Halloween at work

For our Halloween party at work we had a tapas theme. Everyone brought in an appetizer or finger food. It turned out wonderfully! Rosie, our administrative coordinator, goes all out for the holidays and decorates. We decorated the front desk and lobby this year and everyone loved it.



The desert table. I made the ones on the spiderweb plate... Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops! They were a huge hit.


My Pumpkin Wontons w/apricot sauce... also a huge hit!


That's Rosie setting up our wonderful lunch! We had 2 long tables of food and decor!

Here are my delicious recipes:

Pumpkin Wontons

40 Servings
Prep: 40 min. Cook: 15 min.
Ingredients

* 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 40 wonton wrappers
* Oil for deep-fat frying

DIP:
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup apricot preserves
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

* In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cheese and salt.
* Place 1 tablespoonful in the center of a wonton wrapper. (Keep remaining
wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.)
* Moisten edges with water; bring corners to center over filling and press
edges together to seal. Repeat.

* In a skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°.
* Fry wontons in batches for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden
brown. Drain on paper towels.

* In a small bowl, combine dip ingredients. Serve with wontons.

Nutrition Facts: 1 wonton with 2 teaspoons dip equals 81 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 111 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops

Cook Time: 2 hr 15 min
Yield: 36 mini squares

Cheesecake:
* 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
* 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

Chocolate:
* 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
* 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Wooden pop sticks

Preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the eggs, yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.

Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into

1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a small pot filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)

Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

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