WIGGLY, WICKED CUT-OUTS

12-oz can frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 C apple jluice
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin

Lightly grease a 13x9 inch pan. In medium saucepan, combine juices.
Sprinkle gelatin over top and allow to soften 1 to 2 minutes. Bring to
a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly to dissolve gelatin.
Pour into prepared pans. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into Halloween
shape with cookie cutters or simply cut into squares.

MONSTER EYES

Serve pitted prunes stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a raisin.

CHOCOLATE SPIDERS

12 oz chocolate almond bark (don't use chocolate chips, they set up
too quickly)
1 can (5 ounces) chow mein noodles
1 C salted peanuts

Melt chocolate in either a microwave or in double boilder. Remove from
heat and add noodles and peanuts, stirring to coat. Drop by teaspoonful
onto greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate (or freeze) about 10 minutes.
Keep chilled until ready to serve. Makes about 2-3 dozen "spiders."

GHOSTS

This is the easiest and most fun to make. Dip Nutter Butter peanut
butter cookies in white almond bark until almost totally covered. Let
drizzle slightly and then place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Use
miniature M&Ms or chocolate chips to make eyes and a mouth. Place in
refrigerator for about 1/2 hour.

Black Widow Snack Cakes

1 package Devil's food cake mix
Vegetable cooking spray
GLAZE:
4 C Powdered sugar -- sifted
5 T Milk -- to 7 tbls
DECORATE:
1 C Powdered sugar -- sifted
1/4 C Unsweetened cocoa
2 T Milk
Plastic spiders

Prepare cake as directed on package. Pour into 2, 8" square aluminum foil pans
coated with cooking spray; bake at 350~ for 30-35 minutes or until tested done.
Cool in pans on wire racks. Combine 4 cups powdered sugar and 5-7 tbls milk in a
large bowl; spread a thin layer evenly over each cake. Combine 1 cup powdered
sugar, cocoa and 2 tbls milk; spoon into a small zip-lock bag. Close bag
securely and snip a tiny hole in bottom corner of bag. Carefully pipe concentric
circles onto each cake. Pipe straight lines at intervals from the inner circle
through the outside circle, forming a web design. Garnish with plastic spiders.

BLACKBEERRY BLACKHEADS

1/2 lb Butter -- at room temperature
1 T Butter -- at room temperature
2/3 C Sugar
2 Egg whites
4 C Flour
Blackberry jam -- with seeds
TOOLS:
Bowl
Mixer
Pastry brush
Cookie sheet
Spatula
Wire cooling rack
sm Spoon
With an adult's help, preheat oven to 325F.

Beat 1/2 lb butter until creamy., Add sugar, a little at a time,
until all the sugar has been used. Add the egg whites and flour to the butter and sugar. Beat until the dough is well blended. Dip a pastry brush into the tablespoon of butter and lightly brush a very thin layer onto the cookie sheet.
With clean hands, roll the dough into golf ball sized balls. Flatten the balls
slightly, and using your thumb, press a dime size dent into the middle of each
one. Place cookies, dent size up, about 1" apart on cookie sheet. Bake
aobut 12 minutes or until Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack with a spatula. When the cookies are completely cooled, use a small spoon to fillthe dent in each one with jam.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen blackheads.

BOOGERS ON A STICK

8 oz Jar cheez whiz
Green food coloring
25 To 30 pretzel sticks
TOOLS:
Waxed paper
Long handled spoon
Platter

Melt the cheeze whiz in the microwave or on top of the stove, according to directions on the jar. Allow the cheese to cool slightly in the jar.
Using a long handled spoon, carefully stir about three drops of green food
coloring into the warm cheese, using just enough to turn the cheese a
delicate snot green.
To form boogers: Dip and twist the tip of each prtezel stick into the cheese,
lift out, wait twenty seconds, then dip again. When cheese lumps reach an
appealingly boogerish size, set pretzels, booger down, onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Allow finished boogers on a stick to cool at room temperature for tenor until cheese is firm. Gently pull boogers off waxed paper and arrange on a serving platter.
Serves 5 to 6 booger buddies.

Brain Cell Salad

1 package (6oz) blueberry jello mix
1 ct (16oz) small curd cottage
Cheese
1 can (16 1/2oz) can blueberries In syrup =OR= 3/4 C Frozen blueberries -- thawed
Blue food coloring
TOOLS:
2 Mixing bowls
cn Opener Spoon
6 Salad plates

Prepare jello according to package directions. Chill 4-5 hours or until firm.
Scoop cottage cheese into a bowl. Drain and set aside the syrup from the
blueberries. Add the berries to the cottage cheese and mix well. Add three drops
of food coloring to turn the corrage cheese a nice grayish color with blended.
To serve salad, place a few spoonfuls of firm gelatin, (congealed brain
fluid), onto individual serving plates. Top with a scoop of cottage cheese
(brain tissue) mixture and serve. Serves 6 psycho surgeons.

