A Few Tricks to Create Some Halloween-Inspired Treats

(October 2011) – Halloween is one of the most creative, fun and (let’s admit it) sugary holidays on the calendar. And although the day is not associated with the savory feasts of the other fall and winter holidays, Halloween does offer a great opportunity for having some fun with your menu, especially for the kids.

This year, offset all of that trick-or-treating with some creative ideas that are simple, festive, and (most importantly) fun.

• Zombie Eyeballs on a Fork: Create a creepy treat by taking doughnut holes and dipping them in melted white chocolate. As the white chocolate coating dries, add a mini semi-sweet chocolate chip for a pupil and some red icing to create squiggly veins. Stick the “eyeballs” on plastic forks and place in a container.

• Hot Dog Mummies: These spooky little guys are easy to make and a speedy, spooky meal before collecting candy. Wrap a (refrigerated, like you would purchase unbaked in a tube) breadstick tightly around each hot dog. Make sure to leave space for the mummies head/face and wrap the last bit of breadstick dough around the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Decorate faces with ketchup and mustard.

• Cheesy Swamp Creatures: Create slimy swamp creatures by first making your favorite macaroni and cheese. Then it into a muffin tin and bake in oven until firm. Place these “monsters” upside down on a bed of cooked spinach (your tentacles) and use olives for eyes.

• Banana Ghost Pops: Make this tasty treat for your little ghosts and goblins and you’ll be a hit this season. Cut a banana in half (width-wise) and push it onto a popsicle stick. Freeze these banana sticks and once frozen dip them in melted white chocolate and stick on raisins for the eyes and mouth.

• Eye Popping Soup: This spooky soup will warm up your family after a night of trick-or-treating. Take your favorite tomato soup and heat it on the stove. While you wait for it to warm up, use a melon baller to create “eyeballs” out of mozzarella cheese . Add a black olive to make a pupil and plop them into each delicious bowl.

• Deviled Eyeballs: To create this devilish treat, just use your favorite deviled egg recipe, but add green food coloring to the yolk mixture before you scoop it back into the egg white. On top of each yolk filling, place one black olive slice and a small piece of pimento or red pepper in the olive for the pupil. You can also draw veins on the egg white by using a tooth pick dipped in food coloring.