Halloween is a festive occasion to host a party or to gather the children for an evening of trick or treating. Halloween activities are typically held in the evenings. Quick meals can be prepared to underscore the Halloween and autumn themes. Some dishes can also be made ahead of time to give cooks and hosts enough time to dress in costumes and dive into the activities.
Considerations
When planning a Halloween dinner, consider the weather conditions, number of guests and time needed for the activities. A hot, nutritious meal will prepare children for an invigorating walk in the cool autumn night. A combination of ready-to-cook entrees and simple side dishes can feed your guests and still leave you with enough time to enjoy the festivities yourself. Quick dinner preparation is possible, and a Halloween theme will make the meal memorable.
Themes
Simple and classic themes appropriate for Halloween include orange and black colors, pumpkins, witches and ghosts. Be careful about choosing food that is shaped like bats, spiders, insects and bones, as these themes may disagree with the guests' appetites. Choose simple foods that can be modified for Halloween.
A three-layer bean dip containing guacamole, black beans and salsa served in a clear dish will enhance the Halloween theme. Create ghosts on top by adding dollops of sour cream with diced black olives for eyes.
An omelet can be transformed into a pumpkin using melted American or cheddar cheese and strategically placed black olives.
Top tomato soup with toasted bread that has been cut in Halloween shapes.
Serve spaghetti in a pot with a lid that is decorated as a witch's hat.
Decorate small rounds of pizza with sliced mozzarella cheese cut into shapes. Your sauces could include pesto, tomato and Alfredo sauce.
Advanced Preparation
Dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and served at room temperature or quickly heated save time. If the food is done ahead of time, you'll have more time on Halloween day to decorate. Look for recipes that you can complete the day before.
Prepare sandwiches with a variety of fillings. Creative finger sandwiches can be cut with large cookie cutters.
Shape a cream cheese log to form a figure, such as an angel, devil or bat. Salsa is a tasty topper.
Bake and refrigerate pumpkin bread. Serve slices with blackberry jam to follow Halloween or autumn colors.
Bake apples in the morning and decorate them to look like witches' heads or shrunken heads.
Form chicken tenders in the shape of bats, ghosts or fingers. Buttermilk ranch or ketchup can be smeared on top of the shapes for a dramatic effect.
Make corn, squash or pumpkin soups or chowders.
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