Halloween Recipes

October, 1999

Status: Public Domain

These recipes were taken from Usenet newsgroups and compiled over the years for
their unique and entertaining party presentation uses.


 Drinks
-------

Witches Brew

This makes a nice foaming drink. In a clear punch bowl mix equal parts blue
kool-aid and lemon-lime pop. Add some crushed dry ice, and continue to add more
every half hour or so. Caution! Don't let kids serve themselves, because dry ice
can cause lips and tongue to freeze. Scoop it out yourself and leave the dry ice
in the bottom.


Drink Decay 

Add black paste food colouring to any drink you enjoy. Mix well.


Halloween Punch
    
      Yield: 24 servings

     12 oz orange juice concentrate,
           -frozen
     12 oz grape juice, white, bottle
      2 lt 7-Up
      1 pt sherbet, lemon or lime
           green food coloring

Mix together a 12 ounce can of orange juice concentrate, a 12 ounce bottle of
white grape juice, 2 liter bottle of 7-Up, pint of lemon or lime sherbet, and
several drops of green food coloring (rum or vodka to taste, optional). If
desired, serve with large, buoyant, and well-washed plastic spiders on the top!

Here are some other good ideas from the book which you could also use as a
contest or conversation starter.  

l. Turn sandwiches into jack-o'lanters! Cut eyes, nose, and mouth into the top
layer of bread and let the top layer (preferably much darker--or much
lighter--than the bread show through.

2. Make edible spiders for Halloween treats: a prune for the body, licorice
slivers or stick pretzels for the legs, and two "red-hots" for the eyes.

3. Turn apples into jack-o'-lanterns! Using a sharp knife or razor, carefully
cut portions of the skin away to make eyes, nose, and mouth. For a Halloween
dessert, make an edible with's hat using a large, flat, dark cookie for the brim
and an ice-cream sugar cone for the crown. Fill the cone with ice cream even to
the rim and center it on top of the cookie. To enhance the illusion, consider
giving the top of the cookie, a thin layer of chocolate frosting.

4. A plain sour-cream based chip or vegetable dip can quickly be transformed
into a delightfully ghoulish Halloween dip by adding a few drops of green food
coloring to the dip itself, and then scattering small bits of redand yellow bell
pepper across the top.

5. Serve fruit salad in a large, hollowed-out, and well-scrubbed pumpking. Or
serve it in a small pumpkins: one for each diner. If desired, paint a
jack-o'-lantern on the pumpkin shell.



Hand in the Punch

    Ingredients:

       1 Playtex Glove 
       Water to fill the glove 
       Food coloring 
       1 Stout rubber band 
       1 Bowl of punch 


Blood Red Ice

For deep red ice, try cherry koolaid. Can even be frozen inside a plastic glove,
now this really adds some snap to a punchbowl!


Mystery Punch

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 quarts apple cider
3 cups water
12 ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate

Stir all ingredients together until well blended. Chill 1 hour. Serve cold with
blood red ice mold (above) To serve warm, after chilling, bring mixture to a
boil, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.



Directions:

Turn the Playtex glove inside out so the flannel is on the outside. Choose a
food color that contrasts with the color of the punch. Color sufficient water to
fill the latex glove then seal the glove with the rubber band. Put the
water-filled glove in the deep freeze (you can use the refrigerator freezer, but
the deep-freeze will be colder) and allow to freeze solid (overnight, at least).
When the punch is ready for serving, remove the glove from the freezer. Run hot
water over it - not too long, just enough to unstick the glove from the ice.
Peel the glove off the "hand" and place the hand in the punch where it will
float and keep the punch cool.


Eerie Witch's Brew

    Ingredients:

       4 c Cranberry juice cocktail 
       1 c Chopped candied ginger, - (1 jar) 
       3 md Oranges 
       12 oz Cn thawed frozen apple juice - concentrate 
       6 oz Cn thawed frozen limeaid - concentrate 
       2 c Seedless grapes 
       4 c Water 
       2 Bottles (32 oz each) gingerale 
       1 To 2 lb dry ice 

Directions:

A smoking cauldron of punch made with grapes and orange peel masquerading as
eyeballs and worms.

A SERIOUS CAUTION: never touch dry ice; use tongs to handle

In a 1 to 2 quart pan, bring 1 cup of cranberry juice and candied ginger to a
boil over high heat. Boil, uncovered, about 2 minutes, set aside.

With a vegetable peeler, pare peel (colored part only) from oranges; cut peel
into thin 2 in long worms; or use an Oriental shredder to make long shreds. Add
orange peel to cranberry mixture. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or as long as
overnight.

