Step Into My Web Said the Spider to the Fly

Boo!  Happy Halloween!  Are you dressing up?  Going to a party?  Taking children trick-or-treating?  Handing out candy?  

I remember Halloween was magical when we were kids (when candy was a lot scarcer than it is now!)  It was heaven if the night was warm but even if you had to put your costume under or over your winter coat, you weren't going to miss out.  I remember one year it was raining, I was getting tired, and I was dragging my paper bag of candy along the ground and it...broke.  What a tragedy!

I also remember staying up half the night to finish a costume for one of my girls.  And trudging along behind them with an umbrella in bad weather.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I also remember the year my husband and I were invited to a party.  I dressed up as Jack Sparrow and he was Austin Powers.  Believe it or not, our host and hostess did not recognize us!  Another year we were Indiana Jones and Cruella de Ville.

Spider Web Florentines

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 light brown sugar

2 tsps. honey

1 TBL flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pulse together the pecans and oatmeal in a food processor until finely ground.  Melt butter and add sugars and honey.  Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugars are melted and mixture is simmering.  Remove from heat and stir in pecan mixture, flour, salt and cinnamon.  Transfer to a bowl and chill for 30 minutes.

Mounds 2 teaspoons of dough, one on top of the other and place 2 to 3 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Flatten stacked mounds to 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Bake until cookies spread and are golden throughout, about 10 minutes.  Coll completely.

Place chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir until melted.  Transfer to a resealable plastic bag.  Snip one corner to make a pastry bag.  Pipe chocolate onto each cookie in a spiral, working out from the center.  Pipe lines from the outside in and back again all the way around.  Let set a room temperature or refrigerate.   

The "dough" after refrigeration, was rather like wet sand...not particularly easy to work with but I managed.  The cookies spread much more than I anticipated so beware!  I also snipped too large a corner off my baggie and it was hard to make my chocolate lines as thin as I wanted.  Hey, I'm a writer, not an artist!  No matter--they are delicious! I managed to keep hubby away from them long enough to get a couple of pictures.

Melt butter

Mix white and brown sugar

Grind oats and toasted pecans

Place on cookie sheet

Bake until golden and spread

If desired, decorate with chocolate to look like spider webs

Moi as Cruella de Ville

Hubby as Indiana Jones (he already owned the hat and jacket!)

Come visit my web site here.  Or join the conversation on my Facebook page.  Or on Twitter @pegcochran

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  XXXOOO 

Peg Cochran

For Kindle, Nook and all other platforms

Out Now from Berkley Prime Crime

Happy #Halloween Week! This packs a punch!

Happy Halloween!!

From Daryl aka Avery:

I love to dress up, don’t you? There’s something flat-out fun about putting on a costume. You can become whoever you wish to be for one full night. I rarely can get my husband to dress for Halloween. It’s a little silly, for his taste. But we went on a Disney cruise with the family to celebrate a big anniversary for us, and I was able to wrangle him into a pirate costume. Whee! Think I can talk him into putting it on for tomorrow night? Probably not. It’s okay, once a year is a big step!  LOL

Anyway, are you having kids over to celebrate? If so, you probably have all your decorations up, your pumpkin cut, your bagged candy poured into a bowl, and your costume ready.

But did you remember to make punch?  I’ve been scouring the Internet and magazines and cookbooks for colorful (maybe frightful) food and décor to include in my third Cookbook Nook book, which will come out next October (right before Halloween); it features a spoo-o-o-ky theme!  Okay, maybe not spooky, but fun!

While thumbing through the latest Food Network magazine, I saw this punch recipe and knew I had to try it. It isn’t hard to make. And the frozen hand isn’t hard to do, either. It involves freezing punch in a non-powdered latex kitchen glove. Cool, right?

Kids (especially teens) will get a kick out seeing a floating ice hand in their drink. I’ve got to tell you, my husband nearly screamed when he opened the freezer and saw a frozen hand! I’m trying to come up with other ideas that might scare him tomorrow. Suggestions?  (Cue: maniacal cackle.)

