Easy Halloween Party Food

Halloween is a big deal at our house. My husband has always had a fine appreciation for all things creepy and I have to admit that I didn't love Halloween until I married him. I've always loved everything about the fall season (like the menu and the wardrobe), but just not the Halloween holiday itself. But that has changed over the years and now I can honestly say that I love Halloween! Almost 4 years ago we brought our first baby boy home from the hospital on Halloween day. Since my little guy's birthday is so close to the holiday, the last couple of years, we've had Halloween-themed birthday parties and I've made quite a collection of easy kid-friendly party food. I wanted to have them all in one place here so that when you're planning a party you won't have to search far! If there's one thing I've learned it's that you can turn any food into a Halloween food with the addition of a) eyes or b) plastic spiders. Seriously. But here are some of my favorite things that make appearances at our house around this holiday. The great thing is that a lot of them are healthy (or semi-healthy) options, which is a nice thing compared to the loads of candy you usually see. Enjoy!

Mummy Dogs


This is a childhood favorite and always the most popular of our Halloween spreads! Cut crescent roll dough into thin strips and wrap around hot dogs. Bake according to crescent package directions and use ketchup or mustard for eyes. I cut my hot dogs in half to make them bite-sized.
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Monster Jaws

Quarter apples and take a wedge out of the center of each quarter. Dunk them in water with a little lemon juice to prevent browning. Use slivered almonds for teeth (I toasted mine for color and taste!) Eyes are optional. I stuck pretzel rods in and attached candy eyes with peanut butter.
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Bones n' Blood


Use breadstick dough (store bought or homemade) and cut into strips. Use scissors to snip the ends into 2 pieces and roll them down to make the bone shape. Dip in "bloody" marinara! For extra flavor sprinkle with garlic and Parmesan or this seasoning.

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Candy Corn Pizza


Easy peasy! Plain cheese pizza, just make a ring of cheddar around the outside edge and mozzerella in the center. Cut into wedges to make the candy corns.

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Cheesy Fingers


Super kid friendly- who doesn't love string cheese?? Again, I cut them in half to make them kid-sized. Use the flat side of a knife to make the knuckle marks and attach slivered almonds with a dab of cream cheese for the nails. I also used a knife to shave off just a bit of the cheese at an angle before attaching the almond.
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Chocolate Cherry Mice


You'll need marichino cherries for this one. Make sure you buy ones with stems. Drain them and dry them well with paper towells. Dip in almond bark, or chocolate bark. When they are semi dry, attach a chocolate chip for a nose, slivered almonds for ears, and little candies or sprinkles for eyes.
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Dirt n' Worms


Another classic. Use chocolate pudding for your mud and put some crushed oreos on top for dirt. Hide those gummy worms in there for eeek factor!
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Pumpkin Sammies


This is a great staple for a Halloween party spread because it pleases both kids and adults and is something with substance! Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut your bread. I like to fill some with peanut butter or cream cheese and orange-colored jam (like peach or apricot) for the kiddos, and something more sophisticated like Teriyaki Chicken Salad for the grown ups!

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Nutty Ghosts


Nutter Butters are naturally ghost shaped, which make them perfect for dipping! Give them a bath in some almond bark and put on a couple of mini chocolate chips for eyes. And might I add that white chocolate covered Nutter Butters taste really good!

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Witches Wands


Dipped Pretzel Rods are instantly transformed into "Witches Wands" with a little Halloween pizazz! Put them in containers with candy corns to hold them up. The little mini buckets pictured are from the Target dollar section. SO cute!
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Spidey Cookies


Red hots and licorice turn oreos into creepy (but kinda cute) spiders. Shoestring licorice is hard to find these days, but Twizzlers makes "Pull-Apart" candy that works perfectly.
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Spider Web Dip


This trick works for pretty much any dip that you could pipe sour cream on top of! I always do a basic 7-Layer taco dip. Put some sour cream in a plastic baggie with the end snipped off and use it to draw a web pattern. Throw on a fake spider or two and your favorite party dip is instantly creepy!
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Slimy Worms on a Bun


My son seriously thought these looked too gross to eat-he wouldn't even touch it! Just slice hotdogs and drop them into boiling water for just a minute or two and they'll curl a bit. Dunk them in some bbq sauce and you have slimy worms :)
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Witch Hats


One of the easiest Halloween tricks (and treats!). Place a Hershey's Kiss on top of a Keebler Fudge Strip Cookie and you have a little hat. Use the little tubes of frosting you can buy in the grocery store baking isle. Pipe a ring around the outside of the bottom of the kiss and press onto the cookie. It will squeeze out and make the ring around the kiss. Then pipe on the bow.
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Witch Brooms