Juice oranges; put juice in a 6 to 8 quart pan or heavy bowl. Stir in
cranberry-ginger mixture, the 3 cups cranberry juice, apple concentrate,
limeade, grapes and water. If made ahead, cover and chill up to 2 hours. Add
ginger ale and about a 1 pound piece of dry ice (DO NOT put small pieces in
punch or cups); ice should smolder at least 30 minutes. Ladle into cups. Add any
remaining ice when bubbling ceases.

Makes 5 qt; allow about 1 1/2 c for a serving.
 
Dips, Snacks, & Appetizers
------------------------

Bloody Popcorn

Add some red food colouring to the butter you are melting. Incidentally, to get
true red or black colours, buy paste food colouring from a craft or cake
decorating supply store. No matter how many drops of liquid red you add, it'll
always be some shade of pink. When the red butter is melted, pour it over the
popcorn as usual.

Sticks and Stones

Easy. Pretzel sticks and candy that looks like rocks. Often sold in bulk food
sections.


Slug Guts

Use any dip you like for chips or veggies.

Orange Worms

Yield: 13 servings
2 cn Apricot halves packed in-light syrup
4    Envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 c  Orange juice
 
Wiggle these worms any way you want on your plate.  If you like, give them
'eyes' made from licorice bits.

Place apricots in colander and let drain.  Place drained apricots in food
processor, cover, and whirl until well blended.  Place gelatin in 3 quart pan,
add orange juice, and let5 stand for 5 minutes to soften gelatin. Place pan on
burner and bring to a boil over med/high heat,stirring with whisk.  Turn off
burner and remove pan to rack. Add apricots and mix with whisk until well
blended. Pour into baking pan,cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about
4 hours, until set. Use butter knife to cut gelatin crosswise into 9 inch long,
1 inch wide strips. (you should have about 13 strips)  Use pancake turner to
remove strips to serving plate. Use your hands to twist strips into worm shapes.
Makes 13 worms.
  
Origin: Cookbook Digest Sept/Oct 1993.

Kids' Popcorn Balls
      
      Yield: 6 servings
 
    1/2 c  Molasses
    1/2 c  Corn syrup
  1 1/2    Cubes butter (3/4 cup)
           Salt
      8 c  Popped popcorn (measure
           -after popping)
 
  
Cook 1/2 cup molasses with corn syrup until thermometer reaches hard crack
stage, about 270 degrees. Stir in butter and salt. Have the popcorn in a bowl.
Slowly stir in the mixture with a wooden spoon. Coat all the popcorn. IMPORTANT!
Butter your hands lightly and shape the popcorn into balls. Make them the size
you want. Set them on wax paper and let them harden. Wrap the ones you don't eat
with wax paper.


Cheese Eyeballs

Ingredients:

       1/2 lb (2 c) Cheddar cheese, grated 
       1/2 c Margarine 
       1/2 ts Salt 
       1 ts Paprika 
       1 c Flour 
       6 oz Bottle stuffed green olives 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Shred cheese in work bowl of food processor, then
place metal chopping blade in work bowl and add margarine. Combine salt,
paprika, and flour in separate bowl. Turn on food processor, and slowly add
flour mixture tbrough the feed tube. Stop processing as soon as ingredients are
combined. Measure approximately one ts of this mixture and form an "eyeball"
around an olive. Turn the olive in the "eyeball" so that it is "staring"
outward.

This recipe will yield about 24 "eyeballs".

Line up the eyeballs on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for
approximately 15 minutes.

If you want to make these ahead of time, freeze them UNBAKED on the cookie sheet
and transfer to a plastic bag when frozen. Then just thaw and bake when needed.


Creepy Deviled Eggs

Start with deviled eggs make nasty faces on the yolk part with sliced green
olives for eyes and green or red pepper for mouth and eyebrows.


Strained Eyeballs

6 eggs, hardcooked, cooled, and peeled
6 oz whipped cream cheese
12 green olives stuffed with pimientos
Red food coloring or ketchup

Half eggs widthwise. Remove yolks and fill the hole with cream cheese, smoothing
surface as much as possible. Press an olive into each cream cheese eyeball,
pimiento up, for an eerie green iris and red pupil. Dip a toothpick into ketchup
and draw broken blood vessels in the cream cheese.

Bug Bites

Color creamcheese green, put pickle slice on cracker, add lump of cream cheese
and stick in two almind slices to look like wings. Can add small olive pieces to
look like eyes.