This punch is fun for all ages. I’m sure if you want to make it for adults, you can lace it with your choice of hard stuff.

By the way, check out my Pinterest Halloween board to see some of the décor I’ve found online.

HALLOWEEN PUNCH

(tweaked from recipe found in

Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:

(serves 6-12)

3 cups cranberry raspberry juice

3 cups Hawaiian punch (or similar)

1 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper

1 16-ounce bottle ginger ale

For the “hand”:

1 extra cup cranberry raspberry juice

1 powder-free latex glove.

Directions:

Fill the power-free latex glove with cranberry raspberry juice. Use a rubber band to tie closed. Freeze at leat 6 hours or overnight. (I hung the glove, using a chip bag clip) on the door side of my freezer, fingers pointing down.

Chill all the rest of the ingredients.

When ready to serve, combine all the liquids. Remove the “hand” from the freezer. Set into the middle of the bowl, curved side up. If desired, cut and peel off the glove, though warning: a finger or two might fall off.

Bubbly fun!

Taking a cue from Cleo, 

I'm starting to make pdfs that you can download.

 Click on the picture to do so.

In addition to punch, I also made this cute hamburger. It's simply a hamburger with cheese cut out (no recipe), but for the little ones in your crowd, they'll enjoy! Needs cheese and a soft-edged knife. Enjoy!

Other fun recipes recently shared in my most recent newsletter:

  Halloween cupcakes and Pumpkin Chili.

And take a look at this silly thing. I saw this on a buffet. Maybe you can figure out where to put it in your decor. It's an apple "jaw" with teeth. I used pumpkin seeds. I saw it made with almond slivers. Too fun, right?

* * * * * * * 

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Check out our website.

Next up: 

Days of Wine and Roquefort Feb 2014, preorder here

Inherit the Word March 2014, preorder here

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake from Cleo Coyle (A Great Use for Halloween Treats)

The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is the number one most popular candy in America. This delicious marriage of chocolate and peanut butter is also the number one favorite of this blog's followers. 

(To see the results of the poll you took last week, click here.)

To see the results of last week's
Top 10 Candies Poll, click here.

Many of you left fun comments about your favorite candies from past Halloweens. Some of you even shared brands that I'd forgotten about or were new to me, including: the Violet Crumble (made by an Australian candy company); the Triple Decker; and the ingenious Sky Bar. 

Among the comments was this one from ceblain, which mentioned a marriage of something more than chocolate and peanut butter. She wrote:

"...For our 50th wedding anniversary in November our daughter and son-in-law are taking us (and our three grandchildren) to PA and our first two day or three day stop is in Hershey....Should be fun and it will be wonderful to be with our daughter and her family as we celebrate a half century of being married."

Happy 50th Anniversary, ceblain! I would love to send you the Reese's Mug as an anniversary gift from me and my husband, Marc. We have a long way to go for 50 years, but we certainly hope we'll make it, too! Contact me via my public mail box and I'll get your address to send you the mug. My mail box is CoffeehouseMystery(at)gmail(dot)com.

BTW - The winner of last week's comment-to-win contest (via random number generator) was Wendy West! 

Congratulations, Wendy,
you won the Reese's Latte Mug!

Thanks to everyone who entered and left comments. Stay tuned for more giveaways as I count down the weeks to the release of my new Coffeehouse Mystery (Billionaire Blend).

As for my recipe this week, I was (obviously) inspired by America’s favorite candy choice (and yours). All you need is a few ingredients, including a handful of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. So go ahead and pinch a few from your kids' trick-or-treat bags. They won't mind, especially after they take one bit of this amazing cake. So let's start baking! 

~ Cleo

Cleo Coyle, who thinks
chocolate and peanut butter
make a good marriage, writes
The Coffeehouse Mysteries
with her husband.

Cleo Coyle's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

This classic cake is out of this world. Truly. My husband, Marc, absolutely flipped for it. It's impressive to serve because it's full of flavor and (despite the candy on top) not overly sweet.

