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"Bewitching" Treats Involve Kids In Halloween Festivities

(ARA) - Creating fun food for Halloween is always a great way to involve children in the festivities. Here are a few fun and easy ideas for Halloween treats that are sure to create quite a scare from the chef instructors at The Art Institute of Los Angeles.

Skewered Eyeballs (Serves 20)

• 10 eggs
• 1/2-3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 7-ounce jar of green olives with pimientos
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Toothpicks

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Cook over high heat for 10 to12 minutes.

Cool the eggs. When they're cool enough to handle, peel away the eggshells and cut the eggs in half.

Take the yolks from the eggs and mash all of the yolks in a bowl, adding the mayonnaise. You should end up with a mixture the consistency of paste.

Fill the egg-white halves with the yolk and mayonnaise mixture.

Press an olive into the middle of the mixture, with the pimiento "looking" up.

Sparingly dot the yolk and mayonnaise mixture with red pepper flakes and then, for effect, stab each "eyeball" with a toothpick. (This is truly a case of form meeting function!)

Eyes-A-Poppin' (Serves as many as you make!)

Soak pitted prunes for 30 minutes in brandy. Stuff prunes with cream cheese and place a raisin or dried cranberry in the center.

Voodoo Doll Meat Loaf (Serves 6)

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove, crushed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 26 ounces spaghetti sauce
• Several strings of thick spaghetti
• Olives with pimiento filling
• Several strands of pimiento
• Corn kernels
• Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl. In an ungreased baking pan, form the mixture into a body.

Create a head, two arms, two legs and a torso. Use the olives for eyes. Create lips with the strands of pimiento, and fill in the mouth with corn kernels for teeth.

Poke small holes in the skull and stick 2" strands of spaghetti in each hole Use at least 12 strands to create hair.

Pour spaghetti sauce around the body and bake for 60 to 75 minutes.

Liberally spike the voodoo body with toothpicks after removing from oven. As you do this, try to picture an ex-boss. whom you have special feelings.

Gazpacho con Ojos (Serves 12)

• 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound cucumbers, peeled and chopped finely
• 8 ounces onion, chopped finely
• 4 ounces red pepper, without seeds and pith, chopped finely
• 4 ounces yellow pepper, without seeds and pith, chopped finely
• Clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 pint tomato juice
• 3 ounces red wine vinegar
• 4 ounces olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 jar green olives w/pimiento filling

Combine all but the two last ingredients in a blender and blend until liquefied. Put pimiento-filled olives in gazpacho and serve.

Soup of the Dead (Serves 6-8)

Be sure to write this recipe for your guests using the substitute ingredients provided by our culinary specialist, chef Frank N. Stine. Also, place large rocks by your guests' bowls so that they will be prepared to beat down any of the animal parts that are still moving!

• 1/2 pound smoked kielbasa, cut into half-inch chunks (farmyard byproducts)
• 6 chicken wings (baby bats)
• 6 lamb riblets (gopher legs)
• 4 to 6 chicken feet (witches' feet)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 10-3/4 ounce cans tomato soup
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Several fresh basil leaves

Rinse the meat and place in large pot with enough water to cover. Add the salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until boiling. Simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked.

In a separate large pot, mix the tomato soup with one cup of water and one cup of broth in another large pot. Stir in basil and cook until just beginning to boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

When the meat is ready, transfer it into the soup mixture. Ladle the brew into individual bowls and, as an afterthought, bring the pot to the table to ladle up a witch foot for each guest!

Buying chicken feet in bulk is the cost effective way to go! Since you've got them, why not boil up a batch, slice a few baguettes, place a chicken's foot inside studded with ketchup, and leave the claw hanging out the end of the bun. It's guaranteed your guests will give you a hand!

Frozen Jack's (Serves many!)

• 24 navel oranges
• 24 cinnamon sticks
• 1 gallon chocolate ice cream

Carefully cut off the tops of the oranges. Hollow out the orange, leaving the thick shell of the navel orange. Cut faces into the oranges (you can even do this as a contest or party activity). Pack the ice cream into the orange, without letting any ice cream come out of the eyes, nose or mouth. Cut a small hole in the top and put the top back onto the orange. Stick a piece of cinnamon stick in the hole, to make it look like a pumpkin stem. Freeze for at least three hours.

Courtesy ARA Content