csi_sanders1129 | 13 Days of Halloween: Day 4

Favorite Halloween Recipes

1. Coconut Brains:

Ingredients

* 3 1/2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
* 1/4 cup softened butter
* 1/4 cup half & half or light cream
* 2 cups confectioners sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Red food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Using a large spoon, scoop out the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Plop each spoonful down to form large oval brain shapes.

Using a sharp knife or toothpick, draw a line down the center of each brain. Then draw some wavy lines on both sides.

Place brains in the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill and set.

Gently remove brains with a spatula to serve.

2. Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

* One medium sized pumpkin
* Olive oil/Butter
* Salt/Seasoned Salt/Spicy stuff, whatever you prefer...

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds.

2 In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a half tablespoon of salt for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier). Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

3 Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes. When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.

3. Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients

* 3 Eggs
* 1 cup Sugar
* 2/3 cup Pumpkin
* 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
* 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon Baking powder
* 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon Ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt

* Filling:
* 8 ounces Cream cheese -- softened
* 4 tablespoons Butter -- or margarine
* 1 cup Powdered sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

In large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, beating with an electric mixer until thick and light yellow in color. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, mixing until blended.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Spread batter into greased and waxed-paper lined 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 350 ° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 15 minutes. Place cake on clean tea towel sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Cool 10 minutes longer. From 10- inch side, roll cake up in towel. Set aside.

While cake is cooling in towel, prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese and butter; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Unroll cake. Evenly spread filling over cake. Roll up cake (without the towel). Wrap in plastic wrap. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Slice before serving. Keep leftover slices refrigerated. This pumpkin roll freezes well.