While this Devil's Food may appear sinful, the peanut butter actually brings protein and nutrition to the dessert. Sure, the candy scattered on top looks decadent, but in truth it's no more than 4 snack size peanut butter cups chopped finely (after freezing--one of my tips for keeping the candy intact during the chopping process). 

For those of you who don't bake much, you'll be happy to know that I used a cake mix starter for this recipe, which means you can bake this crowd-pleasing cake without one worry that it will fall or come out uneven; and, I promise you, my added ingredients will do wonders for the flavor. 

And speaking of flavor: I think it's the vanilla in the peanut butter icing that takes it over the top, evoking that delicious Reese's peanut butter filling. And away we go...

To download this recipe in a PDF document that you can print, save, or share, click here.

Makes one 9x13-inch sheet cake

Cake Ingredients:

1 standard box of Devil’s Food cake mix 

2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup low fat milk (1% or 2% is best) 

1/3 cup brewed and cooled coffee (*see my note)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil 

3 large eggs, lightly beaten with fork

Ingredients to finish:

Peanut butter Icing (recipe included)

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped into small pieces (In my photos, I used 4 "snack size" peanut butter cups; not regular size and not minis or miniatures) 

*Cleo’s Coffee Note: You will not taste the coffee in your cake. Coffee is a way to boost the chocolate flavor in any recipe. If you’d rather not use coffee, no worries; simply increase the milk to 1-1/3 cups.

Directions: First preheat your oven to 350° F. and put your peanut butter cups in the freezer (this will allow you to slice them without smushing them). 

Get out a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and lightly coat the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

Place the “Cake Ingredients” into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer blend on low until ingredients are combined and then beat on high for 2 full minutes. (You are beating air into the batter, so don’t cut it short.) 

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes in an oven well-preheated to 350° F. Do not over-bake. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (with no batter clinging to it). Allow to cool, and then frost with my Peanut Butter Icing (recipe included). Garnish with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (see my tips below). 

Cleo’s garnishing tips: Be sure to freeze the peanut butter cups before chopping them. Slice carefully, making sure to keep the pieces small but intact (do not smush them). Finally, when you place them on the cake, do it one piece at a time, turning the peanut butter side up and putting the ridge side down into the icing (as you see in my finished photos). This will give your cake a more pleasing appearance.

Cleo’s
Peanut Butter Icing 

Frosts the top of one 9x13-inch sheet cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 

4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), softened (room temperature) 

4-1/2 teaspoons milk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions: Using an electric mixer, cream the peanut butter and softened butter until fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla. Blend on low speed until smooth. Finally, add the powdered sugar and beat on high until you have a light and fluffy frosting. (If your climate is dry, and the frosting is still too stiff, add 1 to 2 more teaspoons of milk and beat again.)

Did you know the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was invented by a former dairy farmer named H.P. Reese who worked for Milton Hershey as a shipping foreman?

Inspired by Mr. Hershey, Reese started his own candy company in the basement of his home, using Hershey’s chocolate to make the peanut butter cup. After the death or Mr. Reese, his six sons merged their company with Hershey’s—not unlike their culinary product. 

And speaking of culinary products:

I certainly hope this cake is one you will... 

Eat with (Halloween) joy!
~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here. 

Visit my online coffeehouse here.

To view the
Coffeehouse Mystery
book trailer, click here.

 

Billionaire Blend: 

A Coffeehouse Mystery

Countdown to Release:

December 3rd

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling

works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark

Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the

12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.

Halloween Pudding Parfaits

I have taken some good natured teasing about some of my Halloween dishes. The mere picture of my Chicken Scary-aki, for instance, is rumored to have sent grown men screaming from the room. I don't think my vampire cupcake sent anyone into a panic, but you never know.




So for Halloween this year, I tried to come up with something a little less gruesome. It seemed to me that Halloween was always a very busy late afternoon and evening at our house when I was growing up. Preparing the candy ready for the trick-or-treaters, feeding everyone, getting costumes on. There was the inevitable argument about not wearing a coat or hat that would spoil the costume and then friends usually joined us for the big house-to-house event, so guests added a whole other dimension to Halloween night.

