4 cups all-purpose
flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 tsp)Yeast
1- 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pecan pieces

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, cornmeal, sugar, undissolved yeast, and
salt. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 F). Gradually add
to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric
mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2
minutes at high speed. Stir in pecans and remaining flour to make a stiff
batter. Transfer batter from bowl to 2 greased 8-inch
round pans. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place, until doubled in
size, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire
rack.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 1 slice (1/24 of recipe, 2.1 ounces)
Calories 180; Total fat 7 g; Saturated fat 3 g; Cholesterol 30 mg; Sodium 200
mg; Carbohydrates 25 g; Dietary fiber 1 g; Sugars 4 g; Protein 4 g

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) RapidRise Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups potato water or tap water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup mashed boiled potato*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar,
undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, butter and mashed potato until very
warm (120 to 130 F). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium
speed of electric mixer,
scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10
minutes. Cover, let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 8 x 12-inch oval. Beginning at short
end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place on
large greased baking sheet; flatten loaf slightly. Cover; let rise in warm,
draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

With sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slits (1/4-inch deep) on top of each loaf.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Bake at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes or until
done. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack.

* To use instant potatoes: Combine 1/2 cup water and 3 tablespoons milk in
saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup potato flakes or
buds. Cool to room temperature.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 1 slice (1/24 of recipe, 1.8 ounces)
Calories 110; Total fat 2 g; Saturated fat 1 g; Cholesterol 5 mg; Sodium 230 mg;
Carbohydrates 20 g; Dietary fiber 1 g; Sugars 2 g; Protein 3 g

Yield: 16 servings.

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup water
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

18 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
9 cream-filled oval vanilla sandwich cookies
1 cup whipped topping
Green and brown decorator’s icing or piping gel
Pumpkin candies and gummy worms, optional

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, water and cocoa; bring to a boil. Add to flour mixture; beat well. Beat in sour cream and eggs.

Pour into a greased 9-in. x 13-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine butter, milk and cocoa; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour over the warm cake. Crumble chocolate cookies; sprinkle over frosting while still warm. Cool completely.

For tombstones, use icing to decorate vanilla cookies with words or faces; place on cake. For ghosts, make mounds of whipped topping; use icing to add eyes and mouths as desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Alternately, we offer a wide selection of Halloween, Grim Reaper, and Cake Decorations that you could place on your cake.

Just before serving, add pumpkins and gummy worms if desired.

Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. Pressing the dough into a disk rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Tips:

* When making the dough, make sure that the butter is very cold.
* Handle the dough as little as possible. Both the stretching of the dough and the warmth from your hands will further the development of gluten—long, stringy protein molecules that form when flour is blended with liquid—resulting in a tough dough that’s difficult to roll out.
* Since our pie-dough recipe yields two single crusts, divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a flat disk before wrapping it in plastic and chilling. This will make it easier to roll out each crust into a perfect circle.
* Chill the dough thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before rolling it out, and use a minimum of flour to dust the rolling pin and work surface. Brush excess flour from the rolled dough with a dry pastry brush before transferring it to the pie plate.
* For an extra-crispy piecrust with a golden color, brush the unbaked top crust with water, and sprinkle it with sugar.
* For a shiny piecrust, brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash made from 1 egg and 2 tablespoons cream.
* Cut decorative vents in the top of a double-crusted fruit pie; vents allow steam to escape and prevent the fruit juices from overflowing

All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 1/2 recipes Pâte Brisée (Pie Dough)
1 fifteen-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin puree or make your own
3 large eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk

It is best to make two recipes of pâte brisée and freeze the remainder for use in a future single-crust pie.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out six 6-inch circles. Fit pastry in bottoms of six 3 3/4-inch fluted tart tins. Trim overhanging edges. Place tins on an ungreased baking sheet, and transfer sheet to refrigerator; chill shells until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with second disk of dough, lining six more tins.

Roll out third disk of dough to an 1/8-inch thickness, and cut out twelve 3-inch circles. Place circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and transfer to refrigerator. Chill until very firm, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, honey, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly beat together egg yolk and remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Remove the tart tins from refrigerator, and brush crusts with egg glaze. Divide filling among shells.