Butchered Snake Bits With Barbecue Sauce

1 package (10oz) rigatoni pasta
2 cans Squirtable cheese spread
1 small Jar barbecue sauce
16 To 20 whole black
Peppercorns
1 Carrot
TOOLS:
lg Saucepan
Colander
Platter
Carrot peeler
Knife
Toothpicks

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Carefully drain the cooked pasta through a colander over the sink. Rinse the pasta in cold water and drain again.
To make snakes: Covering one end of the rigatoni with your finger (to prevent
leakage), carefully fill each piece of pasta with cheese spread. Place six to
eight cheese-filled rigatonis end to end on a serving platter, in a realistically curvy snake shape Using a toothpick, spread lines of barbecue sauce along the top of each snake for markings. To form heads, use barbecue sauce to glue two black peppercorn eyes onto the end opposite the tail of each snake.
Wash, dry and carefully peel skin off carrot. When completely clean of skin,
make one more peeling for each snake you have formed. At the narrow end of each
peel, carefully cut out a long, thin triangle. These are your snakes forked
tongues. Position tongue.
Sicko serving suggestion: Assemble two or three snakes lying on their backs, as
if they died in agony! Belly up snakes have no markings drawn on them,
as snake bellies are generally a solid color.

MONSTER BOLTS

Skewer cubes of various kids of cheese with pretzel sticks.

CRUNCHY CARAMEL TREATS

3 C miniature marshmallows
15 caramels
1/4 C butter or margarine
2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 t. vanilla
5 C Rice Krispies

Lightly butter a 13x9 inch pan. In a large heavy saucepan, combine
marshmallows, caramels, margarine and orange juice concentrate. Cook
over low heat, stirring frequently until marshamllows and caramels are
melted and thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Ad cereal; mix well. Lightly press mixture into prepared pan. Cool
completely and cut into bars or squares. Store in tightly covered
container. Makes 24 bars.

FROZEN JACK O'LANTERNS

24 navel oranges
1 gallon dark chocolate or fudge ice cream
24 whole cinnamon sticks

Cut off the top of the oranges. Gently hollow out the pulp, leaving a
thick shell; hollow pulp out of cut-off tops too. Cut Jack-O'Lantern
faces into each orange. Pack scoops of ice cream into shells (try to
avoid letting ice cream ooze out of eyes or mouth). Cut a small hole in
the top of each orange. Set tops back on over the ice cream and insert
a cinnamon-stick stem through the hole. Place in the freezer for at
least 3 hours or until serving time.

TAFFY APPLE COOKIES

1/2 lb. plus 2 T. butter
8 T. powdered sugar
3 C flour
2 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla
pinch salt

Cream butter and add powedered sugar, yolks, vanilla and salt. Mix
well. Add flour, shape into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet
one inch apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and
place toothpick in center.
MELT: 1 bag Kraft caramels in 1/2 cup water.
Dip each cookie into melted caramel and roll in chopped nuts. Place on
waxed paper and let set for an hour. Do these when you have some extra
time. They take a while but they are cute and taste great.

EYEBALL COOKIES

1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C peanut butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
12 oz white chocolate almond bark

Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugar and vanilla
nad thoroughly blend. Shape into small 1-inch balls and refrigerate on
waxed paper for 30 minutes.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave. With a toothpick, dip the
"eyeballs" into the white chocolate, covering all but a small circle on
the top. Let cool on waxed paper. Makes 40 eyeballs.

PEANUTTY PUMPKIN SPREAD

1 1/2 C solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 C peanut butter
2 T. honey
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. chopped peanuts
carrot, celery sticks, apple slices

Combine pumpkin, peanut butter, honey and cinnamon; mix well. Chill.
Before serving, top with nuts. Serve with vegetable sticks and apple
slices. Makes one cup.

CREEPY CATERPILLAR

2 pints mint-chocolate or pistachio ice cream
8 chocolate wafer cookies
28 miniature marshmallows
2 pieces (3 inches each) red licorice
2 green peanut M&Ms
1 red hot candy

Scoop ice cream onto 8 coopies. Arrange in a zig-zag fashion on a
cookie sheet. Place 2 marshmallows on each site of 7 scoops for feet.
Insert licorice in top scoop for antennae. Stick peanuts on for Eyes.
Freeze for at least one hour. Just before serving, position red-hot for
mouth. Serves 8.

ANTI-VAMPIRE POPCORN

1 bag Pillsbury Microwave popcorn
2 C crisp wheat square cereal
2 C chedar cheese-flavored goldfish crackers
1 3/4 oz can shoestring potatoes
1 C unsalted peanuts
1/2 C margarine or butter
1 t. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese.

MICROWAVE INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare popcorn as directed on the packaged.
Remove any unpopped kernels. In a large bowl, combine popcorn, cereal,
crackers, shoestring poatoes and peanuts.
Place margarine in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave on
high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in parsley flakes,
chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Drizzle seasoned mixture
over popcorn mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Toss until evenly coated.
Transfer half of mixture to ungreased 12x8 inch microwave safe dish.
Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes or until thorougly heated, stirring once
halfway through heating. Spread on paper towels to cool. Repeat with
remaining mixture. Makes 12 cups.

HALLOWEEN POPCORN BALLS

1 package (4-serving size) orange Jell-o
1 C light Karo syrup
1 C sugar

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour
over 5 quarts of popped corn. Form into popcorn balls with buttered
hands. Place in a zip-loc baggie or insert a popsicle stick in and then
place in a sandwich bag. Makes 12.

MONSTER MASH

In a large bowl combine 10 cups popped popcorn, 1 16-ounce bag of M&Ms,
a 14-ounce bag of chocolate covered peanuts, 1 cup candy corn and 1 cup
peanut butter chips. Place 1 cup each in a zip-loc bag.

Orange Worms

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.

Poached Skull and Crossbones

4 bananas
1 can pear halves -- drained
1 handful raisins
strawberry or raspberry fruit sauce =or= "all fruit" preserves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut bananas in half
lengthwise and place 2 halves, or bones, crisscrossed in X
shapes in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Place your
pear-half skulls on top of the banana X's, curved side up.
With a blunt knife, make 2 small slits in the pears for the
eyes. Insert a raisin in each slit. Bake for 10 to 15
minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to
individual serving plates. Drip some fruit sauce blood
around your creepy crossbones.

