Halloween Party Recipes

Boy, there's something for everyone out there. Whether or not you want to make these gourmet delights is up to you. However, I do think you should include at least the titles in the invitation (oh, what a fright!), and also on menu boards at your buffets. It certainly goes with the theme--and perhaps your friends won't eat as much because they are grossed out by goodies such as Kitty Litter Casserole and Boogers on a Stick!

Have fun!

_{Recipes from blackdog.net}

Eyeballs

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1 lb. icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 12 ozs. white chocolate

Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and blend thoroughly. Shape into small 1-inch balls. Refrigerate on waxed paper for half an hour.

Melt the white chocolate (you can use a microwave for this). With a toothpick, dip the "eyeballs" into the chocolate, covering all but a small circle on the top.

Let cool on waxed paper. Makes around 40 eyeballs.

Skeleton Bone Cookies

• 4 egg whites
• 1 tsp grated orange peel
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups chopped 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 blended. Cover and chill until firm enough to handle, at least an hour or up to a day. Lightly flour your hands and pinch off a three-tablespoon size piece of dough.

On a lightly floured board, use the palms of both hands to evenly roll out an 8-inch long rope. Cut rope in half; roll each half out again to 8 inches. Fold an inch of each end back onto rope and pinch ends to make bone shapes. Repeat to shape all the dough. Place bones an inch apart on a buttered and flour-dusted baking sheets. Bake in a 325 F oven until cookies are lightly browned on bottoms (about 20 minutes).

Witch Finger Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
• 1 tube red decorator gel

In bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour; baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Working with one-quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoons full of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press an almond firmly into one end for nail.

Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape. Using a paring knife make slashes in several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet in 325 degree over for 20-25 minutes or until pale or golden. Let cool for three minutes.

Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 5 dozen witch fingers

Pumpkin Bread

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups of fresh pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F.

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

(Makes 2 loaves)

Witches' Brew

• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 4 cups apple juice
• 1 cup chopped candied ginger
• 3 oranges
• 2 large bottles ginger ale
• 2 cups grapes

In your "cauldron," bring one cup of cranberry juice and candied ginger to the boil over a high heat. Boil, uncovered, for about two minutes and set aside.

With a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the oranges and cut the peel into thin 2-inch-long worms. Add the peel to the cranberry mixture. Cover and chill for at least four hours or overnight.

Juice the oranges and put juice into a large pan or heavy bowl. Sir in the cranberry-ginger mix, the remaining 3 cups of cranberry juice, apple juice and grapes. Cover and chill for up to two hours.

Chicken Witch Fingers

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 Boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• Pitted black olives, halved lengthwise Shredded lettuce

Grease a baking sheet with the oil and set aside.  Cut the chicken breasts part way to create five fingers (the uncut part being the palm of the hand). Dust the chicken in flour, dip in the egg and coat in the bread crumbs. Grill for five minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Trim the "fingertips" with the olive "fingernails" and serve on lettuce.

Nightcrawlers

• 12 large apples
• Boysenberry jam
• 4 tbsp butter
• 12 gummy worms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples from stem end to * inch from bottom. Stuff each hole with 1 tsp jam and butter. Place in a pan and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes. Remove apples let stand for 15 minutes. Set each apple in a bowl and spoon syrup from baking pan around it. Insert a gummy worm with half its body protruding.

Vampire Punch

• 8 cups cranberry juice
• 6 cups sparkling apple cider
• 6 orange slices

Put all ingredients in a punch bowl. Add floating hand ice cubes just before serving.

Makes 14 cups

Floating Hands

Make the punch of your choice. Fill washed & clean plastic or latex gloves with the punch. Tie off the top of each glove tightly with rubber bands. Freeze completely. Add the floating hands to your Halloween punch for a cool effect.

Creepy Spiders

• 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Let stand over the water until water is cool, about 10 minutes. Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Pour chocolate into a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch tip. Squeeze chocolate onto wax paper in the shape of spiders. If chocolate is runny it needs to be cooled longer. Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. When hard peel off wax paper. Store in refrigerator laid flat.