The recipe is courtesy California Raisins, whose delicious raisins are used in the cookies. There are many more recipes on the website.
RECIPE: HALLOWEEN BAT COOKIES

Ingredients For 16 Cookies

How cute are these? Photo courtesy
California Raisins.

Preparation

1. MEASURE flour, sugar and baking powder into bowl for food processor with steel blade, and pulse a couple of times to combine. (*If mixing by hand, see footnote.) Then add cold butter and pulse until crumbly. Finally, add vanilla and ice water, a little at a time, and pulse until dough comes together and cleans sides of bowl.

2. KNEAD in chopped raisins. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for 30 minutes.

3. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside.

4. PLACE dough on lightly floured work surface, one piece at a time, and roll into a 10×12-inch rectangle about 3/8-inch thick. With bat-shaped cookie cutter, cut into 16 cookies. Arrange on cookie sheet close together.

5. BEAT egg with pinch of salt and brush lightly onto cookies; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Remove to cool on a wire rack.

6. DECORATE. When cookies have cooled, melt semisweet chocolate and use a small amount to attach raisins for ears and M&Ms as eyes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

BAT TRIVIA

Bats are furry mammals, not birds. Their forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. Other mammals said to fly can only glide for short distances.

Bats look like flying mice, screech when scared, and get a bad rap for being dangerous. While some species consume animal blood, most do not, and are not harmful to humans.†

Bats live throughout most of the world, performing the vital ecological roles of pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plant species depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds. They are also important for consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides.

Their “evil” reputation came from the Dracula stories.

†They can spread disease if they bite—so don’t provoke them.
  

The folks at the California Olive Committee have taken a cue from the recently New York Fashion Week, where the trends included black and white. Hence, this recipe, for a black and white pizza.

Not just another white pizza, this recipe includes Alfredo sauce, roasted garlic, smoked mozzarella, chicken and black olives. You can make or buy the Alfredo sauce (here’s the recipe to make it from scratch).

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 20-25 minutes.

RECIPE: BLACK & WHITE PIZZA

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Black and white pizza, chock full of yummy
ingredients. Photo courtesy California Olive
Committee.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. HEAT 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until onions are very soft.

3. ROLL pizza dough into a very thin oval on a lightly floured board. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil, then spread evenly with Alfredo sauce. Top with mushroom mixture, cheeses, chicken and rosemary. Sprinkle olives over pizza.

4. BAKE for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned around the edges. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

“Parmesan” cheeses are made in a variety of countries. But authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is produced only in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua and Bologna.

By law, only the milk from local cows, whose diet is regulated according to a strict feeding discipline, can be used in the production of the cheese. The cheese is checked by an expert after 12 months; if it passes the test its rind is stamped and it continues aging for an average of 24 month, to develop prime flavors and aromas.

In Italy, Parmigiano-Reggiano is more than a grating cheese for pasta: It is part of a fine antipasto and also enjoyed for dessert, with some balsamic vinegar and a glass of fine wine. Here’s a comparison of Italian grating cheeses.
 
See more of our favorite pizza recipes.

It’s October first, and the countdown to Halloween begins.

Candy is dandy, but we’d prefer ice cream cake. You can make a simple ice cream cake and decorate it with Halloween candies (recipe below), or order this Haunted House Cake from Baskin-Robbins.

Make a Halloween ice cream cake an annual friends-and-family tradition. You can start with this store-bought. In the years that follow, challenge friends or family members to come up with their own ideas. You can even supply individual undecorated cakes and have a decorating contest.

RECIPE: THE EASIEST ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE pound cake in half, creating two long pieces.

2. TOP the bottom half with ice cream. It’s easiest if you purchase ice cream that’s in a rectangular carton. Cut away the front of the carton and then slice pieces of ice cream to fit atop the cake.

3. ADD the optional surprise on top of the ice cream layer. Place top layer on cake and place in freezer.

4. COLOR the frozen topping, one tub at a time, with orange food color: Mix in a few drops each of red and yellow. If the color is too dark for your liking, add more yellow color; if it’s too light, add more red. You have the second tub as a backup if you need more frosting.

5. FROST the cake and decorate with candies. Return to freezer.

In Japan, October 1st is the traditional beginning of the new saké season. Brewmasters across the nation begin the process of producing their saké.

Today, forget the hot saké served at restaurants. It’s bulk saké, and often has an alcoholic burn of a lower-quality product.

Instead, try saké flights or saké-infused cocktails made with a higher quality product. Chilled, premium saké is as appealing as white wine, and pairs easily with non-Asian cuisine.

We’re doing flights, trying some different saké brands. We have a supply of traditional saké cups (masu), although any wine glass or shot glass will do. The traditional toast: “Kanpai!” (pronounced con-PIE).

Consider this harvest-themed Mr. Beam’s Saké Cider, created with Jim Beam Black, Reiko Cold Saké, and fresh apple cider. It was a seasonal special last autumn and winter at Haru Saké Bar and the Haru restaurants in New York City and Boston. We liked it so much, we’re reviving it on THE NIBBLE (although you’ll have to choose something else on the menu at Haru).

SAKÉ CIDER COCKTAIL

Ingredients For One Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously.

2. STRAIN into a rocks glass or Martini glass.
 
 
SAKÉ 101

[2] No taco bowl? No problem! The original recipe used Fritos, and so can you (photo © Taste of Home).

With this “taco salad makeover,” you can enjoy a taco salad as a first course, or as a side with a sandwich or soup.

This recipe, from Kraft, keeps the classic ingredients along with an ingenious way to make the shell fresh, from tortillas. You get to a family-restaurant favorite in just 20 minutes of prep time.

The recipe follows, along with the history of the taco salad.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of tacos and Taco Tuesday.
 
 
RECIPE: TACO SALAD

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. HEAT the oven to 425°F.

2. CRUMPLE 4 sheets of foil to make 4 (3-inch) balls; place on baking sheet. Top each with 1 tortilla; spray with cooking spray. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until tortillas are golden brown. The tortillas will drape over balls as they bake, to form shells. Meanwhile…

3. BROWN meat with chili powder in large nonstick skillet. Stir in beans and salsa; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

4. FILL tortilla shells with salad greens, meat mixture, cheese and tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF TACO SALAD

The Tex-Mex taco salad was invented by Elmer Doolin, the founder of Fritos, in the mid-1950s, to promote Fritos corn chips. Originally called the Ta-Cup, it was first served at the Casa de Fritos restaurant in Disneyland around 1955.

Fritos were used to make an edible bowl filled with taco ingredients: A small bowl made of fried corn chips was filled with ground beef, shredded Cheddar cheese, and other taco ingredients such as iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

Initially a small snack, it evolved into a “main” salad, with recipes appearing in publications nationwide during the 1960s.

Taco Bell famously added the Fiesta Taco Salad to its menu in 1984 (but removed it in 2017).

The dish remains a crowd-pleaser, easy to make at home on Taco Tuesday.

It can also be made into a lighter version by keeping the fillings but substituting a sprinkle of Fritos or tortilla strips on top.
 

[3] Taco salad without the bowl (Pixabay Photo).
 

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