A witch with a cute hat needs a broom to match! Use cookie dough to form a broom shape around the end of a large pretzel rod. Use a tooth pick to make indentations in the cookies if you want. If your cookies spread too much during baking just use a knive to trim the edges when they come out of the oven and are still warm. Then decorate as desired. I just use a packaged PB cookie mix to make it easy, but I add a bit of flour to make the cookies hold their shape better. You could also use this PB cookie dough or this sugar cookie dough.
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Monster Munch


Perfect for a party, or great in individual bags or container for favors! Get the recipe here.
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Halloween Cookie Pops


Here's a great sugar cookie recipe and a tutorial on both glace icing and cookie pops. Make some spooky shapes and let people pick up some yum on a stick! Click here for a tutorial on making the spider web designs.
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Have a great idea that should be on this post? We'd LOVE to hear about it! Post it in the comment section, or email us at general [at] ourbestbites [dot] com and I might make it to add to the collection! Now go plan a spooky fun party of your own!

It's a Party & a Giveaway!

First of all, we're gonna have a FUN week!

There will be a new post EVERY day this week and they're all so much fun! Be here!
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Giveaway!

What's a party without a prize?? The host this week is Vintage Bakeshop. We fell in love with these charming mixes the moment we set eyes on them. Gourmet cupcakes in flavors like chocolate, champagne, and red velvet. Mouthwatering homebaked goodness like Cinnamon Streusal Cake, Scones, and Sugar Cookies. The best part is that they come in fabulous chic packaging that's almost too cute to open! Check out these mini-boxes that can be personalized for events like weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, bat mitzvahs parties, and more. Would you just die if you got THIS from someone as a baby announcement?! Oh my gosh, people would give you the best presents after that! One lucky person is going to have the opportunity to go on a little shopping spree. The prize for this giveaway is a:

$50 Gift Card to Vintage Bakeshop!

All you have to do is go take a look over there and tell us what sounds yummy! What would you buy with Fifty bucks at Vintage Bakeshop?? (Anyone who says they'd send something to their favorite food bloggers automatically gets lucky-dust sprinkled on their entry! ;)

Leave ONE comment below (on the blog, not facebook) and make sure you list contact info if it's not in your profile. Giveaway ends at Sunday Oct. 11th at night-ish time :)

If winner fails to return contact within 7 days a new winner will be chosen.

And then come back every day this week for a fun new Halloween Party Post!

~ Sara & Kate

** This giveaway is now closed. Stay tuned for our next one!

Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes

Okay, so did any of you watch The Next Food Network Star during the summer of 2008? You know, with Kelsey, the perky little blonde girl who made Sloppy Joes for a challenge and then had to serve them to Martha Stewart? And Martha Stewart wouldn't eat them? (Click here for a very astute defense of the Sloppy Joe in reference to this incident.) Yeah, that's kind of how I'm feeling today. The inner Martha in me is saying, "Really, Kate? Sloppy Joes?" And yet...what can I say? I think these are delicious. Like make-myself-another-half-sandwich-even-though-I'm-not-hungry delicious. Like sneak-into-the-kitchen-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-see-if-the-mixture-tastes-good-cold delicious. Top it off with the fact that Sloppy Joes just feel like fall to me--you know, something warm and family-friendly that can simmer while everybody's out trick-or-treating or something you can fill a thermos with and enjoy at a chilly football game.

One thing I love is that it's versatile--you can make it in about 30 minutes, it can be semi-prepared and frozen and then cooked in the crockpot, or it can simmer in the crockpot for a few hours, whatever works best for you.

Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes

1 lb. lean ground beef

Seasoning salt to taste

1 medium onion, minced

1/2 green pepper, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3/4 c. ketchup

1 tsp. mustard

3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/3-1/2 c. water to reach desired consistency

Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 hamburger buns (to make your own, click here for the recipe)


Stovetop Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Add in mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine tomato paste and water and add to hamburger mixture. Add more water if desired. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns.

Crockpot Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Cook on low for 3-4 hours and serve on hamburger buns.

Freezer Instructions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Add in remaining ingredients and combine well. Freeze. When ready to cook, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low to 3-5 hours. Serve on hamburger buns.

Looking for something to serve with your non-snobby Sloppy Joes? Try:

Sweet Potato Fries

Diner-Style Fries

Oven Steak Fries

Stuffed Bleu Cheese Potatoes

Memphis-Style Coleslaw

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Are you ready for a serious confession?

I don't like pumpkin pie.

