29 Days Until Halloween: SPIDER INSPIRED FOOD

Look, I can't talk about how much this even freaks me out as a concept. So look at all the pictures and click on the links if you are a braver soul than I, but this should give you some good ideas for starting  a spider-themed food display!

I'm terrified at spiders. That might be why I thought they'd make a decent Halloween theme--truly freaking scary. Looking at these gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Coming Soon: DRINKS 


Breakfasty Foods
Spider Egg Display

Spiders instead of centipedes (picture right), and coupled with spider eggs.

Spider Eggs










Desserts
Spider Cupcakes

Spider Spun Candy *
Candy Spiders
Spider Cakes
Bat and Cobweb Cookies
No Bake Spider Cheese Cake
Red Velvet Spider Cupcakes

Party foods/Snacks/Appetizers
Spider toothpicks - While not 'food' in the strictest sense, if you insert these toothpicks in mozzarella balls you could totally bill them as spider egg sacs! How evil is that?Caramel Cobwebs and Licorice Spiders - severed with delicious chocolate and caramel or pumpkin cake, or on top of the cupcake of your choice. Delicious!

Spider Pizza Spread

Black Widow Cheese Log











Dinner/Meals
Creamy Tomato Soup with Spider Web Topping
Fajita Spider Pizza 
Spider Roll


More Spider Recipes from Kraft

A Vegan-Friendly Halloween Menu

In honor of my vegan friends (the spooky vegan and the creepy vegan, respectively) who have recently tried to get on my good side by sending me awards (fyi: it worked), I took a quick stabbity stab at an elegant vegan Halloween dinner menu.

It's time to break out the old-time homemaker manners and treat your friends to a vegan-friendly, excellently creepy meal!

These recipes are not my own and have been gathered from around the web, but I took a close look at the instructions and ingredients on all -- and I promise, there is nothing on this menu that meat eaters should scoff at and all of them are, or can easily be made, vegan.

The hardest sell for your non-vegan friends is perhaps the dessert (though you could always skip ahead to the Trick-or-Treats to satisfy your sweet-fang). Imitating a cheesecake when you can't use dairy is DANGEROUS BUSINESS, and advisable to only the bravest in-home cooks.

Click to enlarge:

the RECIPES...

APPETIZER
For the appetizer and salad eyes, I found the recipes here. Make sure to use a vegan-friendly fruit spread for the lychee eyes. The Radish eyes and New Potato eyeballs at this link can also be made vegan-friendly (potato eyes in your soup course would be good -- I just didn't want to have every food item STARING at you).

SOUP
Garlic tomato soup: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/02/tomato-soup-with-roasted-garlic-and.html

For the crackers that go with the soup, try this recipe,and find a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter. You can find them in the baking aisle at many craft stores or often in pet stores (the recommended use there being doggie treats): http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/2007/01/vegan-goldfish-crackers.html

SALAD

Radish and Fennel salad: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2302

Make the salad as the recipe states, but keep at least two whole radishes per salad -- using the instructions from the eyeball treats site, make up radish eyes with olives to set atop the salad.

MAIN COURSE

Mmm... Pumpkin Pasta: http://testkitchenette.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/pumpkin-ravioli/; I like how bloodied it looks with the thick tomato sauce.

Side of Marinated Red pepper (preserved 'hearts' -- because, if you serve them out of a jar, they look like preserved hearts... consider labeling them as such and serving out of a glass jar?): http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/marinated_roasted_red_bell_peppers/

DESSERT

"Pustule" (i.e. Pomegranate Fake-Cheese Cake) Pie: http://www.diaryofavegan.com/2009/09/thou-shall-not-preach/; while it seems a shame to give such a beautiful dessert such a gross name, thinking about those little pomegranate seeds in relation to Halloween just made me think of blisters!

COCKTAILS
Obviously, you need to be sure you're using a vegan-friendly alcohol. I don't know if you can trust Barnivore, but I don't know why they would lie. Vegans, are their'vegan-friendly' alcohol references accurate?

ALTERNATIVE DRINK... for the little boos and ghouls
Slime Smoothie

TRICK OR TREATS (candy to hand out to the kiddies in costume)

Vegan Candy Corn: http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com/2007/09/homemade-vegan-candy-corn-happy.html

Poisoned (with sweetness) apples -- mmm... vegan caramel apples: http://veryveganholiday.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/vegan-caramel-apples/

Yummus

I have discovered the secret to smoky, delicious hummus: sesame oil instead of tahini. Mmm! It makes for a really fun flavor.

Garlicky Hummus
Ingredients

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans -- lightly drained
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
Garlic, 2 cloves
Salt, .5 tsp (or to taste)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Ground cumin seed, 1 tsp
A pinch of Paprika


Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Grind thoroughly until the texture is smooth. If it is too dry, add a little bit of water 1 tsp at a time until it reaches a nice consistency.

Sprinkle with paprika and serve.


No vampire is going to attack you with garlic breath.

Maggot Sliders!

Mmm... Elle's New England Kitchen, I stole your picture. I'm sorry - but this is cute and original.

Sure, it's one of those food products that requires a sign at your party -- but once your guests have the word 'maggot' in their head, that rice will make them queasy. :)

Truly a new idea for me! Thank you.

Bloodshot Eyes - an hors d'oeuvre

Yummy, and best served ripped straight from your victim's head oven!

Eyeballs are such an easy "scary" snack; haven't we talked about throwing an eyeball party before?

Comically, eyeball treats are the ones I usually pass off as being to unoriginal to worry about (except for lychee eyeballs because they look so awesome), but these were just a cutsey coincidence: we were making an appetizer to go with our dinner, and they happened to look like bloodshot eyes.

Since they are also YUMMY, I am sharing them with you.

• french bread (sliced)
• olive oil
• roma tomato
• shredded mozzarella
  
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• black olive slices

Place the french bread slices on a cookie sheet; make thin slices out of your roma tomato, placing one slice on each piece of bread. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle just a little bit of shredded mozzarella on each piece of tomato (be sparing - just enough to give it a veiny eye look!). Sprinkle salt to taste. Sprinkle pepper to taste (I would have done without it, but husband-to-be loves the stuff). Place one black olive sliver in the center of each tomato.

Place under your broiler (on "low" setting) just until the cheese is melted and the edges of the bread begin to brown. Serve warm if you can!

The pepper and olive give this a nice, grown-up flavor. Mmmm.