Hungry Halloween

Dress up your caramel apples!

2011-10-25T16:41:00.000-04:00

These recipes are posted on my Hungry Happenings website. Click on the links below each photo and you will be re-directed to www.HungryHappenings.com

Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers Games Part 2

2011-10-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

It was so much fun creating all of these games for our Halloween Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers. Some of the games were classic carnival games with a creepy crawler twist like the ring toss pictured above while others were our mad creations like a Fly Swatting game.

I had an idea to have kids somehow swat at a fly. My husband thought it would be funny to have the kids use a fly shooter to try to swat a fly. I had never heard of a fly shooter, so I searched on Amazon.com for one.

A Fly Shooter is essentially a plastic gun that has a fly swatter attached to a string. You press down on the trigger and the fly swatter shoots out after a fly. They are really used to swat flies and they were perfect for our game, so I ordered two.

The big challenge was trying to figure out how to get a plastic fly to fly around so the kids could swat at it. My genius husband built a PVC frame, fed fishing line through the frame, attached it to a handle on one end and a plastic fly on the other. The person running the game would pull the handle back and forth thereby setting the fly into motion. The fly could move up and down and all around. If a small child played the game, the fly didn't go crazy so he/she could have a chance at swatting the fly. The older kids were challenged a bit more. I think the kids really got a kick out of using the fly shooter - I know I did too!

Last Halloween I was fortunate enough to find lollipops that had bugs printed on them and knew exactly what I'd do with them. As a kid we used to go to our church carnival every summer and one of my favorite games involved lollipops. Some had colored dots on the bottom of the stick and if you were lucky enough to pull out one of them, you won a prize. I have several wooden lollipop holders that I use for my chocolate business so I had no trouble setting up the game. If you want to do this game, you could drill holes into a wooden base or just use a big piece of Styrofoam. Paint dots on the bottoms of a handful of lollipops and randomly place them in the display. If a child pulls out a lollipop that has a spot, he/she wins a big prize. If the pop doesn't have a spot, they get to keep the lollipop.

O.K., this game was a bit out there. I found a bunch of toy roaches and had to do something with them. Most of the roaches were black, but one was a bright purple. I thought it would be fun to have the kids try to find the purple roach amidst all of the black ones. I filled a giant bowl with cereal and hid the roaches inside. The kids would put on a blind fold, reach into the bowl, and grab a roach. If they found the purple roach, they won a big prize if they picked up a black roach they got a consolation prize. If you make this game, be sure to use a very large bowl and leave room at the top so that the cereal doesn't spill out all over the floor when the kids reach inside.

A traditional bottle toss has players throw rings around soda bottles. I fortunately found plastic laboratory bottles filled with Halloween candies at a really good price. I found plastic rings at a party supply store the same kind used at real carnivals. Each player got 6 rings and had a chance to toss them onto the bottles. When a player got a ring around a bottle, their prize was the bottle of candy they just captured. At the end of the party, I did have quite a few bottles left over, so I passed them out to some very lucky trick or treaters.

I set up these games the week before our party and I spent a lot of time playing them, especially this one. Many of the adults at the party tried their hand at this game too.

I found huge plastic ants and a Halloween picnic basket and wanted the kids to somehow throw the ants into the basket. Once again my husband had to find a way to make this game a challenge. I didn't just want an open picnic basket, I thought it would be more challenging if the lid of the basket opened and closed. So, my husband attached a rope to the inside of the picnic basket lid then attached some PVC pipe to the back of the basket, fed the rope into the pipe and up to another pipe that was used as a handle. The person running the game would move the handle up and down, moving the lid up and down and the kids had to try to throw the ant into the basket. If they got one in, they won a big prize.

Well, that's it for my carnival games. I highly recommend this theme for a party. The kids had such a great time playing and I enjoyed the challenge of creating the games. You will need carnival workers to run the games during your event. I was fortunate enough to have a friend's daughter and her friends help out. They'll be back this year helping too.

Creepy Crawler Carnival Games Part 1

2011-10-18T07:53:00.000-04:00

I am busy getting my house ready for our annual Halloween party but wanted to take some time to explain in a little more detail how we transformed our garage into a Creepy Crawler Carnival last year. We lined the walls with black plastic which we purchased at Lowe's. It comes in very large sheets which we cut to fit. Then every few feet I added a strip of plastic orange table runner. I used push pins to hang all the plastic.

I set up games all around the walls so that there was plenty of room for the kids to play. I created signs for each game using Print Master (a graphics program that is very easy to use) and some cute cut outs I found at United Art and Education (an art and teacher's supply store.)

