Ingredients
8 to 10 medium sweet orange peppers
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
Directions
Cut tops off peppers and set aside; remove seeds and membranes. Cut a jack-o’-lantern face on one side of each pepper; set aside. 

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. 

Drain spaghetti; add to beef. Stir in spaghetti sauce; heat through. Spoon into peppers; replace tops. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Brain Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup very finely chopped walnuts, or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 5 drops red food coloring
About 9 drops blue food coloring
Blood Glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
35 to 40 drops red food coloring
2 to 4 tablespoons milk, as needed for thinning glaze
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Into a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternating with the eggs, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating well after the addition of each. Fold in the nuts, vanilla, and red and blue food coloring, being careful not to overmix the dough. (The food coloring will make the dough a grayish color, resembling the color of brains.)

Place the dough in batches in a potato ricer and push the dough out onto the prepared baking sheets in long tubes of dough. With your fingers, loosely pat and arrange the dough strands into clumps resembling brains, pushing to form 2 hemispheres and shaping into a walnut-like shape. Bake until golden brown on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the “blood glaze,” in a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the food coloring to make a thick glaze, whisking together. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is a good consistency for drizzling. Drizzle the “blood” onto the cookies and serve either warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Cupcakes: 

2 eggs 

1 1/2 cups canola oil 

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice) 

1 teaspoon white wine or cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon red food coloring (recommended: Select natural food coloring) 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 

2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

Frosting: 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened 

4 cups confectioners’ sugar 

1/3 cup whole milk 

Red and black food coloring 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners (preferably silver). 

For the cupcakes: Crack the eggs into your mixer. Add the canola oil, buttermilk and vinegar. Drop in the food coloring and vanilla. Let it stir up until well mixed. 

Put the sugar, flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together until well mixed. Then sift this right onto a big piece of waxed paper, it makes it easy to transport to the mixer. Make sure there are no clumps. 

Turn your mixture on low and slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients as it’s mixing. Turn the mixer up just a bit and combine well. Stop and scrape down the bowl. 

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly dish the batter out into the cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. 

Pop the cupcakes in the oven until a cake tester comes out nice and clean, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool completely before frosting. 

For the frosting: Add the softened butter and confectioners’ sugar and cream together in a mixer. Add the milk. Stop and scrape down the bowl, getting all the confectioners’ sugar incorporated. Add a couple drops of black food coloring and then some red food coloring. Mix in the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Mix well. 

Fill a pastry bag or snip the corner of a zip top bag. Fill with the frosting. (To fill the bag easily, wrap the bag around a cup and wrap the edges of the bag around the top to keep the bag open while filling with frosting.) 

Frost the cupcakes, making a little squiggly line down the middle, and then filling in little swirls to look like the brain. Repeat on the other side and for the rest of the cupcakes.