Jack O Lantern Food

JACK-O-LANTERN CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Side Bar: Before you start, set your cream cheese and butter out for several hours, so it can warm up to room temperature. Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Cut the tops off the pumpkins and set aside, With a teaspoon or grapefruit knife, scrape the fibrous pulp and seeds out of the pumpkins. Scrape some of the meat off the inner walls so they are no more than 3/8-inch thick. Put the cream cheese, butter, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until blended. Take care not to mix too much air into the batter. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until each is incorporated. Reduce the speed and beat in the sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Fill the pumpkin shells with the batter and bake, on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Turn the pan and place the tops next to the pumpkins. Bake for 10 more minutes, until barely set and firm. If, at any time, the cakes start to puff up, turn the oven down or remove them. Let cool, in the pan, then refrigerate.;
• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes until the berries have popped and form a thick sauce. Let cool. To serve, spoon cranberry sauce on top of filling. Place the pumpkin lid on a jaunty angle. Stick the birthday candle and mint sprig into the top.

JACK-O-LANTERNS

Steps:

• 1. Fill 3½ - to 4-cup container with Keebler® Fudge Stripes™ Dark Chocolate cookie crumbs to form base, if desired. Set aside.
• 2. Prepare Kellogg's® Eggo® Mini Homestyle waffles according to package directions. Cool for 5 minutes. Press one lollipop stick into each waffle. Cool completely.
• 3. Use white frosting, chocolate frosting, food coloring, orange sprinkles, green sprinkles, chocolate morsels and marshmallow pieces to decorate waffles as jack-o-lanterns. Press pretzel pieces into each as pumpkin stem. Push lollipops sticks into cookie crumbs to stand upright.

JACK-O-LANTERN CAKE

Steps:

• For Candy Core and Exterior- In a medium sauce pan or double boiler, heat candy melts until just liquid. 110 degrees is their ideal temperature in a liquid state.
• Blow up several balloons and make sure you have ample room in your freezer. Slowly dip or paint candy melts onto balloon working in small sections until completely covered. Once ready, set on flat plate and place in freezer.
• Here are TWO helpful hints to avoid trouble at this stage: The balloon should be slightly under inflated and the temperature of the candy melts being too warm can cause the balloon to pop and splatter difficult to clean candy all over you and your kitchen. I can't guarantee this won't happen anyway, which is why I mentioned you should blow up several and make your peace with disaster before it happens. Layer the balloon several times and keep frozen until ready to use. When desired shape is achieved punch small hole in balloon and slowly begin to remove using your fingers to separate the balloon from the frozen candy. If any large pieces of your pumpkin core break, simply heat the edges and put it back where it broke from. Keep remaining candy melts to brush on final cake to create delicious seal.
• For Pumpkin Cake- Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, set aside. In stand mixer, combine 4 cups white sugar. 2 1/2 cups vegetable oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 4 cups canned pumpkin. Beat until smooth and then add one egg at a time. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet. Butter and flour six 7" round cake pans and pour two cups batter into each. Bake three at a time at 350 for 30 minutes. Some cakes are finicky, but these are pretty foolproof and so delicious!
• Once removed from oven, wait 10 minutes, then remove from baking dishes, wrap loosely in wax paper and refrigerate until ready to use. At which point you will slice the rounds into thin moon-like crescents with a serrated blade and any additional pieces can be used later for pumpkin cake pops or just eating fresh.
• For Buttercream- In a stand mixer, beat room temp butter until light and the gradually add confectioners sugar. Beat until fluffy, then add 2 tbs heavy whipping cream, 4 tbs canned pumpkin, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp Pumpkin spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp Orange food coloring, 3/4 tsp brown food coloring and taste to ensure the flavor is to your liking.
• Remove cake crescents from fridge and candy core dome from freezer and frost and apply in two layers. Initial layer should start horizontal and the last layer should be vertical. Keep in mind pumpkins are somewhat irregular, so don't worry too much about imperfections. Refrigerate often to ensure cake is structurally sound and never work in a warm kitchen.
• Once built, frost with remaining buttercream and pipe stripes from top to bottom and blend for added dimension and flavor. Seal with leftover candy melts and finalize by painting additional shadows and highlights. Use a flame-heated blade to carve the jack-o-lantern. Cut a small mouse hole in the back and light with either a candle or a plug-in light. This cake has no supports, so know it must be kept cold as it could collapse if left at room temperature.
• Note: You'll need 3 batches of buttercream for this cake.

JACK-O'-LANTERN HAND PIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine first 4 ingredients.
• Split biscuits horizontally in half. Roll out each dough piece to 4-inch round on lightly floured surface.
• Place 8 dough rounds in single layer on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; top with 2 Singles pieces and potato mixture, adding about 2 Tbsp. potato mixture to each round. Lightly brush edges of dough with water.
• Use sharp knife to cut jack-o'-lantern faces out of remaining dough rounds; place over topped dough rounds on baking sheet. Press edges together with fork to seal. Make 2 small cuts, about 1/2 inch apart, at top of each pie, then fold under dough at cuts to make pumpkin stems as shown in photo.
• Whisk egg and food colorings until blended; brush onto tops of pies.
• Bake 16 to 18 min. or until pies are puffed and golden brown.

JACK-O'-LANTERN BBQ CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 6 to 8 min. or until lightly browned. Add vegetables; cook 3 to 4 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. Add all remaining ingredients except pie crust; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 9-inch deep-dish pie plate sprayed with cooking spray.
• Unroll pie crust onto cutting board. Use small sharp knife to cut shapes out of crust to resemble a jack-o'-lantern face. Reserve pastry cutouts.
• Place crust over pie; seal and flute edge. Place pie plate on baking sheet. If desired, use pastry cutouts to make leaves, then add to top of pie.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown.

JACK-O'-LANTERN CHEESEBURGER PIE

Steps:

• Cook first 5 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce; cool.
• Unfold 1 piecrust, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread mustard evenly over crust. Stir together meat mixture and 2 cups cheese; spoon onto center of crust, leaving a 2-inch border.
• Unfold remaining piecrust, and cut out a jack-o'-lantern face, reserving pastry cutouts to use as a stem. Place crust over meat mixture; crimp edges of crust, and fold under. Place stem on top of jack-o'-lantern face.
• Whisk together 2 tablespoons water, egg, and 1 drop each of red and yellow food coloring; brush over crust.
• Bake at 425*F (220*C) for 20 minutes; remove from oven, and brush again with egg mixture. Fill eyes, nose, and mouth with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until golden brown.