I hung a totally gross looking scene setter on the door and added a giant spider image above the door. Little bug cut outs were stuck to all of the walls to add to the creepy effect. Bat chair covers dressed up a few folding chairs that I sat around for the parents to use while the kids had fun playing games.

I set up a ticket booth at the entrance to the carnival and had someone pass out 15 tickets to each child, so that they could play all ten games at least once and a few twice. I purchased consolation prizes for each game, so that with every game each child was a winner. These prizes were kept at the game station and passed out after a child played the game. If a child won a large prize, they would receive a gold coin which they could turn in for a large prize at the ticket booth. That way I could have a large variety of prizes and each child could choose what they wanted to win. It was much easier than trying to have large prizes at each game station.

A note on prizes: I always try to decide on our party theme for next year before this Halloween season is over, which for this theme gave me time to purchase prizes on clearance. I've gotten amazing Halloween themed prizes for as much as 90% off. Also, right before Halloween all the summer toys go on clearance so it's a great time to buy them too and kids love winning toys of any kind. The only thing I wait to buy is candy. If I don't have enough prizes, I usually will buy them from Oriental Trading Company, which is where I get a lot of my craft projects for our parties too (I just purchased picture frames for the kids to put together at this years party.)

So, on to the games!

Game: Lady Bug Spots

My favorite game was handmade using a large board, plastic cups (the short ones), craft leaves, and some thick black wire. To play, the kids had to throw balloons at the lady bug. If a balloon landed in a black spot they won a big prize. If they only got their balloons in red spots, they got a consolation prize. It was so fun to watch the balloons fly through the air and land on the lady bug and then bounce around. This was truly a game of luck and the kids were thrilled when their balloon was a winner.

I created the pattern for the lady bug out of red cups adding black spots and a black head. Once I was happy with my design I used liquid nails (strong glue) to adhere the plastic cups to the board. I then glued leaves all around the lady bug and added some wire antenna.

A close up of the Lady Bug Spots game sign. The lady bug says, "get a balloon into one of my black spots to win a big prize."

Game: Fuzzy Caterpillar Toss

A similar game was so easy to set up. I covered a long board with jungle print paper (purchased at United Art and Education) then I set very small bowls on top in a caterpillar pattern. I drew a line a few feet away from the board where the kids would stand. Each child got six cotton balls and had to throw them trying to get them in the bowls. One in won a medium prize (these prizes were kept that the game station), two in won a large prize, and all others got a consolation prize.

Game: Fly Fishing

This game took a bit of work but it was worth the effort - the kids loved it. I purchased a fishing pole from the dollar store (one that really winds up the string) and attached a very light Styrofoam spider to it. I super glued a small magnet (taken from the end of the fishing pole) onto the front of the spiders face. I bought some plastic flies and bent part of a paper clip around their necks so that the magnet would have something metal to grab a hold of. I set a spider web decoration on the floor, sprinkled on some flies and had the kids use the fishing pole to "fly fish." Even the smallest kids could do this game, so everyone was a winner as is usually the case with fishing games at carnivals. The big cauldron pictured above was filled with all of the prizes. The kids could choose what they wanted.

Game: Lily Pad Leap Frog

When I was creating these carnival games, I tried to think about games that already used things that could be considered a creepy crawler, like a leap frog game. I didn't want the kids to just play a game of leap frog on my garage floor, so I created a game board. I purchased paper with a water scene on it from United Art and Education and wrapped it around a board. I printed out images of grass and lily pads (I did a Google image search for them) and cut and glued the images to the board. I set a rug in front of the board so the children could kneel down to play the game. The player had to set his/her frogs on the grass and try to leap them onto a lily pad. The entire frog had to be on the lily pad to win a big prize otherwise the child won a small consolation prize. It was actually harder than it looked, but we gave the kids 6 frogs to leap, so they had fun playing even if they didn't win a big prize.

I'll get Creepy Crawler Carnival Games Part 2 posted later this week. If you haven't already, be sure to stop over at my Hungry Happenings blog to enter my current Halloween giveaway (until October 23, 2011). To enter click this link.

A few new Halloween recipes have been posted over at Hungry Happenings

2011-10-17T10:35:00.000-04:00

Create an owl by artfully arranging cheese slice cut outs.

Remember the Twilight Quesadilla recipe from last Halloween?

well I thought I'd make another version of the recipe without any food coloring.

My new Halloween quesadillas use chili powder.

Want to try your hand at making your own chocolate cansiters filled with pretzels for Halloween?

I posted a step-by-step tutorial to show you how.

I'm working on a post featuring our carnival games from last year. Hope to have it posted here very soon.

If you haven't already, be sure to enter my Halloween giveaway. Click here to enter for your chance to win a chocolate canister filled with chocolate dipped pretzels all decorated for Halloween.

