NEW HALLOWEEN RECIPES

Placing a hand made of ice in a punch bowl as a creepy decoration is not a new trick. Typically, a latex glove is filled with water, tied off at the open end and then laid or hung in the freezer to freeze and turn solid. The disadvantage to this method is that when the glove is cut off of the ice hand, the wrist is just a narrow little nub. Our method allows you to create an icy hand that actually has a wrist with a flat end. Before starting, make sure that your freezer is tall enough to hold the milk carton. Also make sure that you have an empty, washed 1/2 gallon paper milk carton to use.

Materials:
1 - 1/2 Gallon Milk Carton
1 - Unpowdered Vinyl Glove - Medium
1 - Plastic 12oz Cup
1 - Stapler with staples
1 - Food Color (optional)

The 1/2 gallon cardboard milk carton will be used as a stand for the hanging glove inside. It also prevents your freezer from getting filled with water in the unlikely event that the glove should break before the water has frozen solid. Just make sure you rinse it out thoroughly before using. For the glove we prefer to use a vinyl non-powdered glove for our frozen hand. Vinyl tends to be somewhat stronger and less elastic than latex, holding its shape better. You should clean the inside of the glove out very well before using. To do this, turn the glove inside out and wash well with warm soapy water. Let the glove dry, then return it to its original position by turning it inside out again.

Next you need to cut a plastic cup so that it will fit inside the top of the glove and act as a temporary sleeve while the glove is in the freezer. We use a hard plastic 12 ounce disposable drinking cup. Using a small pair of scissors, cut off the bottom of the cup. Next, cut off the bottom two inches of the cup. You will use this piece as your glove retaining sleeve. In the picture to the right we've drawn dashes on the cup to illustrate where it should be cut. This is what will form the round wrist for your hand ice mold. It may sound like a lot to go through, but it's worth it!

Slide the open end of the glove over the larger end of the plastic sleeve and all the way up to its top. Then, staple the glove and sleeve together as shown to the right with six staples. Lower the glove with the attached sleeve down and into the milk carton and staple the top edges of the cup to the top edges of the milk carton with four staples. This arraignment creates a wrist as part of the ice hand and allows the water filled glove to hang safely inside the milk carton. Make sure, if using a vinyl glove, that it is UNPOWDERED!! You can purchase this type at beauty supply stores used for hair processing. You can also use the thinner plastic food handlers gloves.

You can make your frozen hand using plain tap water or you can add a drop or two of food color to the water before freezing to tint it. When we tint ours, we try to use a contrasting color to the punch we are serving so that it will be more visible. For instance, when we serve orange colored punch, we give the hand a slightly green tint by adding a drop of green food color. After filling the glove up most of the way, place the whole thing in the freezer over night or until the water has frozen solid. You can also use the juice, soda or liquid of your choice. If you do this, it will keep the water from diluting your punch and still keep your punch cold.

Just before your guests arrive, fill your punch bowl with the Halloween punch of your choice, then use scissors to cut down the side of the glove to release the icy hand. Be sure not to fill the punch bowl all the way to the top as the hand will displace some of it. Place the frozen hand in the punch to float on the surface. The ice hand will melt away over time depending on the temperature of the punch and the room, so we usually make two or three and keep them in the freezer until they are needed. You can float a couple of these in a large punch bowl.