Stepping Out

Scare up a Halloween-inspired bash

Get your ghoul on for some tasty merrymaking

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The big day of tricks — and treats — is upon us. That means it’s the right time for a spooky soirée.
So grab a costume and act like a kid. Of course, you want everyone there to partake in the spooky fun, too, so check out these tips to make sure your party is remembered long after the witches put away their cauldrons.
It’s all about the mood: Place creepy Halloween decor, such as spider webs and Jack-O-Lanterns, around the house and yard to help get guests into the spirit. Add in some Halloween-themed music, such as :Monster Mash.”
Dress up the details: Many people can’t wait to dress up for a Halloween party, but that’s not so for everyone. Don’t make costumes mandatory. Instead offer a table of accessories for your guest to use to alter their appearance. Goofy glasses, strange hats, adhesive mustaches, or masks can be fun.
Have fun with Halloween cuisine:

Cookie cutters can turn sandwiches, desserts, biscuits, and many other foods into different shapes. Foods also can be made a tad more spooky simply by renaming them or presenting them in interesting containers. Beverages can be offered in jugs or old bottles and labeled “potions.”
Try these tricked out treats for same tasty Halloween spooking.

Spider Web Cheesecake
Your favorite 9” cheesecake recipe

Topping:
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk, cream, sour cream or Ricotta cheese

Web:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

First, make your favorite 9” cheesecake, one using a graham cracker crust. Add 1/4 cup black cocoa to the crust, before pressing it into the pan. Bake the cake as directed; remove from the oven, and let it cool.
To make the topping: Whip the heavy cream with the sugar just until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the sour cream just until combined.
Spread the topping over the cooled cheesecake.
To make the chocolate web: Heat the cream until it begins to simmer, then pour it over the chocolate and stir. The chocolate will begin to form one mass. Keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted — the cream should be hot enough to melt all the chocolate. If not, reheat briefly.
Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a small tip (or a zip-top bag with one corner cut to form a 1/8” opening). Pipe one central dot onto the cream topping, then six concentric circles around the dot, spaced 1/2” apart.
Beginning with the center circle, gently pull a toothpick through all the circles toward the outer edge. Wipe the toothpick clean and repeat, moving clockwise and dragging the toothpick through at every eighth segment of the circle to complete the web pattern.

Spooky Ghosts
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup extra-fine Baker’s Special Sugar
Chocolate mini chips, for eyes

Preheat the oven to 200° F, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a pastry bag with a 1/2” plain tip. Place the room-temperature egg whites into the bowl of a mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Beat on slow speed until the cream of tartar is dissolved and the egg whites are foamy.
Slowly increase the speed of the mixer. When the volume of the eggs has doubled and they begin to look opaque, sprinkle in about half the sugar. Continue to beat until the whites are glossy and getting stiff. Add the remaining sugar and mix until it’s evenly distributed and the whites hold a stiff peak.
Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag and, holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe, with even pressure, about 2”-high mounds of meringue.
Carefully press two chocolate mini chips into each meringue ghost, to make eyes.
Bake the meringues for approximately 60 to 90 minutes, or until they’re dry and crisp to the touch.
Turn off the oven, open the door a couple of inches, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours, or even overnight.
Remove the ghosts from the completely cold oven, and store them loosely covered. They should keep for several days at cool/dry room temperature. Yield: 20 to 24 ghosts.

Meatball Mummy Bites
1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
20 frozen cooked meatballs, thawed
Ketchup or mustard
Marinara sauce, as desired

Heat oven to 375°F . Line work surface with cooking parchment paper. On parchment-lined surface, unroll dough and press perforations to seal; cut into 4 rectangles.
With knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.
Wrap 2 pieces of dough around each meatball to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to cover meatballs.
Separate “bandages” near one end to show meatball “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped meatballs.
Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and meatballs are hot. With ketchup and mustard, draw “eyes” on mummy bites. Serve with warm marinara sauce.