New Halloween giveaway announced over at Hungry Happenings.

2011-10-07T20:08:00.000-04:00

Be sure to head over to Hungry Happenings to get in on a chance to win this amazing Halloween prize. One lucky reader will win a handmade dark chocolate canister filled with milk chocolate dipped pretzels which are all decorated for Halloween. Click on this link to enter. Good luck.

A couple new recipe ideas for Halloween.

2011-10-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

Sweet Ghost Crisps

Witch Hat Appetizers

I posted two new Halloween recipes this week at Hungry Happenings. Stop by to check them out.

Halloween Black Cat Cheese Ball Recipe

2011-09-27T14:51:00.000-04:00

I created this recipe last Halloween for a recipe contest and posted a picture here, but the recipe remained on the contest website. Unfortunately, I lost to a pumpkin puking out pumpkin dip. Oh, well, that's how it goes sometimes. Anyway, I just loved this recipe and wanted to share it with you. Sorry for the lack of step-by-step images. I didn't take any as I only needed the final picture to enter into the contest.

Black Cat Cheese Ball (serves 12-18)

Ingredients:

8 oz. softened cream cheese, divided

4 oz. shredded Havarti cheese

4 oz. shredded Gruyere cheese

3 roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and seeds removed

1 small clove of garlic, minced

2 oz. blue corn tortilla chips

1 black olive

crackers

Special Equipment Needed:

food processor

plastic wrap

disposable pastry bag or heavy duty zip top bag

Instructions:

In food processor, combine 7 oz. cream cheese, Havarti cheese, Gruyere cheese, roasted red peppers, and garlic. Pulse until creamy and smooth. You will need 1 heaping teaspoon of this cheese for the cat's nose. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Place the remaining cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to mold the cheese mixture into a flattened ball.

Reserve two whole blue corn tortilla chips for the cat's ears. Place remaining chips in the cleaned food processor bowl and pulse to fine crumbs. Pour onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Set cheese ball round size down on crumbs. Use the plastic wrap to press the crumbs all over the surface of the cheese ball. Set cheese ball on a serving platter.

Put remaining 1 oz. cream cheese into pastry bag or zip top bag. Snip off the tip of the bag. Pipe three whiskers onto cat's face. Remove the reserved cheese mixture from the refrigerator and mold it into a triangular shape for the nose; place in the middle of the cat's face, on top of the middle of the whiskers.

To create the eyes I suggest you scoop out the crushed tortilla chips and a bit of the cheese ball in two circles above the nose. Pipe cream cheese into these holes. Smooth it out into a nice circle. Cut olive in half and lay on top of the eyes for pupils.

Press the two reserved blue corn tortilla chips into top of head for ears.

Refrigerate until needed. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving with crackers.

Googly Eyed Ghost Pops recipe featured on Hungry Happenings

2011-09-26T11:34:00.001-04:00

New Halloween recipe is posted at Hungry Happenings.

Click here to view recipe for Googly Eyed Ghosts

This giant spider is hoping to crawl up onto your buffet table this Halloween.

2011-09-13T07:52:00.000-04:00

Head over to Hungry Happenings for another addition to the Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers recipes. Click here to see the full recipe and tutorial for this super sized cake ball spider.

New Halloween recipe featured on Hungry Happenings

2011-09-08T12:41:00.000-04:00

A gross Halloween snack - white chocolate popcorn infested with milk chocolate roaches. Click here to go to Hungry Happenings to see the recipe and step-by-step tutorial.

Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers Recipes for Halloween

2011-09-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

I've been busy creating recipes for the Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers themed Halloween parties and have been posting them over at Hungry Happenings. Below are images and links to each of the recipes.

Bumble Bee Corn Dogs

Cookie Crumble Cheesecake Caterpillars

Creepy Corndog Centipedes

Edible Googly Eyes on Creatures

Ladybug Rice Krispies Treats

There will be more to come soon and don't forget about the recipes I've already posted here at Hungry Halloween that are perfect for this party theme too.

Slithering Snake Snack

Longtail, a Cookies and Cream Rat

Turn your kitchen into a Dead Man's Diner

2011-08-24T19:42:00.000-04:00

My very favorite Halloween party theme thus far would have to be the Dead Man's Diner. We decked out our kitchen to look like a truly gruesome, classic diner complete with severed body parts dripping with blood. Although some of my guests squirmed a bit when they were served hand-burgers and finger fries, they ate them all up. The open face sandwiches, bone calzones, and stubbed toe subs really took my guests by surprise, but even the young kids enjoyed eating their creepy cuisine. You can find the recipes for all of these dishes in my Hungry Halloween cookbook where you'll also see a few photos of our party decor. If you've seen the pictures and are interested in hosting a similar themed party, I am going to explain in more detail just how we transformed our kitchen into a ghoulish diner.