The point is, that unless you're fabulously organized, Halloween might be a bit of a rush in your household, too. So I tried to come up with something that can be made rather quickly, and the result is a Halloween Pudding Parfait. I really love the colors. I think they're pretty enough to offer to adults at a Halloween dinner party, and who doesn't love pudding?

If you're not inclined to make your own pudding, I think you could accomplish this with ready made pudding, food coloring and whipped cream. It shouldn't take long to assemble them. They look best in a V-shaped glass, like these parfaits, but really, you can use any shape glass. I do recommend using one with a rather wide mouth, though. A tulip champagne glass, for instance, would be very pretty, but you would have to pipe everything into the glasses, which would eat up time. As it is, I piped the whipped cream into the bottoms because they were too narrow for a spoon. But I spooned the rest in.

Use your finger to mash each layer down a little bit. I have air holes in my first ones. They don't matter of course, but they're prettier without them. I'm including my favorite chocolate and vanilla pudding recipes, but feel free to use your favorites, whether they are homemade or from a mix.

You could easily substitute an orange layer for the gold layer that I have, or skip the chocolate (did I hear gasps?) and go with traditional orange, yellow and white like candy corn.

I loved the pictures of Tonka and the Maffini princesses in their costumes, pained expressions and all. I figured it was time a feline showed up in costume. I don't think Mochie minded the mouse hat so much but he thought it was undignified for a cat to pretend to be a mouse. Felines!

 

Chocolate Pudding

(modified from Have Your Cake and Eat It Too, by Susan G. Purdy

2 cups nonfat milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus two tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa

1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch of salt

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 - 2 tablespoons butter

1. Pour the milk into a Pyrex measuring cup.

2. Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in the pot. Whisk together and get rid of any lumps. Use the whisk like a spoon, it’s just more efficient in breaking up the lumps.

3. Pour the cold milk into the pot and whisk until blended.

(Note that you still haven't turned on the stove!)

4. Measure the corn syrup in the same Pyrex cup. Add to the pot and whisk in.

5. Turn the burner to medium high and bring to a gentle boil, using the whisk as a spoon and stirring. You may need to turn down the heat when it begins to bubble. Cook so it gently bubbles, stirring with the whisk for one minute. It will thicken.

6. Remove from heat temporarily.

7. Break the egg into the same Pyrex cup and whisk with a small whisk (or a fork).

Drop a tiny amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg and whisk immediately to temper it. Add a little bit more and whisk. (This is so the egg won’t seize up and cook when it’s added to the warm liquid.)

8. Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk in.

9. Bring to a gentle boil again and let cook for one minute, stirring the whole time.

10. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the butter.

1234 Vanilla Pudding

1 egg

2 cups of skim or non-fat milk

1/3 cup sugar (if you're watching sugar, you can take out a teaspoon or two)

1/4 cup corn starch

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

dash of salt

turmeric (roughly 3/4 teaspoon) or food coloring

Place the corn starch, sugar, and dash of salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Using a whisk, mix the dry ingredients. Pour the cold milk over the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, blend them.  (You're not using the whisk to whisk, just to blend and stir.)  Crack the egg into the empty milk measuring cup and whisk (if you don't have a tiny whisk, use a fork) thoroughly.  

Turn on the burner to medium high.  Stir the milk mixture with the whisk to be sure the mixture doesn't burn.  You may need to turn the heat back a bit when it begins to bubble.  Stirring the whole time, let bubble softly for one minute.  Remove from heat.  

Drop a few drops of the hot mixture into the egg and whisk.  Add a few more drops and whisk again to temper the egg.  Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk to blend.  Stirring continuously, add the turmeric until it's the shade you want, bring it back to a gentle boil and cook for one minute.

Remove from heat.  Add vanilla and butter and stir to mix.

Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the cream. When it begins to take shape, add the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until it holds a shape.

Assembly

candy corn

Pipe or spoon whipped cream into the bottom of each glass. 

 

Spoon vanilla pudding in, pressing down gently to mash out air holes Spoon chocolate pudding on top. Garnish with candy corn if desired.