Halloween Ham and Cheese Hand Pies
This is an adaptable little recipe. We love the warm, spicy flavor of brown mustard, but feel free to use your family's favorite mustard. You can also customize the filling by using any kind of thinly sliced cheese and/or meat that you or your kids prefer.
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
This slow-cooker chicken chili is a great addition to your cool weather weeknight meal rotation, especially when it comes to a Halloween potluck. Calling for a mixture of beans and hominy, this recipe boasts bold, rich flavor, something that can often be dulled in a slow cooker. Processing some of the beans in a food processor thickens the soup, lending a heartier flavor to the dish. We suggest serving the soup with green onions, cheese, cilantro, peppers, and plain yogurt, a great substitute for sour cream. Perfect for a potluck, ideal for cool weather, and guaranteed to make your home smell amazing while you're gone, this slow cooker chili is sure to make your "must make again" list.
Spinach Jack-O'-Lantern Hand Pies
Turns out that spinach wrapped in pie dough passes the picky-eater test! For these Halloween riffs on the classic calzone, use 4- by 5-in. pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters (find at cooking or craft stores and online). Or cut out a pumpkin-shaped template from paper, set it on the dough, and cut around it with a thin, sharp knife.
Boneyard Chicken Pot Pie
We made good old chicken pot pie Halloween party-worthy by loading up the filling with fresh vegetables and herbs, and decorating the top with bones and skulls cut from puff pastry. You'll need special cookie cutters; or you can create your own skull and bones from cardboard and cut around them on the pastry with a knife. For the best "puff," keep the pastry cold as you work.
Chicken Curry Moon Pies
Toasting the cumin brings out its flavor, and a bit of Madras curry powder makes this a savory pie that's as appealing to grown-ups as it is to kids.
Devilish Chorizo Chili with Hominy
Not only is this chili easy to make ahead, it actually improves with time. If you like your chili very spicy, add an extra teaspoon of chipotle powder. Prep and Cook Time: 50 minutes. Notes: Prepare chili up to two days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill; reheat before serving. Buy the best-quality chorizo you can find, preferably from a butcher or Mexican market, and avoid the type of chorizo that is very soft and sold in plastic casings; it tends to break down too much in cooking. Substitute another spicy uncooked sausage if you can't find good chorizo.
Boo-tiful Pumpkin Cake
Make two recipes of this pumpkin cake and create your own tasty pumpkin!
Pumpkin-Chocolate Brownies
TIP: Let fresh-baked brownies chill, uncovered, overnight. For a perfect slice, cut while they're cold. Serve at room temperature.
Spooky Sangria
What could be more fun than a cauldron full of seething, smoking sangria? It's delicious and wickedly strong (use more sparkling water if you want to dilute it a little). Although dry ice is not toxic, it's dangerous to swallow chips because of the extremely low temperature. Using a chunk of the ice, and wrapping it in cheesecloth, avoids that problem.
Pumpkin-Shaped Crispy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
These chubby sandwiches have shredded cheese on the outside, which melts into a crunchy sheath as they cook. We used a Wilton 4 1/2-in. cutter for the large sandwiches and a 3 3/4-in. cutter for the smaller ones (find both as part of a nested set on amazon.com). Make these festive Halloween sandwiches alongside a pot of tomato soup for an easy dinner if you're having guests over to trick-or-treat.
Hallowed Eve Cheese Pumpkin
Don't just settle for a typical appetizer. Mix things up this Halloween and serve this hauntingly-good cheese pumpkin masterpiece to your party guests.
Honey Chicken Wings
You're sure to get a standing ovation when guests sample this sweet-hot salsa, honey, and ginger marinade. Bake the wings during the first quarter and serve at halftime with blue cheese or Ranch dressing.
Â
Â
Ghostly Pizza
Frozen pizza dough is the secret to this easy pizza which is topped with slices of mozzarella cheese shaped like ghosts.
Mummified Cheese Log
Shaping this log into a mummy is half the fun. Let the kids help decide how they want this cheesy mummy to look and then start sculpting!
Mummy Dogs
These make-ahead hot dogs use refrigerated breadstick dough, perfect for goblins, pretty princesses, superheroes, and even their parents. Watch the how-to video at SouthernLiving.com.
Spiced Lamb Chops with Rosemary Crumbs
These spiced lamb chops are great for cocktail parties, since you can eat them one-handed.
Ghoul-Aid Punch
Give your guests a scare by float a creepy ice face in your punch bowl. Fill a Halloween mask with water (seal the openings with sturdy tape), freeze overnight, then remove the ice from the mask and float face up.
Cauldron Full of Devilish Dip
Fill a bread bowl with a chunky Devilish Dip to create the look of a creepy bubbling cauldron.
Witch's Cauldron Chili
Prepare up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate. Reheat over low heat, stirring frequently. If it's too thick, stir in a little water.
Boil and Bubble Soup Cauldron
Notes: The hominy can pass for teeth and the green peas as beady little eyes. If making soup ahead, don't add peas; cover soup when cool and chill, then add peas when reheating. For a tureen, use a rustic pan, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven. Or you can use a pumpkin shell. You'll need a pumpkin at least 12 to 16 inches tall and wide. Cut off top and scoop out seeds. About 10 minutes before serving, fill shell with boiling water to warm. Drain and fill with hot soup. Use top as lid for the pumpkin tureen.
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C%20but){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and%20napkins%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.){kind=link}
%20cupcakes.%20As%20host%2C%20you%20should%20provide%20the%20plates%2C%20utensils%2C%20and){kind=link}