Kid-Friendly Halloween Party

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Boo Y'all

Follow our tips and How-To Videos to throw an easygoing get-together for your favorite goblins, pretty princesses, superheroes, and their parents on October’s spookiest night.

Haunting (but not Daunting) Menu
Serves 8 to 10

Onion-Bacon Dip
Assorted Multigrain and Vegetable Chips
Monster Meatball Sandwiches
Barbecue Stew
Mummy Dogs
Cereal–and–Granola "Apples"
Chocolate Ghost Cakes

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

"Stay Dry" Apple Bobbing

Bob for apples without the water and all the mess by suspending them from string. Remember, no hands allowed!

Watch our How-To Video

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Onion-Bacon Dip

Served in an acorn squash, Creamy Onion-Bacon Dip is sure to be a hit–you probably should go ahead and double the recipe.

Recipe: Onion-Bacon Dip

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Monster Meatball Sandwiches

Monster Meatball Sandwiches, which start with frozen meatballs, are a bit spicy. Taste one before serving to little ones or omit the relish.

Recipe: Monster Meatball Sandwiches

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Mummy Dogs

A spider web of mustard and ketchup goes perfect with Mummy Dogs. (The secret to the “bun” is refrigerated breadstick dough.) To make the web, fill a small bowl with ketchup. Using a squirt bottle, pipe mustard in concentric circles on top of ketchup. Beginning at the center, draw a wooden pick through the circles in a spoke pattern.

Recipe: Mummy Dogs
Watch our How-To Video

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Barbecue Stew

Serve make-ahead Barbecue Stew over baked frozen oven fries for a hearty meal.

Recipe: Barbecue Stew

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Cereal–and–Granola "Apples"

Serve Cereal–and–Granola "Apples" for dessert or package them as party favors for the kids.

Recipe: Cereal–and–Granola "Apples"

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Scary Spider Coolers

Keep an assortment of drinks cool in scary spider coolers. Soft copper tubing is oh-so-easy to shape into legs. You can also use wrought iron “S-shaped” plant hangers or pipe cleaners.

Watch our How-To Video

Jennifer Davick / styling Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen / food styling Vanessa McNeil Rocchio

Not Your Average Jack-O-Lanterns

Creating designs on your pumpkins, like the ones shown here, is easier than you think. Kits are available everywhere–from dollar stores to high-end kitchen shops–but you really don’t need a kit. Assemble your own with basic kitchen tools such as a sharp knife, a smaller paring knife, and wide, sturdy spoons to clean out the seeds and stringy pulp. A small handsaw is also helpful.

Download Pumpkin Carving Designs