Brain Dip

1 whole cauliflower
1 tub Trader Joe Spinach and Water Chestnut dip
radishes
assorted raw vegetables, crackers for dipping

Cut florets from the top of the cauliflower until you have a cauliflower 'bowl'.
Remove greens from bottom. Cut stems from radishes, leave the root, remove skin.
Using toothpicks and food coloring, draw an eyeball on the flat part of the
radish (where the top was). The root will look like the optic nerve. Fill
cauliflower with dip, garnish with radish 'eyes', serve with veggies and
crackers.


Deadly Dipper

Try hummus dip and use enough black beans beside the garbanzo beans so it looks
either grey or brown grey and serve with chips. FBreads
--------------------

Moldy Dinner Rolls

For Halloween parties try little dinner rolls and put in enough green
foodcoloring that they look totally molded. Gross looking but good.


Spider Bread 

Bread dough or package of premade rolls
(optional) poppy seeds, almond slivers
(hard core optional) pesto or cheese/sausage filling

Seperate dough into individual rolls. Using floured scissors, cut each roll in
two. Cut one part into four longish strips (for legs) and lay them across the
other part, pinching in the center to get the ends to all stick out the sides.
Bake as directed.

You can use the poppy seeds for eyes and the almond slivers for fangs. When I
made them I filled the body part with pesto, and sausage and cheese. Anything
you'd put in a calzone will work, but be careful it's not too runny 'cause it'll
leak out! 

Main Dishes
----------

Pus Pockets

4 small pita rounds
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Spiceor Oregano
Tomato sauce

Sprinkle seasoning into cheese and spoon about a half cup of cheese into each
pita. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
until the pitas are browned. Remove from oven and poke a hole in the top of the
pita until the cheese oooozes out. Dab tomato sauce around cheese and enjoy.

Chuckie's Upchuck

2 teaspoons of butter or margerine
2 medium onions chopped
16 ounces of cream style corn
210 ounce cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups milk

Whatever leftover vegetables you have in the fridge! (tomatoes, green beans,
Mushrooms, cauliflower, etc) Saute onions in the butter. Add everything else and
bring it to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve immediatelu with a barf bag of
course!


Tounges on Toast

8 slices white bread
8 slices bologna
Mustard

Cut each slice of bread into the shape of lips, with a slit in the middle. Cut
the bologna into strips that look like tounges. Insert the bologna into the
slits in the lips(so it looks like the tounges are hanging out of the mouths).
Cover the bread with mustard and broil until the bread is golden brown.


Dead Man's Meatloaf

Use your favorite recipe, but instead of shaping it into a log shape it into a
corpse. Legs together, arms folded across chest. Bake as usual, but before
serving, stab the poor guy in the heart and dump ketchup on him. Guaranteed to
gross out just about anyone!


Gnarled Witches Fingers

1 T veg oil
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 c bread crumbs
Pitted black olives, halved lengthwise
Shredded lettuce

Grease cookie sheet with oil, set aside. Carefully cut chicken breasts partway
to create five fingers (the uncut part will be the palm of the hand). Slice them
a little crooked for effect. Dust in flour, dip in egg, coat in bread crumbs,
broil 5 minutes each side til golden and cooked through. Trim the tips with the
olive fingernails and serve on lettuce.


Meathead

Ok, the latest (and easily most disgusting) version of the Meathead passed
it's test with flying colors.

What you need:
A hollow skull (they sell these in Halloween shops. The top comes off and
there is a space inside for candy or whatever)
Cherry or strawberry JellO mix
Cold cuts (ham and turkey look good)
Red or green food coloring (optional)
Eyes (optional)

This recipe is rather labor intensive and must be done ahead of time! First, we
prepared some red ice (water and food coloring mixture) although green ice or no
color at all should work equally as well. We also modified our skull slightly by
drilling holes from the internal compartment to the outside of the skull to
allow for drainage.

Second, wash the skull completely, making sure that it is clean enough to eat
off of (which is what you will be doing). I worked in two sections and put each
section into ziplock plastic bags after I was finished. It is important to store
everything in the *FREEZER* until maybe an hour before you serve it.

Third, prepare your JellO. I make mine in several pans and make sure it is only
1/4" thick. When it has set up, you will be slicing it up into 23" strips which
can be layered over the skull sections.

Fourth, cut up your cold cuts. I typically use thin sliced meats and cut them
into 2x6" strips but almost anything will work. If you use ham, the head will
look more natural but using turkey looks like a zombie head. You can experiment
with other meats and see how they look. Even using a combination of meats looks
good.