Raisin Gnats

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
9 oz raisins
1 small pack shredded coconut
6 oz lime gelatin powder

Heat 2 inches of water to simmering, not boiling, in the bottom of a double boiler. Place the chocolate chips in the top of the double boiler. Set the top into the bottom
part and melt over low heat. Once the chocolate begins to melt, stir constantly until it is fully melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. To prepare gnats, spear raisins on each tine of a fork. Dip the fork into the melted chocolate, and then arrange the raisins on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Repeat until all of the raisins are chocolate covered. Stick 2 pieces of shredded coconut antennae onto each raisin and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes. Prepare the gelatin according to the directions on the package. Pour into individual dessert bowls and set in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until the gelatin begins to harden. Remove the gelatin when it is partially set and arrange the gnats on top.
Refrigerate until the gelatin sets completely.

Rotting Crone's Kisses

1/2 lb fresh peas -- in the pod
green food coloring
8 oz cream cheese -- softened
6 large round crackers -- about 3-inches (6
to 12)
6 oz pimentos -- drained
1 C raisins

Open the pea pods and remove the peas into a bowl; set aside. In another small bowl, mix food coloring, drop by drop, into the cream cheese, stirring with a spoon until the desired shade of green is reached. Spread a large thin oval of cream cheese on each cracker. Use clean scissors to cut pimentos into upper and lower lip shapes - you'll need 1 upper and 1 lower for each cracker. Using extra cream cheese, if necessary, to adhere lips to crackers, place a set of lips on top of each cracker, surrounding the oval of cream cheese. This will form your open mouth. Place 2 rows of peas and raisins (rotten teeth) between each set of lips.
Arrange on a serving platter.

Slash 'Em, Gash 'Em Spuds

6 medium russet potatoes
2 t salt
1/2 C milk
4 T butter or margarine -- softened
1 t pepper
12 small mushrooms
2 red bell peppers--cored, seeded and sliced
assorted vegetables--broccoli, zucchini, carrots, etc.
ketchup
additional melted butter

Peel off potato skins with a vegetable peeler. Cut potatoes into quarters and put them in a large pot 3/4 full of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water, cover
the pot and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove potatoes from the hot water and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk, butter, pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Beat with an electric mixer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Spoon a mound of potatoes onto individual plates. Allow to cool slightly, then using clean hands,
sculpt a human head on each plate. Using vegetables of your choice, add eyes, a nose and a mouth to each head. Try mushrooms for eyes, red pepper slices for lips, broccoli for hair or mustaches, etc. Using a blunt knife, slash a gash down the side of each heat. Pour ketchup (blood) into each gash and dribble on melted-butter pus for a deliciously disgusting side dish!

Spaghetti and Eyeballs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 C seasoned bread crumbs
1 T ketchup
1 egg
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t oregano
7 oz olives -- pimento-stuffed
14 oz spaghetti sauce
3 quarts water
1 t salt
8 oz spaghetti
2 T butter or margarine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, egg, pepper and oregano in a large bowl. Then form the meat mixture into about 18 to 24 eyeball-sized balls. Press an olive into each ball, pimento side out. Place the eyeballs in a baking dish, cover them with spaghetti sauce and bake for 45 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the eyeballs are done, fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water. Add salt. Set on medium heat and follow package directions to cook the spaghetti. Drain and transfer it to a serving bowl and toss with the butter or margarine. When your eyeballs are done, remove them from the oven and spoon onto the spaghetti, irises up. Spoon sauce from the pan around them.

Sulfuric Acid Swig

6 oz lemonade, frozen concentrate--partially thawed
1/2 C lemon juice
1 C grapefruit juice -- cold
2 quarts lemon sherbet
1 quart club soda -- cold

In a large pitcher, mix together the lemonade concentrate, lemon juice and grapefruit. Add to this the amount of water required on the lemonade can. Pour the
liquid into tall glasses, filling them halfway, and add a scoop of lemon sherbet to each. Fill the glasses with club soda and serve immediately. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each glass with a pinch of lemon or lime-flavored powdered drink mix. Makes for a totally toxic-looking treat!

Tempting Toenail Truffles

3 oz semisweet chocolate
9 oz pretzel nuggets
12 oz beer nuts

Carefully remove the thin sugar shells from the beer nuts and set aside. Heat 2 inches of water to simmering, not boiling, in the bottom of a double boiler. Place the
chocolate in the smaller pot and set it over the simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts. When the chocolate is melted, remove the small pan from the heat. Carefully insert a toothpick into each pretzel nugget, then dip the nugget into the melted chocolate. Be sure your pretzel (toe) is completely covered. Place 1 sugar shell (toenail) on the end of each toe. Place on waxed paper to cool and repeat with as many toes as you desire.

Tongues on Toast

8 white bread slices
8 bologna slices
mustard

With clean scissors, cut each slice of bread into a closed mouth shape. Then, with a dull knife, cut an opening between the upper and lower lips. Cut the bologna with
scissors into thin, tonguelike strips. Place the tongues between the bread lips so that the tongues hang out of the mouths. Spread mustard on the bread and toast lightly in a toaster oven or under the broiler until the bread is golden brown. Arrange on a serving platter.

