Eyeball meatballs and bloody tapeworms

This is a fun Halloween dinner if you’re staying in tonight. I first made it around 6 years ago, when we used to decorate the flat and have people round and stay up until stupid o’clock.

Ouch.

I messed with a tested method tonight and it didn’t work out, aesthetically, as good, but taste wise it was ace.

You will need:

Eyeball meatball ingredients

Meatballs (I used pre-made for convenience but of course you can make your own)

Cheese (I used blue stilton expecting veiny eyes, but last time cream cheese kept it’s state better)

Black olives

Tagliattelle

Tomato puree

The how to bit:

Pop your meatballs in a dish

Meatballs

Make an indent in each one (your thumb is a perfect size)

Meatballs with thumb holes

Shove some cheese into the thumb shaped hole

Meatballs stuffed with cheese

Slice some pitted olives into two and push each half into the cheese.

Meatballs stuffed with cheese and olives

Pop in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes

Baked meatballs

Meanwhile, add the tagliatelle to boiling water.

Make a tomato sauce to taste (I used tomato puree, garlic and chilli)

Drain the spaghetti and stir in the “bloody” sauce

Serve onto plates and top with the eyeballs

Eyebal meatballs and bloody tapeworms

Meatballs and tagliatelle

As I said it looked better last time – I used cream cheese which didn’t melt as much so there was still more of the look of the eyeball. But that’s ok because, y’know, blue cheese!

The olives / tomato / pasta / cheese combo is a beaut; Halloween or not.

Do you have any fun halloween foods planned?

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

My weekend in pictures

I’ve had a stunning weekend of doing very little. Weekends like that are few and far between – we seem to have so much on this year. We were supposed to be out for a birthday on Saturday night but we were both feeling pretty burnt out from work and family stuff and just life so we made the decision to stay home for some much needed R&R. It was a good decision.

Here’s a pictorial round up!

Baked lamb with potatoes and stilton – I’ll post up a recipe for this, it’s so so good.

Baked lamb with stilton and potatoes

Breakfast on the balcony

Breakfast on the balcony

Enjoying the view

Balcony view

Reading chick lit in the sunshine

Reading on the balcony

Still on the balcony, even in the dark, just add hoodie and burner!

Balcony by night

Popping to the local shops, wearing straw and stripes

Me in straw hat and stripes

Owl spotting – check out the Big Hoot (most of the owls are in the city centre and I haven’t had chance to get there yet but there are the odd few dotted around on the outskirts, these are in Kings Heath).

The Big Hoot Owl and the Pussycat

The Big Hoot Owl of Athena

The Big Hoot owl selfie The Big Hoot Athena owl selfie

Sunday papers (yes I read the tabloids, no I’m not sorry – it’s all about trash and escapism at the weekend!)

Sunday papers

Pruning my bushes (fnar!) – a bit of a tidy up of my balcony pots which I’ve shamefully neglected somewhat this year

Watering can and gardening tools

Pink petunias

Purple balcony flowers

Sunday roast – one of my favourite meals to cook

Sunday roast

Strawberries and cream!

Strawberries and cream