Originally posted: 31 October 2009

Meatloaf Mice {Living Outside the Stacks}On Wednesday afternoon, I received an email from my husband asking if I could come up with something to cook for a Halloween themed party he was having at work.

Hmmmm….interesting request, especially since I hate Halloween {chalk it up to my upbringing, those who know my parents understand}. Anyway, I sat up all night Wednesday trying to come up with something delicious and Halloweeny. The best I could come up with was Meatloaf Mice.

What you’ll need:

  • Ground beef to make mouse shaped meatloaf {you can make mini ones like I did or big ones}
  • Cooked spaghetti noodles for the tails {I separated them on wax paper to let them cool}
  • Baby Bella mushrooms for the ears {try to match the sizes so their ears are symmetrical}
  • Toothpicks to attach the ears to the body
  • Spinach and bread crumbs for the “grass”

To make:
Meatloaf Mice {Living Outside the Stacks}Shape your favorite meatloaf recipe into a mouse shape – rounded end for the butt, pointy end for the face. After you’ve finished baking, set the “mice” on wax paper to cool and begin prepping the “grass.”

Coat a glass baking dish with olive oil, add spinach and season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with plain bread crumbs and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

After mice have cooled, begin assembling: use a toothpick to attach mushroom “ears” to either side of the mouse head and place on the grass. After you have arranged the mice the way you like them, place a piece of spaghetti under the rounded end to form a tail.

PS

For fun, you can put a dried tomato in the center of the body before cooking to form a “heart”. I also made a dipping sauce to go with the mice:
  • 1/2 c ketchup
  • 1/2 c honey mustard
  • 2 tbs molasses
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 1/2 small onion chopped
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
Heat until warm and bubbly.
Do you have a twist on a family fave? Share the link in the comments.

Daenel T