Toxic Tomatoes

6 medium tomatoes
1/2 avocado--peeled, pitted and chopped
4 ounces Swiss cheese -- grated
6 fresh basil leaves -- chopped (6 to 10)--or 1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half crosswise. Place the halves - open side up - on a cookie sheet. In a small bowl, mash together the avocado (sludge), grated Swiss cheese (pus), and basil (poisonous plant matter). Spoon the mixture on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle with oregano (fly wings). Broil the tomatoes for 5 minutes, or until pus begins to ooze. Carefully remove the tomatoes from the broiler and serve hot, or allow to cool slightly and eat them with your hands .

Varicose Veins on a Leaf

15 1/2 oz French-style green beans --
1 head iceberg lettuce
red food coloring
6 T almonds -- sliced

Heat the beans in their liquid according to the directions on the can. Wash and dry the lettuce and arrange the leaves on a serving platter. Pour the beans and liquid
into a glass bowl. Add red food coloring, drop by drop, until the liquid turns the color of blood. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon,
remove the veins and place them in a veinlike pattern on top of the leaves. Sprinkle almonds over the beans for and added bony crunch and flavor.

Viennese Vampire Fangs

6 large apples
1/4 C lemon juice
1/2 C sugar
10 oz strawberry fruit sauce--or "all fruit" preserves

Peel the apples, core them and cut them in half. Then cut each apple in half again to make quarters. Cut each quarter again to make eighths. Place the apples in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Cut and shape the apple eighths into fangs then return them to the bowl with the lemon juice and toss lightly. Sprinkle sugar over the fangs and toss until evenly mixed throughout. Arrange the fangs on a party platter splattered with strawberry sauce blood.

Wild Lice

2 C ouzo
1/4 cup light cream
2 T butter
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 T fresh parsley -- chopped--or 1 t dried parsley
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t vegetable oil
1 ham steak -- about 1 1/2 pounds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the ouzo according to the directions on the package. Drain the ouzo through a colander. Pour the ouzo into a large bowl and add to it the cream, butter, cheese, parsley and pepper. Toss well. Grease a casserole dish with the vegetable oil. Place the ham steak in the dish and then cover it with the ouzo (lice). Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Witch's Brew

6 chicken wings -- (buzzard wings)
6 lamb riblets -- (squirrel legs)
4 chicken necks -- (severed necks)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 cans tomato soup, condensed
2 C water
2 fresh basil leaves -- (2 to 4)--or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Rinse the meat, or body parts, and place them in a large pot with enough water to cover the meat. Add the salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the water comes to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until the meat is thoroughly cooked. While the meat is cooking, mix the tomato soup and water in another large pot. Stir in the basil and cook over medium heat until your brew begins to boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, continuously stirring with a long spoon. When the
meat is fully cooked, transfer it with a slotted spoon into the soup mixture. Ladle brew into individual bowls.

Worms au Gratin

To make worms: 1
4 quarts water
1 T salt
2 C egg noodles
8 ounces spaghetti--broken into short pieces
2 T butter or margarine
1 1/2 C American cheese -- grated
1/2 t vegetable oil

To make dirt: 2
whole-wheat bread slices -- toasted 1 tablespoon butter or margarine -- melted 1/4 teaspoon salt To prepare worms: Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and add the salt. Heat over medium to high heat until the water comes to a rapid boil. Add the egg noodles and spaghetti (worms) and allow the water to come to a boil again. Lower the heat and cook the worms on a slow boil, uncovered, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and pour them into a large bowl. Toss with butter or margarine and the grated cheese. Grease the inside of a casserole dish with the vegetable oil. Pour the cooked worms into the dish and set aside. To prepare the dirt: In a small bowl, crumble the toasted bread into tiny crumbs. Mix melted butter and salt with the crumbs to create dirt. Sprinkle dirt over worms and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.

PUMPKIN PATCH CAKE

For this operation you need a traditional-shaped Bundt pan (or two), two boxes
of cake mix, enough white frosting to cover 2 cakes, orange and green food
coloring, a cupcake tin, and some extra devil's food cake crumbs or chocolate
jimmies. (If you know how much scratch cake to make to fill two Bundt pans, go
ahead and make it from scratch.) What you do is make up the two boxes of cake
mix as usual and bake them in the Bundt pan(s), except for one lonely little
cupcake baked in the cupcake tin. Cake flavor doesn't matter, though if you
use chocolate you will be able to use the crumbs later on, as you will see.

Unmold the Bundt cakes and place them bottom-to-bottom. If you use the
original Bundt pan, the ridges on the cakes will make the cakes resemble a
pumpkin at this point. See where I'm going with this? :) Set the cakes on a
large platter (one cake will be on top of the other, upside-down) and frost
them with the white frosting tinted orange. There will probably be a *big*
hole down the middle of the cake. I filled that with leftover frosting and set
the green cupcake on top.  The cupcake will be the pumpkin stem. Unwrap that
and put it in the hole in the cakes and frost that with the white frosting
tinted green.  You can use leftover chocolate crumbs or chocolate jimmies to
sprinkle around the cake on the platter to resemble soil.  I guess you could
use crushed Famous Chocolate Wafers or even Oreo cookies to make "soil." For
the finishing touch, carve a jack o'lantern face out of the pumpkin
cake! (NB:*Don't* put a candle inside!!)
NOTE:  I tried the pumpkin patch cake last year and got rave reviews! The
only thing different is that I used a regular ice cream cone for the stem of
the pumpkin (covered with frosting) and I colored cocount an orange-brown
color and scattered it around the bottom of the cake.  Also, I used halloween
candy corn and licorice to make the face.   Remember that you can do the
same cake for Thanksgiving, just leave off the face!

