Want to have a fun dinner with your family? Planning a small Halloween party? Are you looking for a centerpiece for your Halloween party? Did you answer yes to any of these questions? The manicotti and lasagna mummy idea would be perfect for your Halloween table.
Other ways to make an edible mummy for Halloween.
Use stuffed manicotti to build the body of the mummy. The body of the mummy will need a minimum of 8 stuffed manicotti rolls. That would be a rectangle of two across and four deep.
Use a bowl of ravioli for the head. The bowl for the ravioli will need to be short and white. If sauce is being used for the ravioli, use an Alfredo sauce.
A red wine sauce can be drizzled over the body, arms, and legs to create a dirty gauze effect.
Angel hair pasta can be wrapped around the manicotti to create the wrapping effect of gauze. Leave the ends of the pasta hanging loose to create the raveling of the gauze.
Lasagna rolls can be made instead of manicotti rolls for a different effect for the mummy.
What can kids learn about making an edible mummy for dinner?
Just don’t tell the kids they are being educated in the skills they are learning in school while in the kitchen or you will never get them back in there to help with anything.
Cooking. The kids can learn about a variety of methods of cooking and foods when making the manicotti and lasagna mummy. They can learn about three types of radishes, two types of pasta, cauliflower, carrots, how pickle spears are made and how they get their shapes, oven temperatures, stove top temperatures, and numerous other kitchen skills.
Math. How’s that for sneaking an education in while in the kitchen? The measurements used in cooking are a part of everyday math skills needed even at home. They will learn fractions, addition, counting, and measuring with this food project. The measuring will come in handy with the size of the cardboard pieces needed for the arms and legs. They will also learn a bit of geometry along the way. Geometry? Yes, geometry, the angles and sizes of the objects on the layout of the mummy. The better positioning of the arms and legs on the body of lasagna uses geometry.
Reading skills. Being able to read the directions and follow the instructions is a large part of cooking.
Science. Imagine that, they will learn a bit about biology and the skeletal structure while making the edible mummy.
Manicotti and Lasagna Mummy.
The following recipe came to mind while searching for foods to create Halloween food ideas.
Materials needed for the manicotti and lasagna mummy:
14 manicotti shells and filling
Four pieces of card board long enough for two arms and legs with feet
2 white radishes, quartered
2 black or red radishes
1 uncooked head of cauliflower with leaves carefully removed
1 baby carrot
1 9 x 13 pan of lasagna, this can be made fresh or use a frozen pan found in the freezer section and baked per the instruction
1 package of mozzarella cheese shredded (optional) this will be used to cover the top of the lasagna to keep the mummy white
1 pickle spear, sweet or dill for the mouth
Toothpicks
Building the manicotti and lasagna mummy:
Since a mummy is white with splotches of dirt and gauze hanging off it, the stuffing for manicotti alla Leone would be a great way to fill the shells so they will withstand the layout. Prepare the shells and filling per the instructions on the box and recipe provided. Once you are able to fill the shells, you may do so.
While you are creating the arms and legs for the mummy, bake the lasagna per the directions on the box if you are using a frozen family size dinner. If you are using the extra mozzarella cheese for you lasagna, sprinkle it over after the cooking time is up and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.
Place three of the filled shells on a foil or cloth covered piece of cardboard for each arm and leg vertically. When you get to the legs, lay a filled manicotti at the bottom of each leg horizontally to create the feet.
Cut the 2 white radishes into quarters. Carefully insert four slices into each of the end manicotti rolls to create fingers for your mummy. If you find four fingers are too many, use the amount the looks right to you. The extra slices can be eaten the way they are or added to a salad.
Take the cauliflower insert toothpicks in the areas for the eyes, nose and mouth. Carefully shove the black or red radishes onto the toothpicks for the eyes. Then do the same thing with the baby carrot for the nose, and the pickle spear for the mouth. This will be the head of your mummy. Sit it on a saucer or another piece of covered cardboard.
In the middle of the table, sit the cooled lasagna pan down. To the sides and bottom of the lasagna, lay your manicotti rolls for the arms and legs. Place the cauliflower head at the top of the lasagna to finish off your mummy.