We have a large island in our kitchen with an area for eating. The island has very pretty maple colored cabinets and trim, but I really wanted an old fashioned diner counter for our party, so I had to transform it somehow. I found packages of 8 1/2" x 11" silver opalescent paper (from Deals) which I taped to the entire front area of the island. As you can see in the picture the paper is very reflective and from a distance you couldn't see the individual pieces of paper, it just looked silver and shiny. It worked perfectly. I then found cardboard body part cut outs (at Party City) which I taped to the silver paper. A roll of clear plastic printed with dripping blood (from Dollar Tree) was attached to the top edge of the counter to finish the effect.

Many diners have their menus hanging up behind their counter, but our kitchen is open to our morning room (actually my chocolate kitchen), so we created a wall out of PVC pipe on which we hung a large piece of black plastic. I created three menu signs using a graphics program (Printmaster) which I printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. I brought my small signs to a print shop and had them printed out in a larger 2' x 3 1/2' format. I hung my signs on the black plastic, added more bloody body part cut outs, and some creepy cloth. On the shelf below the sign were realistic looking severed body parts and a body form of a man's chest. A few bloody knives and hatchets added to the gory effect.

One of my favorite little touches was quite a surprise to my guests. I placed a few fake severed fingers in my food processor.

What diner would be complete without waitresses and a cook? I ordered the classic diner uniforms from an actual uniform company (sorry, can't remember where now) and the cook wore a chef's coat , a cook's hat, and an apron that we spattered with fake blood.

We actually served the food to order, which was a lot of fun for our 80 guests, but it kept the three diner staff members incredibly busy throughout the entire party. I don't recommend it unless you can hire caterers or some teens to do all the cooking, serving, and cleaning.

Appet-EYE-sers

I was so grateful that we had prepared all of the appet-EYE-sers and dead-serts ahead of time and served them buffet style.

Dead-serts

Once all of the appetizers were eaten, we cleared the table then filled it back up with the desserts.

To keep the theme going throughout the house, we turned our living room into a funeral parlor and had lots of creepy decorations, hanging heads, and severed body parts throughout the entire house.

If you decide to use this party theme, I'd love to see pictures from your event.

Win a copy of my book, Hungry Halloween, plus decorating supplies.

2011-08-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

In January I began a new blog, Hungry Happenings, so I could feature themed cuisine for holidays and special occasions throughout the year. To kick off the Halloween season, I am hosting a contest on my Hungry Happenings blog. I hope you'll stop over and visit Hungry Happenings and enter the contest.

I know many of you who will be hosting Halloween parties this year have already started planning your event. I just wanted to assure you that I will be sharing more party planning tips and game ideas with you here at Hungry Halloween. All of my new Halloween recipes, however, will be featured on Hungry Happenings with pictures and links posted here. I have so many new readers on my new blog, that I feel the need to post some of the recipes that originated on this blog on my new blog. But, don't worry, I promise to post many new recipes and ideas before too long.

Now the fun part. You have a chance to win prizes...

Halloween Giveaway #1 (yes, there will be more)

Enter to win:

a signed copy of Hungry Halloween and

decorating supplies including:

2 Halloween oven mitts

Boo treat bags

7 cookie cutters

black color mist

orange color mist

2 sheets of candy eyes

sample bags of colored sugars, dragees, nonpareils, edible glitter and more

paint brushes to make chocolate lollipops

lollipop sticks

mini Halloween cupcake cups

2 bags of Halloween candy decorations

plus a surprise gift

Prize value is about $75

To enter

you must be 18 years of age or older

To enter click here (you'll be re-directed to Hungry Happenings)

Entry deadline is September 18th at 11:59 p.m. EST / US.

Winner will be announced on September 19th, 2011.

Good Luck!

Halloween is coming soon.

2011-08-14T07:10:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to announce that my new blog, Hungry Happenings, has been a huge success. My recipes have been linked to on websites around the world and I have had over 300,000 page views in just 7 months. My Hungry Halloween books sales are doing great and I'm so grateful to all of you who have purchased a copy for your cookbook collection. I will continue to add posts to this Hungry Halloween blog, but have decided to post all new Halloween recipes on my Hungry Happenings blog. I will be sure to add links to this site for all the new recipes, so you don't miss out on any new ideas and will continue to post game and party ideas here on this site. I have been working on birthday party recipes for Hungry Happenings this month and have a few more to post in the next week then, I'll start sharing my new and exciting Halloween recipes with you, so be sure to stop back by because there's less than two months until your Halloween bash.

