Halloween Party! (merged)

Fruball

Brilliant ideas, thank you Keep 'em coming

I should have said, I am planning to have this outside for [STRIKE]less mess in the house[/STRIKE] extra spookiness

I will do the sausages on the BBQ so at least I will be near a heat source :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

zippychick

Hi Frugal

there are a few older threads which should give you plenty of ideas

Halloween party

Halloween goodies

Halloween treats- HM or shop bought

Halloween ideas and tips

I'll merge this later
thanks
Zip

meritaten

just a thought for the outside decor! last year I made ghosties out of white balloons then tucked them into white bin liners (the really thin ones were useless - the thicker opaque ones work best) and drew some eyes and smiley mouths on them, a la Caspar the friendly ghost (there are lots of little ones in our street and i didnt want to frighten them), and then tied them around the front garden. Real candles in jam jars placed in strategic places ie out of reach of little fingers! the grandkids made bats out of black card and we tied those all over the place.........and lastly I made spiders webs out of pva glue and some neon green poster paint and sprinkled glitter over them before they dried, then stuck them in corners of windows, doors etc with blue tack.
This wasnt for a party - it was for the benefit of the little trick or treaters and my granddaughter who was missing out on halloween fun at home, as she had to come over to grandmas for a sleepover! but we dressed up as witches and painted our faces and she had great fun handing out treats after helping me dress the garden (she is 6 btw) - a fantastic lesson on how it can be just as much fun to give, rather than recieve!

babyshoes

Face paints can be bought quite cheaply and halloween faces are easy - even if you mess up a bit they will still be ghoulish!

[Deleted User]

Hi guys.

Am having a halloween party but unfortunatley it's due to start at 6 and my SIL has decided that is a great day to have her little boy christened which means time is of the essence. Basically I will have 3 hours in which to make the house and garden look spooky and get the food ready.

SOOO I need things I can get ready beforehand. Today I havemade and blind baked 24 little sweet pastry cases that I will freeze until the day fill with treacle tart filling and bake again.

What else can I make ahead?? I thought I could perhaps make some sausage 'mummys' where I can cook some chipolatas and wrap them in strips of puff pastry so they look like mummy's? If I make them now do you think they will freeze OK or will the puff pastry go funny? Am I better off getting FRESH puff pastry and assembling them and freezing them uncooked till the day? If I buy frozen puff I can't refreeze unless cooked. No way am I making my own puff pastry life is too short! Shortcrust fine but puff? No chance.

I also want to make some meringue ghosts but have resigned myself to doing those on the day.

Then I was thinking skull jam sarnies (again on the day) then some spider biscuits. Does biscuit dough freeze well? Do homemade biscuits freeze well?? I can decorate them the night before but as we are out all day on the 30th I can't bake them then either.

What about ginger parkin?? Does that freeze?

When i organised this bloody party the whole weekend was free arrrgghhh.


Sorry for all the questions!!

ALIBOBSY

I have baked and frozen parkin and biscuits, but both of these could be made before the day. If not freezing parkin will keep for weeks in a cake tin (as long as in a dry coolish place) and in fact it is recommended parkin is made at least a week before you eat it as the texture develops alot over time.
Could make the biscuits and freeze or make the day before and keep in tins. I think better iced after freezing although some people do freeze with icing/frosting on, never got on with that myself. I have frozen the dough uncooked again works fine and in fact most can be cooked from frozen.
I have some biscuits cutters that were only £1 in the local pound shop last year with bats/witches etc (also have some christmas ones as well from the same shop) makes "halloweening up" the biscuits easy, so if not much time can cut out the shapes and just half dip in chocolate or do a quick spread of icing without having to be too arty or spend too much time. Also can cut out butties as well. I woudl have though the butties could be done the day before and wrapped in cling film as long as you have the fridge space to keep them.
You could make little fairy cakes and freeze to defrost and ice on the day, just put orange icing with black spiderwebs on or a sweet for a body and black for the legs/wings of bats and spiders.

I am sure the mods will find you some of the halloween threads to give you more ideas.

Good luck
ali x

cheeswright

we regularly have halloween parties
and half the battle is in the labeling
black spagetti and meatball sauce = sphagooli and blood clots

lime jelly with lychees stuffed with black grapes = eyeballs & slime
hotdogs with a small slice of radish or similar shoved in the end to look like a fingernail covered in ketchup in a bun = severed fingers

anything green ( mushy peas? in yorkshire pudding cases) = snot
raspberry cordial = blood

rice crispie cakes with white chocolate and a bit of red food colouring = scab cakes - cornflake pie also works really well

erm - slow cooker full of vegetable soup = vomit.....and so it goes on !
wierdly the kids seem to eat almost anything - even things they would normally avoid

oh - prawn cocktail - maggot salad...actulally that did put me off prawns for a while

rice = lice - prize for anybody finding the ones with the legs....

Pink.

Hi shelvis,

If you buy fresh puff pastry and make things up and freeze them they will be fine once cooked. Meringues will also keep well for a day or two in an airtight container so you could do those in advance as well. Biscuits and biscuit dough freezes well and you could even make and freeze the jam sandwiches in advance. Jelly is another thing that will keep easily in the fridge for a day or two, I always go for green or orange jelly at halloween.

This thread has more ideas that may give you some inspiration:

Halloween Party! (merged)

I'll add your thread to it later once you've had some more replies.

Pink

[Deleted User]

Thank you. I wasn't bothered about looking for Halloween threads for more recipes I guess as I can't do TOO much given my time frame. I was more interested in whether the stuff i have chosen can be made now then get out/bung in oven on the night.

Thank you or your replies though. I am glad fresh puff will work for the mummy sausages then with chipolata sausages. I can freeze completely raaw then cook them on the night. I can then freeze them and cook them on the night and put 2 little mustard eyes on when they have cooled.

Am liking the severed fingers idea! Would avoid sausages though as I have the mummy sausage rolls but perhaps i can cut carrot stalks into witch finger shapes?

emiff6

The man with the Mouse has a great children's Halloween site with recipes, crafts, costume and decoration ideas here:
http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-snacks/