Throwing a simple Halloween party – low stress

Halloween Party Checklist
Throwing a simple Halloween party – low stress,
super-high fun – is a perfect way to celebrate
fall! Here’s a quick list to help you plan:
Decorate early October – and enjoy all autumn long
Choose an October party date – consider a
pre-Halloween weekend; plan to send or e-mail
invitations 2 to 4 weeks ahead if possible
Decide on a theme – Include any theme-related
requests – costume, items to bring – with invitation
Plan activities
Select a menu – our Spooky Finger Food Buffet will
get you started
Shop
Game & craft supplies – anytime
Food – a few days or up to a week ahead
Prep food & setup – 1 to 2 days ahead
Enjoy the party!
Witch’s Brew or Sippin’ Cider – Warm
apple cider, cinnamon sticks and
whole cloves brewing in a slow cooker
Boo-Licious Caramel Apples Fall’s
finest covered in an easy-to-make
caramel, then dipped in nuts or candy
Spooky Scotcheroo Spiders and
Treats Peanut buttery, crispy cereal
bars or balls, covered in butterscotch
and chocolate and decorated for
the holiday
Fresh or Frozen Eyeballs Pull off
grapes from stems and freeze ahead
or serve fresh
Creepy Mini Pizzas Let your guests
top and design their own creation
Bones And Blood Soft breadsticks
dipped in warm marinara
Mummy Popcorn Balls Sweet balls of
popcorn, pretzels, peanuts and candy
pieces … on a stick
Goblin Goody Bags Treat your guests
to these as they leave the party
Party
Activities
Plan party activities & games. Then, let
your guests know any specifics – how to
dress, what to bring – along with their
invitation. These will get you started …
Scarecrow Stuffing – You provide the stuffing – straw, crumpled
newspaper, plastic shopping bags – along with twine and safety pins;
everyone brings old shirts, pants, socks, gloves, shoes, hats; for the head,
stuff old masks or pillowcases … plastic jugs work, too; let the fun begin!
• 1 cup Karo® Light OR
Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups semi-sweet OR
white chocolate chips
• String licorice
• Small candies for eyes
Combine corn syrup and sugar together in a large pan
over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring
mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut
butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
Coat hands with butter or spray with cooking spray.
Form mixture into 1-inch balls and place on waxed
paper. Cool for 30 minutes.
Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on HIGH (100%) 1 to 2 minutes, stirring
frequently until chocolate is melted.
Use a wooden skewer or pick to make 3 to 4 small holes
on each side of the ball. Cut licorice into 1-1/2 to 2-inch
lengths. Dip one end of each length of licorice in
chocolate; then insert each “leg” in hole.
Carefully frost top of each spider with the melted chocolate.
Finish with two colored candies for eyes. Cool at least 1-1/2
hours, until chocolate is completely set.
Gourd Carving – Everyone brings their own pumpkins or other gourds
and carves together; vote for the most creative design; be sure to have
a designated seed saver … roasted seeds make for great snacking!
Costume Party – On invitations, designate a fun category for dressing
up: technology (Facebook, i-anything, Pinterest …), board game,
animal, food, occupation; be sure to take lots of pictures as guests arrive!
Treats for a Cause – Invite neighbors and friends to join with you and
No Kid Hungry® to help end childhood hunger in America. Ask them
to bake and bring their favorite bake sale treats to be raffled off at
your party or sold the next day at a pre-determined location; all the
information for planning and executing is on the Great American
Bake Sale website (http://gabs.strength.org)
Fall Cookout – Enjoy the cooler temperatures, grill a favorite main
dish and start a bonfire; ask guests to bring a side dish to share,
assigning everyone different autumn ingredients … think apple,
squash, pumpkin seeds, cranberries.
Just for Adults, Photo Scavenger Hunt – Divide costumed guests
into teams, giving them a list of items to photograph with cell phones
or digital cameras; images to capture could be: landmarks, them next
to funny signs, at a restaurant, etc. First team back wins! As teams
return, create a simple slide show for viewing and inspiring
memorable stories.
