Ingredients:

3 stalks broccoli
3 medium beets
wood toothpicks
3 hard-boiled eggs
assorted fresh vegetables (such as cherry tomato, pea pods, kohlrabies, radishes, sweet red peppers, sweet
yellow peppers
1 ounce spaghetti, cooked and drained
liquid green food coloring

Directions:

1. To make a haunted forest, first create trees.
2. Cut bottoms from stalks of broccoli to make 6-inch broccoli trees.
3. Slice beets about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick to make a base for broccoli trees.
4. Break wood toothpicks in half.
5. Insert three to four toothpick pieces into bottom of each broccoli stalk and then insert into a beet slice.
6. Stand broccoli upright.
7. Cover to keep moist.
8. To make egg ghosts, use a small knife or 1/2-inch aspic cutters to hollow out eyes and mouths to form a face.
9. Cut small pieces of ripe olive to press into hollowed-out areas for eyes or mouth, if desired.
10. Cover to keep moist.
11. Using your imagination, create creepy creatures with tomatoes, sweet peppers, pickles, olives, and radishes.
12. Place broccoli trees on serving platter. Cover surface of platter with shredded carrot.
13. Hide egg ghosts in forest along with creepy creatures.
14. Scatter piles of vegetables such as pea pods, beet slices, kohlrabi slices, olives, pickles, and/or any other
desired vegetables.
15. Add strips of red pepper to the broccoli branches.
16. To make moss, add a few drops of green food coloring to a small amount of water in a medium bowl.
17. Add cooked spaghetti and let stand about 5 minutes.
18. Drain and place over broccoli trees.
19. Keep platter covered until serving time.
20. If necessary, spritz platter with water to keep it moist.

Ingredients:

10 canned lychees
10 maraschino cherries, stems removed (or Drunken Cherries Aka Cherry Bomb)
10 chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Drain lychee`s on a paper towel.
2. Place cherries in with stem side out.
3. Place chips into where the stem would have been.
4. Garnish:.
5. Drizzle some of the cherry juice over the lychee`s to make it look blood shoot.
6. You can pre make these and cover these in vodka or rum for an adult drink drop one of these in each drink or
into a punch!

Ingredients:

8 slices pumpernickel bread
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup pimento stuffed olive
4 pimento stuffed olives

Directions:

1. Slice each of the 4 olives in half. Set aside.
2. Spread 1 oz cream cheese on 4 of the slices of pumpernickel.
3. Chop remaining olives and divide evenly, spreading over top of the 4 cream cheese-topped slices.
4. Top 4 sandwiches with remaining slices. Using a knife or large cookie cutter, cut each into a pumpkin shape.
5. Use small dots of cream cheese to attach eyes of reserved sliced olives.
6. VARIATION: Following directions above, make pumpkin-shaped peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Use dots of peanut butter to attach raisins for eyes and mouth.
7. Serve with slices of pumpkin bread cut into spooky shapes with cookie cutters, if desired.

Ingredients:

2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (use more or less according to taste)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Directions:

1. Process all ingredients together until the mixture has a lumpy consistency.

Ingredients:

2 English muffins
1/4 cup pizza sauce
2-4 stuffed green olives or pitted black olives, sliced (need 8 slices)
2-3 pieces mozzarella string cheese

Directions:

1. Toast English muffins.
2. Preheat oven to 350*.
3. Lay 4 muffin halves on baking sheet.
4. Spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce on each muffin half.
5. Set 2 olive slices in place for eyes on each muffin half.
6. Pull string cheese into pieces and lay on muffins above and under “eyes”, layering them to look like mummy
wrappings.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Ingredients:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon paprika
12 pimento stuffed olives

Directions:

1.Cut through hard cooked egg in half.
2. Scoop out yolk.
3. Place cooked yolk in a bowl and mash with a fork.
4. Stir in mayonnaise, paprika and salt to taste.
5. Mix thoroughly and fill egg white eye socket with mixture.
6. Smooth yolk mixture.
7. Press olive into yolk mixture so pimento is facing out.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Stir or beat in flour until well blended.

2. Divide dough in half. Flatten each portion into a 1-inch-thick disk. On a lightly floured board, with a floured rolling pin, roll dough, a portion at a time, to 1/8 inch thick.

3. With floured cookie cutters, cut dough into shapes (if dough is too soft to handle, freeze briefly until firm).

4. With a wide spatula or your fingers, transfer cookies to buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, pat into a ball, and repeat rolling and cutting.

