Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
1 (11.5 ounce) package fudge stripe cookies
1 (6 ounce) bag milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped
1 tablespoon brown gel icing

Procedure:

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool. Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Break the cookies in half, and press two halves into the top of each cupcake for wings, stripes facing the frosting. Place a chocolate kiss in front of the cookies with the point facing forward for the body. Make two beady little eyes with the brown gel icing towards the point of the kiss.

Ingredients:

1 package oil-packed sliced smoked salmon
1 package cream cheese (can be Neufchatel)
1 package crackers, melba toasts, bagel chips, or be creative

Procedure:

Cut the smoked salmon into small thin strips. Spread a dollop of cream cheese on each cracker, then place a strip of smoked salmon curled on top of the cream cheese. This is another standard tasty appetizer just renamed to be gory for the season. Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized appetizers.

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 200F. Line cookie sheet with brown paper bag or parchment. In a medium sized bowl at high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt till fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add vanilla. Place in pastry bag fitted with a medium plain piping tip. Pipe 3″ bone shapes onto parchment or brown paper bag. Bake 1 hour until set. Turn off oven, dry in oven 1 hour. Be sure to store in airtight containers or they will become soggy.

Ingredients:

3 oz (small box) lemon gelatin (can be sugar-free)
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pineapple juice
8 oz cream cheese (can be lowfat/Neufchatel)

Prodcedure:

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows and stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. If you have a truffle candy mold or round ice cube trays, spary them with non-stick cooking spray first, then pour the mixture in the molds and leave to set in the fridge. Otherwise pour into a deep ceramic dish and chill until thickened or firm enough for scooping into eyeballs. Using a melonballer, scoop full balls of the mixture and set aside for decoration. To decorate, use liquid food coloring and an old detail paintbrush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils. Also, if you are in a hurry, instead of painting the colored irises, you can carefully dip the ball in a small pool of food coloring to approximate the iris, but still paint on the pupils. Note: if you are using the melonballer method, you might need to add one package of plain gelatin to your mixture. The molds work fine with just the lemon gelatin to make gently squishy eyeballs.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups Flour
1 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup almonds, whole blanched
1 tube red decorator gel
Procedure:

In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda*, and salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into 1 end for nail. Squeeze in centre to create knuckle shape. (Accompanying picture showed long rolled shape with bulge at centre for knuckle; you puff it out rather than squeeze it in.) Using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325F (160C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale 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. You can also make slashes in the finger and fill them with “blood.”

Ingredients:

1 pizza shell
1 jar pizza sauce
2 slices of mozzarella cheese per pizza
Halloween cookie cutter shape

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pizza shell with sauce and pepperoni. Cut Halloween shapes out of the mozzarella cheese. Arrange shapes on the pizza. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.