Fifth, once everything is prepared, take the two halves of skull and pick one to
work on. I decided to go all out and grabbed a pair of those spring glasses (the
ones with the eyeballs on springs) and cut the eyes out. I washed them and
placed them into the eye sockets, which gave the skull a very interesting look.
Layer the slices of JellO over the skull and on top of it, layer the sliced
meat. The meat will act as a bonding agent to hold the whole mess together. It
will probably take 1015 layers of meat to make the head look "natural" and will
probably take some practice to get it to look right. Personally, I've learned
not to put the meat down in any pattern, just to have it crisscross and go
anywhichway. YMMV.

As each half of the skull is finished, put it into a sealable plastic bag and
put it into the freezer. This keeps the meat and JellO cold but keeps the
moisture in the meat from freezing solid.

About an hour before serving, remove the pieces from the freezer. Fill the skull
with the ice that you had prepared previously and seal the two ends of skull
together with more cold cuts. I suggest putting it into the refrigerator to let
any ice that had formed in the freezer time to melt. Place it on a platter of
lettuce and serve.

The effect it gives is quite interesting. As parts of the meathead are cut away,
both the red JellO are exposed and parts of the skull. The JellO also does melt
somewhat and starts to ooze through the meat. As the ice inside the skull melts,
it drains through the holes that I previously mentioned and starts to pool on
the platter.


Worms au Gratin

Worms: 67 oz egg noodles, cooked with 8 oz spaghetti, broken into short pieces

Toss with: 2 T butter or margering and 1 1/2 cups grated process cheese or
cheddar

Place in greased casserole.

Dirt: 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted, crumbled into tiny crumbs, 1 T butter
or margerine, melted and 1/4 tsp salt Mix dirt ingredients together, sprinkle
over worms.

Place under broiler for 5 minutes.



Finger Sandwiches or Handwiches

Spread soft white bread with red colored creamcheese and roll up and squish them
lengthwise in your hand. They come out looking like bony fingers. Put cut up
olive on tip for the fingernail.


***A Joke Main Dish***

Squirmy Worms

Ingredients:

       Spaghetti lg. diam. not vermicelli 
       Grapes, loose 
       Sm. Waste Basket w/ liner 
       Cooking oil 

Directions:

Cook spaghetti until done. Rinse well to separate. Coat well with oil to make it
nice and slippery. Put spaghetti in waste basket lined with a plastic bag. Add
the grapes and mix well. Cover waste basket with a black and orange cover.
Secure tightly. Cut a hole in the center of the cover large enough to put your
hand through. Invite Trick or Treaters to dig in for their treats. HAVE FUN.


 Deserts
--------

Halloween Worms

Cooking time:   5 min. 
Prep time:   15 min., plus overnight chilling 
Notes: Use a cleaned 1-quart milk or orange juice carton to hold straws 

       1 pkg. (6 oz.) raspberry or grape flavor gelatin 
       3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 
       3 cups boiling water 
       100 flexible plastic straws 
       1 tall (same height as extended straws), slend 4 cup container 
       3/4 cup whipping cream 
       12 to 15 drops green food coloring 

1.In a bowl, combine gelatins.

2.Add boiling water; stir until gelatins completely dissolve.

3.Chill until lukewarm, about 20 min.

4.Meanwhile, gently pull straws to extend to full length; place in tall
container.

5.Blend cream and food coloring with the lukewarm gelatin mixture.

6.Pour into container, filling straws.

7.Chill until gelatin is firm, at least 8 hours, or cover and chill up to 2
days.

8.Pull straws from container (if using a carton, tear carton away from straws).

9.Pull straws apart; run hot tap water for about 2 seconds over 3 to 4 straws at
a time.

10.Starting at the empty ends, push worms from straws with rolling pin, or use
your fingers; lay worms on waxed paper-lined baking sheets.

11.Cover and chill until ready to use, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

12.Worms will hold at room temp. up to 2 hours. 

Per worm: 17 cal., 42% (7.2 cal. from fat; 0.4 g. protein; 0.8 g fat (0.5 g
sat.); 2 g carbo.; 6.8 mg sodium; 3 mg chol.

Makes about 100

Swamp Slime

Make green jello. Put some of it in clear plastic containers and put some aside.
When the jello starts to solidify, add various gummy bugs. Beat the rest of the
jello to a froth and add to the top of the slime. Let set.


Dirt

Put chocolate pudding in clear plastic containers and imbed a gummy worm or two.
Cover the top of the pudding with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs. It looks good
if a worm is peeking out of the dirt.