5. Bake cookies in a 300° oven until golden, about 15 minutes; switch pan positions halfway through baking.

6. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on sheets to firm up, about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Powdered sugar icing. Controlling consistency of icing is simple. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water; if it’s too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar. To tint, add food coloring a few drops at a time.

For spreading: In a bowl, stir 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Tint with food coloring as desired. Spread icing onto cool cookies with a metal spatula. Let stand until icing is firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Makes about 1 cup, enough to coat 1 recipe of Favorite Cutout Cookies.

For piping: In a bowl, stir 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons water until smooth. Tint with food coloring as desired. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip or a heavy 1-quart zip-lock plastic bag. Seal plastic bag and squeeze icing into a corner; cut a tiny opening at corner of bag to squeeze icing out. Let cookies stand until icing is firm, about 5 minutes. Makes about 3/4 cup, enough for 1 recipe Favorite Cutout Cookies.

Chocolate Thumbprints

Ingredients:

* 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* About 1/3 cup turbinado sugar (see notes)
* Chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until well blended, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm but pliable, about 30 minutes.

3. Place about 1/3 cup turbinado sugar in a shallow bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in turbinado sugar to coat. Place 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment- lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie to make a 1/2-inch-deep indentation.

4. Bake cookies in a 325° oven until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely (if indentations have disappeared, make them again while cookies are warm).

5. Carefully fill each indentation with about 1 teaspoon chocolate ganache. Let stand until ganache is shiny and firm to the touch, about 1 hour (or chill for about 30 minutes).

Chocolate ganache. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (bottom of bowl should not touch water), occasionally stir 6 ounces chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons whipping cream, 1 tablespoon corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon butter until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until thick but not firm, about 15 minutes. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Dark Chocolate-Espresso Shortbread

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder (we tested with Café Bustello)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 3 ounces white chocolate baking bar (we tested with Ghirardelli)
* 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate baking bars

Preparation:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. Stir in dry ingredients; beat just until blended.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Place 2 portions on opposite ends of 1 baking sheet. Place remaining portion on second baking sheet.

Cover dough portions with plastic wrap; gently press or roll each portion of dough into a 5 1/2″ circle. Lightly score each round with a sharp knife into 6 or 8 wedges.

Bake rounds at 325° for 23 minutes or until shortbread feels firm to the touch. Gently score each round again with a sharp knife. Slide parchment from baking sheets onto wire racks. Let shortbread cool completely on parchment. Cut shortbread into wedges along scored lines.

Melt chocolate baking bars separately in small bowls in the microwave according to package directions. Partially dip wide end of each shortbread wedge in unsweetened chocolate. Place on a wax paper-lined jelly-roll pan, and freeze briefly to set chocolate. Then partially dip other half of wide end of each wedge in white chocolate. Freeze briefly to set white chocolate.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

* 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth and light. Beat in eggs, lemon peel, lemon juice, milk, and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

2. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.

3. Unwrap dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out, a portion at a time, to about 3/8 inch thick. Cut with a 3- or 4-inch round cutter and place cookies slightly apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

4. Bake cookies in a 350° oven until edges are golden, 10 to 14 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Powdered sugar icing. Controlling consistency of icing is simple. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water; if it’s too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar. To tint, add food coloring a few drops at a time.

For spreading: In a bowl, stir 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Tint with food coloring as desired. Spread icing onto cool cookies with a metal spatula. Let stand until icing is firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Makes about 1 cup.

For piping: In a bowl, stir 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons water until smooth. Tint with food coloring as desired. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip or a heavy 1-quart zip-lock plastic bag. Seal plastic bag and squeeze icing into a corner; cut a tiny opening at corner of bag to squeeze icing out. Let cookies stand until icing is firm, about 5 minutes. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons whole grain pastry flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
2 firm ripe peaches, sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, sliced

Directions:

1.Use your hands to flatten the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Season the chicken with the pepper and the salt. Coat with the flour, patting off the excess.
2.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 12 minutes, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 160°F and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken to a plate.
3.Add the remaining oil and the shallots to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shallots soften. Add the wine or broth and stir to scrape up any brown bits. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the peaches. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the wine reduces slightly. Return the chicken and any juices on the plate to the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the chicken is hot. Stir in the basil.

