Halloween in a Hurry

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Some people go all out for Halloween, with steaming witches’ brews, ghoulish table centerpieces and elaborately carved jack-o’-lanterns. With my kids grown, I’m just the opposite. I don’t know if I’ll even get around to carving the pumpkins that are decorating my living room. (If not, I’ll use them for my Thanksgiving table.)

But that doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the festivities altogether. I’ll just do something easy and call it a day.

This year’s “easy” is a tray of “worms,” that you can use to top just about anything edible. These worms are almost flavorless so you can use them with sweet or savory dishes. It’s a great Halloween topper for pizza. The worms will collapse in contact with moisture, so if you sprinkle it on a salad, plan to consume the salad immediately.

Halloween Worms
1 bundle Chinese bean thread or rice stick noodles (about 2 ½ ounces)
Vegetable oil for deep frying

1. Unwind bundle of bean thread. The bean threads are stiff and wiry so they will not unwind neatly. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the bean thread in 5-inch lengths.
2. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.
3. Add about 1 inch of oil to a small but deep saucepan and heat over medium heat to 375 degrees F. To test if oil is hot enough, add a bean thread to the oil. It should puff up and rise to the top in a few seconds.
4. Drop a small handful of bean threads into the oil. When they puff up and rise to the top, scoop them out with a small strainer or slotted spoon, and drain on the paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all bean threads are cooked.

This will make enough “worms” to cover 2 large pizzas.

Note: Bean thread noodles are also called cellophane or glass noodles and can be found in Asian supermarkets in the dried foods section.

Here are a few other quickie Halloween ideas from the Special Fork database:

• Creepy Fingers and “Blood” Dip is the ultimate ghoulish appetizer; it takes just 30 minutes to make, from start to finish.
• Halloween Ghosts are easy candy you can whip up in 20 minutes.
• Graveyard Cupcakes start with prepared cupcakes from the bakery or made from a mix. Decorating them is the fun part.

Happy Halloween!

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1. Spooky Halloween Treats
2. Another Spooky Halloween Treat
3. Make Ghostly Halloween Treats in Minutes
4. Halloween Spaghetti Casserole