# meathead, brain mold, & caramel apples



## LilsheDevil (Aug 30, 2005)

if your doing the meathead,make sure the jello is sticky like jello jigglers,otherwise the meat will slide off,add your meat from the deli,yhen cover with sahran wrap untill your ready to set it out.

for the cheese brain mold,make sure you spray the inside of the mold with baking spray,then it will come out easier.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

​Here is a thread with different brain mold recipes & tips:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/party-ideas-experiences-recipes/98302-recipes-gelatin-molds-brains-alien-etc.html

Usually to get the mold to come out, dip the bottom of it in some warm water (not hot).



I am not sure what happened with your caramel apples, there are alot of recipes out there so it depends. The easiest I found uses the wrapped caramels from the grocery. 

Here is one recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/caramel-apples/Detail.aspx

This is the one I have used........

Easy Caramel Apples
4 apples, chilled
4 popsicle sticks
1 ¼ lb. caramel candies
1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Rinse and dry the apples. Poke popsicle sticks through the tops of each apple. They should reach halfway in the core.

Unwrap the caramel candies and place in bowl and microwave or use double-boiler method. (It should have high sides and be large enough to dip the apples without spilling over.) Melt completely. Slowly stir in the heavy cream until well combined. Heat mixture until a smooth dipping consistency.

Carefully dip the apples in the mixture and allow the excess to drain. Carefully place the dipped apples on parchment paper until set.

*Hope this was helpful*


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## Gothikren (Aug 17, 2008)

thnx so the red stuff I see in the meathead is normally jello? I guess I didn't know that lol. 

As for the apples I know that last year (or maybe it was the year before) Rikki and I both had trouble with caramel sliding off our apples and someone said that maybe they were too waxy  I want to make them again but am kind of afraid to even try.

The jello mold I did last year I tried spraying first, but it didn't even get good ridges with the recipe so I'm going to look at what all you guys have posted and try something new this year. I've had my mold for 3 years and never got a good food item out of it so far 

Thanks for all the help and ideas so far. Looking forward to even more.


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

The apples have to be completely dry. Also, after you coat them with caramel, stick them in the refrigerator so they can harden a little. Good luck! I have problems with caramel apples every year as well - mine always get stuck to the wax paper (I have been sprinkling generous amounts of powdered sugar on the paper and that has helped somewhat).


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## magen16 (Oct 10, 2006)

Use parchment paper, not wax paper....there should be no issue getting it off the parchment. Good luck!


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## rosella_au (Sep 23, 2010)

Gothikren said:


> The jello mold I did last year I tried spraying first, but it didn't even get good ridges with the recipe so I'm going to look at what all you guys have posted and try something new this year. I've had my mold for 3 years and never got a good food item out of it so far


Gothikren- what type of recipes are you using in your mold? I've found that to get a good amount of ridge detail, gelatine is needed (even in savoury recipes). I always add a little bit more than normal to get it to hold.


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing as rosella. What you put in your mold is just as important as pre-treating the mold. I always do extra gelatin as well.


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## yummum29 (Oct 22, 2008)

when I make m y brain mold, I line it with saran wrap and then spray the wrap. Comes out perfect. (hope I didn't jinx myself,lol) I also add an extra envelope of plain gelatin to every jello shot/mold I do, just to firm it up a bit. It has never changed the recipe much but it makes more detail from the mold. I also place the mold in very hot water for a couple of seconds until I can see it slip away a bit from the sides if I tip it. 

With my meat head, I use whipped cream cheese inbetween , just because I dislike the sweetness of the jam . I find it sticks really well. Just use quite a bit.

With your apples, I find that if I soak them in a veggie/fruit cleaner first, then I scrub them with baking soda, then make sure they are very dry..... the caramel sticks. I also place them on a cookie sheet full of white sugar until after they harden.. It gives the bottom a yummy coating and they NEVER stick  Then, I wrap them in parchment. I saw this once at a carnival and copied it.


