Recipe: Halloween Recipes (12) - 10-13-2000 Recipe Swap (updated)

12 HALLOWEEN RECIPES
Recipe Swap - October 13, 2000

RECIPES IN THIS FILE:
Idea for Halloween Sandwiches
Boogers on a Stick
Blue Cheese Pull Aparts
Crispy Marshmallow Ghosts
Chocolate Spiders and Webs
Cheesecloth Ghosts
Black Punch
Halloween Pumpkin Patch Cake
Halloween Cool Whip Grave Yard Dessert
Halloween Spider Cake
Candied Apples
Homemade Candy Corn
IDEA FOR HALLOWEEN SANDWICHES
From: Fleigh, ct 

One year I added several drops of orange food coloring to my bread machine when getting ready to start a fresh loaf. The bread came out orange and made colorful sandwiches. Mix green food coloring with tuna or chicken salad for sandwiches.
BOOGERS ON A STICK
From: Fleigh, ct

Forgive the name but that's how it was presented to me.

1 jar processed cheese spread
Small pretzel rods
Green food coloring

Mix a few drops of food coloring into cheese spread; mix well. Using pretzel rods one at a time, twist one end in cheese until a small ball forms on the end. Place on waxed paper to let set. Twist in cheese repeatedly until 'boogers' are the size you like.
BLUE CHEESE PULL APARTS
From: Nan(SC)
Makes about 40 bite-size pieces

1 (12 ounce) pkg refrigerator biscuits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (4 ounce) pkg. crumbled blue cheese

Cut each biscuit into quarters. Place in a lightly greased quiche dish.

Combine butter and blue cheese; mix well. Spoon over biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve with cocktail forks to pull apart.
CRISPY MARSHMALLOW GHOSTS
Source: Canadian Living magazine, November 1995
From: KellyWA
Makes 14 Ghosts

"Decorate by drawing faces with chocolate, or use candies and licorice strings."

FOR THE PALLOR ICING (makes 2 cups):
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp water
1 egg white
1 pinch cream of tarter
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
FOR THE GHOSTS:
1/3 cup butter
6 cups miniature marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups crispy rice cereal
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

TO PREPARE THE PALLOR ICING:
In top of double boiler over boiling water, combine sugar, water, egg white, cream of tartar and salt. With electric mixer, beat at high speed for 7 minutes or until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thickened. (Can be stored up to 3 days.)

TO MAKE THE GHOSTS:
In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in marshmallows until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Scrape into large bowl; stir in cereal until coated.

Set bowl over saucepan of boiling water. Using rubber gloves, shape cereal mixture into 4-inch long ghost shapes. Let stand for about 30 minutes or until firm. 

Spread with Pallor Icing; let stand for about 30 minutes or until set.

In top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate; pipe onto ghosts to make faces. 

Ghosts can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.

VARIATION:

JACK-O-LANTERNS:
Add orange food coloring with vanilla; shape into 1 1/2-inch balls. Create face with currants, red fruit leather, and licorice shoestrings and twists. 
CHOCOLATE SPIDERS AND WEBS
Adapted from source: Pat Stockett, 1994
From: KellyWA
Makes about 2 dozen spiders or 1 dozen webs

1 (6 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
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.

SPIDER AND WEB PATTERNS:
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. 
CHEESECLOTH GHOSTS
From: KellyWA

What you need for those are a mess of cheesecloth, fabric stiffener or white glue, googly eyes (available in craft stores), balloons, drinking glasses, and nylon thread or fishing line (optional). 

First, blow up the balloons and set them in the drinking glasses; this will provide a form for you to mold the ghosts around. Cut squares about 12-14-inches of double layers of cheesecloth.

Dilute the fabric stiffener or white glue 1:1 with water, dip the cheesecloth squares in the glue mixture and wring out the excess. Drape the cheesecloth on the balloon in a ghostly shape. You can have the ghost's hemline trail the table for a standup ghost, or you can have a sheer drop for a flying ghost. Let dry overnight. 

When dry, remove the balloons, glue on the googly eyes and attach nylon thread to the beads of any ghosts you want to fly through the air. Hang the flying ghosts wherever appropriate!

The standup ghosts can stand on a table.
BLACK PUNCH
From: KellyWA
It makes 32 half-cup servings.

1 envelope orange unsweetened Kool-Aid*
1 envelope raspberry unsweetened Kool-Aid*
2 cups sugar
3 quarts water with ice cubes
1 liter ginger ale

Mix Kool-Aid and sugar in pitcher; add water and ice. Stir. 

Add ginger ale just before serving. 