Transfer baking sheet to oven, and bake tarts until edges are golden brown and filling has set, about 30 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool.

Remove chilled pastry circles from refrigerator. Using a clean utility knife or a sharp paring knife, cut a jack-o’-lantern face into each circle. Chill faces in freezer 15 minutes. Brush faces with remaining egg glaze.

Transfer baking sheet to oven, and bake faces until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

When pies and faces have cooled, place one face on each tart.

Yield: 10 servings.

1 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons chili powder
2-1/2 pounds ground beef
10 slices process American cheese
10 hamburger buns, split

In a bowl, combine soup mix, ketchup, brown sugar, horseradish and chili powder. Add beef; mix well. Shape into 10 patties. Grill, broil or pan-fry until meat is no longer pink.

Cut eyes, nose and mouth out of each cheese slice to create a jack-o’-lantern. Even the kids can get into this, they can cut their own with a butter knife or play dough tool (cleaned of course).

Place cheese on burgers; cook until cheese is slightly melted, about 1 minute. Serve on buns.

Yield: 20 cookies

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

10 pretzel rods, about 8 1/2 inches long, cut crosswise in half

2 teaspoons shortening

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Butterscotch-flavored chips, melted

Heat oven to 350 F. Mix brown sugar, butter, water and vanilla in medium
bowl. Stir in flour and salt. Shape dough into twenty 1 1/4-inch balls.

Place pretzel rod halves on ungreased cookie sheet. Press ball of dough onto
cut end of each pretzel rod. Press dough with fork to resemble
“bristles” of broom.

Bake about 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet.
Cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place brooms on waxed paper.

Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally,
until melted and smooth; remove from heat. No
need to rush when you’re melting chocolate. Melt chocolate slowly over low heat
so it doesn’t burn.

Spoon melted chocolate over brooms, leaving about 1 inch at top of pretzel
handle and bottom halves of cookie bristles uncovered. Drizzle with melted
butterscotch chips. Let stand until chocolate is set.

Make cookies up to a day ahead, and store in an airtight container. Your little
ghosts and goblins can help you decorate these Halloween goodies when the time
is right!

Yield: 2 dozen breadsticks

1 package (1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 tsp) regular or quick active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 F to 115 F)
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, if desired
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 cups Gold Medal whole wheat flour
Cornmeal
1 egg white
2 tablespoons cold water
Sesame seed

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in all-purpose flour, basil, tarragon, oil and salt. Stir in enough whole wheat flour to make dough easy to handle (dough will be soft).

Turn dough onto surface lightly sprinkled with whole wheat flour. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Grease 2 cookie sheets; sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch down dough. Divide into 24 equal parts. Roll and shape each part into rope, about 8 inches long, sprinkled with whole wheat flour if dough is too sticky. Place on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 400 F. Mix egg white and cold water; brush on breadsticks. Sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Serve warm or cool.

Make these breadsticks up to 2 months before you need them. Place cooled breadsticks in a heavy-duty plastic food-storage bag; seal tightly and label. Before serving, unwrap and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Serve with salsa or pizza sauce for bloody Witch Fingers.

Yield: 8 servings (about 1 cup each)

1/2 bottle (64-ounce size) apple cider
2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons red cinnamon candies
1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Heat apple cider, orange juice, candies and allspice to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
Remove allspice.
Stir in honey.
Serve warm.

Allspice is also known as Jamaica pepper. These dried berries got their name
because they taste like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Yields: 12 mini loaves

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnut pieces

Need: 1 mini loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin, greased

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave 3 ounces chocolate on Medium (50%) for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until chocolate is shiny and almost melted. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in melted chocolate.

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture just until combined. Stir in walnuts and remaining chocolate. Scoop batter into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool completely.

Tips
If you can’t bake 12 mini loaves at a time, bake the extra batter in a muffin tin or refrigerate the remaining batter and bake once the mini loaf pan is cooled. Be sure to grease the cooled pan before adding the second batch of batter.
These cakes freeze very well. Store them in resealable plastic freezer bags for up to 1 month.