout the entire week before Halloween, I’ll be posting 5 different recipes (all sweet) for this wonderful holiday.
In keeping with the Halloween spirit, I’ve decided to post a fun and easy recipe that is very kid friendly. These ‘bloody brains’ are just mini meat loaves formed into a brain that happened to taste delicious. All through dinner, my husband and I were throwing comments back and forth like “how are your brains, dear?” or “these brains are surprising moist and tender!” It was a lot of fun for us adults, so imagine what your kids will think!
I’m not going to lie, I can make some mean brains! (haha…I can’t help it!) This recipe is a pretty simple one and can be used every day as your regular meat loaf recipe because it is downright delicious…..and easy…..and delicious. Seriously–it is. I used 80/20 ground beef to keep things moist, bread and milk to keep the meat tender, my favorite BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce for flavor, onions and garlic for even more flavor, and an egg to hold it all together. I purposely used simple ingredients because I know come Halloween night the last thing you want to do or make is a complicated recipe. Plus, your kids will probably be needing your help putting the last finishing touches on their costumes! Lucky for you, this recipe takes 20 minutes at the most to mix up and put together. After that you pop them in the oven and that’s it!
I also made some cute little Pumpkin Shaped Potato Fries by first washing and peeling my potatoes. Then I cut some small angled notches at the top to get that pumpkin look and then sliced! Toss your potatoes in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika (for an orange color) and bake. Super simple.
So, there you have it! A great and festive dinner that your family will love! Are you guys dressing up right along side with your little ones, or is it just us? Happy Haunting!
Halloween Meatballs
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread Broken Into Small Pieces
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Grated Onion
- 1 clove Garlic Finely Minced
- 1/4 cups Good Quality BBQ Sauce
- 1 whole Egg
- 1 pound Ground Beef 80% Lean
- Garlic Salt to taste
Black Pepper To TasteFOR THE SAUCE/BLOOD:
- 1/2 cup Prepared Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
- In large bowl, soak milk and bread while gathering other ingredients. Once bread is mostly soggy, add in remaining meat loaf ingredients. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Divide mixture into eight equal balls. Roll each ball of meat into an oval shape and place on lightly greased baking dish to flatten the bottom. Repeat with remaining balls of meat.
- Using a toothpick or skewer, score the meat down the center lengthwise to create the look of a brain.
- Stir together all ingredients for the sauce/blood. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of sauce over each brain and spread.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. (You may have to re-score your brains down the center to make them look like brains again.) Serve hot.
I absolutely LOVE both these recipes. The fries are SO cute!!
OK, these “take the cake” Lauren. Over the top in a good way. I’m thinking we need to make these for family dinners!!
I love the fries!