Conference turris::cooks

    Buy some lollipop sticks from a candy-making shop.  Go home. ;-)
    
    Make up a batch of Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (or other *drop*
    cookie recipe - oatmeal works well).  Preheat oven as directed.
    
    On your cookie sheet, place 4 or 5 lollipop sticks (depending on size
    of sheet), then place a heaping tablespoon of dough on the end of the
    stick, spreading into a circle.
    
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    Bake for a few minutes longer than normal.  Let cool completely before
    removing from sheet.
    
    Meanwhile, have your daughter make funny/scary faces on a tray, using
    candy corn, licorice laces (for mouths and eyebrows), gum drops, etc.
    Once the cookies have coolled, melt a hershey bar or two over hot
    water.  Spread a tablespoon of melted chocolate on each cookie-pop and
    press on the faces!  They're great fun to make, give, receive, and eat.
    
    I've been making these for years, and no one ever tires of them.  This
    year I skipped the lollipop sticks, though.
    
    I made a double batch last Saturday and got 24 cookies.  I used an 8-oz
    Hershey bar for the "frosting."
    
    One year I made cupcakes, frosted them with chocolate frosting, then
    stuck large marshmallow pumpkins on the top.
    
    This year, I also make banana pops.  I melted an 8-oz Hershey bar with
    3/4 cup of peanut butter and some skim milk (I didn't measure - just
    until it was good dipping consistency).  I cut the bananas in half,
    stuck the lollipop sticks in through the cut end, and dipped.  A lot
    dripped off, though, so I put them in the freezer after the first
    coating, and dipped again once they were cold.  These can be decorated
    with candy corn, too, if you like, or rolled in nuts or coconut.
    
    To be honest, though, the adults liked these more than the kids did. 
    The icy cold banana bothered them!  Most of them licked the
    chocolate-peanut butter coating (which gets very fudgy in the freezer)
    off and took a token bite of the banana.  Most of the kids were under
    6, though.
    
    BTW, these banana pops count as 1 Fruit, 1/2 Protein, 1/2 Fat,
    (undetermined milk, since I didn't measure), and 50 optional calories
    on Weight Watchers!  The mixture covered 16 pops (9 whole bananas), and
    I've been able to have a couple of the leftovers!
    
    The cookie-pops are a lot of fun to make, and you tend to giggle a lot
    while making the faces, so that would be a good one.  They don't take
    very long, either.  I've make oatmeal scotchies this way, and used
    miniature marshmallow to make Mr. Stay-Puft from Ghost Busters (more
    time consuming, because I cut the miniature marshmallows up to make
    arms, legs, hat, and made the angry face by melting chocolate chips and
    drawing it on with a toothpick - I'm a doting aunt!).
    
    Have fun!
    Susan

                   
    SPIDER CANDY
    ------------
    
    1 bag of marshmallows
    1 bag of chow mein noodles
    2 pkgs. (recipe didn't specify what size) semi-sweet chocolate chips
    
    Melt the chocolate in a pan or crockpot over low heat.  Stick 8
    noodles in each marshmallow to make spider's body.
    
    Dip in chocolate.  Place on wax paper to harden.
    

    Bake apples, however you usually do it.  When they are cool, insert
    gummy worms into the apples.  (IF no cool, worms melt.)
    

    Anyone ever hear of a type of punch made with dry ice?  The recipe is
    	1/2 hi-c orange
        1/2 gingerale
        some amount of dry ice.
    
    It's supposed to bubble and smoke like a witches brew.
    
    Does this sound safe??  If so, does anyone have any other recipes?

It's safe as long as you don't touch the dry ice with your bare skin.  So, no
bobbing for apples in the punch bowl.  Dry ice is just carbon dioxide in wicked
cold form, and wicked stuff is always appropriate on Hallowe'en.

    I spoke with a person at the ice company.  He said that putting the ice
    directly in the punch will cause the punch to become bitter.  Has
    anyone tried this?  How much dry ice would I need?
    

�    I spoke with a person at the ice company.  He said that putting the ice
�    directly in the punch will cause the punch to become bitter.  Has
�    anyone tried this?  
    
    While in college, several of the fraternaties' Halloween parties
    featured punch spiked with dry ice (among other things).  I never
    noticed a bitter taste, but then again between the alcohol and the very
    sweet base it may have been impossible to notice one.

    Dry ice has an interesting side effect.  It causes water to freeze,
    so you end up with water ice forming a spiky covering on the dry ice.
    It does not cause alcohol to freeze.  If you have an alcohol-based
    punch, it is possible for it to get stronger as the evening goes on!
    
    							Ann B.