Some people think that Halloween is only for children – but – it can be lots of fun if you invite your friends and treat them to a Halloween party fun! And the trick? I will leave most of it up to you – but here is a helping hand with getting a unique a fun buffet style food treats ready. All of these are easy to prepare and with just a little creativity, you will put smiles on your guest’s faces and set the right tone to your spooky celebration.
Treat your guests to a “Bloody Good” Martini:

Create “bloody dripping” rims by pouring 2 tablespoons of corn syrup onto a small plate. Add a few drops of red food colouring and stir to mix in. Roll martini glasses in the mixture and then set on a tray – they will drip a bit and then set. Allow the rims to dry out and just before serving, mix 2 bottles of Jamaican ginger beer, 2 cups of pomegranate juice, 1-3/4 cups of vodka and 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier in a large pitcher. Pour over crushed ice in glasses.
For an appetizer, create these delicious Pumpkin Cheese Puffs:

Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon of cream cheese , softened
- 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- 12 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of butter, cubed
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 4 drops of yellow paste food colouring
- 1 drop of red paste food colouring
- 1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
2 eggs
20 springs of fresh parsley (remove stems)
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and vinegar
- Cover and refrigerate
- In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil
- Add flour at once and stir until a smooth ball forms
- Remove from the heat and let stand for about 5 minutes
- In a small bowl, combine the yellow and red food colouring, stir cheese and food colouring into the dough.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny
- \drop by level tablespoons about 3 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet
- Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes pot until lightly browned
- Remove to a wire rack and cool
- Using a star tip and reserved cream cheese mixture, pipe the stems onto puffs.
- Add parsley springs to decorate
And just in case it is a cool night – warm up your guests with Spiced Pumpkin Chowder:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 of small sugar pumpkin
- 2 leeks
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
- 2 peppers – preferably red and yellow
- 1 tablespoon of curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of each cinnamon and allspice
- 2 cans (10 oz. each) of undiluted chicken broth
- 1 small can of coconut milk
- 1 can (14 oz.) of tomato paste
- 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)
Directions:
- Cut pumpkin into quarters
- Peel, then scoop out and discard seeds
- Cut into small cubes
- Cut off and discard dark green part of leeks
- Slice white part in lengthwise – fan out and rinse under cold water to remove grit. Thinly slice
- Melt butter in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat.
- Add leeks, garlic, jalapenos and ginger. Stir often until leeks begin to soften
- Meanwhile, coarsely chop peppers.
- Once leeks are soft, add curry, allspice and cinnamon,
- Stir constantly until fragrant.
- Pour in broth, coconut milks and tomato sauce.
- Bring to boil over high heat
- Then add pumpkin and peppers
- Cover and simmer, stirring often, until pumpkin is fork tender – about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite size pieces
- When pumpkin is almost fork tender, stir in chicken
- Cover and simmer occasionally, until cooked through – 5-7 minutes.
Surprise your guest with this Yummy Pork Mummy:

Ingredients:
- 3.4 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons of minced fresh thyme
- 1 pork tenderloin – about 1 lb.
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1.2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 10 sheets of phyllo dough (14 x 9 inches)
- 6 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1 small medium apple, peeled
Directions:
- In a small skillet, bring cream and mustard to boil
- Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is reduced to about 2/3 cup
- Remove from heat and stir in thyme
- Meanwhile, place pork tenderloin into a shallow baking pan
- Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Broil 6 inches from the heat for about 6 minutes
- Remove from the oven , cool slightly
- Change oven temperature to 400F
- Set aside 1/2 cup of mustard mixture for serving spread and spread the remaining mixture over the pork
- Place one sheet of phyllo dough on work surface, brush with melted butter.
- Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap and damp towel to prevent it from drying out
- Repeat layers 4 times
- Place pork on one edge of the phyllo dough, roll up tightly to form mummy’s body and tuck in ends
- Place another sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface and brush with butter
- Repeat layers 3 times
- Cut into thin strips and wrap around pork tenderloin bundle
- Cut remaining phyllo dough in half, brush with butter.
- Cut a one inch cube from the apple, wrap in prepared phyllo dough
- Position at wide end of the pork bundle to create the mummy’s head
- Discard remaining phyllo dough
- Place the pork bundle onto an ungreased shallow baking pan.
- Bake – uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160F
- Transfer to s serving platter
- Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing
- Serve with mustard sauce
Great addition to the Yummy Pork Mummy – Worm Salad:

Ingredients:
- 8 oz. of uncooked fusili pasta or other spiral pasta
- 1 medium zucchini, julienned
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh cauliflowerettes
- 1 cup of collosal olives, halved
- 3/4 cup of pimiento-stuffed olives
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup of chopped red onion
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup of ketchup
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
- 1/2 small onion, cut into wedges
- 1 garlic clove – peeled
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse in cold water
- Place in a large bowl and add the zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower, olives, green pepper and red onion
- In a blender, combine ketchup, sugar, vinegar, onion, garlic, paprika and salt
- Cover and process until blended
- While processing, gradually add the oil in a steady stream and process until the mixture thickens
- Pour over pasta and toss to coat
- Cover a refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving
And how about some snacks for later?
Make this easy Orange Popcorn to stay in the Halloween theme:

Ingredients:
- 4 quarts of popped popcorn
- 1/2 cup of butter, cubed
- 1 cup of sugar
- 6 tablespoons of light corn syrup
- Dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 12 drops of yellow food colouring
- 4 drops of red food colouring
Directions:
- Place popcorn into a very large bowl
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter
- Stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt
- Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to boil
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally
- remove from teh heat
- Stir in vanilla and food colouring
- Pour over popcorn, toss to coat
- Transfer to two 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pans coated with cooking spray
- Bake at 250F for 45 minutes
- Spread on waxed paper to cool
- Store in airtight container
Hope you have a great Halloween and that your celebration buffet will be a great success! Please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!