halloween Archives - Living La Vida Holoka

Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

October 20, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This pumpkin mousse is a light and fluffy Halloween dessert topped with a ghostly Halloween bark that’s spooky sweet!

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows, but I do love watching holiday themed cooking competitions. I’ve been hooked on Halloween Wars. You know, where they make crazy edible creations out of carved pumpkins, candy, and baked goods?

While watching one of those competitions one night with my husband, I got super inspired! I blurted out, “You know what would be cool? If you made a chocolate coffin and filled it with a pumpkin mousse!” The next day, I was on the hunt for a silicone coffin mold!

Unfortunately, my original idea didn’t work out as planned. The candy was a little too soft in texture and when I tried to unmold it, it would break apart. So it was onto plan B!

Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

Since I had two bags of black candy melts and some extra chocolate morsels to use up, I decided to make a Halloween bark instead. The new plan was to make a delicious pumpkin mousse, serve it in a ceramic cauldron, and top it with pieces of the broken Halloween bark. This idea came together much easier and still looked spooky cute!

The first thing I did was make the chocolate bark. Over low heat, I added both bags of my black candy melts to a small pot and stirred continuously until melted and smooth.

Then, I poured the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet that I prepared with parchment paper. I used a cake scraper to smooth the candy melts into an even layer.

In another small pot, I added white chocolate chips and melted them over low heat until they were nice and smooth.

Then, I spooned some white chocolate onto the black candy melts. With a toothpick, I dragged the white chocolate into ghost-like shapes and added eyeball sprinkles and black sprinkles for a mouth.

I finished the Halloween bark off with an assortment of Halloween sprinkles before letting it set for about an hour.

While the Halloween bark set, I started working on my pumpkin mousse. I added vanilla pudding, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, a pinch of salt, and Cool Whip to a mixing bowl. Once that was all mixed up, I let the mousse set for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.

When the Halloween bark and pumpkin mousse was ready, I spooned the mousse into a ceramic cauldron and broke up some of the bark to serve on top. Serve the rest of the Halloween bark with the pumpkin mousse to top individual portions.

Yum

Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

Ingredients

For the Halloween bark:

2 - 10 oz. black candy melts
1/2 - 12 oz. bag white chocolate morsels
Halloween sprinkles

For the pumpkin mousse:

1 - 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp. pumpkin spice
15 oz. pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Pinch of salt
1 cup Cool Whip topping

Instructions

For the Halloween bark:

Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Add the black candy melts to a small pot and heat over low.
Stir the candy melts until smooth. Then, pour the melted candy onto the baking sheet. Use a cake scraper to smooth the candy melts evenly onto the baking sheet.
In another small pot, add the white chocolate chips and heat over low.
Stir the chocolate until it's melted.
Then, drop onto the candy melts and use a toothpick to make ghost-like shapes.
Add eyeball sprinkles to make a face and sprinkle assorted Halloween sprinkles onto the rest of the Halloween bark.
Allow the bark to harden for 60 minutes. Then, break apart to use on top of the pumpkin mousse.

For the pumpkin mousse:

Add the pudding mix, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated.
Fold in the Cool Whip topping and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
When ready to serve, add the pumpkin mousse to a bowl and top with Halloween bark. Serve with extra bark to top individual portions.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/halloween-pumpkin-mousse/

A Spooky Sweet Halloween Dessert!

The pumpkin mousse is light and fluffy with just the right amount of pumpkin spice flavor. It’s actually a little fluffier than traditional mousse, but it’s still so, so good! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

When I put the plate of Halloween bark in front of my husband, he said it looked like “a science experiment gone wrong.” A perfect description for Halloween, if you ask me! Store leftover chocolate bark in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Did you make this Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

PIN FOR LATER

If you like this post, you might enjoy these as well:

Fall Bucket List – Free Printable

October 15, 2020 by Jessica 14 Comments

Celebrate the fall season with this free Fall Bucket List printable filled with activities like carving pumpkins, apple picking, and more!

