What’s scarier, being chased by a zombie or a family member saying, “I just invited all the neighbors over for Halloween,” and that’s tomorrow. Don’t fear, here are some quick and easy ways to feed the scary masses at your house that look anything but last minute.
Main Bites
Chicken Salad “Bug” Sandwiches
Ingredients
2 teaspoons of dried tarragon
2 tablespoons pecan bits (if you can’t find the extra small bits, use chopped pecans)
½ cup sliced red, seedless grapes (also set aside extra grapes cut in half for eyeballs on each sandwich)
⅓ cup finely chopped celery stalks
⅓ cup light mayonnaise
⅓ cup nonfat, Greek yogurt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
Package of small dinner rolls
Thin pretzel sticks
Directions
1. Mix first 8 ingredients.
2. Boil chicken breasts. Once done, drain and separate with a fork so meat is shredded.
3. Add chicken to the ingredient mixture. Stir to coat well.
4. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.
5. Slice dinner rolls in half.
6. Add a dollop of chicken salad to each roll.
7. After placing sandwiches on a platter, cut some grapes in half. For each sandwich, place one grape on the end of two toothpicks and push the toothpicks into the top of the sandwich so it looks like eyes.
8. Slide three pretzel sticks into the chicken salad on each side of the sandwich so it looks like legs.
Get It Done Even Faster
•Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken breasts. Don’t use the skin.
•Buy pre-made chicken salad. This is usually just chicken and mayo, so add in the extras, such as the pecans and grapes. Or don’t, and save even more time!
Marinated Cheese with “Eyeballs”
Marinade
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon parsley
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder (it’s a party after all, so go light on the garlic)
1 tablespoon chopped green onions or ⅛ dried minced onions
1 tablespoon jarred pimentos
Get It Done Even Faster
Skip steps above, and pick one of the following:
• Mix 2-3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning with ½ cup olive oil and ½ cup of either balsamic or white wine vinegar.
• Use jarred bruschetta topping with a balsamic glaze (available in ready-to-use squeeze bottles).
• Top with canned, chopped fire-roasted tomatoes (drained), sprinkle with dried basil and garnish with balsamic glaze.
Cheese Row
Ingredients
8 ounce block of cheddar cheese
8 ounce package of cream cheese (reduced fat and Neufchâtel work well, too). Keep chilled.
Directions
1. Combine marinade ingredients, stir vigorously and set aside.
2. Cut cheddar cheese into slices, about ¼ inch thick.
3. Cut the cream cheese block into two halves lengthwise and then into sections similar to the cheese slices.
4. In a shallow serving dish, alternate combining slices of cheddar cheese and cream cheese.
5. The slices will stand on one edge and form a long row.
6. Spoon marinade down the top of the row and serve. If you have time, divide the marinade. and use ½ on the cheese row and let the dish sit in the fridge for a few hours. When ready to serve, top with the rest of the marinade.
7. Across the cheese row, add ground black pepper to taste.
8. Serve with sturdy crackers (I like sea salt pita crackers).
9. Guests can easily separate their desired amount of cheese sections with the crackers, knife or small tongs.
Get It Done Even Faster
• Use a pre-cut block of cheddar cheese.
• Don’t stress about the exactness of the cheese sections fitting together. It’s easy to make the cream cheese slices fit the size needed, plus the marinade covers the top of the row so it doesn't need to look perfect.
Cheese Eyeballs
Ingredients
• Bundle (5-7 pieces) of semi-soft cheese, such as mini Babybel brand
• Jarred, sliced green olives with minced pimentos (I used Spanish manzanilla olives)
• Red gel food coloring
Directions
1. Remove cheese from wax.
2. For each piece of cheese, use a melon baller or knife to scoop out a small divot in the center.
3. Place an olive with a pimento center in the divot.
4. Dip a toothpick into the food coloring. Then, in a few areas, drag the toothpick out from the olive to create the look of red eye vines.
5. Surround the marinated cheese and crackers with the “eyeballs.”
Get It Done Even Faster
• Skip the cheese eyeballs! If you want to add some flare quickly, place a few Halloween-themed cupcake picks into the cheese.
Slinky Snake Breadsticks
Ingredients
1, 14 ounce container of refrigerator pizza dough
3 tablespoons of bread dipping seasoning, such as the Delallo or Dean Jacob’s brands.
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Few slices of pepperoni (I like the nitrate-free variety by Hormel Natural)
Jar of marinara
Directions
1. Cut dough into 6 inch sections by cutting the dough in two both lengthwise and across.
2. Roll each section between your hands and then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment baking paper.
3. Make sure to form the snakes like they're slithering.
4. Shape the tail to a point and push down on the head slightly so it spreads out some and is larger than the rest of the body.
5. Brush with the dough with butter and sprinkle with the seasoning and parmesan.
6. Cut small, forked tongues out of the pepperoni slices and push one into the tip of each head using a toothpick.
7. Set oven temperature according to package directions, but reduce baking time to about five minutes since the snakes are small and will bake faster.
8. Serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.
Get It Done Even Faster
• Use dough, such as the Jus-Rol brand, that’s rolled in paper in its container, so it's easier to manage. Keep the dough in the paper when cutting and only remove when forming the snakes.
• Skip the tongue step. Pepperoni bakes to a dark color, so it's kind of hard to see anyway.
Sweet Bites
Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Squares
Ingredients
• Prepackaged Rice Krispie square treats (original size)
• Milk chocolate melting wafers
• Halloween sprinkles
Directions
1. Remove Rice Krispie treats from wrappers.
2. In a microwaveable dish, melt about 1 cup of milk chocolate wafers in the microwave according to directions.
3. Once the wafers are melted, immediately dip one end of a treat into the chocolate covering about ¼ of the whole bar.
4. Place treat on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
5. Sprinkle on Halloween candy pieces.
6. Place the treats uncovered in the fridge to solidify chocolate.
Better Brownie Bites
No cooking here! Lots of fun ways to turn plain mini brownies into fun Halloween finger food.
Components
• Mini brownie bites from grocery store bakery
• Icing bags (includes tips) in white and Halloween colors (or a container of white icing)
• Halloween sprinkles
• Bag of candy (candy corn, candy pumpkins, or small gummy treats such as eyes, bugs, and worms)
Directions
Option 1: Top mini brownie with icing and Halloween sprinkles (I like using purple or green icing so the sprinkles, which are usually white, orange and black, stand out). Wilton makes decorating icing bags with a star tip for a no-fail way to apply the icing (a star and rounded tip are already attached to the bag).
Option 2: Make a small icing dollop on the top of the mini brownies. Then place a piece of candy. Looks best if the icing shows around the base of the candy. (I used candy corn and candy pumpkins with green and white icing).
Candy Bites with a Little Something Extra
This is a super, simple way to turn plain looking candy into a finger food treat for parties.
Components
• Mini Reese’s cups
• Bag of candy corn or Halloween blend of M&Ms
• Icing squeeze pack with a round tip in white (or a container of white icing)
Directions
1. Remove mini Reese’s cups from their outer foil, but leave them in the paper wrapping.
2. Place a small dab or strip of icing on top of the cups.
3. Top with candy. Use either a single M&Ms or a piece of candy corn on its side. Use brightly colored M&Ms such as green, orange and purple.
Drink Up!
Slushy, Bloody Punch
This versatile base for a party drink is a snap to make. It’s tasty as is and with alcohol added. Keep a batch in the freezer for whenever you need something to serve quickly.
Ingredients
2 small (.13 ounce) packages of cherry or strawberry Kool-Aid
1 cup of sugar
1 quart of ginger ale
1 quart of water
24 ounces of pineapple juice (sweetened or unsweetened based on personal preference)
Bag of gummy worms
Serves about 15 punch cups (recipe is easy to double)
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a tall container.
2. Split mixture into two gallon-sized freezer bags.
3. Place in the freezer. (I put the bags in the bottom half of a square, plastic food storage container before placing them in the freezer. This way, the bags are more manageable and the container will catch anything if the bags happen to leak).
4. Remove bags prior to the party and PARTIALLY thaw. (I place the bags – still sitting in the plastic food storage container – under a slow stream of warm water).
5. Once the mixture feels like it's getting soft, put it into the punch bowl and break apart the slushy ice with a knife or fork.
6. The mixture should be icy and slightly chunky.
7. If you want more fizz in the punch, don’t add the ginger ale before freezing. Instead, add just before serving.
8. For additional colorful creepiness, hang gummy worms over the side of the punch bowl and let a few float in the punch.
9. For an adults-only punch, add a couple shots of vodka.
Get It Done Even Faster
• Use a premade fruit punch, then add the pineapple juice and ginger ale. Freeze.
• To save even more time, freeze a mixture of just ginger ale and fruit punch.
Bloody Blueberry Martinis
Ingredients
2 cups of a blueberry juice blend (I use a blueberry, blackberry and acai blend)
¼ cup of lemon juice fresh or from concentrate
2 cups blueberry vodka
½ cup of triple sec
Fresh blueberries for garnish
Serves 7-8 guests
Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients, except the blueberries, in a pitcher.
2. Pour into an ice-filled strainer and fill martini glasses.
3. Drop in a few blueberries or add several to a cocktail pick. (For Halloween flare, I added a plastic witch finger and blueberries to my picks).
Get It Done Even Faster
• Buy drink mixtures that only require adding alcohol. For example, Stonewall Kitchen has a Pomegranate Cosmo Mixer that can be used for making three different kinds of drinks, including a non-alcoholic option.
• Whatever you use as the base, make sure it has a dark reddish-purplish hue so it looks like blood.
I hope these easy recipes and tips help you fix Halloween party food fast. Cheers to fun night and happy haunting!
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