Recipes

Finger Foods
 Monster Sliders

1 lb of ground beef
1 cup (8 ounces) of ketchup or bbq sauce
10 round dinner rolls or slider buns (2 1/2 inch diameter), sliced and warm
10 cheese slices, cut small (2 inches)
20 pickle chips
20 large pimiento-stuffed olives
20 decorative picks
(1/2 guacamole optional)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place balled up mini beef patties on a greased backing sheet or place directly on grill, if available.
Bake until patties are cooked through to desired tenderness.
Place small cheese slices on hot burger patties.
Slice buns and toast.
Place patties on toasted buns and add two pickles on top of cheese. Cover in ketchup and place top of bun.
Stick decorative picks through the olives so the pimiento faces forward like an eyeball.
Stick two olives on top of each bun to make gorey monster sliders.

Mummy Dogs

1 roll/pkg Pillsbury Breadstick Dough (12 count)
1 pkg of cocktail wieners 
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut dough into strips and wrap around mini dogs leaving space open at top. Once all are wrapped put the wrapped dogs on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Used mustard to make eyes.

Black Bean Finger Dip
1 plum tomato diced
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
12 (15 ounce) cans black beans drained
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce
Salt
Blue Corn or Regular Tortilla chips for dipping
Place tomato, onion and cilantro into food processor and pulse until well chopped. Add the black beans, cumin, hot sauce and salt to taste. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth. Buy fingers chopped at Halloween shop such as Spirit. Mix a few in the dip and around edge of decorative bowl to garnish. 

Pumpkin Tureen Fondue
 1 4lb pumpkin washed and dried
2 lbs vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 oz. baby Swiss cheese shredded
4 slices white bread toasted and crumbled
2 oz. mozzarella shredded
1 pint half and half
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
French bread slices for dipping
Preheat oven to 350° F. With serrated knife, cut a two inch slice from the top of the pumpkin and reserve. Remove seeds and fibers. Blend oil, garlic, and rub into the interior of the pumpkin, then place in a large roasting pan. Alternate layers of toast crumbs and cheeses inside the pumpkin. Combine half and half, salt, pepper and nutmeg and pour over layers. Replace top and bake pumpkin 2 hours, gently stirring contents after 1 1/2 hours. Accompany with French bread toasted for dipping.

Graveyard Taco Dip
For the Dip:
Layer 1
1 can refried beans
Layer 2 (mix)
2 cups sour cream
1 package of taco seasoning
Layer 3 (mix)
2 avocados, mashed
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Layer 4
1 cup salsa
For the Graveyard:
2-3 large tortillas
Additional:
A bowl of tortilla chips
In a small dish layer beans, sour cream mixed with taco seasoning, then salsa, then avocado mixed with garlic and mayo.
Chill for at least an hour. Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.
To make the tombstones and tree preheat oven to 350°. Place tortillas flat on a cutting board and cut out the shapes with a knife. Place on parchment paper lined or greased cookie sheet and bake until tortillas are nice and brown.
Place tortilla decorations in dip right before serving. Add a bowl of tortilla chips to polish off the rest of the dip or if you are really crafty create your own tortilla chips in fun halloween shapes.
(Recipe from Jo and Sue)

Orange Jack O' Lantern Fruit Cups
5-6 oranges or clementines
5 cups of fruit salad
Cut the top off the orange or clementine about a 1/4-1/2 of an inch down and set aside. Gut the orange or clementine's insides and set aside to add to fruit salad mix. Carve little Jack O' Lantern faces with a small pumpkin carving knife or an x-acto knife. Fill with fruit salad and place tops back on for a cute kiddo treat.

Savory Pumpkin Puffs
How to from Martha Stewart

Halloween Chex Mix
8 oz. white chocolate backing bars, coarsely chopped
4 cups Corn Chex or Rice Chex cereal
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup candy corn
1/2 cup Betty Crocker orange and black candy decors
In large microwavable bowl, microwave chopped bars uncovered on high 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Gently stir in cereal, pretzels, and raisins until evenly coated. Stir in candy corn and decors. Spread on waxed paper or foil until cooled and chocolate is set. Break into chunks. Store loosely covered.

Sweets
Gooey Monster Cookies
1 white cake mix box
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 8 oz. cream cheese bar softened
1 egg
powdered sugar
food coloring
candy eyeballs
Beat butter, vanilla, egg, and cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in cake mix. Divide batter into bowls for amount of colors you want. Add food coloring to each individual bowl and mix until all combined. Chill for 30 minutes. Roll into little balls and dip in a bowl of powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet and pat down a bit. Back on 350° for 10-12 minutes. Remove and add eyeballs while still warm.
Recipe from Lil' Luna.

