family recipes

Halloween Party Food - Frankenstein Layered Dip

Halloween Party Food Recipe: Frankenstein Layered Taco Dip with Spooky Tortilla Crisps

Cooking, Holidays

Get Spooky & Satisfy with Frankenstein Layered Dip & Halloween Tortilla Crisps 🎃

As the leaves outside turn golden, the air crisp, and the pumpkin-candles flicker, it’s time to bring a little themed magic into your get-togethers. Enter the show-stopper: the Frankenstein Layered Dip with Halloween Tortilla Crisps (thanks to Ralphs for the inspiration!) — a booo-tiful, effortless, crowd-pleasing recipe perfect for families, Halloween gatherings, and friendly potlucks. For the complete step-by-step recipe, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

Why it’s a winner for families and get-togethers

  • Easy to throw together: The recipe lists a prep time of just about 35 minutes and a cook/assembly time of around 8 minutes (total approx. 43 minutes). Perfect for squeezing in after the kids’ homework or while you’re prepping other dishes.
  • Layered fun for little helpers: Kids can help build the “Franken-look” layers — spreading the sour cream/cream-cheese base, layering pico de gallo, shredded cheese, guacamole, beans … it becomes a hands-on mini-project.
  • Festive and thematic without being fussy: With a clever Frankenstein-inspired presentation (think green guacamole “skin”, black olive “bolts”, bean “scars” or whatever you choose), it brings Halloween décor to the table without requiring a twenty-step gourmet process.
  • Feeds a crowd: The recipe serves about 24 (so you’ve got more than enough for neighbours, trick-or-treaters, and family members alike) according to the original listing (Ralphs)
  • Kid-friendly & adjustable: You can dial the spice up or down, skip or swap ingredients, and still maintain the layered visual and flavor impact.
  • Great for mingling: One dish everyone can graze on while chatting, costumed kids dart about, and adults sip something seasonal. No one stuck in the kitchen.
Frankenstein Inspired Taco Dip for Halloween Parties

How to turn it into a Halloween hit

  • Presentation is everything: Use a rectangular or oval dish and layer in the “Frankenstein colours”. Spread the sour cream/cream cheese mix as a base (that’s the “face”). On top, layer green guacamole (the “skin”) and then arrange black olives to look like hair or bolts. Maybe a drizzle of taco-seasoning-spiced sour cream to look like “scars”.
  • Use themed chips: Create Halloween tortilla chips by using cookie cutters to make pumpkins, bats and ghosts out of tortillas (recipe below). If you don’t have time to make those, serve the dip with green spinach tortilla chips, or black corn chips, or even pumpkin-shaped tortilla chips if you find them. Adds extra fun for the kids.
  • Add spooky bite markers: Place little plastic picks shaped like skulls or use toothpicks with mini flags labeled “Bite the monster!” to make it interactive.
  • Pair it with a family-friendly drink: Maybe a “Witch’s Brew” punch or just sparkling apple cider in orange cups—this dish hits the savoury snack spot, so you can keep beverages simple.
  • Let the kids get creative: After you’ve done the main layers, let each child add one extra decoration on top—a cherry-tomato “eye”, a slice of jalapeño “mouth”, etc. Great for bonding and gives them a sense of ownership.
  • Prep ahead: Because the layered dip is simple, you can assemble most of it earlier in the day (or even the night before) and just finish any fresh toppings just before guests arrive. That means more time to greet people, help with costumes, and enjoy the moment.

Final spooky bite

So, whether you’re hosting a mini Halloween party, prepping for costume night, or simply want a snack that says festive + family + easy, the Frankenstein Layered Dip is your go-to. It brings flavor, visual fun, and zero fuss.

Photo credit: Ralphs.com

RECIPE: Frankenstein Layered Taco Dip with Spooky Tortilla Crisps

Serves: 24 | Prep Time: Minutes | Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Sour Cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
  • 2 cups pico de gallo
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 2 cups prepared guacamole
  • 2 large black olives
  • 2⁄3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 8 (10”) flour tortillas
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Garlic salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Combine sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning in a bowl until well blended.
  2. In an 8”x 8” casserole dish evenly spread sour cream mixture, top with a layer each of pico, cheese and guacamole. Arrange black olive and black beans to create Frankenstein’s hair, eyes, brows and mouth. Refrigerate until serving.
  3. Heat oven to 400°F.
  4. Cut tortillas with a 2½”-3” Halloween themed cookie cutter. Place on baking sheets; brush with melted butter on one side. Flip brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake 6-8 minutes until browned and crispy; cool.
  5. Serve tortilla crisps with layered dip.
  6. Refrigerate leftover dip. Store crisps at room temperature in an airtight container.

