Halloween Witch Finger Cookies

When called upon to bring cookies to school for a Halloween Party, these are always my favourite. And they're a favourite for the kids too.

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) almond extract
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2-3/4 cups (675 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) whole blanched almonds
1 tube (19 g) red decorator gel (blood for fingers)

In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie.

Press almond firmly into 1end for nail. Squeeze in centre to create knuckle shape; using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325°F (160°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove from baking sheets; let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Chocolate Mousse

I like making chocolate mousse because it can be made ahead and kept refrigerated until it's time to use it. Hence, it makes a great dessert for Thanksgiving because I can make it ahead.

Martha Stewart I'm definitely not. I love to cook, but I don't worry overly much about setting a fancy table or spending time on presentation. As long as the table cloth is clean and everyone has a plate, glass, and cutlery, I'm satisfied. It's about family and laughter, not the decorations.

So one of my favourite tricks is to try to make the food taste so good, no one will notice my lack of decor!

Here's one of my favourite recipes for chocolate mousse. I can't remember where it came from, but it is definitely really good.

Chocolate Mousse

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
6 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) chocolate liquor (or Amaretto of Bailey’s)
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place a bowl on top of a saucepan that is one-third full with hot water. Put the chocolate, butter, and coffee into the bowl. Stir over the simmering water until smooth. Remove from heat.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

Place another bowl on top of the simmering water. Whisk in the egg yolks, sugar, liquor, and water. Use a hand mixer or whisk this mixture for approximately 3 minutes until it thickens a little.

Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water. Beat again. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff. Then add the vanilla.

Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don't overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

Basic Bread Stuffing

Here in Canada, we're celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. So I'm pulling out all my family favourite recipes. Here's the one I use for my stuffing. It's very much in demand every year. Actually, my family prefers the stuffing over the turkey.

Basic Stuffing

12 cups bread
1 lb bacon
3 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 tablespoons dried sage leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread bread cubes on 2 baking sheets. Bake until bread cubes are dry and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer bread to large bowl.

Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp.
Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet.

Add chopped onion and celery to skillet and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add sage, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
Pour mixture over bread cubes.

Add bacon and toss to blend.

Mix in 2 cups broth. (Stuffing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.

Beat eggs and baking powder in small bowl to blend.

Mix eggs into stuffing; moisten stuffing with more broth if stuffing is dry.

Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake stuffing until cooked through and golden brown on top, about 1 hour.