Halloween…Spooky Spirits & Snacks You Can Make Tonight (Super Simple & Quick)

Happy Halloween!

Even though it’s the day of Halloween, you can still plan a last-minute get-together with friends or family for a frightfully fun night without the stress and mess. All of these recipes have ingredients that can easily be found at the grocery store and all are simple and fairly quick. 

My friend and FOX21 Morning News Reporter, Lauren McDonald, joined in the fun! And I can’t wait till everyone sees our costumes! 

Of course we’re starting the day off with an alcoholic drink…or two.

COCKTAILS

This spooky looking cocktail is a Bloody Mary using a spicy green tomatillo puree in place of the regular tomato juice. Tomatillos can be found in most grocery stores in the produce section or at Latin markets. They are sour, green in color, with a papery husk. Before using, remove the husk and rinse to remove its sticky natural coating.

I found this delicious drink recipe in the October 2019 issue of Good Housekeeping. Enjoy!

SWAMP THING 

Active Time: 25 minutes     Total Time: 25 minutes      Serves: 6 for approximately $9.40 ($1.60 per glass)

INGREDIENTS:

8 medium tomatillos (about 7 oz), husked 

4 Persian cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped (about 7 oz) –I used 7 ounces of regular cucumber

4 stalks celery

1 cup cilantro

2 small jalapeno, seeded

1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 cup prepared horseradish, excess moisture squeezed out

2 Tbsp pepperoncini brine

1 tsp green hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

Kosher salt and pepper

8 oz vodka

pepperoncini and red pepper flakes for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In blender, puree tomatillos, cucumbers, celery, cilanto, jalapeno and lime juice until very smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through medium-sieve into pitcher, pressing on solids to extracts as much juice as possible.

Whisk in horseradish, pepperoncini brine, hot sauce, pinch salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir in vodka and serve over ice with pepperoncini and red pepper if desired.

• This drink is gluten-free, vegetarian, and can be made ahead. Do make sure your vodka is gluten-free if you are gluten-free.

 

This SUPER EASY punch literally takes a few minutes to make and contains ingredients you can pick up in 5 minutes at the grocery store. You can make this nonalcoholic by simply omitting the vodka. 

I made a creepy ice hand to float in the punch by adding water to a disposable glove, tying up the end (or use a rubber band) and freezing.

DRAGON’S BLOOD

Total Time: 5 minutes                 Serves: 20 for approximately $11.50 or 60 cents a serving

INGREDIENTS:

1 64 ounce apple juice, chilled

1 64 ounce cranberry juice, chilled

1 2 liter ginger ale

2 cups vodka

Ice

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in large punch bowl or pot. Add ice and stir.

 

EASY SNACKS

I have been making Halloween party appetizers for so long I needed some fresh ideas. My favorite new recipe is Monster Meatball Sliders which I found on a great site called Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen. 

MONSTER MEATBALL SLIDERS

This recipe uses easy and convenient frozen meatballs but I made my own because I have time and love my baked meatballs. You can set up a meatball “bar” like Melissa  does or make them up ahead of time. She uses King’s Hawaiian Rolls which are super delicious but I used Schar Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls (because I have to) and cut them in half. And if you use a gluten-free marinara sauce, you’ll have a gluten-free snack. 

Here’s the recipe and fun ideas on serving them. 

www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/monster-meatball-sliders/

And if you’d like to try a new meatball recipe, here’s the one I’ve been using for the last year because it is so darn good and easy! 

BAKED MEATBALLS (from www.yummyhealthyeasy.com)

Prep Time: 20 minutes         Cook Time: 15-20 minutes       Makes: 30 1-inch meatballs for approx. $ $4.00

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I use gluten-free to keep this safe for Celiac disease)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon parsley, minced (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Mix together onion, bread crumbs, garlic, egg, cheese, ketchup, salt, pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl.

Add in ground beef and mix gently, until combined. Do not overwork. Form into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are browned and cooked through.

FRANKEN GUAC

You can create this guacamole appetizer in less than 5 minutes. Use premade guacamole or your own favorite recipe.

All you need is guacamole, sour cream, black olives and purple chips. Super easy!!

BLOODY CREAM CHEESE BONE

This literally takes minutes to make. If you want to “splurge” a bit, use red pepper jelly. If you’re on a tighter budget, salsa works well too. 

PARMESAN CRISPS WITH BLACK OLIVE SPIDERS

I make these Parmesan Crisps ALL THE TIME. My friends and family can attest to that! They are super quick, delicious, and require only one ingredient. Just for fun I made what looks like spiders from black olives. I know they aren’t technically spiders since mine only have 6 legs but I ran out of room. 

TO MAKE – Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heap tablespoon of grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese onto parchment lined pan. Lightly pat down. Add spider to middle of crisp. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp and golden. Let cool.

• I tried adding the black olive spiders before baking and after. The spider crisp in the middle of this photo was baked, the other two I added after baking. The crisps firm up pretty quick so I found it easier to bake the “spiders” but you can do it either way. And adding the spiders can be time-consuming so I just did it to a few for the effect here.

 

TREATS

You can make this sweet and chewy popcorn treat two different ways. Either in ball form or clusters. If you make the popcorn balls it will require more time. As I was timing myself and trying to get the balls formed before the mixture cooled (on a day my arthritis was acting up), I got frustrated and poured the mixture out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, thinking I’ll just eat this mess and try again. 

As I broke up pieces and munched on the popcorn, which is sweet but not too sweet, and oh so addictive, I thought of how much easier it was to eat than biting into a sticky ball. And now, this is how I serve it. And it’s a fun treat to send home with guests, whether it’s broken up in clusters or served as a ball. 

I prefer to use kernels and an air popper, which saves me tons of money but you can use bagged popcorn to save time.

SWEET & CHEWY POPCORN

Prep Time: 10 minutes        Cook Time: 10 minutes             Makes about 20 servings for approximately $4.00

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons cold water

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 cup marshmallows

5 quarts plain popcorn, popped (about 3/4 cup kernels)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

optional – nuts

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, butter, cold water, confectioner’s sugar and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt and nuts if using. Combine the hot mixture to the popcorn and carefully stir, to coat all the kernels.

To Make Clutsters – Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread mixture out on sheets and let cool. Break up mix into small pieces or clusters. Keep in tightly sealed container or bags and store at room temperature.

To Make Balls – Grease hands with shortening or use plastic gloves sprayed with cooking oil. Quickly shape mixture into balls before it cools. Let cool. Wrap with plastic and store at room temperature.

I typically use black and white paper products that are recyclable and add in pops of color that tie in to the theme with items I already own. Or if I have time I pick up items from Discover Goodwill or the Dollar Tree to add to my black and white. Simple dead branches can be added to vases or scattered around the table for added (and free) creepiness. 

 

Stay safe and have fun tonight!