Halloween

I have always loved Halloween and look forward to it each year. My children also love it, actually I sometimes wonder if they prefer it to Christmas. They spend months trying to decide what outfits they'll wear, what games they'll play and of course what treats we'll make for the party! 

Halloween has to be one of the best holidays. Children get to dress up and eat all the sweets they want! How much more fun could a holiday be? Well, it didn't start out that way. It all began centuries ago in Celtic Ireland...

Where it all began

In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31st. This was the Celtic New Year and was called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). The story goes that on this day, the spirits of anyone who had died that year would come back looking for living bodies to possess. Celts thought this was the only way to the afterlife. They also believed that all time and space was abruptly suspended on this day so spirits could mingle with the living. The living didn't want to be possessed, so at night on October 31st they put out the fires in their fireplaces, dressed up in freaky, scary costumes and made a big ruckus around the neighbourhood so the spirits would be frightened away.

There are lots of games to play at a Halloween party and Jack has put a great list together of some of our favourites! Check out his Halloween Page!

Halloween Party Food Idea

If you are hosting a Halloween party this year here are a few easy recipe ideas to make your party extra special!

Chocolate Apples are a real Halloween favourite and they couldn’t be easier to make. If you want to go basic just coat an apple with melted chocolate and dip in some sprinkles or you can roll in some chopped chocolate, crushed chocolate cookies or chopped nuts. I find it easier to make these chocolate apples using forks instead of popsicle sticks.

 Chocolate Apples

Ingredients:

4 apples, rinsed and dried

4 forks

200g chocolate

Optional toppings: edible glitter, sugar sprinkles, chocolate cookie crushed

Method

1.Refrigerate apples for several hours.

2. Insert a fork into each apple.

3. Place on greaseproof paper.

4. Melt chocolate according to package directions.

5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Dip each apple into coating, covering apple    completely. Allow excess to drain.

6. Sprinkle with toppings while chocolate is still soft. Place apples back on paper and leave in a cool place until the chocolate hardens.

Bad apples
Using a small, sharp knife cut a small, round hole in one side of the top of an apple. Insert a gummy worm inside the hole. Create display of “bad apples” in a wooden bucket.

Monster Fingers

Ingredients:
Good Quality Sausages
6-inch tortillas
Ketchup or mustard
almonds
Toothpicks

Method
1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail sausage to make a toenail.
2. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.
3. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.
4. Roll each sausage in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.
5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Add an almond for the nail. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Bloody Fingers

Ingredients:
1 package sponge fingers
Strawberry Jam
Icing Sugar
Almond Slices

Method

1.Place the fingers on a tray.

2. Spread with strawberry jam.

3. Place an almond slice at the "tip" of the finger. Add tiny pieces of the sponge finger to resemble knuckles.

4. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

Melon Brain

Made from nothing more than a small, round seedless watermelon, this spooky cerebral creation is bound to turn heads.
Ingredients
1 small seedless watermelon

Method

1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind. 
2. Slice off the bottom of the melon to create a flat base that will keep it from rolling. With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain. 
3. Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife (a parent's job) to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

Quick Ghost Cookies

Ingredients:

200g white cooking chocolate , cut into chunks
1 packet chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Chocolate buttons

Method:

1.In a bowl over simmering water, melt the cooking chocolate, stirring occasionally.

2. Dip cookies into coating, covering completely. Set on waxed paper to cool. Brush ends with a pastry brush dipped in coating where fingers touched cookies.

3. While coating is still warm place two mini chips on each cookie for eyes and chocolate button for mouth.

Bulging Eyeball Buns

Ingredients:

12 buns 

150g icing sugar

2tbsp water

Red food colouring

6 cherries

12 chocolate chips/raisin

Cocktail stick.

Method:

1.     Add water to sieved icing sugar and mix to a soft consistency but keeping it fairly thick, to stop the food colouring from running .

2.     Cover each bun with a spoonful of icing

3.     Cut the cherries in half. Put a chocolate chip/ raisin in each half. Place in the middle of each bun.

4. Dip the cocktail stick into the food colouring and draw on little veins from the cherry to the edge of the bun.

Witches Brew

Eye of newt, blood of bat, frogs tongue and a squeeze of lemon; a brew with a few surprises!

Mixing the magic

Half glass of cranberry juice

Half glass of 7 up free

Green ice cubes

Jelly snakes

1.     Mix the cranberry juice and 7 up together.

2.     Add the ice cubes and let a slithery jelly snake slip over the side of the glass.

Buggy Ice Cubes
Insert gummy worms or raisins (for bugs) in ice trays with water and freeze. Insert frozen buggy ice cubes in your bowl of party punch.

I found this frozen hand idea a few years back and each year we make one for our Halloween punch! I rarely use food colourings but a little drop of red works well with this idea.

Frozen Hand Recipe

Don't use regular ice cubes to keep the Halloween punch chilled, creep-out your guests with a frozen hand in the punch! There are 2 simple options to this recipe

1 rubber glove with no lining                                                
250mls. water
Food colouring -- This can match the colour of your punch, or stick out like a sore thumb (Pun intended)
1 rubber band

Add the food colouring to the water, mix, and pour into the glove. Tie it off tightly with the twisty or rubber band. Place on a flat surface (that will catch any drainage) and freeze the glove until it's solid. Remove the glove and place in the punch before serving.

Cookie Monsters

If you are looking for a cookery based activity, for your Halloween party, creating these hungry cookie monsters will keep children very happy. You could make up a few that will give the children lots of ideas for creating their own little monsters. The cookies can be homemade but for less hassle a few packets of your favourite chocolate chip cookie will do the trick.

Ingredients

16 chocolate chip cookies

Icing-

60g soft butter

40g cream cheese

200g icing sugar, sifted

1 teasp vanilla extract

food colouring - colour of your choice

To Decorate

mini smarties

marshmallows

chocolate chips

liquorish laces

Method

1. Make the icing by combining the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Blend well, using a wooden spoon.

2. Slowly add the icing sugar and continue to blend. Add the vanilla extract, blend until pale and fluffy. Divide the icing between three bowls and add a tiny drop of different food colouring to each.

3. Sandwich together two cookies with a spoonful of icing. Do the same for the rest of the cookies and then decorate your monsters using chocolate chips for the teeth and stick marshmallows on the top, using a little icing as glue.