PUMPKIN BREAD

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. nutmeg
3 C sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 C of fresh pumpkin --) 16 ounces if using canned pumpkin
2/3 C water --) if pumpkin is canned
1/2 C water --) if pumpkin is fresh or frozen
1 C vegetable oil
1 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and
sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Stir until
blended. Add nuts. Mix well. Pour into two 9x5" loaf pans. Bake 1 hour.
Cool slightly and take out of pans to let cool on a rack. This tastes best
if you wrap, refrigerate and wait a day to eat it.  It keeps well in the
refrigerator and can be frozen.

SPIDER CAKE

1 boxed cake mix
1 box green Jello, prepared, set and well-whipped
Black Frosting
6 black licorice sticks
2 large green gumdrops

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.  Why not add a red hourglass to the back
and make it toxic?
NOTE:  Another good cake.  I would modify this one by using two round pans,
cutting a smaller circle out of one and using it as the head and filling
the hole left over.  Place the other layer on top, and trim to shape.

COLORING SUGAR

I have never tried coloring confectioners sugar but do color regular sugar by
mixing it half and half with flavored gelatin powder (Jello).  I use this to
sprinkle on the top of sugar cookies.  The color seems very pale but
intensifies as the cookie bakes.  It also adds a different flavor than you
would get with sugar alone.  Depending on what you plan to do with the
confectioners sugar, this might be a way to color it.

KITTY LITTER CAKE

1 spice or german chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
1 package white sandwich cookies
1 large pacakge vanilla instant pudding mix
12 small tootsie rolls
1 litter box (preferably a NEW one!)
1 plastic scoop
green food coloring

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans). Prepare
pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies
in small batches in blender, they tend to stick, so scrape often.  Set aside all but about 1/4 C. To the 1/4 C cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using a fork or shake in a jar. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, mix with the cake and "feel" it, you don't want it soggy, just moist; gently combine.  Put mixture into clean
litter box.
Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft
and pliable.  Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat
with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture.  Sprinkle the other half of
cookie crumbs over top.  Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top,
this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter. Heat remaining
Tootsie Rolls, three at a time in the microwave until almost melted.  Scrape
them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Place the box on a
newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around. Serve with a
new pooper scooper.

"DIRT" CAKE RECIPE #1

1 flower pot (about 8" in diameter or use 2 6" pots)
1 garden trowel (or plastic shovel)
3 large gummy (or plastic) worms
plastic flowers
1 16-oz package Oreo cookies
1/2 C (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 8-oz block cream cheese, softened
1 C confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla
2 4-serving-size boxes chocolate fudge pudding, instant-type
3 C milk
1 12-oz tub whipped topping, thawed

Crush the cookies until they resemble potting soil.  Set aside. Cream butter,
cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy; set aside. Combine
the pudding mix and milk until well blended, then fold in the whipped topping.
Gently fold the cream cheese and pudding mixtures together.
To put the cake together, layer flower pot with 1/3 of the cookie crumbs
followed by 1/2 the pudding mixture, 1/3 of the crumbs, the rest of the
pudding mixture and topping with the remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate 10
to 12 hours.  About 1/2 hour before serving, remove from refrigerator and
decorate with flowers.  Serve by digging out portions with the trowel.
Serves 10 to 12.

"DIRT" CAKE RECIPE #2

1/2 stick margarine, softened
1 pkg. 8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C powdered sugar
3-1/2 C milk
2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 12-oz. tub cool whip, thawed
1 20-oz. pkg. Oreo cookies, crushed
1 plastic flower pot
1 plastic flower
gummy worms

Cream margarine, sugar, cream cheese.  In another bowl mix milk and pudding.
Let sit until thick.  Stir in cool whip, mix with cream cheese mixture. Make sure pot holes are plugged.  Put 1/3 of cookie crumbs in bottom of pot.  Add 1/2 of cream cheese mixture.  Repeat cookie crumbs and cream cheese mixture. Add extra crumbs on top (to look like dirt).  Refrigerate over night. Add flowers and worms on top, use trowel to serve.

"SAND" CAKE

1 3-qt plastic sand bucket and shovels (or 3 1-qt sand buckets)
1/2 C butter (one stick)
2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 C powdered sugar
12 oz frozen whipped topping
3 1/2 C milk
2 3/4-oz packages of instant vanilla pudding
1 20-oz package vanilla wafers, crushed
Beach Bears, Gummy Worms, and/or Gummy Sharks for garnish

On a microwave safe dish, place butter. Place in microwave on defrost (or 30% power) for 1 minute.  Put butter in large mixing bowl.  Repeat softening process with cream cheese and add to mixing bowl. (Note:  you can also place butter, cream cheese, and whipped topping on the counter for 1 hour to soften them.)  Mix butter and cream cheese together. Uncover frozen whipped topping and place in microwave on defrost (or 30% power) for 1 to 2 minutes.  In a medium-size bowl, add milk.  Sprinkle pudding over milk and whip or beat until thickened, about 1 minute.  Add pudding and whipped topping to the cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth using a wooden spoon or electric mixer.  In a food processor, process vanilla wafers until they form a fine even crumb.  Or place wafers in a plastic bag and roll them, using a rolling pin, until you have completely broken them up. In the buckets, place a layer of crushed vanilla wafers, then a layer of the cream cheese-pudding mixture.  Keep layer until full and end with a layer of crushed wafers.  Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours. Before serving, decorate with Beach Bears, Gummy Worms, or Sharks if desired. Use shovel to serve.
Serves 8-10 people.

