Marcia's Trick-or-Treat Night Chili

Saturday will be Trick-or-Treat night here in our area. Even though we no longer have children in the age group that troops around the neighborhood, I still look forward to the event. I really enjoy seeing neighborhood kids dressed up in costumes, and decorating my front door for the little guests; one of our favorite traditions is pumpkin carving. Hubby carves the circle in the bottom of each pumpkin for the candles and helps scrap out the "guts" and I help pin on the patterns. Our boys have become really great carvers over the years. Some memorable carvings have been Batman, Star Wars figures, cats and ghosts. As soon as the creations are complete, we turn off the lights and take a picture of them all lined up and glowing.

Another tradition that I have had over the years is to fix chili dogs for dinner on Trick-or-Treat night. Why? Because the chili is in the crock pot and then I just put the hot dogs in there, too. I throw packages of buns, paper plates and a bag of chips on the counter, and have a vegetable tray ready in the fridge.

This hotdog serve-yourself menu means that you and the kids can eat quickly before you head out the door. If friends show up with their little ones, you can invite them in for a bite (hot dogs and chili are ready anytime because they can be kept on the crock pot's Warm setting even when you're out running your children around the subdivision. Trick-or-Treat night is notorious for rushing parents from work to parenting duties with no dinner! If one parent makes it home late for the beginning of the festivities (and has had to inch their way into the crowded subdivision), they can eat before they catch up with the rest of the family.

NOTE: If you looked at my menu, you may notice that I'm breaking with my own tradition this year, that's because we no longer have to rush out the door and Hubby likes my homemade pizza better than chili dogs! It's "scary movie night" for us...and of course, answering the doorbell!


The following recipe for chili is really simple-it had to be, usually I had spent the day, as a Homeroom Mom, serving treats and making crafts/playing games at my boys' Halloween (later called,"Fall Story Character") parties. Here you go:


Marcia's Trick-or-Treat Night Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Hunt's Manwich Sauce (I like the dry packets of mix, but can't find them any more)
(These ingredients can be doubled or tripled, depending on your crowd!)

Brown ground beef(turkey) and chopped onion. Add sauce and a little bit of water. Simmer for a few minutes. Dump into greased (Pam spray) crock pot and throw in a package of your favorite hotdogs. After ingredients are hot, turn down to Keep Warm setting.

I will be sharing at:
BlessedwithGrace
Gypsy'sCorner
Raising4GodleyMen
BalancingBeautyandBedlam.com