This recipe was featured in my KTLA Morning News segment about easy Halloween party food. You can watch the segment below and find more recipes on my blog here.

Watch Halloween Party Food Ideas on KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles below!

Do you have any favorite Halloween party food recipes? Let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram and TikTok!

XO Maggie

Easy Family-Friendly Breakfast Recipes

Cooking, Health & Wellness, kids

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of this post contains affiliate links for the products I use and LOVE. If you take action on these links (like clicking, buying, etc.), I may receive compensation at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own, and I’ll only recommend what I truly like and recommend. For more information about affiliates and your privacy, view our Terms & Conditions page here.

It’s back-to-school season, so mornings are early and rushed! Unfortunately, this often leaves little time to feed our families a nutritious breakfast. But, as the saying goes, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and its imperative that our kiddos get a healthy start before their long day at school and activities.

I know that with the early mornings’ limited time, plus a house full of picky eaters and different taste preferences, it feels much easier to resort to packaged donuts and pastries or swing through the fast food drive-through for a chicken biscuit for a quick breakfast. However, I’m here to assure you that making a fast, healthful breakfast for your family does not have to be hard, time consuming or expensive. As long as you’re willing to put in just a little prep work, you and your family can eat a variety of delicious and nutritious every day of the week! Plus, you’ll save money from avoiding coffee shops and fast food restaurants!

Check out my top family-friendly breakfast recipe ideas below!

Apple “Donuts”

Recipe: Food Network

Not only do Apple “Donuts” encourage your children to eat more fruit — it’s also a great recipe for little hands to get involved in making! Slice apples into 1/2-inch circles, and use a small circular cookie cutter or small melon baller to cut a hole in the center of each to make a “donut.” Top apples with better-for-you “frosting,” like peanut butter, cream cheese and greek yogurt. Add more fun with additional toppings, like sprinkles, sliced strawberries, granola and chocolate chips.

One-Bowl, Multi-Flavor Mini Muffins

Recipe: The Baker Mama

This one-bowl muffin batter recipe is easy to make. After adding the batter to muffin tins, simply drop in your favorite mix-ins, like blueberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar, bananas or sprinkles, to create multiple flavors in one batch. This recipe is perfect for all the different taste preferences in your house or if your kiddos get bored of eating the same flavor every morning. 

Super Pancakes

Don’t settle for boring regular pancakes when you can have “Super Pancakes” filled with superpower ingredients! This recipe is especially beneficial for kids who need help eating more protein, fruits and vegetables. I make these pancakes with Kodiak Protein-Packed Flapjack and Waffle Mix and mix in milk and egg instead of water for added protein! After the batter is made, I mix in mashed banana and grated zucchini (you can’t even taste the zucchini, I promise!). Make a large batch of these Super Pancakes on Sunday morning to quickly heat up for breakfast for 3-4 days!

Photo credit: Confessions of a Midnight Baker

Coffee Shop Dupe Egg Bites

Recipe: Once Upon a Chef

Save time and money by skipping the coffee shop for your favorite egg bites and making them at home! The secret ingredient in these egg, bacon and cheese egg bites is cottage cheese and tabasco sauce! They’re so flavorful and easy to make ahead of time. Store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 2 months. You won’t miss your pricey store-bought egg bites!

Quick Caprese Breakfast Sandwich

Recipe: Jones Dairy Farm

This sandwich is low on prep time but full on flavor! Most breakfast sandwiches are time consuming to make, but not this Caprese Breakfast Sandwich with the help of Jones Dairy Farm Canadian Bacon, Egg Life Egg White Wraps and pre-sliced BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella. Cut the egg wrap down into 4-6 pieces. Lightly toast the English muffin. Top one half with basil leaves, 2-3 slices of mozzarella, 2-3 slices of tomato. Finish with 2-3 egg slices and 2 slices of Canadian bacon.  