My new blog - www.HungryHappenings.com

2011-01-17T08:51:00.003-05:00

As promised, I have begun to blog about themed cuisine for holidays and special occasions throughout the year. I love Halloween and do spend a lot of time creating fun food for our parties and am thrilled to share all of my ideas, but I had so many people ask for recipes for other special events. So, I'm back in the kitchen and am busy working on recipes that will please both the palate and imagination all throughout the year. So come on over to Hungry Happenings and check out my newest themed cuisine. I'll be back here before Halloween to share more fun recipes and party planning ideas to help you throw the best Halloween party ever.

Click here to go directly to http://www.hungryhappenings.com/

It was a busy Halloween season!

2010-11-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

I have finally recovered from an incredibly busy Halloween season. Our party was so much fun and I was so happy to see so many friends and their families all decked out in costumes. The carnival was a huge success. A few kids asked their mom if they could just stay and play games instead of going Trick or Treating. They were having so much fun, they didn't want to leave. Now that is the best compliment a party host can get!

My live radio interview with chef Jamie Gwen went very well and I was so happy to have been on the same show as Jacques Torres. It was an amazing way to end my Halloween season. I have to admit, that I was very burned out and ready for a break. I've taken the past two weeks to clean, organize, and have some fun. I'm planning a trip to Europe with my mom, sister, and niece and can't wait to go.

I'm going to take a break from this blog for a while. I'll be back though with more fun and exciting recipes and party planning ideas. I'm starting work on Hungry Halloween 2 and will work to transition this Halloween blog into a year round blog. Hope to see you back here soon!

Halloween weekend - Our Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers and my radio interviews

2010-10-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

Wow, have I been busy this week preparing for our Halloween party. We are having over 70 guests at our Carnival of the Creep Crawlers. I have always loved going to carnivals or amusement parks and playing the games. I like the challenge and the thrill of winning. Each year we try to find clever activities for the kids to do at our parties and this year we decided to transform our garage into a Halloween carnival tent filled with creepy crawler themed games. Kids will leap frogs onto lily pads, fish for flies, and try to land in a lady bug's spots. We've created ten games that I think kids of all ages will find fun. To decorate the tent we covered the walls in black plastic we found at Lowe's. Then I hung strips of orange table cloth runner every few feet. I decorated the plastic with creepy crawlers and created signs for each of the games using a graphics program.

I created this lady bug game using plastic drinking cups. I glued them to a large board, added some antenna, and decorated with fall leaves. The kids will toss balloons at the lady bug in hopes of having their balloon land in a black spot. I was originally going to use wiffle balls, but the cups were getting knocked out of place. The liquid nails I used to glue the cups wasn't holding well enough. So I chose to use balloons and actually like it better. Balloons are challenging to throw and can't hurt anyone or anything if thrown too hard. I've been out in the garage playing this game this week and having so much fun. I will be so excited to see the kids playing the games.

MY RADIO INTERVIEWS THIS WEEKEND

Aside from the party, I am preparing for two radio interviews this weekend. On Friday night at 10:00 p.m. EST, I will be live with Kim Iverson on her radio program "Your Time with Kim."

On Sunday at 12:00 p.m. EST, I will be interviewed by Chef Jamie Gwen on "Food and Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen. I am so exited and honored to be on her show. Even more excited that my idol and hero Jacques Torres is also on the show that day. Jacques is a master chocolatier and owns several shops in NYC. His show on Food Network served as a major inspiration in my life. Michael Chiarello, from Food Network fame, who I also admire will be on the show as well. I can't believe that I am on the same show as two such amazing and famous chefs. I am truly blessed. If you'd like to listen to the show, got to http://www.chefjamie.com/ and click on the Listen Live button on Sunday. The program begins at 11:00 a.m. EST/8:00 a.m. PST and I'll be on at 12:00 a.m. EST/9:00 PST. You can also tune in to KFWB News Talk 980 to hear the show.

Pillsbury liked my Slithering Snake Snack enough to write about it on their Facebook Page

2010-10-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

Halloween Recipe - Black Cat Truffle Pops

2010-10-22T18:38:00.000-04:00

Well my recipe didn't win the contest, but I think this recipe is one of the best ideas I have had since I began writing this blog. I can't imagine how anyone could look at that adorable face, and not pronounce it a winner. This cat pop is a sweet tasting as it is sweet looking.