Popcorn Ghosts
 1 package (10 ounces) regular marshmallows
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
6 cups popcorn or puffed rice cereal
1 pound white candy coating or white chocolate, melted
24 mini chocolate chips
black string licorice, cut into 2 inch lengths
OR
white icing with black food coloring in bag
Combine marshmallows and butter in large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in popcorn; mix well.
Form each ghost with about 1 cup popcorn mixture. Let ghosts cool completely on wire rack set over waxed paper.
Spoon melted candy coating over each ghost to cover completely. Use fork to create folds and drapes in coating. Decorate with mini chocolate chips for eyes and licorice for mouths or draw both with black icing.

Haunted House Cake
How to from Martha Stewart

Brain Cupcakes
How to from Martha Stewart

Spider Cupcakes
How to from Martha Stewart

Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies
How to from Martha Stewart

Almond Brownie Coffins
How to from Martha Stewart

Emeril Lagasse's Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon-Spiked Cream
For the Cheesecake
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 crushed wafers)
1 cup pecans, ground
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 lbs cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine wafer crumbs, ground pecans, and melted butter in bowl. Press into the bottom of a 12 inch springform pan. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, mix cream cheese until smooth. Add the brown sugar and process until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, processing until fully incorporated, then blend in the heavy cream. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust in the pan. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until the cheesecake is set. Remove from oven. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the sides of he pan. This will prevent it from splitting. Let cool completely.

For the Topping
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
Dash of bourbon
3/4 cup half and half
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/3 cups)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Combine whipped cream and bourbon in a bowl and mix until blended. For the chocolate sauce, combine the half and half and butter in a small heave-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat until a thin, paper-like skin appears on top. Do not boil. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.

Remove the side of the springform pan and slice the cheesecake. Top each piece with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and some bourbon whipped cream.
from Food Network Magazine

Drinks
Ghoul Aid with Eyeball Garnish
Ghoul Aid
1 ounce Vodka
1 ounce Chambord
3 ounces Pomegranate Juice
Squeeze of lime
Add ingredients and ice to cocktail shaker. Add to martini glass and serve chilled.

Lychee Eyeball Garnish
1 can lychee fruit
1 jar Raspberry preserves
1 container of blueberries
1 container of toothpicks
Fill lychee fruit with raspberry jam and add a blueberry with the blossom end facing out. Spear lychee and blueberry with toothpick.

Witchy Cinnamon Broom 
in
Sinister Apple Cider
 
 cooking or kitchen twine
cinnamon sticks
long twig (real or fake) or wooden spoon
apple cider
large  clear jar or drink dispenser
Take long twig or spoon and tie cinnamon sicks around base to make an awesome cinnamon broom. Place your cinnamon stick in jar or drink dispenser of apple cider for Sinister Apple Cider.

Frothy Brain Punch
Brain mold
64 ounces of Hawaiian Punch
1 2 liter bottle of 7Up
1 container of Cool Whip
 Add Vodka to taste for alcoholic version.
Pour Hawaiian Punch into brain mold and freeze the day before. Thaw Cool Whip. Add Hawaiian Punch and 7Up to punch bowl. Add brain mold and Cool Whip.

Spiced Rum Cider
2 quarts apple cider preferably fresh and unfiltered
 1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
12 allspice berries
2 cups dark rum
1/2 stick (1/4 tablespoon) unsalted butter
8 long cinnamon sticks for garnish
Large pot combine cider, brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice. Set over medium-low heat, partially cover, and slowly bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally and skimming any scum that forms on the surface.
Meanwhile, divide the rum among 8 large mugs. Drop a pat of butter and a cinnamon stick into each mug if desired. Strain the cider into the mugs and serve immediately.

Ghoulada Punch
How to from Martha Stewart

Spiced (and Spiked) Concord Grape Punch
How to from Martha Stewart

Bloody Slushies
3 cups finely crushed ice
16 maraschino cherries, plus 2 oz. cherry syrup
3 oz Jack Daniel's
1 cup cola
In a blender, mix the crushed ice, 12 cherries and the cherry syrup. Divide the mixture among 4 chilled highball glasses. Combine the Jack Daniel's and cola and divide among the 4 glasses. The cherry mixture should rise to the top if each glass after a moment. Garnish each glass with a whole cherry. Serves 4.
from Rachel Ray Magazine


Apple Cider Floats
2 cups apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp. caramel sauce
grated nutmeg
In small saucepan heat cider with cinnamon stick. Pour cider into 2 float glasses. Top with ice cream, caramel sauce and grating of nutmeg. Sever with spoon. Serves 2.
from Rachel Ray Magazine

Pumpkin Pie Cocoa
2 1/4 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup hot cocoa mix
3 tbsp canned pure pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup whipped cream
In a saucepan, whisk milk, cocoa mix, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Heat until steaming. Pour into mugs and top with whip cream. Serves 3.
from Rachel Ray Magazine