How-To Throw a Halloween Dinner Party

Here's directions on how to have a yummy and fun filled dinner party for Halloween!

It's October, which means fall weather and time for Halloween activities! If you are new to the neighborhood or have never hosted dinner party before, I have some tips for you to host a ghouling and ghostly meal that will entertain all.

CAUTION: Planning a dinner party is a lot of work and some of the recipes such as the salad and dessert should be made earlier in the day to ensure enough time for the main course.

SIDENOTE: When you invite the group you should tell everyone to dress up for a costume contest at the end of the night.

 For the main course nothing looks more like bloody brains and intestines than spaghetti.

Ingredients:

(Feeds 12)

·      Three jars of spaghetti sauce

·      Use two servings from each type of noodle (this gives it an intestine and guts look)

·      Penne

·      Linguini

·      Spaghetti

·      Fettuccine

·      Shell

·      Bow-tie

·      Bag of premade Italian meatballs

Directions:

First, fill a large pot ¾ of the way full of water and put it on full heat on the stove and cover to boil.

Then, defrost the meatballs if necessary. If they are already room temperature cut about six of them up in the bite sized pieces, and keep ten in full form.

Next, pour the four jars of spaghetti sauce into a very large saucepan and keep it on medium heat.

      Once the water is boiling add two servings of each type of pasta. Do not cover and leave on the heat for ten minutes or until noodles are tender. When the noodles are ready drain the water in a colander.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and put it on high heat.

Finally put the noodles in a red bowl labeled " Fresh Brains & Intestines" and add the meat sauce.

What goes the best with spaghetti? Breadsticks! But for this purpose we'll call them ladyfingers.

Ingredients:

 

·      Two cans of refrigerated breadsticks

·      Bag of unsalted or garlic flavored almonds

Once you unroll the breadsticks as directed on the can, put the almond pointy side up on edge of the breadstick. When the side dish comes out of the oven, it looks like a scary finger!

If you want to be healthy you can also toss together an eyeball salad.  

Ingredients:

·      Two bags of lettuce mix

·      Bag of baby tomatoes

·      Three hard-boiled eggs

·      Black and green olives

·      1 teaspoon Cumin

·      Pinch of salt and pepper

·      1 tablespoon of Mayonnaise

·      Red wine vinaigrette

Directions:

First cut the hard boil eggs in half-length wise and take out the hard yoke. Blend the yoke, cumin', salt and pepper and mayonnaise in a bowl until it is a smooth consistency.

Next sliver the rest of the egg whites lengthwise and top each with a dollop of the yoke mixture.

Then put green and black olives on the yoke and voila! You have nasty eyeballs to top your salad.

Mix the salad and tomatoes in a bowl labeled "Eyeball Salad" and drizzle with "bloody" red wine vinaigrette.

So far, you have a great meal but it is Halloween, which means you will need dessert and drinks!

Nothing says Halloween like a spooky graveyard. If you can't go to one, why not make one!

Ingredients:

·      Chocolate Cake mix

·      Chocolate frosting

·      Bag of Milano cookies

·      Black gel icing

·      Green icing

·      Black sprinkles

Directions:

First, bake the cupcakes in tin holders and set them to the side to cool.

Next, layout the Milano cookies on a paper towel and write R.I.P on the top with black gel icing.

Ice and sprinkle the cupcakes with the black icing and sprinkles. Then stick the cookies into the cupcake so it looks like a grave.

Finally add some green icing to look like grass growing out of the gravestone.

That is how to make a creepy dessert in less than five steps.

Last, but certainly not least part of the meal is the drinks! Since you are having a huge party I'll take it easy on you and give you a punch recipe!

Ingredients:

·      Two cups of sugar

·      Two quarts of water

·      Two envelopes of lime drink mix

·      One large can of pineapple juice

·      Lime or multi flavored sherbet

·      Ice tray

·      Plastic black spiders

·      Malibu rum (optional)

Directions:

First, fill ice tray with pineapple juice and insert black spiders. Put it in the freezer until frozen solid.

Next, stir together sugar and water in a large punch bowl until the sugar is fully dissolved. Then mix in the lime drink mix packet and the rest of the pineapple juice.

Put the punch in the refrigerator until the party.

Right before the guests arrive, scoop sherbet and place spider ice cubes into the drink.

*If you would like to make it with alcohol, add one cup of Malibu rum.

After the amazing dinner you provide, you should offer some fun games to do for the rest of the night.

Bobbing for apples:

Put six red apples in a large bucket of water. The contestant must tie his/her hands behind their back and grab it with their teeth. It may not sound sanitary but you can impress your guests with the fact that it is a tradition of the Roman harvest festival honoring Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.

 Pin the face on the pumpkin:

      Buy the largest pumpkin you can find. Cut out different shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth and set them out. Then, the player picks one of each, ties a blindfold over their eyes, and tries to pin the facial features in the right spot.

Halloween Pictionary:

Buy a large drawing board and put words in a bowl for the guests to choose.

A few creepy ideas to guess would be:

·      Serial killer

·      Blood

·      Zombie

·      Haunted house

·      Dracula

·      Wicked witch

·      Dead body

·      Mummy

·      Graveyard

I think you get the picture. Pun intended.

If you make these recipes and play these fun games, your guests are with out a doubt going to have a blast! Hopefully you can get a few extra hands to help you out (that are still attached to a body of course!)

Good luck and Happy Halloween!