Why carve pumpkins?

The story of the Jack o’Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern.”

Chocolate Mice

INGREDIENTS
8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies
2/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
48 silver dragees decorating candy
1/2 cup sliced almonds
24 long red vine licorice
DIRECTIONS
Melt the chocolate, and combine with sour cream. Stir in 1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
Roll by level tablespoonfuls into balls. Mold to a slight point at one end (the nose).
Roll dough in confectioners sugar (for white mice), or in chocolate wafer crumbs (for dark mice). On each mouse, place dragees in appropriate spot for eyes, almond slices for ears, and a licorice string for the tail.
Refrigerate for at least two hours until firm

"Kids will love these, they are whimsical and fun. To make dark mice, roll the cookies in 1/3 cup finely crushed chocolate wafers instead of the confectioners' sugar."
Original recipe yield: 2 dozen

PREP TIME 20 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs 20 Min

1 C. butter, softened
1 C. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3/4 C. 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 while keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoons of dough one at a time into finger shape for each cookie. Press 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°F. oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until pale or 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.

Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 5 dozen fingers.

*peel the apples *cut them into wedges about 1/2 " thick *use plastic tub of caramel, already soft(available at grocery store)or buy caramel cubes(recipe is on the package.!) *heat caramel (in the tub it comes in if you buy the tub) in microwave about 1 1/2 minutes or heat squares in double boiler on med for about half hour, or in microwave bowl probably about 2 minutes.(stir cubes once in a while) *dip apple wedges in the caramel allow to cool a few seconds and eat!
*you can dip the whole apple on a stick into it this way too..if you really have to have it that way but you will have to cool the apple on a sheet of wax paper in the frige for a while till the caramel gets hard.

2 ½ quarts popped popcorn,1 14-oz package caramels,1/4 cup light corn syrup,2 tbsps water
Place popcorn in a large bowl. Melt caramels in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, or melt in a microwaveable bowl. Add corn syrup and water and mix until smooth. Slowly pour over popcorn in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. With greased hands, shape into balls about the size of softballs. Let cool completely before wrapping with plastic wrap. For a Halloween decor, wrap with yellow or orange plastic wrap and tie orange & black ribbons around them.

Owl Cookies

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup cashew halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and salt. Beat well. Add flour and mix until blended. Remove 2/3 of dough. Roll or pat dough out to form two 10 x 4 inch rectangles. Add cocoa to remaining 1/3 of dough. Mix until blended. Shape chocolate dough into two 10 inch long rolls. Place on rectangle and roll plain dough to cover chocolate dough completely, not including ends. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.
3. Cut dough into 1/8 inch slices with a sharp knife. Place two slices side by side on a cookie sheet to resemble an owl's face. Pinch upper "corners" to resemble ears. Put chocolate chips in each dark circle for eyes and a cashew in the center for the beak.
4. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Hot Apple Cider

*Buy a jug of Apple Cider. *Heat cider in a cup on the stove (med) or in the microwave (about 2 minutes) *serve in the cup with a cinnamon stick...

Pumpkin Bars

INGREDIENTS

* 4 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups white sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
*
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
4. To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.

Seeds from your jack-o-lanterns,Water,Salt,Melted butter,Vegetable oil
*clean off the goo and rinse well with cold water. *Preheat oven to about 350 degrees. *For every 2 cups of seeds use 4 cups of water and 2 tbsps of salt, place into a saucepan. Add the seeds and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Drain well in a strainer. Place on paper towels to dry..
*Toss the seeds with melted butter in a large bowl until evenly coated. *coat cookie sheet with cooking oil. *spread seeds in a thin layer on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes...turning occasionally.
!!!allow to cool before trying to taste one!!!

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2. Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish.
3. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Ingredients:
1 Package Lady Fingers,Raspberry Jam,Confectioner's Sugar,Almond Slices
*Place the fingers on a tray. *Spread with raspberry jam. *Place an almond slice at the "tip" of the finger. *Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve.

Another variation: Use giant pretzel, coated in white icing.

Cyclops Cookies

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 cup shortening
* 1/4 cup margarine
* 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the flour and cinnamon. In separate large bowl cream together shortening, margarine and powdered sugar. Gradually add in the flour/cinnamon mixture. Fold in the chopped nuts.
2. Roll out on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out cookies with a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Put one single chocolate chip in the center of each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) until lightly colored. Cool on wire racks.

