With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about what dishes and treats you’re going to be serving up to party guests and/or trick-or-treaters. Yes, you can always take the easy way out and simply hire a caterer or perhaps even pick up a few large buckets of chicken, but for those who really want to get into the spirit of things there’s nothing like doing it yourself. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind (assuming that you want to go the homemade route) is to pick relatively inexpensive foodstuffs which can be combined in new or perhaps “artful” ways. Anyway, without further ado, let’s begin exploring, shall we?
Fruit and Vegetable ideas
Any type of sweet fruit can be cut and/or shaped into some type of Halloween treat, and some are more conducive to the season than others. For example, apples are a classic treat that you can decorate or cut up like mini jack-o-lanterns (just remember to dip any of the exposed sections of the apple into lemon juice so that you don’t end up with browned treats). If you’re not such an artistic person, you can also simply make your own caramel or chocolate-coated apples and decorate them accordingly. Since we’re on the subject of chocolate coated fruits, strawberries are always an excellent choice and can certainly be used in tandem with “white chocolate” to create eyeball-themed treats. Similarly, you can also cut up different varieties of vegetables and serve them on a track so that they’re arranged in some diabolical shape or perhaps resembling a ghoul, skeleton, etc… Likewise, you can also pick certain cooked veggies and really let your mind run wild with gruesome and horrific comparisons. Once you have an idea, simply place the item(s) in a bowl and create a sign for it.
Meat-based dishes
Most finger foods like chicken strips are always welcome, regardless of the holiday shindig you’re throwing. Consider some barbequed chicken strips nestled inside of some type of plastic skeleton ribcage (just remember not to make it look too unappetizing). Moreover, if you want to serve some soup or chili, simply find a mock witches’ cauldron to place it (or your cooking container) into and serve it with skull-shaped bowls.
Candies and desserts
Finally, there are candies and desserts, which is pretty much everyone’s favorite section, right? No doubt you already have more than a few ideas on your mind with regards to additions in this section, so here are some that you might not have considered.
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Pumpkin-themed cakes and pies (both in terms of ingredients and/or shapes)
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Cookies which have been shaped into Halloween-themed icons / characters (you can also create a few giant cookies and decorate them with icing, attempting to portray Halloween scenes like a zombie attack, for instance…)
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Oreo dirt pie – A very versatile mixture or ground up Oreo cookies and a creamy icing (which can also be decorated with gummy worms). Get the recipe here.