(Click here for a TV appearance where I shared about these recipes and a fun veggie option)

I love the holidays so much.  As shared before, I am an Enneagram 7 so celebrating everything is my jam!

So when a holiday comes around if it’s fun (and easy) I’m in!  Once upon a time I  saw this “Eyeballs and Brains” idea and I was hooked.  It’s a Halloween family tradition at the Chetock Home now to have it every year.  And, it’s so simple!

What You Need:

• Spaghetti noodles

• Sauce

• Meatballs (my recipe below)

• Mozzarella cheese (I recommend thee smaller balls)

• Olives; sliced.

What You Do:

1.  Cook your noodles according to package.

1. Cook your meatballs (my meatball recipe is below).
2. While the meatballs are cooking, cut the mozzarella into slices.  This is why the smaller balls work better.
3. 5 minutes before they should be done, pull them out and set sliced mozzarella on top.  Put back into oven to allow to melt for the last 5 minutes.  
4. As soon as you pull the meatballs out, top with olive slices.
5. Use whatever sauce you use and mix with the noodles for the “brains”
6. Dish noodles and top with “eyeballs.”

You can even get creative and add veggies and have the kids play around with some creations! I also kept it pretty clean for the pictures, but you can make your creations “bloody” with extra sauce over the eyes. 🙂

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My Meatball Recipe:

• 1 lb ground turkey (you can use ground beef- we are just a ground turkey fam)

• 1/4c bread crumbs

• 1/8c milk

• 1 egg

• 2t Worcestershire sauce

• 1t. Dijon mustard

• 1t Fennel seed

• 1t. Basil

• 1t Onion powder

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2t Salt 

• Pepper

What You Do:

1. Preheat oveen to 375.
2. Grease a baking sheet.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and form into meatballs.  Place on sheet.
4. Cook for 25-30 mins

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Also- since I do love to share healthy and nutritious options; let’s talk about the regular spaghetti pasta. I’m a “life in balance and everything in moderation” kinda gal so if I want a big bowl of traditional pasta; that’s what I will have.

And when the zoodles trend came a long; I tried it.  It didn’t taste like spaghetti.  When I heard about spaghetti squash; I tried it.  It didn’t taste like spaghetti.  So, what I learned is if I have a much smaller portion of spaghetti noodles and mix those options in I liked it!  It gives me the satisfaction of the pasta but more volume and a lot more vitamins and nutrients by having veggies.  So, that’s always my tip.

That all being said… zoodles and spaghetti squash aren’t even my fave healthy  pasta swaps.   I far prefer hearts of palm or  Miracle noodles.  I think Miracle Noodles are the absolute best on their own, but the price tag is the biggest- of course.  Isn’t that how it goes?  Hearts of palm has a great texture and I like the flavor also. You can get Miracle Noodles online and I’ve seen them in one local health food store. I get my Hearts of Palm at Trader Joe’s. This package is pre-shredded into “noodles” already. You can also get them in a can and they need to be shredded at home. I like the cans for snacking and I also will slice them for salads!

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And after your Halloween themed dinner- time for Halloween themed dessert!

This recipe is one I put together last year.  I had a friend with  an October birthday who loves raspberry/lemon desserts.  So when looking for a one I found a bunch of raspberry lemon bars.  I think I picked a pulled from some to come up with this.  But, then I had the idea  (since we were getting to be together for a Halloween celebration) to give them a more Halloween feel.

You can use these any time of year and spread the  raspberry to make a prettier design.  But, for Halloween… why not blood spatter and eyeballs on your dessert?  

And I am SURE if you wanted a better fall flavor than raspberry/lemon combo —It is more of a spring/summer vibe, right?— a regular cheesecake with a cherry or strawberry splatter would probably be fantastic, too! And I bet the no bake bars would work well also!

But, these are the bars I made:

What You Need:

For the crust:

• 1c graham cracker crumbs

• 1/4c butter

• 2T sugar

• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 16 oz Cream cheese, softened

• 2/3c sugar

• 1t vanilla

• 1T lemon zest

• 1/4c lemon juice

• 2 eggs

For the topping:

• 6oz Raspberries (fresh or frozen work)

• Sugar

• 3T sugar

• 1/2t lemon juice

…And for the final effect… these candy eyeballs I was able t pick up at my local grocery store:

What You Do:

1.  Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8 baking dish
3.  Assemble the crust my melting butter, then adding the rest of the  ingredients into a bowl with the butter and combine until evenly mixed.
4. Spread the crust evenly in the bottom of the baking dish and press in firmly.
5. Put in the oven for 8 minutes
6. While the crust is baking, add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest to a bowl.  Mix together with an electric mixer.  
7. Once smooth, add the eggs one at a time and mixing well between each one.
8. Once the crust is out of the oven, top with the cream cheese mixture.
9. Make the raspberry topping by adding the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to blender or food preceessor.  Give it a quick blend to make it a sauce consistency.
10. Pour the sauce into a small sauce pan.  Heat over medium high heat until in begins to bubble, then turn too low. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes.
11. Strain the raspberries to keep the sauce but get the seeds out.
12. Make the “splatter” by using a fork to drip and drizzle the sauce across the bars.  Be creative!
13. Bake the bars in the oven at 325 for 35-40 minutes.
14. When the bars come out, let them sit and cool completely; then chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours.
15. Add the eyes by carefully placing them in fun places.
16. Cut the bars and serve!

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While creating this I just thought of such a fun idea! What if instead of squares- the bars were cooked in molds like these?! Or coffin shaped? Love this idea!

Happy Halloween!