Halloween Tricks, Treats and Decor

Ok, no tricks here, all this stuff is fun and easy to make! Luke and I love entertaining, and I also love Halloween. So, why not host a party?! Here are some ideas for both food and decor. We had so much fun with this, and I hope you'll try one or all!

First, some costume fun! Luke and I were Branson and Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey:

And Benji, our little chef!
 


Decor:
Butternut squash vase
I LOVE squash, and when I saw this on The Kitchn, I had to give it a try. Luke made my life easy by using a drill to get into the squash. Note, don't leave the flowers in here, they'll die quickly! Do it only for your party, then off to a vase.

Gourd FireplaceI saw something like this on Pinterest, and just had to try it. Couple that with walking past gourd-eous pumpkin displays at Whole Foods Market, and I made my decision. The best part? Other than transitioning into November nicely, half of these are edible, so I've got big plans :) 

Simply spooky centerpiece
How easy is this? I scored some sassy gold candles on sale at Bed, Bath and Beyond on a whim a couple months ago. All you need is a dish, some candy corn, and candles (or really whatever else - a small pumpkin would look cute here too).

Treats:
It's Halloween, so why not dessert first?!

Graveyard brownies: Simply prepare your favorite brownie recipe (line the dish with parchment paper), then let it cool. Invert the pan to remove the brownies, then, upside down, cut out the gravestone shapes. I made a simple buttercream frosting and then died some red and some green, and then have baggies of white, red and green frosting and cut out a tiny tip so that you can decorate.

White chocolate ghosts: SO cute! After fumbling through a couple, they were easy to make too! Get the recipe from Martha Stewart.

Barfing pumpkin: I've always wanted to try this. Simply cut the top off the pumpkin and rip out the seeds (save them for roasting!). then, cut out whatever barfy face you like. Make your favorite guacamole recipe and then let the fun begin!

Pumpkin dip holder: Perfect for hummus! Just cut off the top and clean out the inside REALLY WELL to avoid gross stringy stuff getting into your dip. Make sure to provide a spoon for whenever the dip starts getting low so people don't have to stick their hands in.

Mummies: Pigs in a blanket get a makeover here - a MUMMY makeover. I bought some full-sized all beef hot dogs and cut them in half to make them short, and then cut them in half lengthwise so it wouldn't be too big or awkward to bite into. Then, you roll out crescent dough and cut it into strips and wrap the mummy up 2/3 of the way. Then, wrap a little bit around the top to make a little hat. Bake according to the crescent roll directions, let cool, then make little faces with ketchup or mustard. Thanks for the idea, Our Best Bites! (I didn't get a good photo, but they have a beautiful one on their site!)

Witch's Brew: Luke and I REALLY wanted to do a green witch's brew, but we didn't like any of the recipes we saw on the internet. So, we simply combined 1 jar unfiltered apple cider (for a cloudy look) with 1/2 of a 750 of vodka and 1 bottle of champagne, then dropped in a few squeezes of green food coloring. Bonus points if you drop in some dry ice - such a fun effect!