eyes, bones, mummy cookies, cheese pumpkins & spiderweb

[NATUREPIXIE]

Here's some recipes I think that ya'll will enjoy!

Eyeballs
Ingredients:
1 can Grade AA lychees in syrup, drained* and patted dried
4 teaspoons cherry, strawberry or raspberry preserves
20 large blueberries, canned

Preparation:
Fill each lychee with 1/4 teaspoon preserves. Place a blueberry into the cavity of each lychee.


Meringue Bones- This seems easy enough..
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k295/ ... ies-re.jpg
Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) cream of tartar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla
Cooking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 225° F (105° C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until foamy. Gradually — one spoonful at a time — add the sugar, beating well after each addition so that the sugar is absorbed into the meringue. Continue beating until the meringue stands up in a glossy, firm peak when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla.

Spoon the meringue into a pastry decorating bag with a plain round tip approximately 3/8-inch (1 cm) wide (a bit smaller is ok, but no smaller than 1/4-inch). Pipe 3-inch (7.5 cm) bone shapes — one long line with two rounded blobs on each end. Pipe all the meringue at once because it cannot be baked in batches — it will deflate if it sits too long.

Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Without opening the oven door, turn the heat off and let the meringues remain in the oven for 1 more hour to dry and crisp.

Remove from cookie sheets carefully — you don't want any broken bones!


MUMMY COOKIES
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Ingredients
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 to 2 packages (12 ounces each) White Chips
1 to 2 tablespoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
Additional Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in 1 cup small chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough 15 to 20 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. To form mummy body, using 1 tablespoon dough, roll into 3-1/2-inch carrot shape; place on ungreased cookie sheet. To form head, using 1 teaspoon dough, roll into ball the size and shape of a grape; press onto wide end of body. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
4. Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
5. Place 2 cups (12-ounce package) white chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in microwave-safe pie plate or shallow bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 minute; stir until chips are melted.
6. Coat tops of cookies by placing one cookie at a time on table knife or narrow metal spatula; spoon white chip mixture evenly over cookie to coat. (If mixture begins to thicken, return to microwave for a few seconds). Place coated cookies on wax paper. Melt additional chips with shortening, if needed, for additional coating. As coating begins to set on cookies, using a toothpick, score lines and facial features into coating to resemble mummy. Place 2 small chocolate chips on each cookie for eyes. Store, covered, in cool, dry place.


Cheese Pumpkins - these can be used for Halloween and Thanksgiving
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8 tablespoons smoked Cheddar cold pack cheese food (from 8-ounce container), well chilled
2 teaspoons finely chopped peanuts
4 butter-flavored pretzel spindles or sticks, broken in half
16 tiny pieces fresh parsley leaves
Line small serving plate with waxed paper. Roll each level tablespoon cold pack cheese food into a ball; place on waxed paper-lined serving plate. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes for easier handling.
With end of toothpick, draw ridges around balls to resemble pumpkins.
Dip bottoms of cheese balls in chopped peanuts.
Just before serving, insert pretzel halves into cheese balls for pumpkin stems. Decorate with parsley for leaves. Store in refrigerator.


Spider Web Dip
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1 (16-ounce) jar (1 3/4 cups) black bean dip
1 (12-ounce) container guacamole
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped tomato
Tortilla chips
Spread bean dip onto center of large platter, leaving 1 to 2 inches around edge of platter. Carefully spread bean dip with guacamole.
Spoon sour cream into resealable plastic food bag. Snip off corner. Pipe sour cream in 4 concentric circles onto guacamole. Drag toothpick or knife through sour cream from center outward to make spider web design.
Layer lettuce, cheese and tomatoes on edge of platter. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 15 servings.

[revelesnet]

VERY GOOD, this weekend is my turn to cook and guess what we are having

[NATUREPIXIE]

LOL, it all sounds good to me!!! I'll start trying out recipes soon to see what I'd like to have at my Halloween Party...

This year I think I'm going to make a few recipes books to hand out as door prizes. I'm going to put the recipes of the food I served in them. You know you always have people asking for those recipes...

[One Eye'd Jack]

That's really great stuff, NP. Thanks!!!!!!!!

[mandy0221]

Thanks for all of the ideas. I love the spirder web mexican dip. That seems really easy to make and would be great to take to a party!

[NATUREPIXIE]

Thanks Mandy, I like that spider web dip too.. it's yummy!