Spooky Fun With
Kid Halloween Recipes

Kids of all ages have fun at Halloween! If you're wondering what food to make this year, I've put together a collection of easy Halloween recipes. If you have young kids, stick with a more "fun" approach, and for older kids you can decorate your food for a "spooky" effect.

1 dozen chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon ginger, crushed and chopped

Mix together soy sauce, honey, and ginger. Marinate chicken overnight. Grill in oven or barbeque.

Blood and Guts with Eyeballs

1 package green spinach pasta (elbow macaroni is best)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
stuffed Spanish olives

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Heat spaghetti spaghetti sauce. Cut olives in half to make "eyeballs" and place on top of the "blood and guts."

Easy Caramel Corn

3 quarts popping corn
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 stick of butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Put popcorn in a heavy paper bag. Melt butter in a saucepan and mix together sugar, syrup, and salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and stir well. Pour into paper bag and stir with a wooden spoon.

Put bag in microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Take out and shake well. Cook for another 1 1/2 minutes. Shake bag again and pour into a large container. Serve in paper baggies that kids can decorate.

Fingers

1/2 butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup almond meal
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole almonds, blanched, halved
raspberry or strawberry jam

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond meal and vanilla extract. In separate bowl, stir dry ingredients together, then gradually add to sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Cover bowl and place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.

Separate dough into four equal parts. Work with one part at a time (keeping the rest in the fridge until ready to work with). With a rolling pin, make two half fingers (make as round as they will flatten when baking), then roll a small ball to make the knuckle. Place the knuckle in the middle. Use a table knife to make slashes on the knuckle. Take the almond half and press down on the end of the finger to make the nail. Makes a total of four fingers.

Carefully place fingers on lightly greased baking sheets. Then bake in 325F degree oven (160C degrees) for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool then cover fingers with raspberry or strawberry jam for an eerie effect sure to scare the pants off your friends.

Bloody Popcorn

1 package popping corn
1 can butter spray
salt
paprika

Pop your popping corn any way you like (pan, air, microwave).Next pour into large mixing bowl and spray popcorn with butter spray, stirring constantly to mix well. Then shake some salt and paprika and stir some more so the popcorn turns red. Really creepy and cool!

Pumpkin Recipes

Yummy Pumpkin Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softend
1 large 30-ounce can of pumpkin
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger

Whip together and serve in hollowed out small pumpkin. Serve on a plate covered with black licorice "worms" or any Halloweenish candy such as candy corn. On the side place ginger snaps for dipping.

Click here for some Pumpkin Carving Tips from the Mom Chef...

Toasted Treats

pumpkins seeds
shredded coconut
slivered almonds

Rinse the pumpkin seeds and remove all pumpkin. Dry on paper towels. Spread pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, and coconut onto a shallow baking pan.

Bake at 350F degrees for 5 to 10 minutes until golden.

1 9-ounce Graham cracker pie crust
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 16-ounce can of pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Bake crust for 5 minutes in a 350F degree oven then set aside.

Mix together in a large bowl cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger and mix until blended. Pour pumpkin mixture over pie crust.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350F degrees. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. Plop a dollop of whipped cream on top of each slice and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix together sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla in a large bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, add to pumpkin mixture, and stir well. Then add nuts. Bake in 2 loaf pans or coffee cans in a 350F degree oven for 1 hour 10 minutes.

This bread is always a hit!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 gallon vanilla ice cream
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Icing:
6 cups whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6-7 drops red food coloring
5-6 drops yellow food coloring

1/2 banana
chocolate syrup

Prepare this recipe the night before the party. Chill two 1/2 gallon freezer bags. Than put each freezer bag in a bowl. Let the ice cream soften a little, then scoop half the ice cream into each freezer bag and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top of ice cream. Freeze overnight. Chill a large bowl and beat together whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, and food coloring to make a pumpkiny orange color. Refrigerate icing.

The next day remove ice cream from bags and place on a clean surface. Form into a pumpkin shape. Place it on a cookie sheet. Spread the orange icing around the ice cream. Use a spatula to make the pumpkin ridges. For the stem, take half a banana, dip it in chocolate syrup, and stick on top of the pumpkin.

Put the ice cream pumpkin in the freezer until ready to serve. Then transfer it to a serving tray. You can make jack-o-lantern eyes, nose, and mouth out of Halloween candies, too. Serve with chocolate syrup.

Apple Recipes

Healthy Apples on a Stick

12 apples (plus 12 popsicle sticks)
peanut butter
raisins
dried cranberries
shredded coconut

Rinse apples, pat dry, and remove apple stems and insert a popsicle stick into stem of each apple. Cover apples by spreading peanut butter. Roll in raisins, dried cranberries, and shredded coconut.

But, hey, if you love caramel apples, try this caramel apple recipe...

Caramel Apples

12 apples (plus 12 popsicle sticks)
4 14-ounce packages of caramels
8 tablespoons heavy cream
crushed nuts

Rinse apples, pat dry, and remove apple stems and insert a popsicle stick into stem of each apple. Combine the cream and caramels in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until caramel is melted and smooth. Dip the apples into the caramel until completely covered. Let the extra caramel drip back into the saucepan. Roll in crushed nuts.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place apples upside down on waxed paper and refrigerate.

6 apples
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter

Maple Sauce:
1/2 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Rinse apples and pat dry. Core apples (remove the seeds) without piercing the bottom. Peel upper half of apples and place in a baking dish. Drop a spoonful of brown sugar in each apple. In sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch in cool cider. Add lemon juice, maple syrup, brown sugar, and spices. Stir well over medium heat until thickened.

Fill each apple with the maple sauce, then top apples with 1 tablespoon of butter each. Pour 1/2 cup water in baking dish and bake for 1 hour in a 375F degree oven. Top with raisins or chopped nuts. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream on the side. You can also pour the remaining maple sauce over the ice cream or sprinkle ice cream with cinnamon.

Halloween Drink Recipes

1 gallon orange juice
1 liter ginger ale
1/2 gallon orange sherbert

Mix together orange juice and ginger ale. Scoop sherbert and add to punch.

Green Ghoul Punch

1/2 gallon limeade
1 liter ginger ale
1/2 gallon lime sherbert

Mix together juice and ginger ale. Scoop sherbert and add to punch. Add marshmallows and maraschino cherries to float in punch.

Easy Apple Cider

1 gallon apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks
16 cloves
1/4 cup sugar

Mix together and boil for 10 minutes, then remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Serve in a black cauldron.