A Tale of Scary Rutabagas and Not So Spooky Ghosts

I finally decided to be brave enough to give my rutabagas a try. I got them a couple weeks ago as the new veggie of the week, but I’ve been so busy that there wasn’t time to make them. I googled a basic recipe last night and gave it a whirl. It was pretty simple to do. You peel them with a veggie peeler and cut into chunks. I sautéed them in a pan with a little water and cooked until tender.

Ewww, they smelled weird – very much like dirt and not very appetizing. I seasoned them with salt and pepper but that didn’t help them smell any better. I really wasn’t in the mood to eat the stinky things last night so I packed them up and refrigerated them. I’m kinda glad I did since the smell improved over night thankfully.

I mixed the rutabagas with my leftover butternut squash cubes from last week. I sprinkled on a bit of cinnamon and ate a bowl full for breakfast this morning. They were pretty and colorful and the flavor wasn’t bad at all. Sweet, crunchy, and a little spicy. I’m going to try another round tomorrow morning with almond milk over top like cereal. How’s that for creativity? I also decided to get wild and crafty with dessert tonight.

While we were out yesterday, The Kid and I stopped by a local doggie bakery. We had a coupon for a free treat of the month, and I wanted to get a little something for Thing One and Thing Two. They had a huge case full of doggie pastries that were Halloween themed! It was the cutest thing. Not to be outdone, I made something similar for The Kid this afternoon.

Aren’t they cute?!

Ghost Brownie Cupcakes

• 1 Box Fudge Brownie Mix
• Mini Cupcake Wrappers
• 1 Can Vanilla Frosting
• Chocolate Jimmies or Mini Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the mini cupcake wrappers into the holes of a mini cupcake pan. Prepare the brownie batter following the directions on the box. Fill each cupcake wrapper about 3/4 full with the batter.

Bake the brownie cupcakes at 350 degrees for 28 minutes. I had some batter leftover. You can either freeze it for later or bake in an 8 x 8 pan alongside the cupcakes. The pan will take a little less time than the cupcakes so check on them after about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely before icing.

Prepare an icing bag with a large round tip. Fill the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe onto each cupcake in a ghost shape. Add two chocolate jimmies for the ghost eyes. You can also use mini chocolate chips if you can eat dairy. Enjoy the spooky little treats!

Are you dressing up for Halloween or are you just going to enjoy the candy and other treats? The Kid and I are going on a haunted train ride next weekend and I have a costume. Stay tuned for pictures from the adventure!