Serve up some spooky snacks that will satisfy and scare.
By Donna Zitter Bordelon
It was a dark and stormy Halloween night, and … the kids needed some egg salad sandwiches and candy corn rice crispy treats. Actually, these foods aren’t just for kids, but kids may have some fun designing and making them with you.
FUNNY EGG SALAD SANDWICHES
12 eggs, divided
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 cup parsley, minced
3 Tbsp. celery, minced
½–1 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/8 tsp. pepper
8 slices of bread, your choice
Face parts
Salami or ham slices, optional
Fill a large saucepan with enough water to cover eggs completely.
Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes.
Place eggs in a bowl under cold running water. Peel off shells. Refrigerate to cool.
Slice three of the eggs with an egg slicer or use a knife.
Set aside 16 slices to make eyes. Chop remaining egg pieces and put into a medium bowl.
Slice 9 eggs in half, separate yolks, and add them to the bowl, along with the mayonnaise and mustard.
Mash and whisk bowl’s contents well with a fork. Chop the 9 egg whites into small pieces, and add to the bowl, along with parsley, celery, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
Cover 8 slices of bread with the egg salad, and meat slices, if using. Make faces using:
Eyes: egg slices, sliced green olives, sliced black olives, radishes, pickle slices, cherry tomato halves, cucumber slices
Nose: olives, pickle slices, gherkins, cherry tomatoes
Mouth: red peppers, cucumber slices
Hair: cheese slices cut into strips, lettuce leaves, celery leaves, grated carrot, basil leaves, chives
Beards and Freckles: chopped chives, paprika
Candy corn is not a vegetable, but ghosts, goblins and trick-or-treaters can harvest it at Halloween, and it’s fat free. It was first invented in Philadelphia in 1880 by George Renninger for the Wunderle Candy Company, which was located in Northern Liberties on Pegg Street. Candy corn was mass produced later in the decade by the Goelitz Candy Company (now the Jelly Belly Candy Company), under the name “Chicken Feed,” and was packaged in a box with a rooster logo that read, “Something worth crowing for.”
Candy Corn is called “Indian Corn” if it has a brown, chocolate end. It is sold at Christmas as “Reindeer Corn,” for Valentine’s Day as “Cupid’s Corn,” at Easter time as “Bunny Corn,” and for 4th of July as “Freedom Corn,” matching the color of the corn to the holiday season. The National Confectioners Association estimates that 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually. National Candy Corn Day is observed annually on Oct. 30.
CANDY CORN RICE CRISPIES
6 cups rice crispies
1 10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows
4 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. butter
3 drops red food coloring
5 drops yellow food coloring
1/2 cup white chocolate bark or chips
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. Crisco shortening
Lightly butter an 8×11.5×2-inch baking dish and small square of wax paper, using the ½ teaspoon butter.
In a large bowl, microwave 4 Tbsp. butter for 30–40 seconds.
Add marshmallows and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave again until marshmallows melt and puff up in the bowl.
Add the food colorings and stir.
Add the rice crispies and mix to coat with the marshmallows.
Press into prepared baking dish, using the buttered wax paper to firmly push and smooth the treats.
Cool until set, then cut 2-inch diagonal strips across the pan, then cut each strip into triangles.
Melt white chocolate in the microwave and dip tops of triangles.
Place on a large sheet of wax paper to set.
Melt chocolate chips and Crisco in the microwave and stir then dip bottom of triangles into the melted chocolate, scraping off excess. Lay triangles on their side to set.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Eat well, live long, enjoy!
(Questions or tips can be sent to Donna Zitter Bordelon at WhatscookinNEPhilly@gmail.com or in care of the Times, 2 Executive Campus, Suite 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002)
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