Ask any little kid what his or her favorite holiday is, and I bet you Halloween will be on their short list. Whether it is the candy, the dressing up, or the excuse to do both while staying up late, most people develop a fondness for the fall holiday from a young age.
Despite being such a loved occasion, Halloween has never struck me as a particularly foodie one. Sure, most of the night revolves around eating, but the majority of what gets consumed is prepackaged and sweet (kids) or an intoxicating beverage mixed with finger food (adults). Unlike Thanksgiving, on which days are spent in the kitchen, or 4th of July, on which grilled meat is the star, Halloween isn’t food-centric in a traditional sense.
This is even more of a reason to go all out this holiday weekend and stand out in an all to predictable snack spread. Dishing is here to provide you with a playbook to make sure your treats are the hit at the party tomorrow night.
Eyes can make almost any food look scary. Nothing personifies food more than a creepy pair of eyeballs looking up at you. White and black frosting, or sour cream and black olives, provide an easy fix for any finger food that could benefit from a spooky makeover.
Your treats don’t have to be sweet. There are plenty of people out with a savory tooth instead of a sweet one. With an inevitable excess of sugary options on the snacking table, opt to go the route less traveled.
Pumpkin is king. At no other point during the year does a gourd reign supreme as the food item of choice. While your standard pumpkin loaf or pumpkin spice latte might be the easiest way to enjoy pumpkin, it is always good to branch out. Try something like honey- and chipotle-spiced pumpkin seeds, or pureeing the squash relative and turning it into a gnocchi if you are feeling really adventurous.
Don’t fall into the Tie Die vortex. It is a fact, the visual presentation of food can be just as important as the actual taste. Take this into consideration before reaching into the cabinet and adding food coloring to your creation like a generous bartender. Yes, putting candy wings and frosting eyes on chocolate-dipped marshmallows to make them look like bats isn’t the most appetizing, but it is usually better than orange-stained teeth and organs. A visit to a Landpark Dental in Sacramento (or your local dental clinic) may be in order. As fun and as exciting Halloween is, it is also important to remember that too much sugar is never good for anyone, no matter whether you are given it by your neighbors or you buy sweets yourself. Everything is good in moderation.
Of course, as we all know, Halloween is perhaps the time of the year where we put the most stress on our teeth thanks to all the sweets and sugar we consume with little thought given to our dental health in the long run. It’s imperative that you take on board the advice of your Dentist Brooklyn if you are concerned about taking good care of your teeth.
Be Creative. As the same can probably be said about what you plan on wearing during Halloween for the other 364 days this year, it is not appropriate to bring any creepy snacks like Jell-O brains or fake blood accented snacks to occasions during the rest of the year. With that being said, you might as well swing for the fences. Don’t be that guy who brings the Chex Mix, be that guy who brings the Chex Mix with fake fingers and gummy worms in it.
Still can’t decide what you are going to make? Here is a last minute Halloween-inspired finger food treat that is as spooky as it is tasty.
Mummy Poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeños, cut in half and deseeded
- 3/4 pound cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 4 ounce crescent roll packages
- White frosting
- Black frosting
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put in jalapeños.
- Boil until soft and mild in flavor, about 10 to 15 minutes, drain thoroughly.
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pot, warm up the Parmesan, Italian and cream cheeses over medium to low heat, stirring until melted.
- While cheese is warming up, take crescent rolls out of the package and roll out flat on a cutting board
- Cut crescent rolls into thin strips, about a 1/4 inch thick, and set aside.
- Fill jalapeños with cheese mixture.
- Wrap stuffed jalapeños with crescent roll strips and place on buttered baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool and dot eyes with white and black frosting.