Wobblie Gobblies

 Yield: 4 servings
 2 pk (85 gram) jello Strawberry-jelly powder
 4 ts Cornstarch
 3/4 c  Water
 1/2 c  Applesauce

Spray 2 baking sheets with no stick vegetable spray.  Mix the jello powder and
the cornstarch together. Stir in 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup applesauce. Microwave
on high for 5 minutes. (stir after 2-1/2 minutes) Stir again after cooking is
complete.  Spoon 1 cup of mixture on each of the baking sheets.  Refrigerate 20
minutes, or until set.  Cut strips of Wobblie Gobblies with sharp knife and pull
of baking sheets.  Place on lightly greased tray or baking sheets. Store,
uncovered at room temperature on lightly greased tray or baking sheets.  Makes
4-6 servings.



Lizard's Eyes

Yield: 16 servings
1/2 c  Peanut butter
12 oz Marshmallows 4 dr Green food coloring
4 c  Rice krispies; cheerios or-corn flakes
Pam
16    Raisins
 
Heat peanut butter with marshmallows in a large saucepan over low heat until
melted.  Add green food coloring and mix in.  Pour in cereal and stir quickly. 
Spray 8" pan with pam then pour contents into pan. Allow to cool in fridge, then
cut into long thin strips, about 1" x 4". Cut each raisin in half and stick on
one end of each strip to make the lizard's eyes. Source: Healthy Treats and
Super Snacks for Kids

 
Caramel Apple Crunch

 8 oz Cream cheese, softened
 1/2 c  Brown sugar
 1/2 ts Vanilla
 1/2 ts Caramel Flavoring

Blend all ingredients with mixer.  Serve with apple slices. Tastes like caramel
apples, but doesn't stick to the roof of you mouth or your teeth.


 
Taffy Apples

Yield: 6 servings
 2 c  White sugar
 2 c  Light corn syrup
 1/3 c  Cinnamon candies (hearts)
 1 c  Cold water
 1/2 ts Red food coloring
 1/2 ts Cinnamon
 6 Red apples
 6    Sticks
 
(Use ripe, red eating apples, such as McIntosh or Delicious.)

In heavy saucpan, combine sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon candies with 1 cup cold
water.  Cook over medium heat until sugar and cadies are dissolved, but do not
boil.  Add the food coloring and the cinnamon and bring up to boil.  Boil until
it reaches 300 F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, wash and dry apples, remove
stem and insert wooden sticks firmly enough into the apple that you can hold
them firmly. Remove syrup from heat when it reaches 300 and dip each apple into
syrup. Swirl to coat apple. Place coated apples onto greased cookie sheets to
cool and harden. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Makes 6
taffy apples.




Jack-O-Lantern Cookies

Yield: 2 doz. about
 2/3 c  Margarine
 3/4 c  Granulated sugar
  1 ts Vanilla
  1    Egg
  4 ts Milk
  2 c  All-purpose flour
 1 1/2 ts Baking powder
 1/4 ts Salt
 
Thoroughly cream margarine.  Add sugar and blend until light. Add vanilla.  Add
egg; beat until fluffy. Stir in milk. In another bowl put flour, baking powder
and salt; blend with a whisk or a spoon until thoroughly mixed.  Gradually add
flour mixture to creamed mixture; blend well.  Scoop dough out onto plastic
wrap, cover with wrap and press down to make a thick, flat round. Chill in
refrigerator over-night.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut batch of dough in half; keep one half in refrigerator while working with the
other half.  On a well floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough
to between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter or round cookie
cutter to make cookies. Place on cookie sheet greased with butter-flavored
shortening, if possible (otherwise, regular flavor shortening).  Bake for 6 to 8
minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.  Cool on wire rack. Repeat
with remaining dough. Store in airtight container until you are ready to spread
them with frosting and decorate.  Spread frosting on cookies; then make
Jack-o-lantern faces using colorful small candies or icing gel in a tube. Makes
about two dozen cookies.

*********  YUMMY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING ******* 
1/2 cup margarineor butter          
1 box (3 cups) of powdered sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
  
Cream margarine with electric mixer.  Add powdered sugar gradually. Add vanilla
and 2 1/2 tablespoons milk; blend well. If necessary, add more milk gradually to
achieve desired spreading consistency. For Halloween Jack-o-lantern cookies,
add red and yellow food coloring to make desired shade of orange.
  


