Veggie Dip

Mix together and enjoy:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp dill
2 tsp bon appetite or beau monde

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies

An easy, lower fat recipe, and yummy to boot!

Mix together:
1 package spice cake mix
1 small can pumpkin (or ½ of a large can which is 1 ¾ cups)

Add ½ package semisweet chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Jello Spritz Cookies

Cream together:
1½ cups butter
1 cup sugar
1- 3 oz pkg raspberry (or any flavor) jello.

Beat together:
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
Add to cream mixture

Mix separately:
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Gradually blend flour mix into cream mix. Blend till smooth. Press cookies (with a cookie press) onto chilled cookie sheets. Bake at 400° for 7-10 minutes, till edges are barely golden brown.

Warning! This recipe makes a TON of little cookies. Try the half batch first:

½ Batch Recipe for Jello Spritz Cookies:

Cream together:
¾ cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
½ - pkg jello ( ¼ cup)

Beat together:
½ egg (yes, I am serious. Scramble an egg in a cup and use 2 Tbs of it.)
1 tsp vanilla
Add to cream mixture

Mix separately:
1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder

Gradually blend flour mix into cream mix. Blend till smooth. Press cookies (with a cookie press) onto chilled cookie sheets. Bake at 400° for 7-10 minutes, till edges are barely golden brown.

How to toast coconut

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread unsweetened coconut shavings, or sweetened shredded or flaked coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring every 30 seconds. Continue until edges are golden, about 5 to 10 minutes. If toasting sweetened coconut, check and stir more frequently because the added sugar causes irregular browning, or in my case, burning! (I may have burned the first batch while typing this, it doesn't smell pretty.)

Goblin Toes

These creepy digits entertain my scouts every year!

You will need:
A jar of baby dill pickles
Sliced almonds
a paring knife

Lay out pickles on a plate or cutting board. Determine which side lays most stable, and pick an end for the nail. (I like the thicker end) Use your paring knife to slice the tip off the pickle to create a nail bed. I make an L shape cut, so there is a straight end where the bed meets the rest of the "toe."

Select an almond that fits the nailbed you have created, and simply place it on. The nails do slip loose, so if you are travelling with these, either pack them tight in a container or put the nails on right before serving.

Yummy Mummies

So these yummy things pop up every year at Halloween parties and family events. Here is our version.

Take your favorite type of hotdog -Turkey dogs are yummy, what can I say?
Pop out a can of Pillsbury dough. This time we tried the recipe creations, the dough is one big piece. Lay it out (on sprayed cookie sheet) use pizza cutter to cut into long strips. I found the ones about 1 inch thick were easiest to work with.

I warmed one package of hotdogs in the microwave. I like to think that gives them a headstart to heat all the way through. Move cut strips to the side. One by one, wrap each hotdog with one long strip of dough, leaving a space for the Mummy's face to show. Bake as directed, about 13 minutes at 375. Remove from oven when golden brown. Use mustard and a toothpick to dab eyes on each mummy. Don't worry if you don't like mustard, the portion is so small, you won't taste it. We tried making eyes with ketchup and BBQ sauce, they match the hotdog too much. Once they cool a bit, munch away and enjoy your yummy mummies!

Spooky kooky cakes

Mark and I teamed up our creativity to make these. Make a regular batch of cupcakes, and a batch of green frosting. (Recipe to come at a later date.) Prepare frosting and monster parts. We used:
Gummy eyeball candy
airheads- cut and molded to desired shapes
white chocolate chips
black gel icing
marshmallows (large ones cut in half)

Ice cupcakes with a star or grass tip. Use candies to add eyes, tongues, eyebrows, and whatnot. Have fun!