California Dairy Products Dress Up the Halloween Season

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO and MODESTO, Calif., Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Halloween ushers in the candy season, but this trick-or-treat time the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has developed some kid-friendly, fun confectionary-free treats that won't leave kids or parents saying "boo." With Halloween lending itself to spiders, witches, and ghosts, the CMAB has come up with "spooky" recipes using Real California dairy products.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-dairy-products-dress-up-the-halloween-season-131536243.html

In 30 minutes or less and using minimal ingredients, these dishes can be enjoyed by the whole family, especially the kids. Real California dairy products add rich, complex flavors and textures to foods, so whether hosting a Halloween party or just looking for fun foods to celebrate the spooktacular season, here are some recommendations from CMAB:

• Toasted Ghosts: Frightfully good. Choose your favorite cheese such as Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Colby or Swiss and cut into a ghost-like shape with a cookie cutter. Place the cut-out cheese on two slices of bread and toast, open-faced under the broiler.

• Eyeball Salad: Ghoulish and gooey! Create a bed of spinach topped with bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) cut in half, decorated with sliced olives for pupils and ketchup lines to look "blood shot." Use a tomato or red bell pepper strip to create a mouth.

• Pumpkin Shake: Spice up the season by blending milk with canned pumpkin, orange juice, honey and pumpkin pie spices; serve in a tall glass topped with whipped cream and grated nutmeg.

• Spider Web Pizza: A boo-tiful and delicious dish. Using pre-baked pizza crust, spread pizza sauce evenly. Create a web pattern made with string cheese and bake until bubbly and golden brown. Decorate with a black olive "spider."

• Cottage Cheese Brain: Frankenstein beware! Mix blueberries, diced strawberries and chopped nuts with cottage cheese, form into two lobes of a "brain" on a plate or platter.

• Frozen Ghost Pops: For a ghostly delicious frozen treat try freezing vanilla yogurt in traditional popsicle-shaped molds. Once frozen, remove yogurt popsicles and design faces made with licorice or black jelly beans.

• Witch Sticks:  Spear cheese cubes of any flavor with chunks of pepperoni or salami on fun Halloween picks – a snack on a stick befitting any ghost or goblin!

Dairy products – including cheese – made with California milk can be identified by the Real California Milk and Real California Cheese seal, which certifies that the products are made exclusively with milk produced on California dairy farms. Ninety-nine percent of California dairy farms are family-owned. California produces more fluid milk, butter, ice cream, yogurt and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese, which is available nationally under the Real California Cheese seal.

About the California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state's 1,620 dairy families. With headquarters in South San Francisco and Modesto, the CMAB is one of the largest commodity boards in the United States. The CMAB executes advertising, public relations, research and retail and foodservice promotional programs on behalf of California dairy products, including Real California Milk and Real California Cheese. For more information on California dairy products and the Real California Cheese Pair Savvy App, visit www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com, like us on Facebook.com/realcaliforniamilk or follow us on Twitter @RealCalifMilk.

Related Links

www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com

SOURCE California Milk Advisory Board