Halloween can be a fun and magical time of year for both kids and adults! If you were lucky enough to go to a school that put a haunting spin on lunchtime, you remember the excitement as all the kids gathered around the menu that day.
Well, if you put your brain to it you can also come up with quite an array of cute and scary recipes for this fabulously frightening holiday! Keep in mind it’s not Thanksgiving meal prep yet so you can have fun in the kitchen and still enjoy the treats!
Mummy Dogs
The whole family will be totally wrapped up in this simple and adorable main course disguised as a snack!
Ingredients
- One 8-ounce can refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 10 hot dogs
- Cooking spray
- Candy eyes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Unroll dough and create four rectangles.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.
- Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each to look like mummys.
- About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate the dough so the hot dog shows through for the mummy’s face.
- Place wrapped hot dogs on a large ungreased cookie sheet.
- Spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
- Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot.
- Remove from oven and add two candy eyes to the face openings.
Pet Ghosts
People have preferences where pets are concerned and in this case, it’s your preference where you keep it!
Ingredients
- Single-serving graham pie crusts like these
- Peeps Ghosts
- Candy pumpkins like these
- Clear plastic cups like these
- Your choice of pie filling. Chilling Chocolate or Bloody Berry are popular choices this time of year!
Instructions
- Add your preferred filling recipe to the crusts and bake or chill as directed.
- Using jam, cool whip or other “glue like” compatible substance, attach the ghost and pumpkin to the top of pie.
- Carefully cover your pet ghost with the clear cup and attach with clear tape.
- Place all pets on a serving plate.
- Add a “handle with caution” sign on the serving area.
Stuffy Witch Noses
This is an appetizer that will disappear in no time. It can also be the perfect antidote for your own seasonal stuffiness!
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeno peppers (4-5 inch long peppers)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Wearing gloves, (jalapenos can irritate skin!) slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out the veins and seeds and discard.
- Place on a lined baking sheet, cut side up.
- In a bowl mix together the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and garlic powder.
- In a small bowl, combine Panko crumbs, paprika and melted butter. Set aside.
- Carefully fill each pepper with the cheese mixture.
- Divide and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of each popper.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
Snake Bites
Here is a treat that has one trick! It’s smooth as silk with a sudden surprise zing. You’ll never know when it might bite making this Halloween dessert as delicious as it is fun!
Ingredients
- One box (4-serving size) strawberry-flavored gelatin
- Ground cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- One box (10 oz) frozen strawberries in light syrup, thawed
- One 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- One 6 oz French vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix gelatin with boiling water, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
- Stir in strawberries.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes then stir. If not thickened, refrigerate until thickened but not firm.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer until blended.
- Add yogurt and vanilla, beating until blended.
- Scoop rounded tablespoonful in each of 8 clear dessert cups. Do not level.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of strawberry mixture over each cream cheese mixture. Do not level.
- Add (hide) a touch of cayenne pepper in one random spot of the strawberry mixture in each cup, for he “bite”.
- Repeat, again topping each with cream cheese mixture, then strawberry mixture.
- Chill before serving.
Silly, Scary Salad
When you want your kids to eat a salad now is the time to make it happen! No little goblin noses will turn up at this spooktacular garden of greens!
Ingredients
- Organic mixed greens like these
- Whole organic carrots, washed and sliced in circles
- White, flat cheese
- Black pitted olives, sliced or whole
- Dressing of choice
Instructions
- Carefully cut pumpkin eyes and nose in carrot circles to resemble jack-o-lanterns.
- Cut small ghost shapes from white cheese.
- Add greens to one large or individual serving bowls.
- Reserve some pumpkins, ghosts, and olives.
- Mix all ingredients except dressing. (Leave that as a personal choice)
- Arrange the reserved ingredients to allow them to show well in the salad.
Flaming Scarecrows
This is a perfect side when grilling to give the full effect. The joys of Halloween include all sorts of corn. Corn mazes, corn hole, corn stalks…and these!
Ingredients
- Fresh corn
- Seasonings as desired like salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder
Instructions
- Peel back the husk but don’t detach it from the corn.
- Remove the silk.
- Add melted butter with a basting brush.
- Add salt. (optional)
- Put the husk back where it was.
- Soak for 1-2 hours.
- Grill over direct, high heat for approximately 12 minutes, turning periodically.
- Remove from grill and serve.
- For Halloween, peel back a few husks and place them all in a serving dish for a better scarecrow look!
Spider Eggs
If you want simple, this is the one! Spiders are plentiful this time of year and certainly won’t mind donating a few eggs for your celebration!
Ingredients
- One container of powdered sugar donut holes
- Plastic spiders
- Spider egg sign
Instructions
- Place donuts on a platter.
- Place plastic spiders over donuts.
- Add spider egg sign.
Suffocating Spirits
As guests depart and a thank you for coming…or for an easy fire pit S’mores event, these are a breath of fresh air!
Ingredients
- Baggies
- Peeps Ghosts
- Graham cracker squares
- One fun-size Hershey chocolate bar
Instructions
- Place one Peeps ghost, one or two chocolate bars, and two graham cracker squares in each baggie.
- Add a tag that says “suffocating spirits” to each.
More Halloween Hints and Touches:
- Munchos Potato Crisps make awesome “ghost skin”.
- When serving salsa, add half of a red pepper, cut side down, to the center for a bleeding heart effect.
- Serve salsa and dips with organic blue tortilla chips for crow wings.
- Need a quick and healthy Halloween lunchbox edition? Get a Cutie brand orange, wash it well and dry it. Using a sharpie paint a jack-o-lantern face on the outer peeling.
Related: 8 DIY Halloween Costumes That Cost Little or No Money!