1 (11 oz) pkg pretzels
1 (10 1/2 oz) pkg miniature peanut butter filled butter flavored crackers (such as ritz bits)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter OR margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 (10 oz) pkg plain m&m’s
1 (18 1/2 oz) pkg candy corn

in a lg bowl, combine pretzels, crackers & peanuts, in a lg saucepan, combine sugar, butter & corn syrup. bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes. remove from the heat; stir in vanilla & baking soda (mixture will foam). pour over pretzel mixture & stir until coated. pour into a greased 15″x10″x1″ baking pan. bake at 250° for 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. break apart while warm. toss with m&m’s & candy corn. cool completely. store in airtight containers.

makes 16 cups

1 (1 lb) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
3 pieces string cheese
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
1 envelope fiesta ranch dip mix (or any other dip mix you like
1 pitted ripe olive
assorted crackers & fresh veggies

let dough rise according to pkg directions. place dough on a greased baking sheet. for the mummy, roll out dough into a 12″ oval that is narrower at the bottom. for the neck, make an indentation on each side, about 1″ down from the top. let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. arrange strips of string cheese over bread; bake 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. remove from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream & dip mix. chill until serving.

cut mummy in half horixontally. hollow out bottom half, leaving a 3/4″ shell. cut removed bread into cubes; set aside. place bread bottom on a serving plate. spoon dip into shell. replace top. for eyes, cut olive & position on head. serve with crackers, veggies, & reserved bread.

16 servings

1 brain-shaped jello mold
4 (3 oz) pkgs peach jello
3 cups boiling water
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups peach schnapps
4 drops blue food coloring
2 drops red food coloring
2 tsp water

lightly oil brain-shaped jello mold.

stir the peach jello with boiling water to dissolve the jello. allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. mix in the evaporatef milk & peach schnapps; pour into the prepared mold. refrigerate until set, 4-6 hours.

to decorate, dip the mold in very warm water (don’t let the water enter the top of the mold) to loosen; invert the mold on a serving platter & lift to leave the brain in place. mix blue & red food coloring in a small bowl with 2 tsp of water. use a small clean paintbrush to paint the coloring into the grooves of the brain. returm the brain to the refrigerator until the food coloring sets. serve cold.

12 servings

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen raspberries, thawed
2 1/2 cups cranberry juice
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 liters ginger ale
2 liters sparkling apple cider (non-alcoholic)
6 gummy snakes

make a frozen hand: wash & rinse the outside of a rubber glove. turn glove inside out & set aside. in a 4-cup measuring cup, combine the thawed raspberries & cranberry juice.

pour 2 cups of the raspberry mixture into a small saucepan. sprinkle the gelatin over & let stand 2 minutes. warm over low heat, stirring constantly, just until gelatin dissolves. mix back into the reserved raspberry mixture in the measuring cup.

pour raspberry mixture into the inverted glove. gather up the top of the glove & tie securely with kitchen twine. freeze until solid, or several days if possible.

to serve, carefully cut glove away from frozen hand. place frozen hand, palm side up, leaning against the side of a large punch bowl. pour in ginger ale & sparkling cider. garnish with gummy snakes.

18 servings

12 chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies (such as oreos)
1 (3.9 oz) pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 (3 oz) pkg gummy worms

place the cookies into a resealable plastic zipper bag & crush into crumbs with a rolling pin. for a more mudlike appearance, untwist the cookies & scape off the creme filling before crushing them.

whisk together the pudding mix with the milk in a bowl, stirring for 2 minutes. sprinkle about 1/3 of the crushed cookies into the bottom of a serving bowl. spoon the pudding over the crumbs. smooth out the top of the pudding, then top with the rest of the crushed cookies to resemble dirt. poke gummy worms halfway into the dirt. refrigerate until serving.

4 servings

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 (1.25 oz) packet meatloaf seasoning mix
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
3 (10 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into fourths
1/2 carrot, cut into 1/8″ thick slices
1 tbs frozen green peas

preheat the oven to 350°.

in a lg bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, egg, bread crumbs, & meatloaf seasoning. use your hands to mix until well blended. measure out 1/3 cupfuls of the meat mixture & mold around a cube of cheese like a meatball. shape into a point at one end & lengthen the body a bit by rolling between your hands. place your “rat” into a shallow baking dish, & continue with the remaining meat. insert pieces of uncooked spaghetti into the rounded end of the rats to make tails.

in a medium bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, sugar & worcestershire sauce. pour over the rats in the dish & cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. uncover the dish & continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce to glaze the rats.

while the rats finish baking, heat the peas & carrots in a small bowl in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

carefully transfer the rats to a serving platter so that their delicate tails don’t fall off. press peas into the pointy end to make eyes, & insert carrot slices to make ears. spoon some of the tomato sauce around them & serve.

4 servings

1/4 cup butter OR margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
5 cups milk
1 (46 oz) can v8 juice OR 4 (11 1/2 oz) cans picante v8 juice
1 cup frozen pearl OR small whole onions, thawed

in a large saucepan, melt butter. stir in the flour, salt & pepper until blended. gradually whisk in milk. bring to a boil; cook & stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. in another saucepan, bring v8 to a boil. reduce heat; gradually whisk in white sauce. add onions; heat through.

10 servings (about 2 3/4 qts)

NOTE: IF A SMOOTHER SOUP IS DESIRED, COOL & PUREE IN BATCHES IN A BLENDER BEFORE ADDING THE ONIONS.

creepy crawler ice ring (recipe below)
1 cup boiling water
2 (4 serving size) pkgs lime jello
3 cups cold water
1 1/2 qts lemon-lime flavored soda, chilled
1/2 cup superfine sugar
additional gummy worms (optional)

prepare creepy crawler ice ring.

pour boiling water over jello in a heatproof punch bowl; stir until jello dissolves. stir in cold water. add soda & sugar; stir well (mixture will foam for several minutes).

unmold ice ring by dipping bottom of mold briefly into hot water. float ice ring in punch. serve cups of punch garnished with gummy worms, if desired

approx 10 (8 oz) servings

CREEPY CRAWLER ICE RING

1 cup gummy worms OR other creepy crawler candy
1 qt lemon-lime gatorade

arrange gummy worms in the bottom of a 5-cup ring mold; fill mold with gatorade. freeze until solid, 8 hours to overnight.