As I’ve mentioned before, our house is all about Halloween! (I’ve already started decorating the house…welcome back Bob the Zombie! Oh, how we’ve missed you!) This year we decided we’d  have a few friends over for a spooky Halloween cocktail party (the grandparents are taking our little guy overnight for the first time…I will definitely need a couple of cocktails just to get through that…sniff! sniff! He’s growing up so fast…okay… keep it together Carly!)

I didn’t just want to put out the usual veggies and dip or cheese platter so all week I (and my hubby) have been scouring the internet looking for fun Halloween-themed cocktails as well as scary appetizers. Throughout my search I found some really cool (and rather gross) ones that I thought I’d share with you.  Almost all of these could be used for a kids Halloween party as well (just make sure to omit the booze ingredient out of the punch recipe unless you want the police trick or treating at your door this year. LOL)

 Shrunken Heads in Cider Punch

Ingredients

2 cups lemon juice

2 tablespoons coarse salt

8 large granny smith apples (i just picked some from the apple tree in our backyard)

32 whole cloves

2 gallons apple cider ( or apple juice would work too)

2 cans of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

2 cups spiced rum (for parents only!)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together lemon juice and salt; set aside.
• Peel apples and cut each in half through the stem; remove seeds and core. Using a sharp paring knife, carve a face, as desired, on the rounded side of each apple half. Place apples in lemon mixture for one minute; transfer to paper towels to drain.
•  Place apples, face-side up on prepared baking sheet and transfer to oven. Let bake until apples are dry and begin to brown around the edges, about 90 minutes. Remove apples from baking sheets and press cloves into the “eye” sockets.
•  Combine cider, lemonade, and rum (if using) in a large punchbowl; float shrunken heads on top

Can you believe this recipe actually came from the Martha Stewart webpage??  Who knew she was so twisted?  It actually sounds quite delicious and would be a really fun thing to do with the kids.  Just make sure to give them a butter knife to carve the heads with.

Here is another fabulously disgusting appie I found that you can make with the kiddies and it’s super easy:

 

Monster Toes

Ingredients

Cocktail wieners (I’m just going to use regular hotdogs and cut them up in smaller pieces)

6-inch tortillas

Ketchup

toothpicks

Directions

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail.
• Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.
• Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.
• Bake for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Voila!  Creepy monster toe appies the whole family will love! I can’t wait to make these!

And of course what would a party be without dessert!  I think these delectable cupcakes should get everyone “thinking” Halloween:

 

Brain Cupcakes

Ingredients

Classic Cupcake Recipe(for those true bakers out there…I’m just going to use a Duncan Hines white cake mix!):

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tin with paper or foil liners. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture one third at a time, alternating with the milk. Pour into the prepared cupcake pan and bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Frosting (This is actually my mom’s recipe for icing and it’s super good. Thanks, Mom!):

Beat:

½ cup shortening

½ cup butter or marg.

½ cup milk

(all ingredients at room temperature)

Beat these ingredients until light and fluffy.

Add:

¾ cup sugar (berry sugar better or just grind up the sugar in a coffee grinder to make it finer)

1 tsp. vanilla ( I usually two as I really like my icing vanilla-y!)

7 tbsp. flour

Beat until thick

Directions to make Brains:

• Spread a coat of light orange icing (Stir a few drops of yellow and pink food coloring, and just a touch of green, into 2 cups of buttercream frosting until you have a hue you like) on a dozen cupcakes.
• Use a pastry bag fitted with a number 10 round tip to top them with fat zigzags. It works best to first pipe two zigzags down the middle and then fill in the sides.( I just went to the dollar store and got a plastic pastry bag with 8 attachments for $1) 

Hope these recipes help get you in the Halloween spirit.  I’ll let everyone know how they turned out next week and if you have any other great halloween party recipes, please send them to me!  Happy Eating and Happy Halloween!!!

Coupon Tip of the Week:  Grocery stores are filled with coupon tear pads! For those of you currently on maternity leave at home with a little baby, plan a stroller trip to the grocery store to go treasure hunting for coupons. It’s a fun way to get out of the house, get some exercise, and possibly find some great deals! This is an especially good idea if your baby gets fussy at a certain time of the day as stroller rides usually put them right to sleep!