Food
Scare Up Some Fun: Plan a Halloween Party
T
his Halloween, why not put a fun twist on pumpkin
carving by making some Jack O’Melons? Watermel-
ons carve up boo-tifully, and you can eat the fruit
right away, making it easy to scare up some delicious Hal-
loween fun. Watermelons are a healthy addition to any Hal-
loween party. They’re the lycopene leader among fresh
produce, are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and
contain 6 percent of the daily value for vitamin B6 — all of
which boost your immune system.
Tiki Mask Table Decoration
1 oblong seedless watermelon
Pencil or green dry erase marker
Melon baller
Paring and kitchen knives
Spoon
Channel knife
Toothpick
Slice 1/4 inch off end of watermelon to provide a stable
base.
Use pencil to draw the face, making adjustments in scale
to your particular watermelon.
Use melon baller to scoop out nostrils; use small paring
knife to clean up edges.
Next use paring knife to cut out the inside mouth area,
leaving room for the teeth.
Next cut individual teeth, using the same small paring
knife, and use a spoon to dig out a large area of flesh for the
mouth cavity.
Next carve out eyes, digging a deep cavity in each, for
drama. Use a channel knife to carve details.
Use some carved out pieces to cut a “bone” decoration for
top of head, and attach with a toothpick.
Carving Tips
• Have the watermelon at room temperature when you
carve. The cuts will be easier to make. You can chill the
watermelon in the refrigerator after cutting and before
serving.
• After you’ve drawn the design on the rind, insert tooth-
picks in key places to use as guides for your cuts.
B
e the ghostess with the mostess
this Halloween, and throw a
wickedly wonderful celebration.
Start by scaring up some fun with an
array of graveyard goodies.
There’s no bones about it, a spooktacu-
lar skeleton cake will make for a boo-
tiful Halloween centerpiece. Using a
skeleton casket pan makes this impres-
sive dessert — filled with fall flavors like
cinnamon and apples — easy to achieve.
Simply decorate with icing and watch as
your skeleton comes back from the
grave.
For added fright, surround the coffin
with Spooky Pop Cupcakes — swirled
with brightly-colored icing and things
that go bump in the night. Just be sure to
pair sweets with a be“witch”ing bever-
age and you’ll be caught in a web of
friends all evening long.
Back From the Grave
Cake
Makes about 12 servings
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4
teaspoon salt
1
cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3
eggs
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4
cups sweetened applesauce
1-1/4 cups diced Granny Smith apple
(about 1 medium apple)
1
can (16 ounces) White Decora-
tor Icing
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare pan
with vegetable pan spray.
In medium bowl, combine flour, bak-
ing powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with
electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add
eggs, one at a time, and vanilla; mix well.
Alternately add flour mixture and apple-
sauce to butter mixture. Spread about 1/2
of cake batter so that it reaches the first
horizontal line inside the pan. Sprinkle
diced apples evenly over batter. Top with
remaining batter, smoothing out the top.
Bake 58 to 62 minutes, or until tooth-
pick inserted in center of cake comes out
clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan
and cool completely on cooling grid.
Decorate cooled cake with tip 5 and
decorator icing.
Spooky Pop
Cupcakes
Each cupcake serves 1
12
solid color baking cups.
1
can (16 ounces) White
Decorator Icing
Orange, Green or other
desired Icing Color
1
can (16 ounces) Choco-
late Decorator Icing
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cav-
ities of standard muffin pan with
baking cups.
Bake your favorite cupcakes in
prepared pan. Cool completely.
Place some cupcakes in Skeleton
Cupcake Wraps. Tint white decora-
tor icing with icing color. Use a
spatula to ice smooth or pipe tip
1M icing swirls on cupcake top.
Insert icing decorations..
Popcorn Ball
Monsters
Each serves 1
1
jar (about 7 ounces)
marshmallow crème
Violet and Orange Icing
colors
4
cups popped popcorn,
divided
White Candy Melts Candy, melt-
ed following package instructions
Large Candy Eyeballs
Animal and People Faces Sprin-
kle Sets, candy corn, Jumbo Con-
fetti Sprinkles
Green and Black Candy Strings
Spray Dimensions Multi-Cavity
Mini Pumpkin Pan cavities with
vegetable pan spray.
In large microwave-safe bowl,
microwave marshmallow crème 1
minute at 50% power. Remove
bowl from microwave and divide
marshmallow crème in half; stir
icing color into each half (tint
slightly darker than how you want
your finished treat to look). Stir 2
cups popped popcorn into each
Page 8 The Portland Skanner October 10, 2012
marshmallow mixture mixing until
evenly coated. Press popcorn treat
mixture in bottom cavities only of
pumpkin pan to 1 1/2 in. deep;
reserve some unmolded popcorn.
Let set; unmold.
Attach 2 popcorn ball halves
together on one edge, using
unmolded popcorn to prop oppo-
site edge open. Using melted
candy, attach Candy Eyeballs and
sprinkles and candy corn teeth, and
Jumbo Confetti nose. Attach candy
strings for hair.
Peanut Butter 3D
Sandwich
Cookies
Makes about 1 dozen sandwich
cookies
3/4
cup solid vegetable short-
ening
1/4
cup creamy peanut butter
1/2
cup firmly-packed light
brown sugar
1/3
cup granulated sugar
1
egg
1/2
teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Icing
Kelly Green, Orange Icing Color
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray
Sandwich Pan with vegetable pan
spray.
In large bowl, beat shortening
and peanut butter with electric
mixer until light and fluffy. Add
brown sugar and granulated sugar;
mix well. Add egg and vanilla,
mixing until smooth. Add flour;
mix well. Press dough into pan
cavities, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until
lightly browned. Remove from pan
to cooling grid; cool completely.
Meanwhile, tint portions of icing
green and orange. To assemble
cookies, spread icing on half of the
cookies; sandwich with second
cookie. Pipe details with icing.