That may come as a surprise since I'm obsessed with things like this and this and this. Also a surprise when considering that this time of year, I spend about 85% of my available brain power trying to discover new ways to incorporate pumpkin flavor into everyday foods. See, while there's something about mushy orange pie that kick starts my gag reflex, there's also something entirely intoxicating about the combination of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, all strung together with sweet brown sugar and delicate pumpkin in just about anything else. So the other day when my 4 year old and I were looking for a pre-bedtime treat, I reached in to grab the vanilla ice cream and knocked my frozen pumpkin puree off the shelf. One look at my kiddo and his cute little mouth covered in graham cracker crumbs and I knew exactly what we were about to create. That was a week ago. We've had these shakes about 6 times since. So yeah, just about every day. Go ahead, call the diet police. I dare you.


Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/3 C pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/16 t cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 C vanilla ice cream
1-2 graham crackers

Pop everything but graham crackers in a blender. Start with 1/4 C milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. I used somewhere between 1/4-1/2 C.


A note about blenders: Here's the problem with making thick, diner style milkshakes at home: A lot of times you have to add so much milk to the thing to get the blender to process that it turns into a milk-slushie instead. Or you have to blend and plunge, blend and plunge, etc. You know the drill, right? So if you have any trouble with your blender, I would recommend blending everything but the ice cream first and then mashing it into the ice cream by hand (well, with a hand. Holding a fork or spoon :) If your scooped ice cream sits out at room temp while you measure the other things and get them all ready, then by the time you mash it all together it should be a good consistency.

Sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs before serving. It reminds me of DQ's Pumkin Pie Blizzard!


YUM! I could seriously have this for every meal. I think I might start some kind of pumpkin pie milkshake diet. Would you guys purchase? What about if I split it up into 9 easy payments and threw in a free wall-hanging toothpaste dispenser? Something to think about...

This makes one big ol' shake. For us, it's enough to put a little in a kiddie cup for my toddler while my hubby and I share the rest, and for everybody to give periodic bites to the 17-month-old who walks around with his mouth open saying, "Ah? Ah? Ah?" (Translation: feed me, feed me, feed me!)

Single Serving Pie in a Jar

A few months ago, we got an email from our cute friend (and talented photographer) Nathaly. Don't even think about pronouncing that "Na-THA-ly" like any normal human would do. It's a trick. The h is silent. And please don't tell her I pronounce it wrong in my head every time I read it. Anyway, she shared this fun idea with us and said she was sure we could find a way to make it cuter. First of all, best idea ever! These are individual-sized pies made in little glass jars that go straight from your freezer to your oven to your mouth. SO cute. Most people make these with store-bought crust and canned filling so we jazzed it up a little. And when I still felt like it needed a little somethin' somethin', I turned to my resident crafting expert and pretty much creative goddess, Lolly! You're thinking there should be a link there, right? Well I'm not giving it to you yet because then you will go there and be gone for hours rummaging though all of the fun things on her site and it will spoil the surprise of this whole post! So read through and when you get to the end, you'll see what I'm talking about and we'll re-visit this whole Lolly thing :) Because really, we can't do enough Lolly visiting.

Pie in Jar

This is the type of jar you'll need.


They're half-pint jars, but short and squatty instead of tall and skinny (Ya know, like me as opposed to my mother. Why oh why did I have to get the other parent's genes??!) Mine are made by Kerr (Here's the link to buy them from Amazon). They're stinking cute as is, don't you think? Something about a short squatty jar makes me giddy with the thoughts of fun things I could put inside. Ya know, like PIE.

Step 1: Pie Dough
The first thing you'll need is dough. You can use any pie dough you like. Here's a great tutorial on making a basic crust. That particular recipe will make 4 jars. You can also use the all-butter crust from this post. Or if you're really in a pinch, even a store bought crust will do.

Step 2: Make a topper and line the jar
Roll out a small handful of dough. This is just for the tops of your pies, so eyeball about that much. Grab the ring part of your jar and use that as your cookie cutter. Brilliant, right? Cut out the tops and set aside.

Use the rest of the dough to line the jars. (No, you do not need to grease them) The great part is that there's no rolling required! Just take little pieces and press them in. Make sure it's pressed all the way up to the top of the jar, or pretty close to it.

Step 3: Fill 'er up
You'll need about 1/2 C filling for each jar. You can use any filling your little pie-craving heart desires, even (gasp) canned! You can also use the same method shown in the galette post to use any fruit you happen to have around.

