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Keep your Halloween sweet tooth happy

‘FRIGHTENING’ FOOD — This is the time for Halloween parties with a hint of fright in the food served. Here are some ghostly looking characters made with marshmallows and chocolate frosting, doing their haunting on top of moist, homemade chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate is a big favorite for Halloween—think about all the chocolate bars that will be gathered into the trick or treat bags and probably be sampled on the way home, so these cupcakes will be tempting. -- Contributed

I have a cookbook that has to be from the late 1940s, as it was my go-to for making cookies and cakes. Yes, I did make cakes from scratch when I was 10 years old.

The McHugh kitchen had two round cake pans with metal levers inside the bottom of the pans that went up the side and had a little handle. When the cake was done and cooled 10 minutes, the lever was moved around the bottom of the pan, and the baked product came out like clockwork.

I hunted for a set of those for years after I got married and finally found them 10 years ago in a catalog that sells things from the past. No more getting upset when a cake sticks to the bottom of the pan and comes out in chunks, especially when you are baking it for a party or to give away.

Our other baking pans were two 12-cup muffin tins and two cookie sheets that were blackened from so much use. For a long time, the only way to mix dough or batter was with a big wooden spoon and lots of arm power. The recipe I am using here does say to beat by hand for 2 minutes or to use a medium-speed mixer. They were becoming popular — we just didn’t have one until later when their mixing abilities were more finessed. My dad didn’t believe in buying the first things on the market, as they became more perfected as time went by.

I am printing a recipe for a quick method cake, published by the company that manufactured Crisco. Of course, all their recipes called for that brand of shortening or they won’t turn out as light, rich and delicious — their words not mine.

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This cake is a quick method recipe that did away with pre-creaming the shortening and sugar, only sifting flour once and adding eggs unbeaten, making for fewer cooking utensils to wash afterward. Most recipes today go by these rules, except now the flour is pre-sifted at the factory.

There were ads in early 1960 showing children taking mom’s flour sifter to the beach to sift sand as she did not need it anymore. You will notice that the ingredients are not listed in the order they are now either. But this works. Pay attention to the directions.

Chocolate Cupcakes

with Orange Icing

2 cups cake flour, sifted if you still have a sifter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 squares melted chocolate

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk (additional)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Measure flour, sugar, shortening, salt, soda, melted chocolate and 3/4 c. milk into a mixing bowl. Blend by hand or mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in baking powder, the other 1/2 cup milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend by hand or mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into cupcake tins lined with paper liners or greased and floured well. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. This makes 30 cupcakes so you might borrow an extra tin if you only have two 12-cup pans; wait until the first are baked; or bake a small cake with the rest of the batter.

Orange Icing

1/3 cup shortening or butter

3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange rind, now called zest

1/3 cup orange juice

Drop or two of orange food coloring

Blend shortening, 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar and orange rind until fluffy. Add the orange food coloring. Alternate adding orange juice and remaining confectioners’ sugar until well blended and creamy. If the color is not bright enough, add a tiny drop more. It might not take as much of either the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice or orange coloring as called for.

Note: You can make the ghostly decorations by making the following chocolate icing. To make the marshmallow decorations, use sharpened household scissors and cut jagged edges on one side of the marshmallows. At the top use a tooth pick or a very small frosting tip and make the round eyes and mouth. Put down a large dab of chocolate frosting, or you can use the orange, and put the marshmallow ghost on top.

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Now that we have the cupcakes done, thoughts should go toward an appetizer that is different, quite tasty and served warm for the party –Cheese Olivettes, with an olive hidden in the cheesy dough surrounding it. It is from the Anne Bryn Saving the Day Cookbook.

Cheese Olivettes

8 ounces, 2 cups, shredded mild cheddar cheese

8 tablespoons, 1 stick, salted butter at room temperature

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank’s Redhot, if desired

1 clove garlic, minced or a dash of granulated garlic

5 3/4-ounce jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, about 48

Place cheese and butter in a large bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Add flour, pepper sauce and garlic. Blend on low speed until just combined, about 15 seconds. Increase speed to medium and blend until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds more. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until firm, about hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Break off 1-inch pieces of dough and tuck a stuffed olive into it. Roll the dough between your palms so it completely covers the olivette. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough and olives, placing them 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

Note: A mixture of Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses and be used rather than the cheddar cheese. Also American cheese can be used.

Another note: If you want to make them ahead. Put the unbaked olivettes into the freezer on an uncovered baking sheet for about an hour. Transfer the frozen olivettes to a plastic bag and seal. Put back in the freezer. As you need them, there will be appetizers available. Allow to thaw for 30 minutes and bake as directed. Makes four dozen. You also can take the frozen olivettes to a party, let them thaw there and bake fresh on the spot.

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A warm cider drink is needed if the trick or treat night is cold or for any Halloween party. This recipe is from the Christmas or Any Holiday Cookbook.

Hot Spiced Cider

1 quart apple cider

8 whole cloves

1 large cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 lemon or orange slices, or as many as desired

Combine cider, cloves, cinnamon stick, lemon juice in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Cover and heat 30 minutes. Strain and serve garnished with the fruit slices. Makes six servings.

Note: You can put the hot cider in a crock pot turned on low to keep it warm if the guests want seconds. Be sure to double the recipe for more than six guests or for these wanting seconds.

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Since pumpkins and Halloween go hand in hand, here is a recipe you could try out on guests and see if they can guess that it’s made with a bit of pumpkin puree added. The recipe is from the 80 Years of Good Country Cooking around West Virginia cookbook.

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup margarine

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 cups butterscotch chips

10-ounce jar marshmallow creme

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medum heat, stirring constantly. Cook until candy thermometer registers 234 degrees or a soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Stir in butterscotch chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Spread in greased 9-by-13-inch dish. Cool and cut into squares. Makes 24 pieces.

(McCoy can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstronline.com.)

'FRIGHTENING' FOOD -- This is the time for Halloween parties with a hint of fright in the food served. Here are some ghostly looking characters made with marshmallows and chocolate frosting, doing their haunting on top of moist, homemade chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate is a big favorite for Halloween--think about all the chocolate bars that will be gathered into the trick or treat bags and probably be sampled on the way home, so these cupcakes will be tempting. -- Contributed

‘FRIGHTENING’ FOOD — This is the time for Halloween parties with a hint of fright in the food served. Here are some ghostly looking characters made with marshmallows and chocolate frosting, doing their haunting on top of moist, homemade chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate is a big favorite for Halloween–think about all the chocolate bars that will be gathered into the trick or treat bags and probably be sampled on the way home, so these cupcakes will be tempting. — Contributed

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