Bewitch your family and friends this Halloween with these adorable Black Cat Truffle Pops. Each little pop is a delicious chocolate truffle decorated to look like a charming Halloween cat. Homemade modeling chocolate is used to create the cat's features, but you can use store bought fondant, if you prefer.
Serves 16

Ingredients::

16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces white chocolate (very white, not cream colored)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3-5 drops black food coloring
1-2 drop pink food coloring

Supplies Needed::
16 lollipop sticks or wooden craft sticks
1 piece thick Styrofoam
4 food handling gloves

1.Pour semi-sweet chocolate into a medium sized shallow bowl. Heat heavy whipping cream in a small pot over medium high heat. Let mixture just come to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir until creamy. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of chocolate mixture (ganache). Let sit overnight or place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

2.Meanwhile make the white modeling chocolate. Pour white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds on high power. Remove and stir. Heat for 20 seconds then stir vigorously. If not melted, continue to heat at 10 second intervals, stirring in between each until melted. Allow chocolate to cool to 89-90 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, test the chocolate by placing a small amount on your lip. It should feel cool before you proceed to the next step.

3.Stir the light corn syrup into the melted chocolate. It will get thick quickly. Pour onto a counter top (granite or marble are perfect for this job). Knead until smooth and glossy. If your modeling chocolate becomes oily due to the fact that your chocolate was too hot, you must continue to knead until it becomes smooth and glossy. Make sure your hands are cold or use a spatula to knead. If your modeling chocolate is dry, knead in a small amount of corn syrup. Wrap in plastic wrap until needed.

4.Once your semi-sweet chocolate ganache is very thick, scoop out 16 heaping tablespoons and roll each into a ball, reserving the remaining ganache. Set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Insert a lollipop stick into each ball. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

5.Once you remove the pops from the freezer, re-heat the remaining ganache in the microwave for 3 second intervals, stirring in between each, until ganache is thin and glossy. Don't over-heat or the ganache will become oily. Reshape the pops into nicely round balls. Holding a stick, dip a pop into the thinned ganache. Remove and shake gently to remove any excess ganache. Immediately, use a knife or spatula to make the cat's hair. Press the spatula into the ganache and pull away creating spikes of fur. Continue all around the cat's head. Push the stick into a piece of Styrofoam and allow the pop to dry or you may lay them on parchment paper, but the back of the cat's head will flatten out. Repeat with remaining pops.

6.To decorate the cats: Pinch off very small pieces of white modeling chocolate and roll into balls. Press onto the cat's face to create eyes. Pinch off about a tablespoon of modeling chocolate and add a few drops of black food coloring. (I suggest you wear food handling gloves for this task.) Pinch off very small pieces of black and roll into balls. Press onto the white eyes on the cat's face. Pinch off tiny pieces of white and roll into balls. Attach to the black on the eyes.

7.Pinch off small pieces of white modeling chocolate and roll into very thin logs. Cut three short logs to fit on the cat's face and attach under the eyes for it's whiskers.

8.Add some pink food coloring to about a teaspoon of white modeling chocolate. Pinch off small pieces, roll into balls, then shape into little cat noses. Attach to the cat's face over the whiskers.

9.Pinch off small pieces of black modeling chocolate and roll into balls. Pinch into triangles and add to the cat's head for ears.

10.Allow cat pops to dry. Once the ganache hardens, you can package the cat pops in cellophane bags. Cat pops will keep at room temperature for 10 days. Use any excess ganache for ice cream topping or to make some truffles. Create little ghosts or pumpkins out of any remaining modeling chocolate.

Sweet Green Monster Cookie

2010-10-21T14:07:00.002-04:00

I created this recipe using Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for their Halloween recipe contest. I think it adorable and it is super easy to make with your kids this Halloween.

Ingredients:

2 packages Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
1 tub (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
30-40 drops green and/ neon-green food coloring
3 marshmallows
2 Junior Mints
1 red licorice string
1 Tootsie Roll (2” piece)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with non-stick aluminum foil, leaving enough room at both ends to pick up the cookies once baked. Pat cookie dough into pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow cookie to cool completely. Use tin foil to help lift cookie out of pan and place on a serving platter or a piece of cardboard wrapped in a black plastic tablecloth.

Mix green food coloring into frosting. Take two marshmallows and set them upright on the counter. Smash them until they flatten a little into a bumpy circle. Frost the marshmallows in green frosting and set on either side of the monster's head to form his ears. Frost the entire cookie with the green frosting reserving little bit to frost his nose.

Cut one large marshmallow into 3 round slices. Set 2 marshmallow slices, sticky side up, next to each other on the cookie for the monster's eyes. Place 1 Junior Mint on each marshmallow for his pupils. Set the third marshmallow slice under the eyes for his nose. Cover the nose with green frosting. Add a red licorice smile.

