Witches Fingers

Halloween just wouldn't be Halloween without edible oddities! And what is more spooky than eating creepy green witch fingers? Jagged sliced almonds for nails and red decorators gel for gooey nails makes these fingers extra appetizing. It is a simple and delicious recipe!

• 175mL Butter
• 160mL Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 30mL Milk
• 5mL Almond Extract
• 625mL Flour
• 5mL Baking Powder
• 2mL Salt
  
• Green Food colouring (the gel kind gives a brighter colour)
• Almond slices
• Red decorating Gel

Dough:

1. Cream together butter and sugar in large mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs, milk, almond extract, and food colouring. Beat well until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Gradually add flour mixture into creamed mixture. Mix until well blended. (Note: The dough will be a bit sticky)
   
5. Divide dough into two balls, wrap, and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
   

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Roll about a tablespoon (15mL) of dough to form a 'finger'
3. Give finger two squeezes to form knuckles.
4. Using a knife, make small cuts into knuckles to make wrinkles.
5. Place sliced almonds on top of the end to form nails.
   
6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
7. Remove from cookie sheet and cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove almond nail and squeeze small amount of red decorator gel then replace almond.

[ squeeze to form knuckles, cut in wrinkles, and place almond as the nail]

A great way to serve these cookies is in a martini glass or bowl where the fingers can stick up out of. Enjoy!



*I made these in highschool in my cooking class so I don't have a source to cite them*

Crochet Monkey

In the spirit of amigurumi I decided to try and make a monkey. I couldn't find any good patterns (free ones) that I liked so I tested my pattern making skills! The head is made from a basic amigurumi ball which I started with the light yarn then moved into the dark yarn to create the face (In the future I would probably make a smaller half ball as the nose/face for more depth). The main body is made in the same way as the head but rather than 3 rounds of 30 stitches, I increased the number of rounds with 30 stitches to make the body longer. I then made a flat circle from the lighter yarn and stitched it ontop of the body to make the stomach. The arms and legs started with 5 sc in a ring then 2 sc in each of those around for 10 stitches. I repeated 10 st around until I got the length desired. The tail is only 5 sc in a ring then 1 sc in each stitch repeated. The face and belly button are made from embroidery thread and the ears (which are hard to see in the photo) are flat half circles that I stitched on later. Hopefully this makes some sense! If I ever make another one with some alterations I will be sure to post a pattern. For now anyway, enjoy!

Materials:
Brown Red Heart Yarn
Grey Vanna's Choice Yarn
Fibrefill
Black Embroidery Thread

Hot (or Cold) Artichoke Dip

This is such a yummy recipe from Best of Bridge you will want to make it all the time! You can get the recipe here. I've enjoyed it cold and hot and tastes great either way. This recipe is easy to multiply or half so its great for parties or just for a snack. It also keeps well in the fridge if you haven't baked it yet.

Mouse Cat Toy

This is a cute crochet mouse toy filled with catnip. It is a quick project and great for beginners. The stitch is tight so it is hard for cats to rip apart (at least mine hasn't so far!). I used Vanna's Choice yarn and a size G/6 hook. The pattern can be found here (you might have to register to get the pattern but its free and there are lots of other great patterns there too). This is a good pattern to start with if you are just starting with crochet amigurumi. Give it a try!

Tropical Salsa

Tropical salsa is a great summer recipe that captures the sweet and fresh flavours of summer. This salsa is quick and super delicious on tortilla chips, chicken, and white fish. The cilantro gives it a fresh taste, while the mango and pineapple provide sweetness. I grew yellow tomatoes this year and used them in this salsa along with red ones and it tastes great. You can eat this salsa warm or cool. Once cooled, it keeps well in the fridge for about two weeks. It can also be canned so you can enjoy it all year.

• 6 Medium Tomatoes
  
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Onion
• 3/4 Mango (frozen or fresh)
  
• 185 mL Pineapple
• 15-20 mL Fresh Cilantro (5 mL dried, only if you can't use fresh)
• 1 1/2 mL Salt
• 2-3 mL Chili Flakes
• 3/4 mL Cumin
• 15 mL Lime Juice
• 30 mL Cider Vinegar

Chop and seed the tomatoes. Chop onion, pineapple, mango, and cilantro; mince garlic. Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes. The salsa can then be canned (makes about 3 jars), served warm or cool.

This recipe is easily doubled and can be made as spicy or not spicy as you want by adjusting the amount of chili flakes. This is sure to become a favourite!

Fondant Covered Cake

For my boyfriend's 21st birthday I attempted doing a cake covered in fondant and am happy to report that it was a success! The cake is a simple chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting between the two layers and as the crumb coat. I froze the two layers of cake as it helps to keep the crumbs on the cake instead of in your frosting. Thaw the cake then cover with a crumb coat (I used buttercream icing but you can also use jelly or jam). I used a pre-made fondant from a local cake decorating store which I coloured using gel food colouring from Wilton. I would not recommend the Wilton fondant because it doesn't taste very good. The tool box and tools are made from molded chocolate.

If you have not worked with fondant before, baking911.com is a good resource for steps on working with fondant. A good place to start working with fondant is to make smaller embellishments for your cake so that you can get used to rolling, cutting, and colouring. Good luck and have fun!

Grape Juice Jelly

There is nothing yummier than jelly on a scone. I found a simple recipe for grape juice jelly that only has three ingredients. If you are a beginner at jam/jelly making you should try this recipe it is very simple. Get the recipe and follow these instructions and process your jelly if you plan on storing it for a while. I also made this jelly with cranberry juice. It is a nice sweet and light jelly that goes great on toast, in a sandwich, and even over ice cream!