Halloween Recipes

Hope you enjoy the following ghoulish treats:

Kitty Litter Cake

1 pkg. spice cake mix
1 pkg. white cake mix
1 pkg. white sandwich cookies
green food coloring
12 small tootsie rolls
1 pkg. vanilla pudding mix
1 new kitty litter box
1 new pooper scooper

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions. 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 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using a fork.

When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Gently combine. Line new, clean kitty litter box. Put mixture into 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, 3 at a time, in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper.

This does take a bit of time. My friend made it for an adult's Halloween party, I swear you can't tell it from the real thing if you follow the directions carefully. Try it, you'll like it. Serves 24

Ok..all you guys that are going to make the gruesome delight pay attention now! I've found a great way to shape the Tootsie rolls. When they are soft and shapeable you blunt the ends as per the original instructions. Then you roll slightly to make them evenly cylindrical (pencil width) then indent with your [CLEAN] fingernails to ring it like a raccoon tail, stretch slightly then push gently back together. I think you guys get the idea right??? More "realistic" the better [grosser]!!!!!!!

There's a Bug in my Drink!

Put raisins in your punch for bugs!

Gelatin Eyeballs

3 oz lemon gelatin
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pineapple juice
1 8-0z. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 cup mayonnaise

Dissolve lemon gelatin and 1-cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows and stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. Fold in whipped cream and mayonnaise. Chill until thickened or firm for scooping into eyeballs.

Using a melon baller, scoop full balls of the mixture and set aside for decoration. To decorate, use food coloring and an old paintbrush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils. Also, if you are in a hurry, instead of painting the colored irises, you can dip the ball in a small pool of food coloring to approximate the iris, but still paint on the pupils.

Try to find an ice cube tray that has round shapes instead of cubes, that will work beautifully with much less waste than the melon baller technique. Spray the rubber trays with non-stick cooking spray beforehand like you would any gelatin mold, let the gelatin mixture sit in the refrigerator to set, then carefully pop the eyeballs out to paint them. Some of the eyeballs did break, and they do have one flat side, and that actually works, since then they don't roll around while you are trying to paint them.

Gory Hand --Presentation is everything.

This is both a yummy treat and a great decoration to scare your friends. Use a clean rubber glove. Make a strong red Jell-O by using 3/4 of the recommended amount of water (or just water for a skeleton look). When the Jell-O has cooled pour into glove, seal with a twist of the rubber glove and a rubber band and place in the freezer. Be careful not to have the hand pressing against anything or it will ruin the shape. When the Jell-O or water is frozen, quickly dunk into warm water to loosen the glove from the frozen concoction and cut the glove off using small scissors. Keep your masterpiece in the fridge until ready to float in your favorite drink.

Creepy Witches' Fingers

Yield: 5 dozen

1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Icing sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Almond extract
1 tsp Vanilla
2 2/3 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Almonds, whole blanched
1 Tube red decorator gel
(optional, not pictured)

Gross everyone out with these creepy cookies.
In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie.

Press almond firmly into 1 end for nail. Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape. (Accompanying picture showed long rolled shape with bulge at center for knuckle; you puff it out rather than squeeze it in.) Using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325F (160C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. Lift up almond, squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place, so gel oozes out from underneath. You can also make slashes in the finger and fill them with "blood."

(You can make the impression of the finger nail and put the almond on after baking – attaching it with the red decorating gel. You can also opt not to go for the bloody effect as you can see in the picture above, your guests will still be grossed out!)

Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Easy Insects

Melt a 6oz. package of butterscotch chips over low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove chips from heat and stir in 1 cup peanuts and 3 cups chow mein noodles.
Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper and cool.

Brittle Meringue Bones

3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line cookie sheet with brown paper bag or parchment. In a medium sized bowl at high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt till fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add vanilla. Place in pastry bag fitted with a medium plain piping tip. Pipe 3" bone shapes onto parchment or brown paper bag. Bake 1 hour until set. Turn off oven, dry in oven 1 hour. Makes 4 to 5 dozen small bones.

Crusty Booger Balls
(from Gross Grub & Gross Goodies)