For Halloween, brew up beakers of 'blood' and purple ooze

By J.M. Hirsch and Jim Romanoff

Creep out your kids and gag your guests this Halloween by brewing up beakers of "blood" and purple ooze for them to drink.

Both drinks have serious gross-out factor, but are easy to mix and can be made with or without alcohol, depending on the age of the goblins who will be slurping them.

To play up the mad scientist theme, consider buying inexpensive laboratory glassware, such as 200-millimeter beakers to use as drinking glasses. This glassware can be purchased at numerous sites online. But never eat or drink from used laboratory glassware.

For even more impact, be sure to have "blood" dripping off the rims of your drinking beakers. For the dripping blood, you will need corn syrup and red gel food coloring.

In a shallow bowl stir together 2 tablespoons corn syrup with about 1/4 teaspoon food coloring. Overturn a drinking glass or beaker and dunk the rim into the "blood." Set it upright and the blood will slowly drip.

It's important to use gel food coloring (as opposed to liquid), because it won't add excess moisture to the syrup. They also provide more vivid colors. Look for a red food coloring labeled "tasteless" so the rim of the glass won't taste bitter.

Beyond candy

When it comes to trick-or-treating, there's no avoiding the gobs of candy your kids will haul in.

But if you're throwing a Halloween party or just want healthier treats around the house to balance out the sugar rush, there are plenty of options. And if you want your treats to stand a chance against the sugar onslaught, keep these pointers in mind.

First, have plenty of choices. Children like the power of choice and are more likely to pick something healthy if there's variety.

- Fresh and dried fruits are naturally sweet and offer plenty of shapes, colors and tastes.

- Consider a variety of texture and - remember, we're talking about children - noise. Nuts, whole grain crackers, popcorn and even fresh vegetables are crunchy.

Second, presentation is key to making it fun.

- For instance, you can take homemade popcorn balls, or even some whole apples, wrap them in orange cellophane and tie them up with a piece of thin black licorice to make them festive.

- And vegetables can be downright ghoulish when assembled the right way. Use cream cheese to "glue" a slivered almond to one end of a baby carrot, then drizzle it with ketchup to make "bloody fingers."

- To make edible eyeballs, peel boiled new potatoes and make a hole on one side of each large enough to fill with a pimento-stuffed olive.

- Make mini jack-o-lanterns by using the tip of a sharp knife to cut eyes, a nose and a mouth into an orange. Cut just deep enough to expose the white pith.

Kids love to play with their food, so make it as interactive as possible.

-  Use Halloween cookie cutters to make spooky shapes with whole-grain bread, reduced-fat cheese slices and sliced deli meats, then let the children assemble "sandwitches."

Today's Peanut Butter Boulders combine whole-grain oat cereal with dried cherries and sunflower seeds to make a wholesome treat with flavors children will love.

They're sweetened with honey rather than refined sugar, and best of all, they're no-bake.

If you like, wrap them in pieces of wax paper, twisting the ends, and they'll look just like a piece of candy.

Purple Ooze

Serves: 3 | Time: 5 minutes

1 cup grape soda

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup Cool Whip or similar frozen whipped topping, thawed slightly

1 1/2 ounces vodka (if not using, substitute additional grape soda)

1/8 teaspoon purple or violet gel food coloring

In a blender, combine the grape soda, banana, Cool Whip and vodka. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. The drink will be thick and frothy.

Add the food coloring and blend until the mixture is a deep purple. Serve immediately.

Source J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press

Blood Beverage

Serves: 2 | Time: 5 minutes

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon frozen lemonade concentrate

1 tablespoon frozen cranberry juice concentrate

1 1/2 ounces vodka (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. When pouring into glasses, do so slowly to prevent any bubbles on the surface from going into the glass. This preserves the look of the "blood."

Source J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press

No Bake Peanut Butter Boulders

Makes: about 30 balls

1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup instant nonfat powdered milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups oat ring breakfast cereal (such as Cheerios)

2/3 cup dried cherries

2/3 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds

In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, powdered milk and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the cereal, dried cherries and sunflowers seeds and stir well.

Have a small bowl of water on hand. Moistening your hands as needed, roll the cereal mixture into balls. Set on wax paper until the outsides feel dry to the touch, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to four days.

Nutrition per boulder 60 calories; 2 grams fat (0.4 grams saturated); 0 milligrams cholesterol; 10 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 46 milligrams sodium.

Source: Jim Romanoff, Associated Press

Goblin's Goober Cake

2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cup light brown sugar

11/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup milk chocolate and peanut butter chips (plain milk chocolate may be used)

Icing:

1/2 cup milk chocolate and peanut butter chips

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray Bundt pan with flour-oil pan spray and place pan upside down on wax paper while preparing cake.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Beat in peanut butter and vanilla until blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each. Beat in flour mixture alternating with buttermilk, until well mixed. Stir in 1/2 cup chips.

Pour batter into pan; sprinkle on remaining chips; with a table knife, swirl chips into top of cake. Do not go deeper than 1 inch. Bake 48 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen edges with a plastic knife and invert onto cooling rack. Cool 30 minutes before icing.

While cake is cooling melt milk chocolate and peanut butter chips in top of double boiler. As chips start to melt stir in peanut butter, when ingredients are melted and blended, remove from heat. Wait to melt white chocolate chips until after cake has been frosted.

Slowly pour icing over cake, allowing it to cover top and flow down sides of cake. Melt white chips and shortening. Place melted chocolate in a decorating bag with a small round tip or place in a small resealable plastic bag, roll up bag then snip a very small hole in corner of bag. Draw 2 circles around top of cake with the melted white chocolate. Starting on the inside of the top of the cake gently pull a toothpick over the top to the outside (about every 2 inches) through the white chocolate rings to form at spider web on top of the cake. Allow cake to cool before slicing.

Source: Rebecca Reece from Henderson, Nev., a finalist in the Nordic Ware "2008 Bundts Across America" contest.