Ghost Cookies

 6 oz Vanilla flavored almond bark
15 1/2 oz Nutter butter cookies
Small black jelly beans

Melt almond bark following package directions.  Dip 2/3 of each cookie in melted
candy, shaking gently to remove excess coating. Place on wire rack with waxed
paper underneath.  For eyes, cut jelly beans in half and place on cookies. 
Cool completely before removing from rack. Source: Gifts That Taste Good




Fudgy Bat Cookies
      Yield: 3 dozen
 
      9 oz Chocolate wafer cookies
      4 oz Milk chocolate candy melts
 
Use a serrated knife to carefully cut 18 of the cookies into quarters. Save
remaining cookies for another use.  For each bat, place 2 cookie quarters 1/4"
apart on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining quarters. Melt candy melts.  Drop
about 1/2 teaspoon of melted candy at center of each bat, connecting cookies. 
Use a toothpick to smooth melted candy into a uniform circle.  Cool completely
before removing from waxed paper. Source: Gifts That Taste Good


      
Taffy Apple Pizza
 
      Yield: 20 servings
 
     20 oz Sugar cookie dough roll
      3 tb Flour
      8 oz Cream cheese; softened
    1/4 c  Peanut butter; creamy
    1/2 c  Brown sugar
    1/2 ts Vanilla
      2 md Apples, granny smith
      1 c  Lemon lime soda
           Cinnamon
    1/4 c  Caramel ice cream topping
    1/2 c  Peanuts; chopped
 
Preheat oven to 375.  Remove 1/2 cup of cookie dough and reserve for another
use.  Add flour to remaining dough and knead with hands to combine. Press dough
to 14" circle on the 15 inch baking stone. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until
cookie is lightly browned.  Let cool for 10 minutes then loosen cookie from the
stone. Cool completely. Blend cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar and
vanilla together until smooth. Spread on cooled cookie.  Peel, core and slice
apples. Dip apple slices in lemon lime soda to prevent browning. Arrange apple
slices on cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Heat caramel
toppping slightly and drizzle over apples. Sprinkle chopped nuts over pizza. Cut
into pieces and serve.
 


Chocolate Spiders and Webs
      
      Yield: 2 servings

      1 sm Package (6 oz or 1 cup)
           -semisweet chocolate chips
 
Spider web pattern (follows)

In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stir the chocolate
until melted; remove from heat. Let stand over water until chocolate is cool but
still fluid, about 10 minutes. Or melt chocolate in microwave.  lay pattern on a
12x15-inch baking sheet and cover with waxed paper.

Put chocolate into a pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch diameter tip or a paper
cone; fold top edge down to seal.

Squeeze chocolate out of pastry bag onto waxed paper, tracing spider or web
designs that show through from the pattern underneath. If chocolate is too runny
to hold lines, let cool a little more. As pan is filled, transfer pattern to
another 12x15-inch, cover with waxed paper and continue.

Chill spiders or webs on pan until firm, about 10 minutes. Gently peel paper
away from chocolate. Spiders and webs are delicate and melt fast, so handle
gently and quickly. If made ahead, arrange in single layers, separated by waxed
paper; store airtight in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Serve as candy or to
top desserts. Makes about 2 dozen spiders or 1 dozen webs.

Spider and Web Pattern.

On a 12x15-inch sheet of light-colored paper, boldly draw at least 1 pattern for
spider and web.  You can either repeat the pattern as you pipe the chocolate
onto the waxed paper, or you can draw a pattern that includes designs for
multiple items.

Start with spider legs: draw a half circle that is 1-1/2 inches across. Inside
and about 1/4 inch parallel to it, draw another half circle. Back to back to the
big half circle, repeat the 2 curved lines; you now have 8 legs. Where the lines
curve together, draw a small circle to intersect all 4 lines to make the body.
Draw a small circle for the head on top the first circle.

For the web, draw a 4-inch long cross.  Draw diagonal lines to bisect the
quadrants.  Connect these spokes with concentric loops.



Pumpkin Patch
      
      Yield: 6 servings
 
      1 c  Pumpkin; canned puree
    1/2 c  Brown sugar
    1/4 c  Honey
      1 ts Cinnamon
    1/2 ts Nutmeg
    1/2 c  Orange juice
      1 qt Frozen vanilla yogurt
 
Combine ingredients in blender and whirl until smooth.  Pour into carved out
pumpkin to serve.  Source: Healthy Treats and Super Snacks for Kids





Frozen Jack-O-Lanterns
    
      Yield: 12 servings
 

     12    Navel oranges
    1/2 ga Dark chocolate ice cream
     12    Cinnamon sticks
 
Cut off tops of oranges. Gently hollow out pulp (reserve for another use),
leaving a thick shell; hollow out pulp off tops also. Cut Jack-O-Lantern faces
into each orange. Pack chocolate ice cream into shells, avoid letting ice cream
come out of holes. Cut a hole into top of orange top. Set tops back on, over ice
cream, and inset cinnamon stick stem through the hole. Place in freezer for at
least 3 hours, or until serving time.