12 apples, washed and dried,12 wooden skewers,4 ½ cups sugar,3/4 cup light corn syrup,1 tsp red food coloring,1 ½ cups water, chopped peanuts
*Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside. *Wash and dry apples. *Insert a stick through stem, leaving about two inches sticking out. *In saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, food coloring and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until ingredients are dissolved and liquid boils. *Set a candy thermometer in mixture and continue cooking, without stirring until temperature reaches 290 degrees, about 20 minutes. *Meanwhile place chopped peanuts in a bowl. *Remove syrup from heat and dip the apples, one by one, to coat evenly. Work quickly. As you dip each apple roll in peanuts to coat then place on prepared cookie sheet. Let apples cool for at least an hour.

2 Pkg. Chocolate Pudding Mix,Chocolate Wafer Cookies,Lady Fingers,Cocoa Powder,Confectioner's Sugar,Decorator Icing - Chocolate,Gummy Worms
*Follow directions for chocolate pudding, and add the gummy worms. *Place in a baking dish. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. *In a zip-loc bag, place 10 chocolate wafers. Close and place on a counter and proceed to smash with a rolling pin. Sprinkle over the pudding. *Place back in the refrigerator. *In another zip-loc bag, place 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar. Place 4 lady fingers in the bag at a time, close and shake until well covered. Take out and place on a cookie sheet. When finished doing all the lady fingers ( 8-10 are usually enough, depending on the size of your graveyard), use black icing or chocolate icing (the kind that comes in small tubes used to write on birthday cakes) and write on the gravestones "RIP" or what ever. Place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. *Place the lady fingers into the graveyard and "dig" in

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping,frozen Blueberries or raisins,1-1/2 cups boiling water,1 pkg.(8-serving size)JELL-O Brand Gelatin Dessert,any red flavor,1 cup cold water,Ice cubes
(Two pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin Dessert may be substituted for one pkg. (8-serving size).
*USING a small ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops whipped topping into each of 10 dessert dishes for "eyeballs". *Place a blueberry or raisin in each scoop for the "pupil". *Freeze 30 minutes or until firm. *MEANWHILE, stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. *Mix cold water and ice cubes to make 2-1/2 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining ice. *Pour about 1/2 cup gelatin around each "eyeball", leaving the top of the "eyeball" exposed. *REFRIGERATE 1-1/2 hours or until firm.

2 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs(divided),1/2 cup sugar(divided),1/2 cup(1 stick)butter or margarine(melted),1 pkg.(8 oz.)PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese(softened),1 tub (12 oz.)COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided,2 cups boiling water,1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Orange Flavor Gelatin Dessert,1/2 cup cold water,Ice cubes,Assorted rectangular-shaped sandwich cookies, (optional),Decorating icings...Candy corn and pumpkins, optional
MIX 2 cups of the cookie crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and melted butter in 13x9-inch pan. *Press firmly into bottom of pan. Refrigerate. *BEAT cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl until smooth. *Stir in 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spread evenly over crust. *STIR boiling water into gelatin in medium bowl 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. *Mix cold water and ice to make 1-1/2 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. *Remove any remaining ice. *Spoon slightly thickened gelatin over cream cheese layer. *REFRIGERATE 3 hours or until firm. *Spread remaining whipped topping over gelatin just before serving. *Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cookie crumbs over whipped topping. *Decorate sandwich cookies with icings to make "tombstones." *Stand "tombstones" on top of dessert with candies to resemble a graveyard. *Cut into squares. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Makes 20 servings.

2 (12 ounce) bags white chocolate morsels, Nestle®
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, Crisco®
20 glazed donut holes, Entenmann’s®
20 round jellied candies, Gummi Savers®
20 milk chocolate candies, M&M’s®
Red food coloring, Schilling®

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.

Melt chocolate morsels with vegetable shortening in a stainless steel bowl by setting bowl over a pan of simmering water and stirring until smooth.

Cut two 1/8-inch-slices from opposite sides of each donut hole. Drop the donut holes into the chocolate, one at a time. Using a fork, coat the donut hole in chocolate. Lift and gently shake to remove excess chocolate. Place on prepared cookie sheet, cut side down.

Repeat with remaining donut holes.

Reserve unused chocolate.

Place the jellied candies on top surface of donut holes. Refrigerate until set.

Re-heat chocolate if necessary. Place a small dab of melted chocolate on the chocolate candies and stick them onto the jellied candies. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix 2 drops of food coloring with 2 teaspoons melted chocolate.

Use a toothpick to draw "veins" on the eyeballs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2 Cups Plain Yogurt,1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract,1 Pkg. Frozen Strawberries, thawed,Ice Cubes,1 Pt. Strawberry
Mix yogurt, vanilla and berries in a blender. *Pour into a tall glass over ice cubes. *Top with a spoonful of strawberry ice-cream.