Protein Yogurt Parfait

Recipe: Created by ME! My full recipe is available in a previous blog post here

When you’re challenged with food allergies and diet restrictions but still want a high-protein breakfast, this make-ahead dairy, egg and gluten free yogurt parfait is a delectable choice! It’s made with my favorite Super Granola and Vanilla Cinnamon Protein Powder from Kroma Wellness, along with creamy Coconut Yogurt and Berries. You could add more toppings, too, like honey, chia seeds, hemp seeds, nut butter, etc. Customize it to your preference! This is a great recipe to make ahead in a mason jar to bring on-the-go during busy mornings!

Which of these recipes do you want to try? Let me know in the comments below! For more family-friendly products, activities and recipe ideas, be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok!

XO Maggie

Best Cozy Weather Crock Pot Recipes

Cooking, Kitchen, Lifestyle
Ready to put together my favorite Tuscan Chicken from Easy Family Recipes

While it doesn’t feel much like fall weather in Southern California yet, my autumn-loving bones tell me a leaf is falling somewhere in the Northeast and its time for all things cozy!

Cozy Shackets…

Cream Shacket
Plaid Shacket

Cozy Blankets…

Barefoot Dreams Checkered Throw Blanket
Ugg Whistler Throw Blanket

Cozy Shoes…

Birdies Faux Fur Slipper
Birkenstock Suede Clogs in Shearling

And the BEST…

COZY COOKING WITH THE CROCK POT!!!

Classic 7-quart Crock Pot
Chic Design Series Crock Pot

My Crock Pot Story

I’ve been a fan of the Crock Pot ever since I was a little girl helping my mom make dinner for our family. Growing up in the South, I was always impressed by the cook-and-carry crock pots that made appearances at tailgates, church picnics and neighborhood potlucks. I thought those ladies were smart cookies. Not only did they serve delicious meals, they could easily transport their yummy food and keep it warm without dirtying another dish!

Fast forward 20 years to when I moved in with my boyfriend, who’s now my husband. My mother often told me the Southern women’s classic saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” and while that’s probably viewed as outdated now, I took no chances and started cooking us lots of meals. When stocking our new apartment’s kitchen with cooking tools, the Crock Pot was one of the very first appliances we purchased because it’s so versatile and can create complete meals in one pot! You don’t need a full set of pans when you have a Crock Pot! Plus, the single pot makes cleanup a breeze!

After we got our Crock Pot, I remember the first dinner request my boyfriend (now husband) had was beef pot roast. I had conflicting emotions over this request. On one end, I was excited to make my first meal in our brand-new Crock Pot. Beef pot roast was meal that my mother made us every Sunday after church for YEARS. On the other end, I dreaded eating the meal that my mother made for YEARS! While my mother made a delicious beef pot roast when I was a child, I had sworn off that comforting beefy goodness for the rest of my life! There’s just some things you can never eat again after having it over and over and over again! Alas, I made the pot roast… and he LOVED it! It made so much food for the two of us that we had dinner leftovers the next night, and he took the rest of the pot roast to work for lunch for a week! And, I have to admit, it tasted GOOD! Despite my reluctance to make the pot roast, I was really pleased with how it turned out. Plus, it felt really good making a meal for someone I loved and cared about. A meal that made him so happy! I was hooked on this Crock Pot! And my boyfriend was hooked on me! We married three years later.

Since that first Crock Pot meal in 2013, I’ve used my slow cooker hundreds of times. I love the “dump it and forget it” aspect of the Crock Pot. When I was busy working a strenuous job with a long commute, I’d put all my ingredients in the Crock Pot before leaving for work and adored coming home to my kitchen smelling of a delicious prepared meal. No one wants to cook after a dreadfully long day, and the Crock Pot was GOLD for that time of my life! Then, when I was pregnant with my second child, I made several crock pot freezer meals to have on hand those first few weeks with the new baby so I could pull together delicious, easy dinners with little effort. Nowadays, I use the Crock Pot for busy weeknight meals for our family or when I’m craving one of my favorite slow cooker recipes.

Speaking of my favorite slow cooker recipes, I’ve compiled my top 10 Crock Pot recipes below! These recipes are tried and true – easy to pull together and delicious! Perfect for busy weeknights or for when you simply want a tasty low-effort meal!

Top 10 Favorite Crock Pot Recipes:

Chicken Crock Pot Recipes:

Cream Cheese Crack Chicken Chili (Plain Chicken) – There’s a reason this recipe is called “Crack” Chili — it is so addicting! Creamy cheese, juicy chicken, and salty bacon make this recipe irresistible, and the subtle heat from the diced tomatoes and green chilies kicks this flavor up a notch! This is one of my family’s favorite meals and probably the Crock Pot recipe I make the most, mostly because the kids love it, too! Grab the full recipe from Plain Chicken here.