Here's the basic recipe (for 4 pies)
2 C prepared fruit (pitted, diced, peeled, etc.)
2 T sugar- brown or white (use more or less depending on sweetness of fruit)
2 T flour- (again, more if your fruit is super juicy like cherries, less if it's pretty dry)
1 T butter (divided between the pies)
Seasonings/flavorings- cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and almond extract, citrus zest etc)

Play around with it and come up with something yummy! I made 2 different pies in my pictures: one, a cut-down version of Kate's Apple Pie and one with fresh cherries and almond extract.

When your filling is all combined, divide it between the jars and dot a pat of butter on top (about 1/4 T)


Step 4: Top it off
Make sure your "lid" has a vent so steam can escape. You can use a knive to make a couple of slits or a tiny cookie cutter to make it decorative. I am in LOVE with these little Autumn Leaf Pie Crust Cutters that my sister gave to me last fall. Oooh, I just saw this year's set has an acorn in it! I might have to get that one too--how cute is that little acorn??! My little maple leaf is pretty darn cute, too.


When your topper is ready, slip it onto the top of the pie. It will be large enough that the outside edge goes up the side of the dough-covered jar a bit, as show in the picture below. Then use your finger, or a fork, to press the 2 pieces of dough together to seal. And nobody even think about mentioning the state of my fingernails.


Another option is to do a crumb topping. I put a basic crumb topping on my cherry pies and they were sooo yummy.


Crumb Topping (for 4-6 pies)
1/4C brown sugar
1/4 C flour
2 T oats
1/4 T cinnamon
3 T cold butter
Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter. Add oats and stir to combine.

And I couldn't help but try a mini lattice on one. Eeek! Dying of cuteness overload. (Click here for a how-to on a lattice pattern)

** Optional step here that I HIGHLY reccomend: Brush pie tops with butter and sprinkle with sugar at this point. Yumminess highly instensified!

Step 5: Freeze 'em!

Ready for this? When your pies are all done and topped, place metal lids back on and seal them tight. Then pop these little cuties in the freezer. There they will stay until you find yourself having an insatiable craving for home-baked goodness. You'll be reaching for the crumbs at the bottom of the keebler box when suddenly your eyes will light up because you remember you have THESE sitting in your freezer.


Or when you have unexpected guests in need of impressing, or a friend needing to be cheered up, or it's Thursday...I can think of a million reasons why one should have a constant supply of fresh pie in the freezer.

Step 6: Bake 'em

Now first let me say that one of the biggest concerns from everyone is about the jars breaking in the oven. All I can say it that I've baked hundreds of these and never once has a jar broken. These are canning jars- they are designed to be boiled, pressure cooked, etc. So it's different than putting any ol' piece of glass in the oven. They bake just fine! But if you're freaking out then my advice would be this: remove lids from jars and place jars on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in a COLD oven. Then turn the oven to 375. That will give the jars a chance to warm up slowly as the oven preheats. If you're really worried you can always let them sit at room temp for a bit first before putting them in a cold oven. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the middles are bubbly. If you're baking them fresh and not frozen they take about 45 minutes.


Depending on your filling you can pop them right out of the jar and onto a plate like so:



Or just eat them right out of the jar. There's something way more fun about eating it right out of the jar...


And if you have oozing cherry filling, that might be the only option!

Kate had a brilliant idea too- no need to stick to sweetie pies, try going savory with
Chicken Pot Pie in a Jar!!

Okay now...FREEBIES FOR ALL!

Remember a few paragraphs ago when I was praising the almighty Lolly? Lolly is the brain behind Lollychops. Some of you may remember last year when she designed these cute cute Christmas tags for us to put on our goodies. So of course, I instantly thought of her when I realized that I could not sleep at night knowing these mini-pies could be better dressed. They needed just a touch of Lolly. And she delivered like always with these adorable tags!

 All of the directions are right on the tag and you can write a little To/From on it. Plus in true Lolly fashion there's like, a million different versions to go with any flavor you could possibly imagine! How cute are these?! Have I mentioned how much I love Lolly? I love you, my dear Lolly.

(I can't believe she's giving this pie to some guy named Ron when I just told her I loved her.)

These little pies are perrrrrrfect for giving. So once you have these cuties made up, download Lolly's tag set, and get your cute on. People will think you are amazing because not only did you come up with the brilliant idea to make a mini pie in a jar, you also made an adorable personalized tag. Talk about moving up a notch on the popularity ladder.

--> CLICK HERE <-- to head over to the Lollychops blog and get all of the instructions and details on downloading and using the tag sets. And here is a direct link to the tags.

Edit: Lolly has just added this adorable TURKEY pie tag!! Click HERE to get it!

A big thanks to my girl Lolly for playing along with pie this week!
All of the rest of you- get baking and have a great week!

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