Jack-O-Lanntern Candy
  
      Yield: 1 servings
 
    1/2 c  Peanut butter
      2 tb Butter
  1 1/4 c  Icong sugar - sifted
      1 c  Cocoa; unsweetened - sifted
    1/2 c  Milk; Evaporated
      1 c  Peanuts; chopped
    2/3 c  Coconut; dessicated
           Red & yellow food colouring
           Pretzel sticks or-
           Licorice whips
 
Combine peanut butter and butter in medium bowl. Micrwave at High 45-60 seconds
till melted. Stir till blended. Gradually add icing sugar and cocoa
alternaternately with evaporated milk till smoothly blended. Stir in peanut.
Chill till firm enough to shape into balls. Colour coconut with red and yellow
food colouring to desired shade of orange. (Shake coconut and food coluring
together in jar with tight lid.) Form spoonfuls (about 1 Tbsp) of chocolate
mixture into balls. Roll into coconut and insert small piece of pretzel or
licorice into top for stem. Chill well before servimg. Store, covered in
refrigerator. Make about 2 dozen.



Jack-o-Lantern Frosting
     
      Yield: 6 servings

      1    Egg white
    3/4 c  Sugar
    1/4 ts Cream of tartar
    1/4 c  Orange juice
    1/2 ts Vanilla
           Yellow and red food coloring
 
Place all ingredients except food coloring, into top of double boiler. Beat over
simmering water with electric mixer 5-7 minutes or until mixture stands in
peaks. Tint frosting orange by using several drops of yellow and red food
coloring. (Variation of 7 minutes frosting)



Halloween Frosting
      
      Yield: 1 servings
 

      4 tb Butter
      5 c  Powdered sugar; sifted
      2    Egg whites; unbeaten
      2 tb Cream; about
  1 1/2 ts Vanilla
    1/4 ts Salt
           Orange coloring
      2 oz Unsweetened Chocolate; melt
      4 ts Cream; about
 
Cream butter; add part of sugar gradually, blending after each addition. Add
remaining sugar, alternately with egg whites then with 2 tablespoons cream until
of right consistency to spread. Beat after each additioa until smooth. Add
vanilla and salt. Divide frosting in two parts. To one part add orange coloring
to give an orange shade and spread betveen layers of cake, reserving about 1/4
for pumpkin decoration. To remaining untinted frosting, add chocolate; then add
4 teaspoons cream until of right consistency to spread. Spread chocolate
frosting on top and sides of cake Decorate top with jack-o'-lantern, made of
orange-tinted frosting. Makes enough frosting to cover tops and sides of two 9"
layers and for decorating.



Wormy Baked Apples
    
      Yield: 6 servings

      6 lg Golden Delicious apples
    1/2 c  *each* raisins and chopped
           -walnuts
    1/2 c  Firmly packed brown sugar
    1/4 c  Water
    1/4 c  (1/2 stick) butter/margarine
    1/2 ts *each* ground cinnamon and
           -ground nutmeg
      6    Wiggly candy worms ("Gummy
           -Worms")
      1 c  Whipping cream, optional
 
Core apples from blossom ends, leaving stem ends intact. Mix raisins and walnuts
and stuff into cavities of cored apples. Set apples, stems up in a 7x12-inch
pan.

In a 1 to 2 quart pan, mix brown sugar, water, butter,cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir
over high heat until mixture boils. Pour hot syrup around apples. Bake,
uncovered, in 350~ oven, basting occasionally with syrup, until apples are
tender when pierced and skin begins to crack, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove apples from oven; cool in pan at least 10 minutes or let cool to room
temperature.  Set each apple in a small bowl and spoon syrup around fruit. In
the top of each apple, cut a hole large enough for one of the candy worms and
tuck one end into each apple, leaving most of the worm dangling. Offer cream to
pour over apples. Makes 6 ghastly servings.