Cream Cheese Crack Chicken Chili from Plain Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken (Family Food On The Table) – The best Crock Pot meals are the ones where you don’t have to do anything but dump it and forget it! No chopping, no searing of meat beforehand, no additional ingredients halfway through cooking. This Honey Garlic Chicken recipe is just that! Plus, it’s only five ingredients! I love to serve this over Asian rice and vegetables then top with green onions and red pepper flakes!

Honey Garlic Chicken from Family Food On The Table

Tuscan Chicken (Easy Family Recipes) – This recipe is easy, delicious and loaded with veggies! Sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach and diced onions make this Tuscan Chicken a healthy Italian favorite. Serve over mashed potatoes, cauliflower rice or your favorite pasta to make a complete hearty meal. This is another recipe that’s on repeat at our home because it feels like a different meal every time I switch up the sides. I also like to use the leftovers in a salad, wrap or sandwich!

Tuscan Chicken from Easy Family Recipes

Chicken Burrito Bowls (The Kitchn) – We do “Taco Tuesday” every week at our house, and while I adore tacos, I need to change it up sometimes. That’s when I look for other Mexican-inspired recipes like this easy Chicken Burrito Bowl from one of my favorite foodies sites The Kitchn. I love creating a build-your-own station for the family to create their perfect bowl with their choice of a variety of toppings, like cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, jalapeños, chives, etc. I collect hot sauce (seriously!), so this is my chance to sample one of my many spicy sauces!

Chicken Burrito Bowls from The Kitchn

Asian Peanut Chicken (Sweet Peas and Saffron) – This was one of the recipes I made and freezed for an easy dinner when my second baby was born! I love this Asian Peanut Chicken’s flavorful sauce, and the sweet potatoes in this dish make it a warm hearty meal.

Asian Peanut Chicken by Sweet Peas and Saffron

Pork Crock Pot Recipes:

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce (The Recipe Rebel) – I love to serve this Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce during the holidays because it looks and tastes like a fancy recipe, but in reality it’s SO EASY! Sever over mashed potatoes with a side of veggies or a salad and you’re dinner guests will be so impressed!

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce by The Recipe Rebel

Baby Back Ribs (Spend With Pennies) – This baby back ribs recipe is one of my husband’s most favorite meals! The ribs come out of the Crock Pot fall-off-the-bone delicious! This recipe calls for creating your own rib sauce with BBQ sauce, chili sauce and ketchup, but I’ve tried only using our favorite BBQ sauce instead and it’s turned out great!

Baby Back Ribs by Spend With Pennies

Tacos Al Pastor (Gimme Some Oven) – This taco meat is so juicy and delicious, you’ll think its from an authentic upscale Mexican restaurant! This Tacos Al Pastor recipe takes a bit more prep work at the beginning with chopping onions and pineapple and blending the sauce ingredients in a food processor, but I promise you its worth it! I like to use a big pork shoulder so we can eat on it all week making tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches and salads.

Tacos Al Pastor by Gimme Some Oven

Beef Crock Pot Recipes:

Beef Gyros (365 Days of Crock Pot) – Greek food is one of my favorites, and this Beef Gyros recipe is so tasty and so easy! This includes an additional recipe for tzatziki sauce, but I like to make dinner even easier by purchasing pre-made tzatziki at the store. Serve beef in pita folds or with roasted Mediterranean vegetables!

Beef Gyros by 365 Days of Crock Pot

Beef Pot Roast (Hamilton Beach) – This is the first recipe I ever made in my Crock Pot — the same recipe I mention at the top of this blog post that I could credit for turning my boyfriend into my husband! It’s so easy but so flavorful! Perfect for a warm and cozy meal in winter or a perfect Sunday family supper.

Beef Pot Roast by Hamilton Beach

I hope my list of favorite Crock Pot recipes gives you inspiration for your next family meal! Let me know which of these recipes you want to try in the comments below! For more recipe ideas, parenting and lifestyle tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok!

XO Maggie

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of this post contains affiliate links for the products I use and LOVE. If you take action on these links (like clicking, buying, etc.), I may receive compensation at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own, and I’ll only recommend what I truly love. For more information about affiliates and your privacy, view our Terms & Conditions page here.