Decorating Ideas
Focus on a Few Rooms – No need to decorate the whole house;
concentrate on areas you and your guests will be in most of the
time; pick a focal point or two in each room
Hang it Up – Create visual interest with lift and light: use clear
fishing line to hang paper lanterns, bats, ghosts and moons from
ceilings, lights and banisters; make casual chandeliers from
clumped strands of orange lights … hang them inside and out
Adorn your Front Door – You’ll enjoy seeing it every time you
come home, and it’s your guests’ first impression
Make it Last for Fall – Definitely put up specific Halloween
decorations, but include leaf, corn, gourd and general autumnrelated decorations that you can leave up until Thanksgiving
Autumn Planters – Remove tired summer plants from outdoor
pots and fill them with cold-hardy mums and other plants, dried
weeds, branches and a variety of gourds
• 6 medium apples
• 6 wooden sticks
Festive Serving Platters/Plates – Use Karo Light Corn Syrup and
colored sugar sprinkles to creatively trim the edges of plates and
platters: cut a very tiny corner off of a small plastic food bag,
add corn syrup and pipe decorative dots & designs, webs, words;
sprinkle with decorating sugar; carefully shake off excess sugar
®
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with
• 1 package (14 ounces)
parchment paper; set aside. Wash and dry apples; insert
caramel candies, unwrapped stick into stem end.
• 1/4 cup Karo® Light
OR Dark Corn Syrup
• Seasonal candy such as
candy corn, candy coated
chocolate pieces, candy
coated peanut butter
candies, etc.
Microwave caramels and corn syrup on HIGH (100%)
in a small, deep microwave-safe bowl for 2 to 3 minutes
or until caramels are melted, stirring once during
cooking time.
Dip apples in hot caramel mixture, turning to coat well.
Allow caramel to drip from apples for a few seconds,
then scrape excess caramel from bottoms of apples. Dip
bottoms of apples into desired candies, turning to coat.
Place dipped apples in prepared pan.
Chill apples for 10 minutes or until caramel is set. Wrap
apples individually if desired; store in refrigerator.
Crust:
• 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Crust Yeast
OR RapidRise Yeast
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/3 cups very warm water (120° to 130°F)*
• 1/3 cup Mazola® Vegetable Plus! Oil
Toppings:
• 1 to 2 cups pizza sauce
• Suggested toppings: green, red and yellow
bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives,
pepperoni slices, hard salami slices, curly
leaf parsley, etc.
• 1 pound (total) shredded white and yellow
cheeses such as mozzarella and cheddar
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and
salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended,
about 1 minute.
Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should
form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding
additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 portions; cover. (If using RapidRise Yeast, let dough
rise at this point for 10 minutes.)
Pat each portion of dough with floured hands into an 8-inch circle on a
greased baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.
Add a second crust to the same baking sheet.
Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, dough will be just set and only lightly browned on
the bottom. Remove crusts to a wire rack to cool. Continue with remaining pizza dough. (Works best to use several baking sheets.) May use crusts
immediately or place in freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 475°F. Spread each crust with pizza
sauce. Top with desired toppings to make Halloween designs! Repeat with
remaining pizzas. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until
cheese is melted and lightly browned and bottom of crust is browned.
*If you don’t have a thermometer, water should feel very warm to the touch.
**To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten dough and
fold it toward you. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and
repeat the “fold, push and turn” steps. Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if dough
becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.
• 1 package microwave
popcorn, popped (about 9 to
10 cups)
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1 cup coarsely chopped
pretzels
• 1 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
• 1/4 cup butter OR margarine
• 1 package (11 ounces)
butterscotch chips OR white
chocolate chips
• 1 cup candy coated peanut
butter pieces
• 30 lollipop sticks, about 5
inches in length, optional
• White chocolate, melted for
decorating
• Small candies for eyes
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Add popcorn,
peanuts and pretzels.
Cook corn syrup and butter in a medium saucepan over
medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a full boil for
1 minute. Remove from heat; add butterscotch chips,
stirring until melted. Pour over popcorn mixture and mix
well. Stir in candies.
Let cool until easy to handle. Form into balls about 2
inches in diameter using lightly greased hands (or use
gloves). Place each ball on waxed paper. Let sit 1 hour. If
desired, insert a lollipop stick about 1 inch into each ball.
Each ball can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap,
then tied with a bit of ribbon. Popcorn balls are best
when served within 1 to 2 days.
Decorating tips: Melt white chocolate. Insert stick into
popcorn ball and dip into white chocolate, turning to
coat. Finish with candy eyes or other small candies.
