A Halloween party doesn't need to be cheesy to be fun, so spice up the festivities and trade in kiddy favorites like snack-size candy bars for foods with more complex flavors.
Deviled-egg eyeballs and witches' fingers are cute for a kids party, but they're pretty cliché and overdone. Avoid them unless the party's theme is prepubescent nightmare."" Instead, incorporate locally grown and seasonal foods for a party that's completely personalized. Local orchards and pumpkin patches offer a great selection of affordable, fresh fall produce to feature in party food.
Find pumpkins in various sizes to use for décor as well as containers. Cut assorted fruits - such as apples, pineapple, pears or mangoes - into approximately one-inch cubes and thread onto bamboo skewers. Then, firmly press the skewers into a pumpkin, and you have an instant edible centerpiece.
Use a pumpkin as a bowl for candies, popcorn or dips. Cut the top third off any appropriately sized gourd and hollow out the inside. Either insert another bowl or make sure all the seeds and insides are removed. Then fill it back up with candied nuts, chips or French onion dip.
Candied pecans are also simple to make. Add two teaspoons of ground cinnamon and one tablespoon of sugar to six tablespoons of melted butter. Stir in a pound of pecan halves and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring every five minutes. Place them in a dish next to some screaming-hot peanuts to create a sweet and spicy combo.
Apples are easy to come by this time of year, and they work well in many dishes. Create bite-sized caramel apples for a sweet snack that's much easier to eat than the original. Use a melon baller or tomato corer to scoop out small spheres from an apple. Then pierce them with a toothpick. Make a dipping sauce using a caramel apple kit from a grocery store and dip the apples into the sauce. Sprinkle or roll them in crushed nuts or candy and place the finished mini-caramel apples on a serving tray to set.
Apples can also be used in assorted beverages. In a large punch bowl, mix apple cider, cinnamon schnapps, peach schnapps and 99 apples schnapps. Toss in apple chunks, orange slices and a cinnamon stick or two. It's like sangria meets Halloween.
All of these ingredients can be warmed up in a pan on the stovetop for a warm, relaxing cocktail. This concoction could also be reduced down to a sauce to pour on vanilla ice cream for an apple pie à la mode sundae.
Chips and dips are party staples, and they require very little effort. Spread guacamole or taco dip onto a plate, fill a sandwich bag with sour cream, cut a small hole in it and then draw a spider web design on the dip.
Here's another easy tip: Cookie cutters don't just make festive cookies. Use them to create finger sandwiches also. Pile ham and cheddar or turkey and Swiss on pumpernickel, or even spread PB&J on some white bread. Then, using some Halloween cookie cutters, cut out ghosts, pumpkins and bats.
A great dessert is a Triple Crown Brownie. Make any brownie mix according to the package directions and bake in a 9 by 13 inch cake pan. Allow the brownies to cool completely. Then, frost the brownies with vanilla frosting.
Next, in a microwave-safe bowl, combine one cup of chocolate chips with one cup of peanut butter chips. Microwave for 15 to 30 seconds at a time, stirring frequently, until melted. Add three cups of crispy rice cereal to the chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Mix well and spread on top of the frosting.
Another whimsical sweet is candy sushi. Make a batch of Rice Krispie treats according to the recipe on the box. Using Fruit Roll-Ups as the seaweed, press some of the Rice Krispie treat onto it, leaving some room on one edge. In the center, place a few multi-colored Twizzlers. Roll the fruit snack into a log, then cut pieces of ""sushi"" about an inch and a half thick and arrange on a tray.
With a little thought and ingenuity, it's easy to throw a party where the food isn't the same old monster mash. Try a few of these ideas and thrill your guests.