FLAMING GHOST CAKE

This recipe is more of a procedure than a recipe.  Anyway, first make a 9"x13" cake. When cool, cut the 2 upper corners of the cake, not straight, but sort of rounded.
The curvature adds to the shape of the ghost's head and the corner pieces
become the ghost's arms.  I know, the diagram is really bad as ascii art goes,
but hopefully you get my meaning. You can also "carve" the body so it has a more ghost-like shape (bell-shaped?).

            -------------
            |   /        \    |
            | /            \  |      (-- cut pieces are arms
            |/   O  O      \|      (-- eyes
            |                 |
            |     ()          |      (-- mouth
            |                 |
            |                 |
            |                 |
            |___________|

Place the arms on the body so it looks like the ghost is raising its
arms, then frost.  Traditionalists will want to use white frosting.  Use thin
licorice to form a mouth, use 2 clean egg shell halves for the eyes.

"LITTERBOX" COOKIES

There are two flavor cookies: chocolate and gingerbread.  The cookies are
dense and not very sweet, this is necesssary so that they will keep their
shape during baking.  If you use white flour or sugar they may be
tastier but they won't look like "doody".

Chocolate ingredients:
1/2 C honey
2/3 C (1 and 1/3 stick) butter or margarine
1 egg
1 t vanilla or peppermint extract
2 C whole wheat flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
Grape-Nuts cereal

Gingerbread ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 C (1 and 1/3 stick) butter or margerine
1 egg
2 and 1/3 C whole wheat flour
spices--ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to taste (1/2 t each)
Grape-Nuts cereal

Mix-ins:
coconut
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
peanut butter chips

Microwave the honey till it bubbles (about 1 minute).  Add the butter, and the
molasses, if any.  Add the egg, mix well, then mix in all the other stuff.
Add mix-ins of your choice to some or all of the batter.
Chill 1 hour in the freezer or several hours in the fridge.  Roll dough logs
of random length and the diameter of cat poops.  Roll logs in grape-nuts
and bake at 350 degrees till done (10 to 15 minutes).
Serve in a disposable cat litter box on a bed of grapenuts, with a cat
litter scoop.  I hear you get lovely effects by decorating the box and scoop
with melted chocolate or pudding.

SKELETON BONE COOKIES

4 egg whites
1 t grated orange peel
1 3/4 C sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1 3/4 C flour
1 1/2 C salted almonds

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites and sugar with orange
peel and baking powder until blended.  Gradually add nuts and flour, beating
until mixture is thoroughly mixed.  Cover and chill until firm enough to
handle, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Lightly flour your hands and pinch off a 3 tb size piece of dough.  On a
lightly floured board, use the palms of both hands to evenly roll an 8 inch
long rope.  Cut rope in half; roll each half out again to 8 inches. Fold 1
inch of each end back onto rope; pinch ends to make bone-end shapes. Repeat to
shape all the dough.  Place bones 1 inch apart on buttered and flour-dusted 12
x 15 inch baking sheets.  Bake in a 325º oven until cookies are lightly
browned on bottoms, about 20 minutes.

COOL WHIP GRAVEYARD TREAT

2-1/4 C chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, divided
1/2 C sugar, divided
1/2 C (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 12-oz tub Cool Whip topping, thawed
2 C boiling water
2 4-serving pkgs orange Jello
1/2 C cold water
ice cubes
Decorations:
12-14 rectangular or oval-shaped sandwich cookies
decorator icing -- brown, green, orange, white
candy corn
candy pumpkins (mellowcream pumpkins)

Mix together 2 cups of the cookie crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and margarine
in a 13x9x2" pan.  Press firmly into the bottom of the pan to create a crust.
Refrigerate.
Beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl until smooth.
Stir in 1/2 of the Cool Whip.  Spread over crust.
Stir boiling water into Jello in bowl for 2 minutes or until completely
dissolved.  Mix cold water and ice cubes together to make 1-1/2 cups. Stir
ice water into Jello until thickened. Remove any remaining ice.  Spoon
Jello over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
Spread remaining Cool Whip over Jello layer.  Sprinkle with remaining cookie
crumbs.  Decorate as a "graveyard" by poking sandwich cookies on end into the
dessert.  Decorate the cookies as tombstones with the decorator icing.
Scatter candy corn and pumpkins around on the surface.

RADIOACTIVE PUNCH

Easiest is to mix something yellow with something blue.  Orange juice and
Mountain Dew are good for the yellow, Great Bluedini kool-aid is good for the
blue.  You'll end up with a radioactive shade of green.  If you're using a
punch bowl, try this: Get some of those latex gloves, fill them with water or
juice tinted with food colouring, freeze.  Unmold carefully and float the
disembodied hands in the punch bowl.  Dry ice and back lighting are good
for effect too.

NUCLEAR WASTE PUNCH  (for those over 21!)

1 measure blue curacao
1 measure Bailey's Irish Cream
top up with one pint cider (or lager if you prefer)

The end result is a sort of greenish-brown liquid with scummy bits floating in
it and a THICK layer of scum on top.  Tastes wonderful, especially if you
dunk chocolate bars in. (These are referred to as Control Rods, and the bar of
preference is a Toffee Crisp, if only because the crisped rice pieces start
floating around in the drink and making it look even nastier)
NOTE:  If you add orange juice also it should turn everything a very nice shade of fluorescent green.

