Severed-Finger Cheese Sticks

6 string cheese sticks

12 almond slices

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Round off each end of cheese sticks with a paring knife to resemble a fingertip. Roughly tear each cheese stick in half for 2 “fingers”. Shave off a piece of each “fingertip” to form a nail bed; place an almond slice on nail bed to form a “fingernail.” Cut a few shallow lines in center of each finger for knuckles. Pour several drops of hot sauce into small pools of “blood” on a serving plate. Dip torn ends of fingers into blood for bloody fingers. Lay each finger in its own pool of blood. “This would make an eye-catching appetizer tray for your upcoming Halloween party . . . Be sure to tear cheese sticks in half as irregularly as possible, to provide realism. You can use ketchup instead of hot sauce, if desired.”