 Creature Eggs

Ingredients:

       6 Or 12 canned peach halves 
       - AND - 
       1/3 c Syrup 
       - OR - 
       For small creature eggs, use 
       - apricot halves instead and 
       - double up) 
       1/2 c Orange-flavored liqueur, 
       - such as Cointreau, opt. 
       1 c Whipping cream 
       2 ts Powdered sugar 
       1/2 ts Vanilla 

Directions:

Put peaches/apricots, cut side down, and syrup in an 8 inch square pan. Add
liqueur; cover and chill 6 hours or up to overnight. With an electric mixer,
whip cream, sugar and vanilla until cream holds soft peaks. Spoon 1/6 of the
cream onto each of 6 salad plates and spread out to form a disk about 4 inches
across for 'egg whites'. With slotted spoon, lift peaches/apricots from syrup
and arrange 1 peach or 2 apricots ('double yolks'), round side up, in the center
of cream on each plate to make 'yolks'. Pour syrup into a small pitcher and
offer to pour onto individual portions. Makes 6 servings. MY notes: this is
'especially' effective if black plates are used. They reallY look like
sunny-side up eggs! And the Cointreau adds a delightful taste sensation.

 
Spider Cake 

(once made as a tease for a woman who HATED spiders)

Directions:

Take your average cake mix. Bake it up in 2 metal bowls--1 bigger than the
other. One unmolded, cut the bigger one (the "body") in half, horizontally.
CAREFULLY scoop out an adequate cavity in each half. FILL with well-whipped set
green Jello, and reattach the halves. Frost black, arrange on serving platter.
Use licorice stix as legs. Use 2 BIG green gumdrops and 6 little ones as eyes.
When the cake is cut into, it spurts green goop, just like a real spider when
stepped on.


Bleeding Heart Jello

The Preparation:
The heart is made from red jello with a some evaporated milk added to make it
opaque. The blood is honey or kyro syrup with red food coloring added. PLace the
'blood' in a small ziplock plastic bag and submerged in the jello. I guess you
could use any mold for the jello but a heart shape really looks special.

The Presentation:
A heart shaped mold sits innocently on a platter. When peirced with a sharp
knife it oozes blood red sauce. The effect is disgusting , but not bad tasting.
When you've gathered everyone around for the cutting, be sure to use a fairly
sharp knife so it pierces the bag. Also, the best effect is when the center of
the heart is pierced, then the knife is twisted. This oozes blood out of the
"wound" and looks gross!! If you have a "hearty" crowd that wants to dig in,
just remember to remove the bag! (I've heard of a halloween gag, but this is
ridiculus!)




Cupcake Rats

Take a toy rubber or plastic mouse/rat and mold pieces of aluminum foil by
pressing the foil over the top of the rat, forming a foil cup that has the shape
of the rat on the inside, leave the bottom open and pull the toy rat out. Make a
bunch of these aluminum rat cups. Use some additional foil to form legs so the
molds sit open side up on a cookie sheet. Spray the inside of the foil rat molds
with nonstick cooking spray and fill with chocolate cake batter following the
instructions on the box. Leaving the molds on the cookie sheet for support, bake
the rat cakes in the oven, again follow box instructions, you may find it helps
to over bake them a bit. When finished baking, let cool and pull off the foil
mold and trim the bottom of the cupcake rat with a knife so it sits flat. Use
red cake icing in the little squeeze tubes to inject (from the bottom) the
insides with a little gooey "blood", use licorice whips for a tail and red cake
decorating beads for eyes. You usually will only get one rat per mold so make
plenty of the foil molds, they're easy to do. You can make these into bats by
adding wings made from Fruit RollUps and leaving off the tail.


Kitty Logs :) on a bed of Kitty Litter

Very simply, make little chocolate "logs", like Tootsie Rolls, and serve then in
a foillined box, on a bed of sugardusted Grape Nuts. Make sure the family cat is
clearly in evidence.


Dirt Pie

Make or buy a graham cracker crust, either chocolate, vanilla, or plain. Fill it
with chocolate pudding and top with grapenuts. Gummi worms make a nice finishing
touch!



Stained Glass Cookies

Make 2 different jack 0 lantern cookie cutters, one smiling and one not. Take
either or both, and make you fave sugar cookie recipe. Be sure to color it
orange!

Make sure that the holes are cleared out when you cut out your pumpkins.

Before baking, crush yellow hard candies (by hand or with coffee bean grinder
life savers work well), and fill the eye & mouth holes with the crushed candy.

Bake as directed, and you will end up with a very pretty stained glass effect,
and delicious cookies!

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Hope you enjoy trying all of this material with your creative recipes for all
your Halloween feasting and party activities.

That's All Folks ! !

MacProber
GS WorldView Editor