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps to support this blog.

The days have been pleasantly warm with sunshine and the nights are now cool enough for cozy blankets, nights around the fire pit, and a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate in the evening. Despite the crazy Jersey weather, it feels like fall is here and I am loving every minute of it!

It’s crazy to think that we’re already halfway into October, continuing to hustle onward through this crazy year. Usually I’m well on my way to making it through my fall bucket list by now. But with everything going on, there are a couple checkmarks that I won’t be making this year like visiting fall festivals and street fairs and going pumpkin and apple picking. There’s always next year! Fingers crossed!

There’s still so much I hope to do before fall quickly turns into winter (that seems to happen fast here in Jersey) and all I’ll want to do is hibernate. So I created a printable fall bucket list to get those seasonal activities checked off before the first frost settles in!

DOWNLOAD THIS FALL BUCKET LIST PRINTABLE HERE!

Download this free printable and start checking off these fun fall activities! I’ve already checked off a few of these things myself! I’ve spent a few weekends sitting by the fire pit. I made pumpkin puree and roasted the pumpkin seeds. I’m making the most of the Halloween season by watching some of my favorite spooky movies. And I found my new favorite fall scent! Cassia and grapefruit essential oils smell amazing together, in case you’re wondering!

What’s on your fall bucket list this year?

PIN FOR LATER

If you like this post, you might enjoy these as well:

Halloween Pork Loin Snake

October 8, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Let this succulent Pork Loin Snake slither its way onto your dinner plate this Halloween! It’s an easy entrée to serve on Halloween night!

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

Last year, on Halloween night, I wanted to make something creepy for dinner. So I turned the pork loin we were having for dinner into a snake. I got creative with toothpicks, olives, and a strip of bacon to make a ssssucculent pork loin snake. I had shared this Halloween dinner idea on my Instagram Story. But since it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, I didn’t have time to get the recipe up on the blog before spooky season ended.

I have basically been waiting all year to recreate this recipe and, last week, the time had finally come! Once again, I had pork loin on the menu. Since it’s October – and I’ve already surprised my husband with mummy dogs for dinner – I decided to surprise him once again by serving another creepy creature creation!

Halloween Pork Loin Snake

This pork loin snake is really easy to make! Grab a couple toothpicks to form the pork loin into the shape of the snake. Then, create the snake face with an olive and a strip of bacon. Season the pork loin however you wish and cook it in the oven until it’s nice and juicy on the inside and golden brown on the outside.

I always sear my pork loin before cooking it in the oven. Not only does it help to keep the pork loin juicy, it also gives the pork a golden brown, crispy crust. All you need is a few minutes on each side in a hot skillet before transferring it to the oven.

Before placing the pork loin in the oven, I formed the pork loin into a snake shape and secured it in place with toothpicks. Then, I used kitchen scissors to cut diamond shapes down the back of the pork loin. I also cut a slit in the front of the pork loin for a mouth.

Once the pork loin was finished cooking, I cut my bacon strip to look like a forked tongue. Then, I placed it in the slit I cut for the mouth.

I added sliced pimento stuffed olives for eyes and ssslithered this pork loin onto the dinner table!

Yum

Halloween Pork Loin Snake

Ingredients

1 - 1 - 1 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 strip of bacon, cooked
1 pimento stuffed green olive
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: garlic powder, or other seasonings

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
In a large skillet, preheat olive oil over medium heat.
Season the pork loin with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and place into the pan.
Sear pork loin on all sides. Remove pork from the pan and place on the wire rack.
Form the pork loin into a snake shape and use toothpicks to keep the shape in place.
Then, using kitchen scissors, cut a diamond design down the back of the pork loin. Cut a slit on one end of the pork loin for the mouth.
Place the pork loin in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through.
Using kitchen scissors, cut the end of the cooked bacon strip to make a forked tongue. Place inside the slit cut for the mouth.
Slice the green olive to make eyes and place on top of the pork loin.
Serve pork loin immediately.

