Whip it Up Wednesday: Halloween Style

Cliche', cliche'...yes I could go with the normal "dirt cupcakes" or the always classic "turn a ding dong into a spider," but I tried to find some unconventional recipes for this segment of "whip it up Wednesday" (Yes it's staying....I got one vote and that's good enough for me). So without further ado...some fun Halloween recipes:

Spiderweb Nacho Spread

The breakdown:This spread only has 252 calories (but I'm betting that doesn't include the chips) Maybe try multigrain chips instead.

Recipe Ingredients
Bean Layer
2 cans (16 oz each) lowfat refried black or pinto beans
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp hot Mexican chili powder
1 tsp minced garlic
3 large plum tomatoes, sliced
Middle Layer
1 1/2 cups thick and chunky salsa
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Guacamole Layer
4 ripe Hass avocados
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp minced red onion
2 large jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
1 tsp salt
Web
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
Decoration: a clean plastic toy spider
Serve with: blue, yellow, red corn tortilla chips
Recipe Preparation
1. Bean Layer:
Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a medium bowl until well blended. Scrape the mixture onto a 12- to 14-in. round serving plate and smooth into a 10-in. circle with a spatula. Arrange tomato slices around edge of bean layer to make a border.2. Drain salsa in a strainer to get rid of excess juice. Spread over bean mixture, leaving some of the bean layer showing around the edge. Sprinkle cheese over salsa, leaving some of the salsa layer showing.3. Guacamole: Halve avocados; remove seeds and spoon flesh into a medium bowl. Add lime juice, onion, jalapeños and salt, and mash until fairly smooth. Spoon over cheese layer and spread into an even layer.4. Place sour cream in a ziptop bag; seal bag and snip a small tip off one corner. Pipe a spiderweb design over guacamole and onto the plate. Decorate with toy spider. Serve with tortilla chips.Plan Ahead: You can make 4 hours ahead, cover and refridgerate

Of course, because it's nachos, you can make this dip to your own liking...but how great of a party dip is this???

Witches Brew

2 oz. SKYY Infusions Citrus
½ oz. Fresh lemon juice
¼ oz. Fresh pomegranate juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled highball glass. Garnish with blueberries and enjoy.

**I will tell you that I change this recipe a bit...instead of simple syrup I add Brut or Extra Dry Champagne, and instead of lemon juice I add fresh lime juice or orange juice.

Of course you can always vary recipes, as well. Like putting green food coloring in your mac-n-cheese so it will look like boogers...I just got really excited about making these now! What foods will you enjoy on Halloween?