Fright Bites

This post is sponsored by Tyson Foods Inc. but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Woo! Happy almost October friends! We are more than ready for all things spooky in our Halloween obsessed family. Jacob adores dressing up (he's already picked out his costume!) and throwing a Halloween party for all his friends. With help from Tyson® Foods we've been cooking up some family friendly treats that are perfect for any Halloween gathering. Here are just two of the fun ideas we've tried:

Mini Chicken Parmesan Eyeballs

Tyson® Chicken Nuggets 

Pizza Sauce

 Mozzarella Cheese

Sliced olives

1. Set oven according to the package of Tyson® Chicken Nuggets

2. Set nuggets on pan and put a spoonful of pizza sauce on top

3. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on each nugget.

4. Add a slice of olive in the middle to make the eye

5. Bake according to package directions.

Witch Fingers 

Tyson® Crispy Chicken Strips 

Ranch Dressing

Slivered almonds

1. Set oven according to the directions on the Tyson® Crispy Chicken Strips

2. Set chicken strips on pan and bake according to package directions

3. Slice each baked strip in half 

4. Spread ranch dressing on the back of each almond slice and attach to the end of a chicken strip. 

5. Arrange fingers in a bowl of ranch dressing for dipping.

Tyson® Chicken products, along with State Fair® products (think mummy corndogs!) and Hillshire Farms® Products are available at Walmart and make Halloween food prep super easy and delicious. Walmart even has grocery pick-up which is super convenient for busy families planning parties.

For even more spooky Halloween recipes check out FeastOnFrightBites.com! 

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Happy October!! Yesterday, in preparation for our favorite month's arrival, Jake and I whipped up a super-size batch of our favorite pumpkin bread. This is a super simple dump, mix, bake recipe that couldn't be any easier. The recipe was handed down to me from other kindergarten teachers when I started teaching at my first school. As far as I understand the recipe had been given to them from the previous generations kindergarten teachers and so on. Back when I had an oven in my classroom we used to make and bake this together with our kindergarten classes and then sent everyone home with a loaf for Thanksgiving. Sadly I no longer have a kitchen in my classroom, but it's still my go-to pumpkin recipe here at home. 

It's perfect for loaves or muffins. I found a super cute pumpkin mold at Target and made Jacob some pumpkin bread muffins for school lunch this week. We'll be eating this bread, hot with plenty of butter, all autumn long. It pairs perfect with hot coffee! 

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Classic Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup water

1 16oz. can of pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

(optional) 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Divide into 3 loaf pans, bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done. (Test to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean your bread is done.) Cool, slice, and enjoy! For an extra treat, spread butter or cream cheese on a slice. You can also divide the batter into 6 mini loafs or into 12 muffin tins, but you'll need to watch them as they won't need the full hour to cook. 

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We wrapped up a basketful of the loaves to hand out to the world's most patient group of educators.... Jacob's teachers! I found the wrapping kit - boxes, cellophane, twine, and tags at Target for under $5.