Ingredients:

11/8 cups unsalted butter
11/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
41/4 cups cake flour
11/4 tablespoons baking powder
19 ml. whole almonds raspberry jam

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream the butter, sugar and salt in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the egg, then the milk, vanilla and zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and blend just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm. Take about 2 to 3 tablespoons of dough per finger. Roll each into a ball, then a log, and shape into a finger with knuckle marks. Make an indent at one end for fingernail, smear some raspberry jam into it and place whole almond in the indent. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You might need to add more jam once cooled for a bloodied look. Makes approximately 15 to 20 cookies depending on size.

Ingredients:

1 11-oz. package (12) refrigerated bread sticks
12 jumbo frankfurters
ketchup
mustard

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unwrap breadsticks. Stretch each bread stick to 12 inches. Wrap dough around frankfurters, letting the frankfurters show slightly through the bread. Bake about 12 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Serve with ketchup and mustard. Makes 12 servings.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 package (15 ounce) refrigerated pie crust
1 tablespoon mustard
3 cups shredded cheese, or cheese of choice
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg
red and yellow liquid food coloring

Procedure:

Cook the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir until beef is cooked through and crumbly. Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce; cool. Unfold 1 pie crust and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread mustard evenly over crust. Stir 2 cups of cheese into meat mixture and spoon onto the center of the crust, leaving a 2 inch border around the edge. Unfold the remaining pie crust and cut a jack-o-lantern face into it. Place the cut out crust on top of the meat mixture. Crimp all edges of the crust to seal. Using cut out pieces of crust, create a “stem” for the top of the pumpkin. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of water, egg and 1 drop of red and yellow food coloring; brush over the entire crust. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes, remove from oven and brush again with the egg mixture. Fill eyes, nose and mouth with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5-10 more minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice from one lime
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons salsa
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup sour cream divided
1 cup chopped lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
corn tortillas chips
black olive for the spider

Procedure:

Combine corn and oil on a baking sheet, stir to coat. Broil 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the corn is roasted. Watch this carefully, if it over cooks it will pop in the oven. Allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl, combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons salsa, avocado, and cumin. Stir well. Stir in the cooled corn and chill for 4-6 hours. When ready to assembly the dip, spread 1/2 cup of sour cream on the bottom of a large round platter.
On top of that, spread 1/2 cup of salsa. Next, spread on the roasted corn guacamole. Place corn tortillas around the edge. On top of the tortillas, layer the shredded lettuce, cheese and chopped tomato. Using a plastic bag, put in 1/2 cup sour cream and snip the corner. Pipe the sour cream in 3-4 circles on top of the corn guacamole. You can also use squeezable sour cream for this step. Drag a toothpick or knife tip through the sour cream from the center outward to make the “spiderweb”. Place a black olive onto the web to resemble the “spider”. Serve with tortilla chips.