The Pear Witch Project

INGREDIENTS
· Sharp knife
· Fresh green pear (makes 2 heads and noses)
· 2 raisins (eyes)
· 1 chocolate chip (wart)
· Red apple (mouth)
· Canned chocolate frosting
· Oreo ice-cream cone (hat)
· Large, soft chocolate cookie (hat); we used an Archway Dutch Cocoa Cookie
· Carrot (hair) and grater
DIRECTIONS1. Cut the pear in half lengthwise and remove the core (a parent's job). Place one pear half on a plate as shown.
2. Slice a piece off the top of the pear, cutting away from the forehead at an angle. Shape that piece into a nose; carve a notch into the witch's face to hold it, and set it in place.
3. Attach the eyes and wart by carving small circles in the face to hold them.
4. Cut a grin from the red apple. Carve out an area on the face to hold the grin, and put it in place.
5. To make the hat, use frosting to glue the cone to the cookie. Let the frosting harden a bit, then place the hat on the head.
6. Grate lengths of carrot hair and tuck them underneath the hat. Tip: If your child is too young to handle a knife, cut the nose and mouth for him and have him assemble the face with frosting.


Pecan Caramel Spiders

Ingredients
· 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
· 1 cup heavy cream
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup light corn syrup
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces
· 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
· 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
· Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional

Directions
1. Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.

2. Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.

3. Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

4. Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.

5. Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)

7. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

Boogers On A Stick

Ingredients:
· 8 ounces Jar cheez whiz
· Green food coloring
· 25 pretzel sticks -- or more

Directions:
1. Melt the cheeze whiz in the microwave or on top of the stove, according to directions on the jar. 2. Allow the cheese to cool slightly in the jar. 3. Using a long handled spoon, carefully stir about three drops of green food coloring into the warm cheese, using just enough to turn the cheese a delicate snot green. 4. To form boogers: Dip and twist the tip of each pretzel stick into the cheese, lift out, wait twenty seconds, then dip again. When cheese lumps reach an appealingly boogerish size, set pretzels, booger down, onto a sheet of waxed paper. 5. Allow finished boogers on a stick to cool at room temperature for ten minutes or until cheese is firm. 6. Gently pull boogers off waxed paper and arrange on a serving platter.Serving Suggestion: Place a bowl of chunky red salsa in the center of the platter so that guests can turn plain buggers into bloody ones.

Salty Bones

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 tube of refrigerated breadstick dough (we used an 11-ounce tube to make 12 bones)
Coarse salt
1. Unroll a tube of refrigerated breadstick dough and separate the rectangular pieces. 2. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough to lengthen it a bit and then use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut a 11/2-inch slit in the center of each end. 3. Roll or shape the resulting four flaps of dough into knobs that look like the ends of a bone. 4. Place the dough bones on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart, and sprinkle on a little coarse salt. Bake the bones until they are light golden brown, about 12 minutes

Melon Brain

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 small seedless watermelon
1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind. 2. Slice off the bottom of the melon to create a flat base that will keep it from rolling. With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain. 3. Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife (a parent's job) to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.