GLYCOL PUNCH

Glycol Punch has two primary ingredients:
(1) Diet Mountain Dew, which has an decidedly evil odd yellow glow to it. Diet is necessary so that you don't over
sugar people.  (Alternately, use regular Mountain Dew and mix Kool-Aid with
less sugar than usual).
(2) A flourescent blue liquid.  There is a Kool-Aid blue flavor that
I'm sure would work well.  Adjust as you think best.  I'd start by
pouring out the soda and adding the blue.  You know you've got it right when
you get the sickly yellow-green of many Glycol-based Antifreezes. Plus,
when you drink, it fizzes!

EERIE WITCH'S BREW

4 C cranberry juice
1 C chopped candied ginger
3 oranges
12 oz can frozen apple juice concentrate
6 oz can frozen limeade concentrate
2 C grapes
2 32-oz bottles ginger ale
4 C water
1 to 2 lb dry ice

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, peel zest from oranges; cut peel into thin 2 inch long worms.  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 C 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.

"AQUARIUM" JELLO

goldfish bowl, nice and clean
red hots or Jelly Belly gravel beans
blue Jello
ice cubes
cold water
purple endive
parsley sprigs
gummy fish

Use a new or well cleaned goldfish bowl.  In the bottom, the original recipe
called for red-hots as the 'gravel', but I plan to use the Jelly Belly beans
that look like rocks.  Mix up as much blue Jello as your bowl will hold. Mix
using ice cubes and cold water instead of the cold water called for on the
box.  Pour this into the bowl over a knife blade or something to keep from
disturbing the gravel.  If you want it to have 'seaweed', poke a couple of
pieces of purple endive or something similar down into the gravel.  When the
whole thing starts to jell, use a wooden skewer to push gummy fish into
different parts of the bowl. If you're going to be able to supervise the
serving, you could even add a plastic diver man, etc.

TOXIC AQUARIUM JELLO

Mix orange and blue jello to get a putrid shade of green.  Lifesavers make old
tires and you can toss in other junky things for trash on the bottom of the
sea.  Something barrel-shaped for that illegally dumped toxic waste. Float
your fish upside-down on top, and add a plastic skeleton or two. Haven't
figured out a good way to put something on the bottom to represent the sand.

POTTY JELLO

Purchase the plastic bowl that fits in a child's potty training chair(they
sell them at places like KMart).  Wash the bowl and prepare lemon jello per
package directions.  Float miniature O-Henry bars in it, refrigerate, and serve.

Swamp Water Punch

orange juice
optional: ginger ale, alcohol of some kind
blue food coloring
optional: floating arm-of-death (recipe follows)

Put some blue food coloring into the orange juice punch until it
turns a disgusting swamp-green color.  The color is gross and the
orange juice pulp floating around really adds to the effect.
People will realize that the punch tastes good, but it will take
them awhile to figure out it is orange juice.

Floating Arm-of-Death

Water or orange juice
optional: gummy worms

Freeze the water (and gummy worms if desired) in a clean rubber glove.
Peel off the rubber glove and float the arm in the punch.

OTHER HALLOWEEN FOOD IDEAS

You can take some ordinary foods and re-label as them something creative:
     1.   Ribs with lots of barbeque sauce.
     2.   Baked potatoes with chili ladled over for shrunken heads with brain sauce.
     3.   Spaghetti for your basic guts.  A twist on this would be to put brussel sprouts in the sauce instead of meatballs.  People won't be able to tell the difference
until they bite into them.
     4.   Fill your candy dishes with Black Jellybeans, Mellowcream pumpkins and candy corn.

More cookie ideas:
     1.   Bake brown sugar cookies in pumpkin-shaped stoneware cookie molds (Brown Bag Cookie Molds).
     2.   Make sugar cookie cut-outs with pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters.

CHEESECLOTH GHOSTS

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" 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.

KIDS' PARTY IDEAS

Ghost Suckers:

Take a round-headed lollipop.  Lay the head in the center
of a white handkerchief (disposable tissue or cloth depending on how
classy/expensive you want).  Fold and gather the handkerchief down around
the stick and tie just below the head with a thread/ribbon/rubber band.
Add 2 black dots for eyes. Voila - a ghost.  These make good party favors.
I've got a book that suggests writing the invitation around the outside
of the handkerchief before assembling and mailing them in padded envelopes.

Eyeballs:

Make Rice Krispie Treats and form the treats into balls, about 1
or 2 inches across.  Add a pastel M & M's or other small round candy for
the iris and dot the candy with frosting or gel for the pupil.

Ghost Hand Punch:

Ahead of time, buy some new latex gloves.  Wash one out
and fill with water.  Fasten the arm closed and freeze it.  Float it in
the punch before serving.

Green Slime:

Serve lime jello out of a bowl.  Don't cut it nicely - slop it out.

Gnarled Witches Fingers

1 T veg oil
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 C 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.

Worms au Gratin

Worms:
6-7 oz egg noodles, cooked with
8 oz spaghetti, broken into short pieces
Toss with
2 T butter or marg
1 1/2 C grated process cheese (though the kids prefer regular cheddar)
Place in greased casserole.

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

Place under broiler for 5 minutes.

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.

CHEESE EYEBALLS

2 C grated Cheddar
1/2 C butter
1/2 t salt
1 t paprika
1 C flour
6 oz bottle pimento-stuffed green olives

Combine cheese and butter.  Add salt, paprika, and flour and mix well.
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.  Line
up the eyeballs on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 400º oven for 15
minutes.