Chinese Spaghetti

Ingredients:

16 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 small bunch bok choy, coarsely chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,cut into thin strips
1/4 cup stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
pinch of ground black pepper

Directions:

1.Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions.
2.Meanwhile, heat a large wok or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium- high heat. Add the broccoli and bok choy and cook, stirring, constantly, for 4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Remove to a bowl.
3.Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the vegetables and spaghetti.
4.In a cup, combine the stir-fry sauce, oil, ginger, and pepper. Stir into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

Chicken Roulade

Ingredients:

2 cups (2 ounces) baby spinach
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped dry-packed sundried tomatoes
4 chicken cutlets (about 4 ounces each) or chicken breast halves, trimmed and pounded thin into cutlets
1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine

Directions:

1.Place the spinach in a large nonstick skillet with the washing water clinging to the leaves or a tablespoon or two of water if dried. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, or until wilted. Drain and press firmly with the back of a spoon or squeeze to remove excess moisture. There should be 1/2 cup spinach. Wipe out the skillet.
2.Meanwhile, in a medium nonstick skillet, combine the onion, 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon water. Turn the heat to medium. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onion sizzles. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring once, for about 3 minutes, or until softened. In a small bowl, combine the onion mixture, cheese, and spinach. Stir to mix. Set aside.
3.Sprinkle the tomatoes evenly on the smooth side of the cutlets.
4.Divide the spinach mixture among the cutlets. Spread to the edges of 3 sides, leaving about 1″ at the narrow tip free of spinach mixture. Loosely roll up the chicken, ending with the narrow tip, and secure with wooden picks.
5.Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the large skillet and set over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan. Cook, turning, for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides. Add the broth or wine, cover, and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Uncover and transfer chicken to a serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
6.Boil the skillet juices for about 5 minutes, or until reduced to a glaze. Diagonally slice the chicken into 1″-thick pieces. Drizzle with pan juices and serve.

California Pizza

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 ounces frozen skinned and boned chicken breasts
1/2 cup frozen chopped sweet red peppers
1/2 cup frozen chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded low-fat monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar; stir well. Let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in the cornmeal, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Stir in up to 2 1/4 cups of the flour to make a kneadable dough.
2.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, adding more of the remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary, for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Coat another large bowl with no-stick spray. Add the dough and turn to coat all sides. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 15 minutes.
3.Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with no-stick spray. Divide the dough in half; roll each half into a 12″ circle. Place the circles on the sheets. Brush the surface of each pizza with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
4.Thinly slice the chicken and place on the pizza. Top with the peppers, onions, basil, and garlic. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack and Parmesan.
5.Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown and the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Check by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into 1 piece of chicken.

Lime- Grilled Chicken With Blueberry Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, minced
1/4 cup blueberry pourable all-fruit
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
CHICKEN AND MARINADE:
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 shallots, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1.To make the salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries, pepper, onion, all-fruit, basil, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2.To make the chicken and marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, shallots, and pepper. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
3.Coat the unheated grill rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill.
4.Place the chicken on the rack and grill for 10 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160°F and the juices run clear. Serve with the salsa.

Spaghetti Squash Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup buttermilk or fat-free milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half
1/2 cup rice flour or unbleached or all-purpose flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese add to shopping list
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 3/4 cups spaghetti sauce

Directions:

1.Place the chicken in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish and pierce in several places with a fork. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.Place the squash, cut sides up, in a microwaveable dish. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 25 minutes, or until forktender. Using a fork, scrape the flesh from the squash. Keep warm.
3.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
4.In a shallow dish, combine the flour, 1/4 cup of the cheese, the garlic powder, and seasoning salt. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then return to the pan with the buttermilk, then coat again with flour. Place in another large baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce onto each chicken breast and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5.Bake for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160°F and the juices run clear.
6.Meanwhile, heat the remaining sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Serve with the chicken and spaghetti squash.

Brazilian Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 lime
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon hot pepper salsa add to shopping list
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup chunky salsa

Directions:

1.Grate the zest of the lemon and lime into a resealable bag. Squeeze the juice from both fruits into the bag and throw out the pulp and the seeds.
2.Mix in everything else except the chicken and chunky salsa.
3.Drop in the chicken, reseal the bag, and refrigerate for a few hours.
4.Grill the chicken, turning and basting with marinade a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink. Serve with the salsa.