Ghoulish Grub – The Halloween Party Spread

One of my favorite parts of throwing a party is creating a scrumptious spread. For this year’s 2nd annual Pint Sized Halloween Party I went all out. The spread was large and augmented by several tasty treats friends brought with them. There were over 50 people there several of which were pregnant so I needed to be prepared. If you are having a Halloween themed party this year I have a few recipe, table decorating and party planning suggestions.

Nothing makes the party like a giant bowl of cheese balls. What can I say they were cheap and looked like little pumpkins. I had envisioned making ice cream filled oranges that look like little jack-o-lanterns with all the oranges I bought, but alas I threw in the towel and just put them out in a bowl. I made a batch of cake pops using orange cake mix and cream cheese frosting. I also recovered my cake pop carrier to make it a little more Halloweeny.

My lovely friend Kara brought a delectable batch of pumpkin cupcakes with her. You can also see my giant witches boot in the center of the table I had a spooky tree coming out of the center that I of course did not get a picture of.

In my party throwing experience, people love them some cheese. Trust me buy a cheese tray from Sam’s or Costco and thank me later. Veggie trays typically go over well (and tomorrow I’ll have lot’s of ideas about what to do with the left overs). They come on a plastic tray, but it looks so much nicer if you put it on your own cute platter. With Tallulah I craved cereal, with this baby I crave briny foods like olives, pickles, capers and okra. That said I’m not sure I would make these Green Olives Stuffed with Chili Almonds again. Fun table touches likes straws and Halloween themed lollipops in candy corn help make the table cheery, even if they don’t get used or eaten.

Mini Carmel apples with nuts and pretzel sticks, yes please. These were easier to make than they sound, but I’m not sure they were all that delish. They looked darn cute though. Two things you can barely see in the picture were a couple of my favorites. With some of my left over oranges Chris made a batch of Citrus Salsa. We are eating some today with the festive blue corn tortilla chips you see in the picture (you could get white chips, but why when there are blue). One of my favorite and easy to make treats is a dip made with a block of cream cheese, pumpkin pie filling and sugar. Mix it up to taste, sprinkle with cinnamon on top and serve with Gingersnaps – yummy!

I started to make a patch of pumpkin hummus, but opted for carving a small pumpkin and serving ready made hummus inside. The spicy dried okra I bought at Round Top was a big hit. I’d kill for the recipe, but I fear it would call for a food dehydrator. I sadly did not get a picture of the luscious pumpkin bread my friend Becka brought or the chocolate spoons I whipped up, trust me when I say both were a hit.

I can’t claim credit for these creepy fingers, my friend Andee brought them to the party. The mini pumpkin shaped cheese balls went super quick. Mental note for next year make a double batch – they were easy, cute and yummy as all get out.

Again Andee to the rescue with eyeballs that got all gobbled up before I could try one. Next year I think I might go with an entire food that looks like something else theme. I’ll keep you posted.

I’d love to hear about what you make for your Halloween parties. Do you have a special dinner recipe you make each Halloween? Do you have a popcorn ball recipe that will make me weak in the knees? Let’s chat.

Posted October 19, 2010 & filed under Cooking Crafts, Halloween, Parties.