Can't Hardly Wait

A Saturday Halloween can be a real treat—and a little tricky, too. What to do until the kids hit the candy trail in the evening?

gut ter food stcredit yling by Gut Susan ter Credit Ot taviano; prop st yling by HeathEr Chontos; wardrobe by Cate Sheehy.

Cookbook author Clare Crespo, star and creator of The Yummyfun Kooking Series DVDs, has a cool idea: Get the festivities started early by throwing a breakfast where the freaky-themed foods and the hands-on crafts will keep kids occupied until costume time.

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c wait! cr afts and Recipes by CLARE CRESPO

| photogr aphy By lucy schaeffer

rachaelraymag.com

Eye Candy

Instead of draping fake cobwebs all over the house, hang eyeball balloons from the ceiling.

Using double-sided tape, attach construction paper circles to inflated white balloons. Finish the look by drawing a few squiggly veins with a thick red marker.

Child’s Play

Save your energy—and let the kids exhaust some of their supply.

• Play (partial) dress-up. They can’t wait to put on their costumes, huh?

Give in...a little. Let them stay in their pajamas and put on one or two pieces at breakfast.

• Invite kids to help with party decorations. In fact, have that be the first activity of the day. Ask for volunteers to help set the table, scatter the balloons, and fill bowls with candy or other treats.

• Extend activities. Set up games in which they can watch each other take turns. One idea: Pin the body parts on the monster. Print a free image of a monster off the Web, then cut the limbs off its body. Tape the body to a wall and let blindfolded kids try to tape arms and legs in the right places.

Buried Alive Muffins Makes 1 dozen prep 15 min bake 20 min

You will need plastic doll arms (available at party supply or craft stores) to decorate these muffins.

11/2 cups flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 pinch salt 3/4 cup whole milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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1 cup mini chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, oil, egg and vanilla and stir until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

2. Fill each muffin cup threequarters full. Bake until the muffins spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Insert a plastic doll arm into the center of each muffin.

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Severed-Hand Toasts

Hash Brains

Makes 12 slices prep 10 min

serves 6 prep 20 min bake 40 min

12 slices sourdough bread Butter, softened, for spreading Raspberry or strawberry jam, for spreading

Vegetable oil, for greasing and brushing 3 pounds baking potatoes 1 small onion, grated 2 eggs, lightly beaten Salt and pepper Ketchup, for serving

1. Using a hand-shaped cookie cutter, cut a hand out of each bread slice. Toast in the toaster oven until lightly browned.

2. Spread butter on each hand toast, then spread a line of jam along the wrist of each hand.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; grease the parchment with the oil.

2. Using a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred the potatoes. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with enough cold water to cover; let soak for 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then layer between kitchen towels.

Roll up the towels and squeeze to remove any excess water. Rinse and dry the bowl.

3. In the bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, eggs, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Arrange the potatoes in 6 mounds

on the prepared baking sheet.

Using a pastry brush, coat each mound with oil. Bake until goldenbrown, about 40 minutes; let cool slightly. Using a spatula, stack 1 mound on top of a second mound; repeat with the remaining mounds to make 3 double mounds.

Using your hands, shape each stack into an oval, then press a crevice into the center to create the two lobes of the “brain” (each lobe is 1 serving). Serve with a drizzle of ketchup around each brain.

Face Time

Make jack-o’-lantern juice glasses by cutting the eyes, nose and mouth out of 3-inch pieces of black construction paper (use an X-Acto precision knife), then taping the paper to clear tumblers.

Egg Eyes

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter

Makes 6 prep 10 min cook 15 min

over medium-low heat. Crack 2 eggs into the pan, 1 on each side of the skillet, and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, about 5 minutes. Arrange side by side on a plate. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.

2. Place an olive half, cut side up, on top of each yolk and place a pea on top of each olive. Using the ketchup in a squeeze bottle, draw “bloodshot veins” on each eye.

Transfer the ketchup or hot sauce into a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip.

1 tablespoon butter 6 eggs Salt and pepper 3 pitted black olives, halved 6 green peas Ketchup or hot pepper sauce (or both)

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Under the Spell

Kick-start the morning with our haunted Halloween playlist.

Walking with a Ghost Tegan and Sara I Put a Spell on You Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Little Ghost The White Stripes Frankenstein The Edgar Winter Group Purple People Eater Sheb Wooley Wolfman’s Brother Phish Werewolves of London Warren Zevon Thriller Michael Jackson Witch Doctor Alvin and the Chipmunks We have even more spooky snacks and ghoulish parties at rachaelraymag.com/october.

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Monster Mouths Makes 4 prep 10 min

4 cups fruit-flavored yogurt 1 large apple, cored and cut lengthwise into 8 slices 24 yogurt-covered raisins

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In a small bowl, add 1 cup yogurt; top with 2 apple slices placed parallel to each other, peel side facing outward, about 1 inch apart.

Arrange half of the raisins between the apple slices to resemble teeth. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.