Cut the Tootsie roll into three slices. Place one slice of the Tootsie Roll on either side of the monster's neck for his bolts. Warm the remaining slice of Tootsie Roll in your hands. Roll it into a long thin log. Cut a 1” piece from the log and 3-4 smaller pieces. Lay the smaller pieces across the long piece creating a stitch pattern. Set on the monster's forehead. Serves 30.

My Halloween recipe contest entries.

2010-10-19T14:51:00.005-04:00

This cutie pop was entered into Food52's Your Best Halloween treat contest. I created this cat pop from chocolate ganache and modeling chocolate. It tastes as good as it looks. Click here for recipe. Once again, I'll post this recipe soon if I don't make it into the finals. If I do, I'll need votes!

You will see a theme going through my recipes this week: cats and monsters. I thought the first two recipes looked so great as sweets that I transformed them into savory recipes for Better Homes and Garden's Better Recipes Halloween recipe contest. There is no voting involved with this contest, but I can't publish the recipe yet. So, click here to view recipe.

This charming cat is a yummy roasted red pepper cheese-ball. Click here for recipe. It is decorated with cream cheese and olives. Even if you don't want to make a cat, this recipe is worth trying. It is delicious.

So you can see here how I transformed my Sweet Green Monster into a savory taco dip with a similar Frankenstein 's monster image. I decorated the image with green guacamole, olive hair, cheese and black olive eyes, a green olive nose, a tomato strip smile, and black olive bolts. A few simple changes and you have a completely different recipe. Click here for recipes.

I'll let you know how I fare in each of these contests. Wish me luck!

Hungry Halloween Book Signing at Foy's Halloween Stores in Fairborn, Ohio

2010-10-16T10:14:00.001-04:00

photo by E.L. Hubbard, Dayton Daily News

I had a crazy busy evening last night at a book signing at Foy's Halloween Store in Fairborn, Ohio. Foy's operates 6 unique stores filled with Halloween props, decorations, and costumes. Amazing Halloween props line the street and tower above you on the rooftops. Our tables were right next to two large gorillas and people stopped all night to take a snapshot of their family and friends hanging out with these beasts. The evening began quietly as my friend Terri and I passed out samples and I signed books. When the sun sank, the music began to play, a hearse pulled up in front of us, Dr. Creep, a Dayton area television icon, arrived to sign autographs, and the crowds swarmed the streets in search of that perfect Halloween item. Happily many found my cookbooks to be that perfect Halloween item. Thanks to everyone who stopped out and purchased a book.

Photo by E.L. Hubbard, Dayton Daily News

I met so many interesting people and was thrilled to hear so many customers had found this blog and were using my recipes and ideas to plan their parties this year. One family told me all about the party they were planning based on my Dead Man's Diner theme. I could hear the enthusiasm in their voices and see the excitement in their eyes. I hope they have a fantastic party and will send along some pictures. I'd love to see pictures of any party using my ideas.

Photo by E.L. Hubbard, Dayton Daily News

Aside from the book signing, I was featured on the Channel 2 news at noon today. It was my first live television interview and I'm happy to say that it went very well. My only blunder was not knowing which camera was showing my food. The camera man had a great shot of my cheesy cauldron, then I picked it up right out of the shot. Oh, well live and learn. Pam, the anchor woman was so friendly and made me feel so comfortable. She was very enthusiastic about the book which always makes talking about it fun. The 2 1/2 minute segment flashed by so quickly, but I was able to show a few of the items from the book and talk about the recipes. I was thrilled, when I got home to watch the program, to see that she wrapped up the newscast by talking about my book again and mentioning the book signing event.

Photo by E.L. Hubbard, Dayton Daily News

I will be back at Foy's again tonight from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Stop out an see me, if you live in the area. I'm also going to be doing a cooking segment on the Fox 45 morning show on Friday, October 22nd at 8:45 a.m. I'll be demonstrating how to make the vampire chips that are pictured on the left. I am working on a new recipe, and will post it as soon as I can come up for air. To see more pictures from the event, including pictures of Foy's store and props, click this link. Thanks to E.L. Hubbard for taking so many photographs of the event for the Dayton Daily News.

Halloween Recipe - Slithering Snake Snack

2010-10-13T11:28:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned earlier, we are hosting a Carnival of the Creepy Crawlers this year for Halloween and I am busy creating recipes for our party. Creating food in the shape of a snake has proven to be very simple. I decided to transform "pigs in a blanket" into a snake. No matter how much I don't want to admit it, anything shaped out of pigs in a blanket gets eaten at my parties. I'm not a big fan of hot dogs, but have discovered Nathan's beef franks and have to admit, they are quite delicious.

