Haunted Graveyard Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off any excess oil. Add about half of the taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water and stir until the beef is well coated. Cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread out evenly.
• Return the skillet to the heat and add the refried beans. Cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Spread evenly over the ground beef mixture. Top the refried beans evenly with the shredded Cheddar.
• Whisk together the cream cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl until smooth and combined. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a small piping bag (or small resealable plastic bag) and reserve. Add the remaining taco seasoning to the remaining cream cheese mixture and stir to combine. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the shredded cheese layer. Top with the salsa and spread evenly. Refrigerate while you make the chips.
• Lay one tortilla on a cutting board and trim into a tree with a paring knife. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets. Cut tombstones (and other Halloween shapes if you like) out of the remaining tortillas with 2-inch cutters or by hand. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, flipping the tortillas halfway through, until crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Pipe "RIP" on some of the tombstones with the reserved cream cheese mixture and press them into the taco dip. Press the tree and any remaining shapes into the taco dip.
• Cut the lettuce into several pieces, add to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (you should have about 2 cups total). Spread the lettuce and cilantro around the tortilla chips. Spoon mounds of black olives in front of some of the tombstones. Serve with the remaining chips.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°. Grease 12-inch pizza pan. Stir powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla and egg in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in baking mix until soft dough forms. Pat dough in pan. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden. Cool completely.
• Stir food color into frosting; spread over cookie. Sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies on half of frosted cookie.
• Use pretzels to form fence and tree; add candy corn for leaves. Arrange cookie halves in frosting for tombstones. Flatten gumdrops; cut to form bat, moon and ghost and place on cookie. Add pumpkins and gummy worms.

Steps:

• To make the ghosts, heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Whip the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking for a couple of mins until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm hole in one of the corners. Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape. Repeat until the mixture is used up - you should get about 15 ghosts. Bake for 1½ hrs until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Now make the cake. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Grease and line a deep baking dish (20 x 30 x 5cm) with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool, then turn out onto a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to 2 days.
• Finish decorating the cake: heat cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to paint a layer of chocolate over 7 rich tea finger biscuits, then set aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake and smooth over with a knife. Whizz the chocolate cookies, or bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
• Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Leave for 5 mins or until melted, then spoon into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 mins so the mixture is not too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2 small blobs onto each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the gravestones. Leave for 30 mins to set, then push the biscuit gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around. To get the ghosts to 'fly', push a thin wire (you can get these from a florist shop - remember to remove before eating) into the bottom of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a gravestone.

Steps:

• Pour cold milk into a large bowl; add pudding mix and stir together; beat with a wire whisk for several minutes.
• Stir in half of the crushed Oreos.
• Spoon mixture into an oblong casserole dish or baking pan.
• Sprinkle top of pudding with the rest of the Oreo cookies.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
• Just prior to serving, use the decorator icing or gel to write on the tops of the cookies some messages like"RIP" and stick them partway into the pudding, slightly bent.
• Make ghosts with the can of whipped cream, basically as a big blob, with 2 chocolate chips stuck in for the eyes.
• Place the candy pumpkins around on top of the crushed cookies, and sprinkle with jimmies to fill in the empty spots.
• Serve chilled.