• 1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1-1/2 cups butterscotch chips
• Candies for decorating
• Frosting OR melted white chocolate for decorating
• Food coloring
Cook corn syrup and sugar
together in a large pan over
medium heat, stirring to dissolve
sugar. Bring mixture to a boil.
Remove from heat. Stir in
peanut butter; mix well. Add
cereal; stir until evenly coated.
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 envelopes Fleischmann’s®
RapidRise Yeast
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
Pour into greased 15 x 10-inch
pan and pat into place.
• 3 tablespoons Mazola®
Vegetable Plus! Oil OR Olive Oil
Melt chocolate and butterscotch
chips together in saucepan over
low heat, stirring constantly.
Spread over cereal.
Cool at least 45 minutes, or until
firm. Cut into bars or fun shapes
for Halloween. If desired, pipe
frosting to form Halloween
shapes or words.
• 2 tablespoons Karo® Light
Corn Syrup
• 3-1/2 cups shredded
mozzarella cheese, divided
Cute Cats: Cut circles using a 2 to 3-inch biscuit
cutter. Attach candies with a dab of melted white
chocolate or frosting to make eyes, nose and ears.
Pipe on whiskers with frosting.
Creepy Webs: Cut circles as above. Tint frosting
orange. Starting at the center, pipe continuous spiral
circles to edge. Drag the tip of a wooden pick from
the center to the edge of the bar to create a spider
web design.
Mummies: Cut circles as above. Drizzle or pipe white
frosting back and forth horizontally and finish with
two candy eyes.
Tombstones: Cut into bars, cutting off upper corners
diagonally. Pipe frosting to make shapes or words
on each “tombstone.” Tombstones will easily stand
upright if the bottom of each is coated with frosting.
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking
pan with enough parchment paper to overhang the sides.
Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, undissolved yeast and salt in a
large bowl. Heat water, milk, oil and corn syrup until very
warm (120° to 130°F). Add to flour mixture; mix until
well blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add enough
remaining flour until dough forms a ball. Knead on lightly
floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until
smooth and elastic, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Divide dough in half. Roll one portion to 15 x 10-inch
rectangle to fit prepared baking pan. Place dough on
pan, stretching as needed to meet edges. Sprinkle with
3 cups cheese, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll out remaining dough to slightly larger rectangle than the first. Place
over the cheese and fold the edges under the bottom
layer of dough; pinch to seal. Cut through the dough with
a sharp knife to create 20 breadsticks, but do not separate the breadsticks. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
Whisk egg whites with oregano and garlic; brush over
dough. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese. Bake 15
to 17 minutes until puffed and golden. Cut along seams
into breadsticks; serve warm.
• 4 quarts popped popcorn
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Karo Light
OR Dark Corn Syrup
®
• 1/2 cup butter OR
margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands®
Pure Vanilla Extract
• Treat bags OR bowls
• Halloween candies, nuts,
dried fruits, etc.
Spray a large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
Add popcorn and place in preheated 250°F oven while
preparing caramel.
Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy
2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil
over medium heat.
Boil 5 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat.
Stir in baking soda and vanilla.
Pour syrup mixture over warm popcorn, stirring to
coat evenly.
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove
from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with
cooking spray.
Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.
To serve, set out small bowls of your favorite candies,
nuts or fruits and let your guests individualize their own
Halloween treat.
Gobbledygook – Every kid will want
their own bowl of this wet, smooth,
shiny, dull, rubbery, hard concoction;
for the 3-ingredient recipe go to
http://is.gd/SWVq7X
Apple Bobbing – Always a favorite,
regardless of age or how many
times attempted
Trick-or-Treat Bag Designs –
Turn pails, buckets and plain-colored
bags into creative candy carriers;
use colored duct tape, permanent
markers, fabric and glue to apply
webs, ghosts, bats, candy corn
stripes and other creative decorations
Pumpkin Hunt – Use minis and hide
them inside or out… think back to
Easter egg hunts for the best hiding
places; great activity for a fall cookout
Face Painting – Invite a talented
friend or teen to help paint kids’ faces
like jack-o’-lanterns; play “Pin the
Face on the Pumpkin” with kids while
they wait their turn
Pumpkin & Gourd Decorating –
Based on the crowd, gather a variety
of items: your best glitter and bling,
hats galore (baseball, stocking,
dress-up, fishing), outdoor treasures
(acorns, dried weeds, leaves, pine
cones, sticks); then, put the glue guns
to work; try this along with carving
gourds and pumpkins