HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
Host a kids' Halloween party on October 31st to make the most of the holiday for your little goblins. With a typical trick-or-treating start time of 6:00pm, good party planning is key to make sure the kids gobble up spooky grub and have some friendly witchy fun before knocking on doors and collecting a candy store of sweets!
For gruesome gourmet fare like a Spider Web Sour Cream Design on a Triple Layer Guacamole, Egg and Cream Cheese Torte plus easy eats such as a Jack-O-Lantern Face Pizza read our Halloween Party Food article.
Don't forget about dessert! Our Halloween Cupcakes and Halloween Crafts article have sweet treat ideas for your party.
- 4 cups Prepared mashed Idaho Potatoes (your favorite recipe or instant)
- Neon green liquid food coloring
- 4 Pimiento-stuffed olives
- 8 Kernels frozen corn (thawed)
- In a medium, mixing bowl, add the food coloring to the potatoes a few drops at a time, stirring to combine. Add more coloring to achieve the desired shade of green.
- Spoon 1 cup of the mashed potatoes into a plastic, zip-top sandwich bag; press out the air and zip it closed. Snip one inch off of one corner at the bottom of the bag. On a microwave-safe plate, pipe a 4-inch diameter circle by squeezing the potatoes out of the hole in the bag. Continue to pipe concentric circles toward the center of the plate. When the bag is nearly empty, lift and squeeze the remainder to form the head of the snake. (Keep in mind that if you don't like the looks of your snake you can scrape the potatoes back into the bag and start again!). Repeat with the remaining potatoes on 3 additional plates to make a total of 4 snakes.
- To finish, carefully remove the pimientos from the olives. Snip each pimiento nearly in half lengthwise to form forked tongues. Cut slices from the olives for the eyes. Place tongues and eyes on the snakes, and finish eyes by inserting corn kernels inside the olive slices. If additional decoration is desired, combine 4 drops of food coloring with 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl; using a small, clean, paint brush, paint stripes or dots down the backs of the snakes. Reheat the snakes in the microwave and serve.
- Makes 4 servings
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe Courtesy of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association
- 1-1/2 lb. ground beef
- 6 slices cheese, cut into Halloween shapes using a cookie cutter
- Red or green bell peppers, cut into desired shapes
- Pitted olives, cut into desired shapes
- 6 lettuce leaves
- 6 hamburger buns, split
- Lightly shape ground beef into six 1/2"-thick patties. Choose a cooking method.
- To broil, place patties on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4" from heat. Broil 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are no longer pink, turning once. To panbroil, place patties in preheated nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are no longer pink, turning once.
- Season with salt and pepper, if desired, after turning. During last few minutes of cooking, top with cheese, bell peppers and olives to make faces. Serve in lettuce-lined buns.
When planning a party that is time-sensitive, you need to strike a blend of organized fun without being militant about the schedule.
After all, the most important part of Halloween for the kids is trick-or-treating, so that 6:00pm start time is crucial.
Give guests as much information as possible right off the bat so every one can plan their day of festivities.
Follow these tips for a well-planned party:
- Send out invitations 3 weeks in advance.
- Let people know that after the party they are invited to trick-or-treat as a group in your neighborhood, if that is in your plans.
- Know that some will want to trick-or-treat in their own neighborhood.
- Expect little siblings to tag along, as Halloween is usually a family affair for younger kids.
- Let guests know that dinner will be served.
- Ask guests to R.S.V.P. a week in advance so you’ll have enough time to prepare for the party.
- Give each child a glow-stick necklace to wear.
- Provide trick-or-treating bags with Halloween trinkets in each one as party favors.
- Ask a few parents with cell phones to chaperone. Have all exchange cell phone numbers.
- Provide some flashlights for the adults to carry.
- Decide on a meeting place or plan if someone loses his or her way.
4:30 -- All-Play Games begin
5:00 -- Eat dinner
5:30 -- Say goodbye to those trick-or-treating on their own
5:45 -- Prepare to trick-or-treat as a group
6:00 -- Go trick-or-treating
Go for big, easy and not too scary with your Halloween decor.
Goofy pumpkins, silly spiders and wacky witches work well for all ages.Eerie skeletons and dark hooded creatures can freak out kids no matterwhat their age.Follow these tips for your party decor:
- Hang a kid-friendly Halloween scene-setter for a lot of atmosphere with little effort.
- Let game set-ups serve as decor.
- Use the buffet and dining table to complete your party decorations.
- Don't use candles at a kid's party. Instead try battery-operated flicker lights to set a Halloween mood.
Independent Activities & Crafts
All-Play Games
Decorate a Halloween
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Halloween Party
Tasting Party