*You can also get the black color by mixing grape and lemon-lime or grape and orange.
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN PATCH CAKE
Source: Washington Post, 1990's
From: CarolB, Fl - 09-27-97 
Makes 16 servings

2 boxes (18 oz each) devil's food cake mix
White frosting (enough for 2 cakes)
Orange and green food coloring
3 pieces candy corn
1 piece black licorice

Prepare cake mixes according to package directions. Except make the cakes in 2 (12-cup) Bundt Pans with ridges (to resemble a pumpkin). Also, take enough batter to make one cupcake to use as stem.*

Unmold cooled cakes and place them bottom to bottom.

Set the cakes on a large platter and frost them with the white frosting that has been tinted orange. 

Frost cupcake with white frosting tinted green. There will be a hole in the middle of the cake. Fill with leftover frosting and set green cupcake on top (pumpkin stem). Place candy corn where eyes and nose should be. Then, place licorice where mouth should be.

*Cupcake can be substituted with a ice cream cone covered with green frosting.
HALLOWEEN COOL WHIP GRAVE YARD DESSERT
Source: Cool Whip
From: CarolB, Fl - 09-27-97
Makes 15 servings

FOR THE CRUST:
2 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, divided use
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
1 (8 oz) pkg fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 (12 oz) tub Cool Whip Lite topping, thawed, divided use
2 cups boiling water 
2 (4 serving-size) pkgs orange gelatin 
1/2 cup cold water
Ice cubes
DECORATIONS:
1/4 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
7 rectangular shaped sandwich cookies
7 oval shaped sandwich cookies
Decorator icing: brown, green, orange and white
Candy corn
Candy pumpkins

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray and flour. 

TO PREPARE CRUST:
Combine 2 cups cookie crumbs, granulated sugar, and butter in a small mixing bowl. Press firmly into prepared pan. 

Bake for 10 minutes and then chill. 

TO PREPARE FILLING:
Combine cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and 1/2 cup Cool Whip in a mixing bowl. Spread over crust.

In another mixing bowl, combine boiling water into gelatin until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice cubes together to make 1 1/2 cups. Stir ice water into gelatin until thickened. Remove any remaining ice cubes. Spoon gelatin over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. 

TO DECORATE:
Spread remaining Cool Whip over gelatin layer. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Decorate as a "grave yard" by poking sandwich cookies on end into dessert. Decorate the cookies as tombstones with the decorator icing. Scatter candy and pumpkins around the surface. 
HALLOWEEN SPIDER CAKE
From: Carol B, Fl - 09-27-97
Makes 8 servings

When cake is cut in to, it spurts green goop.

FOR THE CAKE:
1 (18 1/4 oz) box white cake mix 
1 (4-serving-size) pkg green gelatin
FOR THE BLACK FROSTING:
Blue food coloring
Chocolate frosting
DECORATIONS:
4 black licorice
2 big green gumballs
6 little gumballs

Prepare cake mix according to package directions and bake in 2 (9-inch) layers. Remove from pans and set on rack to cool.

Prepare gelatin according to package directions. 

Cut a smaller circle out of one cooled cake layer. Fill the hole with gelatin. Place the other layer on top and trim to shape (curve the edges). 

To prepare frosting, in a mixing bowl, add blue food coloring to chocolate frosting until black in color. Frost cake. Then, use the black licorice as legs and gumballs as eyes.
CANDIED APPLES (Family Circle, 1970's)
Source: Family Circle Cookies and Candies Cookbook
From: Donna,Pa - 10-04-98
Makes 8 apples

8 medium-size red apples 
8 flat wooden skewers (I use craft sticks) 
2 cups sugar 
1 cup light corn syrup 
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup (1 and 3/4 oz bottle) red cinnamon candies 
10 drops red food coloring( optional) (I also used green food coloring at one time) 

Wash and dry apples, remove stems and insert skewers into stem ends. 

Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in heavy 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and sugar is dissolved. Then cook, without stirring, until temperature reaches 250 degrees F or until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water forms a ball which is hard enough to hold its shape, yet plastic. 

Add cinnamon candies and continue cooking to 285 degrees F or until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water separates into threads which are hard, but not brittle. 

Remove from heat. Stir in the red food coloring, if desired. 

Hold each apple by its skewer and quickly swirl in syrup tilting pan to cover apple with syrup. Remove apple from syrup, allow excess to drip off, then twirl to spread syrup smoothly over apple. Place on lightly greased baking sheet to cool. Store in cool place. 

Note: If candy cools too quickly it may be reheated over low heat. 
HOMEMADE CANDY CORN
Source: Anita J Ford, 1996
Makes 1 3/4 lbs candy

"I have never seen this in any cookbook anywhere. It was passed down to me by my mother."

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1/3 cup butter

Combine in pan, bring to boil stirring CONSTANTLY. Turn heat low and boil 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

REMOVE FROM HEAT AND ADD:
1 tsp vanilla
several drops food coloring (optional)

MEANWHILE, COMBINE:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup powdered milk

Add all at once to mixture in pan. Stir until cool enough to handle.

Knead until stiff enough to hold its shape. Shape into triangles, or any shape desired. 