Halloween Food

Halloween is coming up and you're going to need to have the perfect scary treats in order to have the perfect scary party.

Cupcakes are the perfect treat to make into something scary; there are so many things to transform them into. A fun, easy scary cupcake treat is mini monster cupcakes. First, you bake a batch of your favorite cupcake mix and make sure to pour and bake them into the mini cupcake tins. After they have cooled down, take them out and flip them upside down. Take blue frosting, and using writing or a start frosting tip, start from the top center and frost the cupcake down, so it looks like hair covering the whole cupcake. Next, use another color frosting or you can buy candy eyes, and put them on the front like eyes. Use string licorice to make antennas and then finally, take a candy peanut, cut it in half and stick them in the bottom to look like shoes. Voila! You have a mini monster.

Swamp, or bug juice is another Halloween favorite at my house. This sweet, bubbly drink looks like something scooped up from a deep, dark bog. Try making a batch for a Halloween gathering or as a spooky after-dinner treat. Here's how to do it. First you bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add a half cup of small tapioca pearls, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes. After doing this, divide the pearls and remaining water between to bowls. In one bowl add 3 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 drop of green. In the other bowl add 4 drops of blue. In each bowl add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix and let sit uncovered for 20-25 minutes while you let the color sink it. Drain and rinse with cold water. To assemble the actual drink, spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy worm or other gummy creature. Fill glasses with seltzer water, and then add a splash of lemonade. Add a spoon and some extra gummy creatures "climbing" out of the glass and you're good to go.

Another easy snack is bat chips. You'll need one tortilla per person that you're expecting, or just make a whole bunch. First preheat your broiler. Using Halloween cookie cutters, cut your tortillas into fun shapes like bats, pumpkins, witches hats, or whatever your heart desires. Next, lightly brush both sides with some olive oil and arrange them on a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet. Next put in the oven and broil until they begin to brown. Turn and broil until the next side is brown as well. Take them out, lightly sprinkle with salt and let them cool. Now you're ready for an awesome Halloween party.