For Thanksgiving we indulge on turkey, for Easter it’s ham, so for Halloween let’s feast on roasted heart.

Before gorging on trick-or-treat goodies, we should have a hearty (no pun intended), Halloween-themed dinner.

OK, so it’s not really a heart, but chicken breasts smothered in a creamy red sauce. It’s easy to make and its, well, grotesque appearance will be a hit with kids.

On the other hand, I did have a hard time enjoying it. I couldn’t stop thinking about what a roasted heart would really taste like. I’m sure it looks just like this dish.

If you want to embrace the theme, but not the horror, maybe try the vampire-proof garlic chicken recipe below. I found both online, so let me know how they work for you. Want to stick with treats? (Me too.) Below is a reader-submitted recipe for caramel corn.

Also, do you have nay unique Thanksgiving dishes? I’ll try them out and put the results on this site and in the Abilene Reporter-News. E-mail me your recipes by CLICKING HERE

“Roasted Heart” (Chicken and cream sauce)
Sauce, part one:
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crumbled dried Italian spices
2 teaspoon brown sugar
Chicken:
6 chicken breast halves
1 small chopped onion
3 cloves sliced garlic
1 Tablespoon crumbled dried Italian spices
salt
pepper
Sauce, part two:
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 Cups heavy cream
Garnish:
roasted red bell pepper halves
Mix together the tomato paste, crushed garlic, Italian spices and brown sugar in a small saucepan and over medium heat. Cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
While the tomato sauce is cooking, fill a large pot with enough water to easily cover the chicken breasts by a few inches, but don't add the chicken yet. Add the onion, garlic, Italian spices, salt, and pepper and boil. Add chicken breasts, cover the pot, and turn off heat. Leave on the burner for about 20 minutes, or until completely cooked. Drain from water.
Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan, whisk in flour. Cook until lightly browned, then slowly add cream. Whisk over heat until thickened. Add the tomato paste mixture and mix well.
To serve, place some tomato sauce on plates, top with a chicken breast and cover with more sauce. Garnish with red pepper. Serves four to six.

“Vampire-Proof” Garlic Chicken
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Teaspoons dried thyme
1 Teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 chickens (about 4 pounds each)
8 heads garlic
rosemary sprigs
salt
In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, sage and pepper. Rinse chickens and pat dry. Rub oil mixture all over chickens and set breast up on a rack in roasting pan. Rub remaining tablespoon olive oil over garlic heads and place garlic beside chickens.
Roast in oven at 425 degrees until garlic is soft when pressed, and chickens are well browned, which may be more than an hour.
Put chickens on a large platter, surround with garlic heads, and garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serves eight.

Caramel Corn
1 cup butter
1 cup Karo syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 quarts of popcorn

Pop popcorn and set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan, add brown sugar, Karo syrup and salt. Boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in soda. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Bake for an hour at 300 degrees, stiring every 15 minutes.

Posted by · October 24, 2005 9:44 PM · Comments (0)

It may be a myth.

I’m not sure, and I kind of hope that it is.

I’ve heard the ultimate football party snack is actually more of a heart-attack-waiting-to-happen meal. Your daily calorie allotment (and probably a few extra) is included in one, and you must eat several while watching your favorite teams on TV.

A bratwurst. Injected with imitation cheese. Wrapped in strips of bacon. Fried in a skillet.

Scary.

I’m looking for some other recipes for football party snacks — please!

I’ll share some Halloween treat recipes before the month is over, and I’ve got some great recipes for “comfort food” dishes. But I feel like we shouldn’t overlook that the fall season also means football season.

Think you can top the sausage of gluttony? E-mail me your recipes by CLICKING HERE

I want to know all your favorite game-day foods. I’ll try some of them and publish the results here at EatAbilene.com and in the Reporter-News.

Posted by · October 11, 2005 3:19 PM · Comments (0)

It�s always a toss-up for me.

Halloween or Easter � which holiday has better treats?

It�s hard to decide between chocolate, nougat and nuts shaped like a pumpkin versus a bunny. I swear they taste different.

I do love how Easter candy is nicely displayed in cute baskets, but the Halloween season means hot cider, caramel-covered apples and pumpkin bread � all some of my favorites that just wouldn�t seem right in the spring.

I�ve already got some great reader-submitted recipes for seasonal treats and dishes. (Caramel corn is coming �)

E-mail me some of your favorite October-ish recipes by CLICKING HERE


I�ll try them out and publish the results and some pointers in the Reporter-News and online at this Web site.

Posted by · October 4, 2005 3:17 PM · Comments (0)