I used Wilton Food Mist food coloring spray to color my snake, but I might recommend just brushing on black and orange food coloring as it might be a little neater. This is pretty easy recipe to create, the only challenge is moving the snake once it is completed. I used a long metal spatula to lift the back end of the snake up and I held the front end and swiftly moved it onto a plastic wrap covered leaf paper.

Ingredients:

1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Sheet

a dusting of flour

6 hot dogs (I recommend Nathan's Beef Franks)

Orange and Black food coloring spray or food coloring

1 strip of roasted red pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a baking sheet or baking stone in the oven to preheat, as well.

Unroll crescent sheet on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 8”x13” rectangle. Cut into two 4”x13” strips.

Cut 3 hots dogs into 3/4” slices. Remove the end pieces. Lay together down the middle of one dough strip leaving an inch of uncovered dough at one end (for the head). Bring the two sides of the dough up and over the hot dogs. Pinch the dough together to seal shut. Roll over so seam is on the bottom. Form a snake head out of the hot dog less end.

Cut one more hot dog into 3/4” slices and remove the end pieces. Lay down the middle at the very end of the other dough strip. Cut the tips off the remaining two hot dogs. Lay them together on a cutting board. Cut along the edges of the hot dogs, gradually tapering the ends to a point. Cut the tapered hot dogs into 1/2”-3/4” slices. Set in the middle of the dough strip. Bring the two sides of the dough up and over the hot dogs. Pinch the dough together to seal shut. Roll over so seam is on the bottom.

Lay a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Arrange the two halves of the snake in a slithering pattern on the paper. Pinch the dough together at the middle of the snake.

Spray (or brush) stripes of orange and black all along the snake.

As you can see the food coloring spray creates quite a mess on the parchment paper. I didn't want the spray to burn in the oven, so I carefully transferred the snake to a piece of non-stick foil set on the back side of a baking sheet.

Cut out two circles and one tongue from the strip of roasted red pepper. Cut them larger than you want them, as they will shrink in the oven. Mine are smaller than I would have liked them. Attach to the snake. Slide the snake and the foil onto the hot baking sheet or baking stone in the oven. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring the snake to a serving platter. Serve hot.

I found this fun paper at United Art and Education and plan to cover my kitchen island with it for our party. I'll cover the entire thing with plastic wrap and place the food directly on top.

BH&G Better Recipes Top 10 Gross Halloween Recipe List and CONTEST

2010-10-11T12:07:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to announce that Better Homes and Gardens Better Recipes website has selected two Hungry Halloween Recipes to be in their list of the Top 10 Gross Halloween Recipes.

My Hand-Burger Dripping in Blood is #5 on the list. This gross recipe had the kids at our party squealing with excitement. Click here for recipe

My recipe for Lung Calzones made the #1 spot on the list. They may be gross but they are delish. Click here for recipe.

CONTEST: Better Recipes' Daily Dish with Kristina Vannie is giving away $150 for doing one or all three of the following:

Like one of the recipes on Facebook
Send out a delicious little Tweet about the recipes.
Stumble upon one of the fantastic recipes.

Click here for contest information and rules.

I would appreciate you talking about my recipes on Facebook and Twitter and I would be very grateful for some Stumbles. THANKS and good luck in the contest.

My Capello di Strega (witch hat cheese-ball) was also listed as one of Better Recipe's favorite Halloween Party Recipes.

Click here to view the Better Recipes Favorite Halloween Party Recipes
Click here for recipe.

First Book Signing a Huge Success

2010-10-09T09:22:00.000-04:00

Dayton Daily News article by Mark Fisher
To read this article click here

Thanks to an amazing article written by Mark Fisher in the Dayton Daily News, I had a wonderful turn out for my first book signing event. Rick Heil, owner of Barleycorn's restaurant on Wilmington Pike in Centerville, OH hosted the event. His family owned restaurant was the perfect setting for my event. I sat at the front of the restaurant at a nicely decorated Halloween table and passed out samples and signed books, lots of books. Thanks to everyone who came out and purchased a book. A huge thanks to my friend Terri for being my side kick for the evening.

If you would like a signed copy of Hungry Halloween, I'll be doing a book signing event at Foy's Halloween Store in Fairborn, Ohio on Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm. I'll be hanging out with Dr. Creep outside Foy's. If you live in the area and have never been to Foy's, you need to stop by. They have an entire street filled with Halloween related shops. They have the best Halloween props in town.

I'll be teaching some cooking classes next week too. On Monday, October 11th, I'll be teaching an adult class at Cook's Wares in Cincinnati and on Thursday I'll be teaching an adult class at the Culinary Company in Centerville. Click here for more details.

I've had a crazy busy week, but will post a new recipe soon. I've been busy decorating our house for Halloween. Here is a sneak peak of our dining room.