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## LilsheDevil (Aug 30, 2005)

yummum29 said:


> when I make m y brain mold, I line it with saran wrap and then spray the wrap. Comes out perfect. (hope I didn't jinx myself,lol) I also add an extra envelope of plain gelatin to every jello shot/mold I do, just to firm it up a bit. It has never changed the recipe much but it makes more detail from the mold. I also place the mold in very hot water for a couple of seconds until I can see it slip away a bit from the sides if I tip it.
> 
> With my meat head, I use whipped cream cheese inbetween , just because I dislike the sweetness of the jam . I find it sticks really well. Just use quite a bit.
> 
> With your apples, I find that if I soak them in a veggie/fruit cleaner first, then I scrub them with baking soda, then make sure they are very dry..... the caramel sticks. I also place them on a cookie sheet full of white sugar until after they harden.. It gives the bottom a yummy coating and they NEVER stick  Then, I wrap them in parchment. I saw this once at a carnival and copied it.


You use cream cheese in between the meat and jam,for your meathead? That must be a different recipe....we use the jello,thin strips and then add the really thin sliced deli meat such as turkey and ham.


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## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

Last year, I made my meathead by covering the skull with herbed cream cheese, and placing the ham directly on. It didn't slip at all, and still looked great! Rolled up the other ham, with cream cheese, and pickle. People loved them!


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## LilsheDevil (Aug 30, 2005)

marigolddesigns said:


> Last year, I made my meathead by covering the skull with herbed cream cheese, and placing the ham directly on. It didn't slip at all, and still looked great! Rolled up the other ham, with cream cheese, and pickle. People loved them!


That sounds good,and probably easier than making the jello strips,maybe adding some red food coloring to make it look bloody underneath the meat.


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## yummum29 (Oct 22, 2008)

I only use meat and cream cheese, NO JAM... I don't like sweet with my meat


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## Halloween_Mom (Jun 29, 2008)

What about caramel in a crock pot? Our band does that. Then they put the peeled thinly sliced apples in a cup and pour caramel on top. Anyone know how to do caramel in a crock pot?


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## Gothikren (Aug 17, 2008)

caramel in a crockpot with small slices sounds better than whole apples as I'm going to have so many people, but I don't know if it would burn very easily. Though I do want to do some whole apples for my kids to have

I think I might try the cream cheese route with my meathead. Is there a trick to layering on the meat and getting it to look good? (first time trying it here)

With my mould I usually use a creamcheese recipe with shrimp minced and mixed it along with some herbs and it never seems to form. I do know I use the unflavored gelatin packs but perhaps I'm not using enough of them. (Btw saran wrap is my arch nemesis and NEVER works for me on anything ever lol) I bow to it's greatness. (and yours since you can use it  )


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## LilsheDevil (Aug 30, 2005)

yummum29 said:


> I only use meat and cream cheese, NO JAM... I don't like sweet with my meat


ah ok,in your other post you said,you didn't like the sweetness of the jam,I was thinking to myself,did I miss an ingredient....lol


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## emergencyfan (Oct 22, 2010)

*meathead & jello brain tips*

I've been doing both the meathead and the Jell-o brain for several years. 

Jell-o brain: Make sure you use fat-free evaporated milk. I spray the mold with pam and usually leave the filled mold in the fridge a couple of days to make sure it is thoroughly set. Dip the mold in hot water for just a couple of seconds to loosen it--better too short than too long--you can always dip it in the water again, but if you leave it in too long, the jello melts and you lose the nice mold definition.

This is the standard recipe I use. The only thing I change is that I don't use skimmed evaporated milk (I couldn't find it, originally). I use fat free evaporated milk instead. I've never found the need to add extra jello.

Recipe: http://pumpkinnook.com/shop/brainjellomold.htm

Sometimes, if I feel froggy, I'll substitute other flavors of jello:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emergencyfan/2875601116/

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Meathead: I stray from the pack here. The whole red layer of jello doesn't work for me. I simply whip a brick of cream cheese in the mixer and cover my skull in a thin layer of it. It makes a wonderful "glue" for the meat. Ham seems to look the best. I only use one layer of meat and roll the rest up on the plate. A single layer makes the skull look sunken and you don't have to worry about overzealous people knocking it onto the floor while trying to get the meat off it. However, if your heart was set on actually peeling off the meat, you could mix up some extra cream cheese with a bit of flavoring (chives, garlic, etc) and glue additional layers of meat on the skull. I made the mistake of trying to tint my cream cheese red one year. It was pink and no amount of paste food coloring could help. White is much better and any uncovered nooks blend right into the white skull

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emergencyfan/3051600312/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emergencyfan/3050701761/

Hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.


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