"Graveyard" Cake

you make a sheet cake and frost with chocolate frosting. Then you
cover it with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, so it looks
like dirt.  To make headstones use a flat vanilla cookie
(rectangle shaped) and decorated with icing, use gravestone
motifs like: RIP, skulls, etc.  Put the headstones on the cake, standing up to looke like headstones.  Add some small Halloween decorations, like ghosts, witches,
black cats.

THE BLACK CAT CAKE

You take two round cake layers. One you leave whole, the other is
cut so there are three pieces; one bow shaped (middle) and two
kind of long ovid shaped ones (either end)
You take the bow shaped piece and put it on the bottom of
the cake, like a bow tie.
Take one of the ovid shaped pieces and cut in half the short way,
so you have to triangle shaped pieces. Put on top of the round
layer, like ears.
Eat the third piece.
Frost the whole thing with dark chocolate frosting. Pipe on eyes
with green frosting, and nose and lips with red; use licorice
shoe laces for wiskers.

Witch's Brew

How about orange punch (Koolade) and scoops of lime sherbert on top, put
in a big banged up pot or caludron; it looks like witch's brew.

Handy Punch Ice or Snack Sacks

Fill up a rubber glove with water and freeze it. When frozen, remove the
glove from the ice and use it in your punch. Drop red food coloring on it for
blood.  Makes a really nice bloody hand!

You can also use clear plastic gloves, fill with popcorn, add a candycorn for fingernails and drape in that unsuspecting place...its a fun thing!

Wormy Grab Bag

  Cook up several packages of regular spaghetti, and when cooked,place in a
small (clean) kitchen trash can or diaper pail.  Fill it at least half full - which may require lots of spaghetti (it's cheap).  Don't rinse the spaghetti - you want it slimy.  Add enoughwater so the spaghetti stays wet!  If you really want to shake 'em up, put some grapes in with the slimey spaghetti--tell 'em they're eyeballs. (evil grin)  Wrap your "prizes" in plastic wrap or bags, and sink them to the bottom of the can/pail.  The mixture should be at room temp. by party-time.  Cover the top with black cloth (felt is good) and put a slit in it.

  Have an ominous-looking character (gate-keeper) directing guests in to a
darkened room/closet (its best if you make the "prize" a requirement for
admission) - and direct them to find a "toll" so they can pass.Once they have
their arm halfway into the "worms", have another (hidden) person jump out (or,
if you're worried about heart attacks,just rustle around a bit).  Very effective for setting the mood!

Creature Eggs

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

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.

Chocolate Spiders and Webs

1 sm Pk (6 oz or 1 c) semisweet
- chocolate chips
Spider web pattern (follows)

In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stir the
choco- late 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 12 x l5 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 12 x l5 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, separat- ed 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.

Crispy Marshmallow Ghosts

1/3 C Butter
6 CMiniature marshmallows
1 t Vanilla
8 C Crispy rice cereal
2 oz Semisweet chocolate, chopped

PALLOR ICING

3 T Water
1 Egg white
pn Cream of tartar
pn Salt
1/2 t Vanilla

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 vanilla.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thickened. [Can be stored up to 3
days.][Makes 2 cups.]

Goblin Balls

8 C Popped corn
1 C Granulated sugar
1/2 C Corn syrup
1/3 C Water
1 T Butter
1/2 t Salt
1 t Vanilla
1 C Orange and black gumdrops
-or jujubes, chopped

Currants and diced apricots can replace the candy. Place popped corn in bowl; set aside. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar, corn syrup, water,
butter and salt to boil; cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Cook, without
stirring, for 10 minutes or until at hard-ball stage of 254º (123C) on
candy thermometer, or until 1/2 ts syrup dropped into cold water forms rigid
but still slightly pliable ball. Remove from heat. Wearing oven mitts to
shield against splatters, carefully stir in vanilla.
Pour over popped corn; using greased spoon, toss until coated. Stir in
candy. Wearing rubber gloves, form into 2-inch balls; let cool on baking sheet.

Green Slime Dips

10 oz Frozen spinach, thawed
4 oz Cream cheese
1/2 C Sour cream
1/3 C Mild salsa
2 Green onions, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper

Drain spinach; squeeze dry. In food processor, pure spinach, cheese, sour
cream, salsa, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2
hours or until thickened slightly. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Serve with "Halloween: Skeleton Bread"

Skeleton Bread

1/2 pk Frozen bread dough
-[1/2 of 1 lb pkg][8 oz]
1 Egg, beaten
1 T Water
1 T Poppy seeds

Thaw and let bread rise according to manufacturer's instructions. Punch
down dough; divide in half. Set 1 half aside.
Cut remaining half into thirds. With 1 of the thirds, form head shaped
like a light bulb. With scissors, cut eyes, nose and mouth. Place heat at end
of greased 17x11-inch rimmed baking sheet. Shape second third into 3-inch
long triangle; place, point down, below heat to form body. Divide remaining
third of dough into 7 pieces; roll into sausages. Arrange 3 on each side of
upper body for ribs. Use remaining piece for neck.
Halve reserved dough. With 1 half, make 4 logs for upper and lower legs;
attach to body. With two-thirds of the remaining dough, make 4 logs for
upper and lower arms; attach at shoulders.
With remaining dough, make 2 small and 2 large triangles for hands and
feet. With scissors, make 4 cuts at broad ends of triangles for fingers and
toes; attach to arms and legs. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Whisk egg with water; brush some over joints, pressing to seal. Brush
entire skeleton with remaining egg wash; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in
375º oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.