Notes

Be careful of the toothpicks after cooking. If they're not easy to remove once cooking is done, cut the pork loin into slices and you should be able to easily grab and remove the toothpicks.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/halloween-pork-loin-snake/

Cooking time and serving size depends on the size of the snake – I mean, pork loin – you use. This pork loin fed two for dinner plus we each had leftovers for lunch the next day! Having an adult Halloween? Serve this recipe with a Hocus Pocus Life Potion Cocktail!

Did you make this Halloween Pork Loin Snake recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

PIN FOR LATER

If you like this post, you might enjoy these as well:

Chicken Sausage Mummy Dogs

October 1, 2020 by Jessica 1 Comment

Put a healthier spin on Halloween mummy dogs by using chicken sausage instead of hot dogs and serving them with a side of marinara for dipping!

This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

Happy October! Let the countdown to Halloween officially begin! I love this time of year! It’s a continuous stretch of creativity for me from now until Christmas. But let’s talk Halloween. It’s such a spooky good time that allows me to turn everyday meals into something monstrously delicious! Whether you’re a kid or an adult, you can appreciate a fun, Halloween twist on your favorite meals!

Take this recipe, for instance. I was inspired by mummy hot dogs I’ve seen around Pinterest. It’s basically a pig-in-a-blanket made to look like a mummy with strips of crescent dough and edible eyes. But I wanted to put a healthier spin on this Halloween dish by using ingredients from my Hungryroot box. So instead of using hot dogs to make these mummies, I used Spinach Garlic Chicken Sausage and served them with a side of Hungryroot’s marinara sauce instead of ketchup!

Chicken Sausage Mummy Dogs

The first thing I did was roll out the sheet of crescent dough. I didn’t roll it out too much. Just enough to give it a little stretch. Once the sheet was rolled out, I used a pizza cutter to cut it into thin strips.

After the strips were cut, I removed the chicken sausage from the package and patted the links dry. Then, I began to wrap the sausages, crisscrossing strips to make them look like mummy bandages. Once all the sausages were wrapped, I placed them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and baked them in the oven until they were golden brown.

While the chicken sausage was cooking, I made the mummy eyes. I cut circles out of Pepper Jack cheese using a straw and cut smaller circles out of black olives with a pastry tip to make pupils. The cheese was soft enough that I could just press the olives right into the center to make the eyeballs.

When the sausage mummies were done cooking, I let them cool for a few minutes before placing the eyeballs on top. I wanted them to be warm enough that the cheese would stick, but not so hot that it would melt.

I served our chicken sausage mummies with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. This was such a fun Halloween dish and the chicken sausage gave these mummy dogs a great flavor!

Yum

Chicken Sausage Mummy Dogs

Ingredients

1 package Spinach Garlic Chicken Sausage, or your favorite fully cooked chicken sausage
1 crescent dough sheet
1 slice cheese
1-2 black olives
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the crescent dough sheet. Use a rolling pin to slightly stretch it out.
Cut the crescent dough into thin strips with a pizza cutter.
Pat the sausage links dry and begin to wrap each link with strips of dough to make it look like bandages. Leave a little space at the top for the eyes.
Place the wrapped sausages onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown and sausages are warmed through.
While the sausages are cooking, use a straw to cut enough circles out of the cheese slice for eyes.
With a smaller pastry tip, cut circles out of black olives for the pupils.
Gently press the olives into the center of the cheese circles.
When the sausages are done cooking, allow them to cool slightly before adding the eyes.
Serve the sausage mummy dogs with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/chicken-sausage-mummy-dogs/

Want to try Hungryroot for yourself and get the ingredients I used to make these mummy dogs? Use my code 25OFF2HOLOKA at checkout to get $25 off your first two deliveries!

Did you make this Chicken Sausage Mummy Dogs recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

PIN FOR LATER