Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Great Appetizers For Halloween

Festive food can enhance the ambiance of a Halloween party. When planning the spooky bash for friends and family, consider easy-to-eat appetizers that allow guests to mix and mingle while munching. Sweet and savory Halloween-inspired snacks will set the tone of the party while satisfying party-goers' appetites.


Delicious Dips


Provide one or two dips that guests can sink their chips or crackers into. As a whimsical touch, serve the tasty tips in festive spider or pumpkin-shaped bowls. Make a creamy, orange-colored dip with cream cheese, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes and various seasonings. Prepare a sweet and tangy pretzel dip using fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries, honey and Dijon mustard to resemble blood.


Mysterious Meat


Meaty appetizers make hearty and filling snacks, which will come in handy if you aren't planning on serving a full dinner during the bash. Scare guests with biscuit-wrapped hot dogs made to resemble fingers. To make the treats, simply roll biscuit or crescent roll dough out until it's thin and cut it into strips. Wrap the dough strips around hot dogs, leaving one inch at the ends exposed; bake the appetizers until they are golden brown. As another option, cook mini meatballs in a red, spicy sauce to resemble "blood and guts."


Spooky Sweets


No appetizer spread is complete without a few sweet treats. For a creative touch, insert twigs into the ends of caramel-dipped apples rather than craft sticks. Cover a few caramel-coated apples with thin layers of orange frosting and draw spooky jack-o'-lantern faces on them using chocolate icing or brown decorators' gel. Squares of homemade pumpkin-flavored fudge make an ideal finger food.


Healthy Halloween Snacks


Kids and adults alike will enjoy eating their fruits and vegetables when they're served in festive, Halloween-inspired ways. Carve apple slices into mouth shapes and insert slivered almonds into them to resemble broken teeth. Create eyeball-inspired treats by topping apple rings with dried apricots and raisin "pupils." Transform carrot sticks into eerie, knotted fingers by using dabs of cream cheese to attach almond sliver "fingernails" at the ends of them.

Tags: cream cheese, resemble blood