Friday, October 31, 2008

Eeewww, gross, Kathleen!

We're having a Halloween party. The 4-, 5- and 6-year-old grandchildren enjoyed it so much last year that they've decided to make it an annual event. They don't do Halloween parties in school anymore--it's a "Harvest" party, and this year they're not even allowing costumes--so I'm game, if for no reason other than to get another wearing out of those adorable costumes (Ariel, Snow White, Spiderman). Looking for new party ideas put me in mind of an old recipe that I thought I'd share. You've probably seen it and been totally grossed out. If you're adventuresome, maybe you've tried it and know that it's really quite good and can be the hit of the party, depending on your guests.

I discovered the recipe in the newspaper back when my daughter worked at Petco. We made it, and she took it to the store's break room for Halloween. She enjoyed (and related in detail) the responses, from the initial disgust to scraping the box for every last crumb. So for my contribution to recipe month, I give you....

Kitty Litter Cake

  • 1 German chocolate or spice cake mix
  • 1 (or 2 for better fill of the box) white cake mix
  • 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 (12 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies
  • green food coloring (and/or blue, as per your favorite kitty litter)
  • 1 package small Tootsie Rolls (but a few large Tootsies can add variety)
  • 1 small kitty litter pan (unused)
  • 1 poop scooper (also unused)
DIRECTIONS
  1. Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions (any size pan).
  2. Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble.
  3. Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. (Or put them in a plastic bag and smash with a hammer. Good therapy, less cleanup.) Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.
  4. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.
  5. Line kitty litter box with the kitty litter liner. (Or not. Your litter box is new and pristine.) Put cake mixture into box.
  6. Put half the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. (Not runny. That would be gross.) This is the part the kids really like: Shape with pre-washed hands (use tongue for post washing only) to look like...you know. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with half of the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.
  7. Heat 3 or 4 of the tootsie rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle lightly with some of the green cookie crumbs. (By this time the cat was clearly disgusted with his people, so I think we skipped that part.) Heat the remaining tootsie rolls until pliable and shape as before. Spread randomly over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs. Don't hesitate to hang one tootsie roll over the side of the box and sprinkle with a few green cookie crumbs. And, of course, erve with the pooper scooper.

Probably not Martha Stewart approved, but perfect for 6th grade boys, and teenagers have a great time with it. Since I won't be serving it to my wee ones, I'm still flipping through magazines. Any tips you care to share? What's your best--or worst--Halloween memory?

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Halloween parties for both and little kids. I'm the big kid on the block. We always have a party for the grandkids. Usually the week before, since they live an hour away...They so look forward to it...Happy Hallows Eve

Lee
www.chasingheroes.com

Cindy Gerard said...

Kitty litter. Eweee is right - but it sure sounds good.
I'm going Halloweening - with my agent! She's flying in today for the weekend. To say that I'm a little nervous is like saying the Grand Canyon is a big hole.
Anyway, the witches and the green nuns will be out haunting the neighborhood tonight :o)
Have fun with your party, Kathy

mslizalou said...

My little nieces always liked to decorate cupcakes. I always buy sprinkles, M&M's and other small candies that will stick to the frosting. You can even give them plastic spoons to use to put the icing on the cupcakes. Sounds like a fun party, but I agree with the Eweee on the kitty litter cake.

Keri Ford said...

I think my favorite part of that recipie is the *unused*. You know there's been someone out there who washed their litter box and scoop and served on it! A little bleach will kill anything!
heeheee


The hubby and I will be trick-or-treating with a little monkey this year.

Playground Monitor said...

Ewww gross is right! I had a "dirt cake" for my birthday about 10-12 years ago. It was a chocolate pudding cake in a terra cotta flower pot. She put crumbled Oreos on top to look like fresh soil and had gummy worms in it. It got rave reviews and a couple "Ewwww gross" remarks as well.

I honestly think my best Halloween memory is the year we moved back to the States and #1 son had just turned 2. It was cold that Halloween and I dressed him in long pants and a heavy sweater and the little German hat with a feather he'd been given as a farewell present from our play group in Frankfurt. I'm sure there's a photo in that HUGE box of photos in my front closet. One day I need to sort through all those. But I digress. He looked just like a little Hummel figurine, especially after he'd been outside a while and his cheeks were all rosy.

Marilyn

Kathleen Eagle said...

This just in: Somewhere in the U.S. they've got a room full of cats "voing" for prez using litter boxes as ballot boxes (labeled for the candidates). So far Obama is ahead--dubious distinction in this case.

Unknown said...

I have two. The first was a Halloween when DH & I were dating. We went as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. I made both costumes and DH was game and wore his to my sister's party. He looked great i n those green tights! Alas, not photographic evidence. He made promise not to take pictures if he wore tights. LOL


My second in from a few years ago when my kids were Hobbits. I made the costumes and they were so cute. They had capes, little vests with brass buttons, & glowing pins to hold on the capes. I even made shoe covers from fake fur.

