Cran-Cherry Plasma Transfusion
Hook up to some fun with these fanciful macabre cocktails. The punch is delicious and 100% fruit, infusing Halloween partygoers with a nutritious alternative to sweetened soft drinks. But beware, only a ghoul could help but be infected with a fatal case of giggles as they sip refreshments from ersatz transfusion sacks made simply from zipper-lock bags, twisty straws and curtain rings.

Ingredients:
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) dark, sweet cherries
1 can (15 ounces) fruit cocktail
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail

Equipment:
Blender or food processor
6 zipper-lock sandwich bags
6 straws, twisted or flexible
6 shower curtain rings

Preparation:
Puree the cherries and fruit cocktail, with their liquid, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Mix in the cranberry juice and refrigerate until chilled.

To prepare the "transfusion bags," punch a hole with a hole-punch in the corner of one layer of a zipper-lock sandwich bag just below the zipper. Insert a twisty straw or a flexible straw in the hole, and punch another hole in the same corner of the bag through both layers, just above the zipper. Thread a shower curtain ring through that hole. Repeat with remaining bags, straws and shower curtain rings.

To serve pour 1 cup of the cranberry-cherry mixture into each bag and seal. Hang by the shower curtain rings on hooks. Guests can hold their drink by the ring and sip through the straw.

Note: If you want a more adult cocktail add 3/4-cup vodka to the juice mixture before chilling. This mixture will yield 9, 3/4-cup servings.

Makes 6, 1-cup servings

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 161; Total fat 0g; Saturated fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 21mg; Carbohydrate 39g; Fiber 1.7g; Protein 1.5g

Eyeball Upside-Down Cupcakes
These whole-grain cupcakes look right back at you. The fanciful topping of canned pear slices and cherries arranged like a wide-open eyeball mean that frosting is unnecessary, and by using corn-muffin mix for cake, the sugar is kept low and the nutrition high for an eye-popping Halloween treat.


Ingredients:
4 teaspoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 can (about 15 ounces - 16 slices) sliced pears in heavy syrup, drained and blotted dry
8 canned dark, sweet cherries, blotted dry
1 box (8 1/2 ounces) corn-muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
Non-stick baking spray
5 or 6 strings of black licorice or other color licorice

Equipment:
Non-stick muffin tin
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon or whisk
Sheet pan
Scissors

Preparation:
Heat oven to 375°F.

Coat the interiors of 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with butter. Sprinkle a coating of sugar on the bottom of the butter-coated cups. Arrange 2 pear slices and a cherry in the bottom of each prepared cup, arching the pear slices against the sides of the cups and placing the cherry in the middle, so that the arrangement of fruit looks like an eye.

Mix the corn muffin mix, egg and milk in a bowl according to the package directions, and spoon into the cups over the fruit. Bake for 8 minutes; the cakes will have formed a crust and begun to peak in the center. Spray the bottom of the sheet pan with baking spray and place it sprayed-side down on top of the muffin tins to flatten the peaks of the cakes. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the sheet pan and the muffin tin and place the tin on a cooling rack to cook for 5 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of each cupcake and invert onto a cooling rack or lift each cake from the tin with a small, flexible spatula. Cool to room temperature.

To Decorate: Cut the licorice into 3/4-inch strings and insert 5 or 6 in each cupcake protruding from under one of the pear slices to represent eye lashes.

Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 200; Total fat 8.5g; Saturated fat 2.3 g; Cholesterol 32mg; Sodium 195mg; Carbohydrate 21g; Fiber 1.4g; Protein 2.8g

Granola Bugs
Multi-grained and full of fruit, these buggy cookies are just right for a children’s Halloween party at home or school. Because they’re no-bake, they only take minutes to prepare and even the small ones can participate safely. We’ve given you directions for simple beetle-like bugs, but if you’re feeling adventurous try a licorice-legged centipede, or ladybugs decorated with raisin polka dots.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crisp-rice cereal
1 cup whole-grain wheat cereal
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) peach halves, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 licorice strings

Equipment:
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon
Medium saucepan
9x13-inch glass baking dish
Scissors

Preparation:
Mix cereals, oats and cinnamon in a mixing bowl until well combined; set aside.

Place the pineapple and peaches between several layers of paper towels and blot to absorb excess moisture; set aside.

Heat brown sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling. Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter until melted. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over the cereal mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in the drained and blotted fruit. Pack into a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, and set aside until firm, about 20 minutes.

Cut into 60 squares. To make the bugs, form each square with your hands into an egg shape with a flat bottom. Insert small pieces of licorice to represent antennae and legs.

Makes 60 cookies

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 52.5; Total fat 0.76g; Saturated fat 0.13g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 26mg; Carbohydrate 1g; Fiber 0.67g; Protein 2.3g