Yummy Halloween goodies more treat than trick

What do you have planned for Halloween? The day of goblins, ghosts, witches and trick or treat will soon be here. Around the world Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31. There is something about putting on a costume; it takes us from who we are, to being silly and carefree.

My first memories of Halloween are standing on a stool in my neighbor’s kitchen. I was about 5 and Thelma was decorating pumpkin cookies, but she would not let me have even one.

Thelma told me that she needed every one of them for her friends at work the next day. I remember being amazed at how orange the icing was and so happy when she did put a taste on my tongue.

On Halloween evening Mom dressed us all up as ghosts and I ran downstairs to Thelma’s to show her how scary I was. Bless her heart. She had a whole bag of goodies for me and in that bag there were three of those precious cookies. I ate one that night and nibbled on the other two for weeks.

There were about five other houses in our neighborhood that had goodies and stories waiting for us when we arrived. Then Mom and Dad put us in the car and we went to a Halloween party at the Stones home where we bobbed for apples and made popcorn balls.

Yes, I have many memories and they all seem to be tied into food!

As I have stated before, food makes a memory and I think I have come up with some fun food to share with your little goblins. All these are easy to make so let those kids stand on that stool or sit on the counter and make a memory with them.

Witches Hats
We all love Rice Krispies treats! Add a little chocolate and we can make witches hats of all sizes.

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons butter
40 regular size marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Add marshmallows and chocolate. Stir to coat marshmallows with butter then cook on high for 1 minute. Stir with wooden spoon and if necessary return to microwave and cook until everything is melted and blends together.

Add 6 cups of Rice Krispies and mix well. Using either buttered or wet (my preference) hands, shape Rice Krispies into witch hat shapes.

For a large hat use about 2 cups and shape into a 6 inch disk for the brim. Shape the remaining mixture into a tall cone and set on the base of the hat. You can use tooth picks if necessary to secure the two pieces. Additional decorations can be added using frosting and or candies.

Finger Cookies
I have found that the best dough to use is a shortbread dough. Using food coloring you can have a rainbow of fingers if you so desire.  

1 cup softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
sliced almonds for finger nails

Measure flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl. Cream the butter in a large bowl. Add sugar, egg and almond extract. Mix until light and creamy. Add flour mixture, then put dough in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Using your hands and about a tablespoon of dough, shape into a finger shape. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Place an almond slice on one tip as a fingernail. Using a knife, make crosswise marks to represent the knuckles. Bake until lightly golden about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack

If you really want some gruesome fingers cook some raspberry jam in saucepan until it melts and becomes saucy. Dip the “severed’ end of the finger into the jam and place back on cooling rack until the jam dries.

Pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds
Carving pumpkins always leaves a lot of tasty pumpkin seeds. One way to use them is to roast them. You can soak them in salt water then place them in the oven at 325 for about 30 minutes stirring them about every 10 minutes. I used some store bought pumpkin and sunflower seeds for this recipe. You can also use a sugar substitute in this recipe.   

3 egg white
¼ cup tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon finely zested orange peel
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cups unsalted raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil; lightly coat paper or foil with nonstick cooking spray

2. Zest orange and add to the zest all the spices.

3. Beat egg whites until frothy; add sugar a teaspoon at a time beating after each addition.

4. Add zest and spices to egg whites then your seeds stir using wooden spoon to coat

5. Spread the seeds evenly on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes or until the seeds are dry and crisp. I like to stir them at least once during the cooking.

6. Cool completely then break and enjoy!

7. These are great for snaking, on salads, or added to cookies.Spaghetti spiders

This is a concept, not a recipe, but so much fun for the kids to make and eat.

Take hot dogs of choice and cut into three pieces. I like to cut the round tips off the ends. Poke four spaghetti noodles through the hot dogs pieces. Add your ‘spiders’ to a pot of boiling salted water. You will need a wide pan and a lot of boiling water Boil spaghetti spiders for approximately 11 minutes or until spaghetti is done to your liking. Eyes made from olives, capers and pickles can be added using uncooked spaghetti as a toothpick. If you can keep you kids from eating these as fast as you put them on their plate add some marina sauce and fresh grated Parmesan cheese and ENJOY cooking with your kids!