That was also the last time they let me make their costumes. Now they insist on ones from the store.

This year, one is going be a werewolf and the other is going as the great pumpkin with a huge jack-o-lantern head. They grow up too fast.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Confession: I prepared this post a week ago thinking I was up last Friday. We had our party Tuesday after school. Treats included mummy dogs (hot dogs wrapped in refrigerator breadstick dough, bake at 375 for 12 min--actually took a couple of extra minutes) and hot cholate with eyeballs (marshmallows with candy iris made bloodshot with red frosting). A good time was had by all as we decorated plastic treat pails with stickers and foamies (the "big girls did canvas tote bags with felt, buttons, fabric markers)and made cute ghosts using styrofoam balls and cheesecloth. Love cheesecloth for Halloween decorating!

Kathleen Eagle said...

Ah, Fiona, they do grow up fast. I love the Hobbit image! Back in my day all the costumes were homemade. We usually used old clothes somehow. I was a gypsy more than once.

flip said...

I love this recipe!!!!!

Must try it.

Helen Brenna said...

Ew, is right, Kathy! Don't think I could make that cake.

Cindy, have fun with your agent this weekend! Now you have 2 NYTs to celebrate!

I talked my dh into dressing up like Dracula one year with white face paint, teeth, cape - the whole 9 yards. He scared the dickens out of the kids in our neighborhood!

Kathleen Eagle said...

On the litterbox ballot box, that would be "voting" not "voing"--although with the ballots they're using, who knows what the word is? Saw that on the news this morning, and with my post up and running, I howled.

Debra Dixon said...

ROFLMAO!!!

Kathleen-- I love how you felt you needed to specify that the kitty litter pan and poop scoop should be "unused."

That cracks me up. And mostly because there are probably folks in this world who need that little prompting.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Keri - this isn't enough bleach for me to "re-use" a kitty litter box for a cake! LOL But this is a wonderful recipe. I bet little boys would LOVE this.

Back in my medical days, it was no unusual AT ALL to have cakes in bedpans, vomit pans, etc. Yeah, it was a "medical humor" thing!

Michele Hauf said...

Eww is right! But I bet it's super nummy.

Best Halloween memories are simply the homemade costumes my mom used to make when we were kids. They were very elaborate and she spent a lot of time on them. I think I ended up making my daughter's first few costumes, then said "forget this" and starting buying them already made.

Worst memory? One year (must have been around 7 or 8) we got a potato in our halloween bag! I remember that house still. It was a bunch of teenagers hanging out in the front yard. Hmm...

Kathleen Eagle said...

A potato! Maybe it came from the dentist's house.

I remember a couple of years back in the 80's when hospitals offered to run kids' trick r treat loot through x-ray looking for bad tricks after the razor blade scare.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Has anyone ripped into the fun-size snack bags early? I notice 3 of ours are open.

catslady said...

Lol my mom was over and made me open up my bag of candy. I always pick at least some snickers because they are her and my husband's favorites.

I remember as a child being told I couldn't go out for trick or treat because it was pouring cats and dogs. My family was never very big on halloween but I cried so much my mother gave in. Got dressed as a bum (no fancy outfits here lol) and got to go to maybe a dozen houses (we lived on a very steep hill with lots of steps) but I was happy until the brown grocery bag broke because of course it was wet and my candy rolled down the street - I lost the apples and some candy but saved a few. I was happy though because I got to go out.

Playground Monitor said...

The Reece's PB Cups are calling my name. So far I've ignored them, but I can't promise how long I can hold out.

Kathleen Eagle said...

I've got Reece's and Snickers, too.

Mama wasn't crazy about Halloween, either. I don't know whether they did it in her day, but she used to say it seemed like begging to her. Daddy loved it, though. He used to say, "Let me see your trick." Kids would look at him like he was crazy, and I'd say, "Daaaddyyy!" But sometimes a kid would surprise him with a somersault or a double-jointed finger.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Back in the old days we used to stay out later than they do nowadays. We'd make quite a haul. Lots of full-sized candy bars. I loved to sort my candy by size and type. I always made it last until Christmas, but I had to hide it because my brother ate his right away.

Anonymous said...

We haven't had T&T'ers in YEARS. BUT I bought candy today! LOL Jeeze, I wonder who'll end up eating it???

Kathleen Eagle said...

When did we start wishing "Happy Halloween"? I'm seeing this among the pundits and their interviewees tonight. It seems funny to me.

Oh, well. Can't argue with wishing happiness. So...

Happy Halloween!

Megan Hart said...

Kathleen, I made your cake for a party I went to Friday! (Because of your early post that showed up on my Google Reader, I snagged the recipe last week!)

Everyone looked at it, everyone commented on it...hardly anyone ate it!

"Too gross!"

LOL

M

http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j78/authorm/?action=view&current=IMGP6034.jpg

To see the cake