A Howling good time

By Staff
What better holiday to host a neighborhood party than Halloween – no gifts, no fuss, no fancy meals – just frightful fun!
Halloween parties are fun for all ages, so grab your family, your neighbors and your friends and have a Halloween spook fest to remember. Pumpkin carving and tasty treats will make your Halloween party a spooktacular success!
Gone are the days of jack-o-lanterns with triangle eyes and noses. Now, all ages
can easily create very cool-looking pumpkin masterpieces. Little tykes use the Kids' Fright Lights Kit, while older kids and adults use the Original Carving Kit.
Decorating with Pumpkin Masters carving kits has become a tradition for families everywhere, creating lots of fun and lasting memories. Start another family tradition and host a pumpkin-decorating contest. Everyone decorates a pumpkin and judges the pumpkins in different categories: scariest, cutest, best Halloween icon and more. Using many categories makes everyone a winner!
Howling Full Moon Cheesecake
28 Halloween Oreo Chocolate
Sandwich Cookies, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3 cups milk, divided
2 packages (4 serving size each) vanilla instant pudding
1-1/2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
Yellow food coloring
Decorations, such as cinnamon red hot candies and decorating gel
1. FINELY crush 26 cookies. Add to butter; mix well. Press
firmly on bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
2. BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on
medium speed until creamy. Gradually add 1 cup milk, beating until well blended. Add remaining 2 cups milk to pudding mixes in another bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Add to cream cheese mixture; mix well.
Gently stir in whipped topping and 2 drops food coloring.
3. POUR into prepared crust; smooth surface with spatula. Add a few additional drops of food coloring to top of cheesecake, spreading lightly for a shimmering "full moon" effect.
4. CUT remaining 2 cookies in half to resemble bats' wings. Add candies for "eyes," securing candies to cookies with decorating
gel. Place bats on top of cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours
or until set. Loosen cake from rim of pan before removing rim. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
Makes 16 servings.
Ghost Goo
Prep: 10 minutes plus refrigerating
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
2 cinnamon red hot candies
Halloween Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Assorted fruit, such as sliced apples, strawberries, bananas
1. MIX cream cheese and marshmallow creme until well blended. Refrigerate 2 hours. Mound into ghost shape on
serving plate. Use cinnamon candies for ghost's eyes.
2. SERVE as dip with cookies and fruit.
Dracula Cups
16 Halloween Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 cup boiling water
1 package (4 serving size) lime gelatin
Ice cubes
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
20 drops each green and yellow food coloring
White decorating icing
Black shoestring licorice, candy corn and cinnamon red hot candies
8 clear plastic cups (9 ounces)
1. CRUSH 8 cookies; set aside.
2. STIR boiling water into gelatin in large bowl 2 minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water
to measure 1 cup; add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice.
3. ADD whipped topping to gelatin mixture; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Add food colorings; mix well. Refrigerate
20 minutes or until mixture is very thick and will mound.
4. SPOON 1/4 cup gelatin mixture into each plastic cup. Top each with 1 tablespoon crushed cookies; cover with second layer of
1/4 cup gelatin mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set.
5. SPREAD tops of remaining cookies with decorating icing.
Decorate each to resemble Dracula's face, using licorice pieces for mouth, nose and eyebrows; candy corn for fangs and cinnamon candies for eyes. Insert a lollipop stick into side of each decorated cookie. Insert into each dessert just before serving.
Makes 8 servings.
coloring into 1/4 cup honey until desired color. Drip small
amounts of "blood" down inside edge of each cup just before
serving.
Spiders
Spread 6 Ritz Crackers with peanut butter; cover each with
second cracker to make sandwich. Insert 4 small pretzel pieces
into opposite sides of each cracker sandwich for "spider's legs." Spread tops of crackers with additional peanut butter and decorate with colored sprinkles. Add small candies or currants for "spider's eyes." Makes 3 servings, 2 cracker sandwiches each.
Mini Halloween Pizzas
Cut 4 (1-1/2-inch) Halloween shapes from each of
3 American cheese slices. Top each of 12 Ritz Crackers
with 1/2 teaspoon pizza sauce and 1 cheese shape.
Place 6 topped crackers on microwavable plate. Micro-
wave on HIGH 10 seconds or until cheese begins to
melt. Repeat with remaining topped crackers. Makes
4 servings, 3 topped crackers each.
Ghosts
Spread each of 6 Ritz Crackers with 1 teaspoon cream
cheese spread in a ghost shape. Add currants or small
candies for the "ghosts' eyes." Makes 2 servings,
3 topped crackers each.
Jack-o-Lanterns
Spread 6 Ritz Crackers with cheese spread. Decorate
with small apple pieces to resemble jack-o-lantern faces.
Add parsley sprigs for "pumpkin stems." Makes 2 servings,
3 topped crackers each.
For more recipes and great party ideas
go to www.kraftfoods.com