Halloween Treats for a Ghoulish Feast

For several years, I’ve been entertaining nieces, sometimes nephews and always myself with an ooky spooky Halloween feast. My collection of ghoulish recipes has grown so that planning the meal has become difficult, but a few favorites come to the table every October. Fly soup is on the menu for the first course, and it will be accompanied by Muenster cheese bats. Wash it down with a swig of swamp punch, if you dare. For the main course, enjoy a monster taco, and for dessert, enjoy a pair of marshmallow eyeballs.

Fly soup is a twist on my gluten-free tomato bisque. The sweet basil looks like flies floating in the soup.

Ingredients:

2 16-oz. cans gluten-free tomato sauce

3 cups milk (substitute unsweetened almond milk for a dairy-free option)

1 tbls sugar

1 tbls dried sweet basil

½ stick butter (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine tomato sauce, milk, sugar and basil in a large saucepan. Warm over medium heat but do not boil. Add butter, and stir frequently. When butter has completely melted, add salt and pepper; then serve with Muenster cheese bats.

This fun twist on traditional grilled cheese makes a great garnish to a bowl of fly soup. You will need a large bat-shaped cookie cutter to shape them.

Ingredients:

Butter

Whole-grain bread

Slices of Muenster cheese

Garlic or garlic salt (optional)

Preparation:

Spread butter generously on one side of each piece of bread. You will need two pieces for each bat you plan to make. Sprinkle with garlic or garlic salt if desired. Place half of the bread butter-side down in a skillet placed over medium heat. Top each piece with a slice of cheese and a second piece of bread, butter-side up. Once the bread browns slightly and cheese has begun to melt, flip sandwiches over using a spatula. Brown second side and place on a cutting board. Using a cookie cutter, cut sandwiches into bat shapes. Cut the scraps into croutons for use in the soup.

These scary favorites generally score more points with adults than with picky kids who don’t enjoy olives or sour cream, but I incorporate them into my annual feast anyway.

Ingredients:

Taco shells

Hamburger

Taco seasoning

Lettuce or baby greens

Tomato (seeded and diced)

Salsa

Sour cream

Black olives (sliced)

Cheddar cheese

Preparation:
Using hamburger and taco seasoning, prepare meat according to instructions on the packet. Fill taco shells one-third the way with taco meat; then add tomato and lettuce. Place tacos on plates. The veggies should be spilling out of the taco shell just a little for effect. Cut slices of cheddar cheese in the shape of a tongue, and place one cheese tongue on each taco. Put sour cream in a plastic zipper bag and cut off one corner to create a piping tool. Add two daubs of sour cream to the surface of each taco and top with a black olive slice. Garnish with salsa. Serve with a fork and eat these monsters like a taco salad.

To get great-looking ice in your punch bowl, be sure to stretch the fingers of the plastic gloves before filling them with the Kool-Aid of your choice.

Ghoulish figures lurk in the swamp punch bowl, but your guests will enjoy drowning their sorrows in this family-friendly Halloween libation.

Ingredients:

2 liters ginger ale

½ gallon apple cider

2 packets lime gelatin

Red or green Kool-Aid (optional)

Gummy worms (optional)

Preparation:

About an hour before serving the punch, prepare lime gelatin in a glass mixing bowl. Follow the instructions on the box. Refrigerate for one hour. In a punch bowl, combine equal parts ginger ale and apple cider. Add partially congealed gelatin.

If desired, you can add a couple disembodied hands to keep your swamp punch cool and creepy. Get two latex gloves and turn them inside out. Fill with red or green Kool-Aid. Freeze. Use a sharp knife to remove the glove from the frozen Kool-Aid. Add the Kool-Aid hands to the punch bowl just before serving. You may also wish to serve swamp punch in cups garnished with gummy worms.

No Halloween feast is complete without some edible eyeballs. Prepare these marshmallow treats a few days in advance so they have time to dry completely before being served.

Ingredients:

1 bag large marshmallows

2 tubes red edible writing gel

1 tube mini M&Ms

1 package gummy Lifesavers

Frosting of your choice

Preparation:

Spread wax paper or aluminum foil over a baking sheet or other clean, dry surface. Use writing gel to draw red veins on a marshmallow. On the top of one gummy Lifesaver, spread a small amount of icing. Make sure you tease it up through the hole in the center. Place the Lifesaver face down on the prepared marshmallow. Place a mini M&M face down on top of the Lifesaver. Set aside to dry. Repeat this process until all marshmallows are decorated. Allow marshmallow eyeballs to dry for about 24 hours before placing them in a sealed container.

Halloween is a great time for fun with food. You can use these ghoulish goodies to delight friends, kids and neighbors. As the temperature drops, and you begin to spend more time indoors, meal preparation takes a special place in our lives. Stay tuned for more seasonal favorites and holiday treat ideas from my kitchen.