Have you already got enough candies and chocolate in reserve? Have you already decided where you’re going to place these big pumpkins? Oh! Hope you haven’t forgotten about absolutely outstanding costumes for your nearest and dearest, and for yourself, of course?
No? Phew! Then you’re almost ready to celebrate the sweetest national U.S. holiday. And we aren’t talking about St. Valentine’s Day now, seriously. If you are native to New England, you probably know it as Cabbage Night. You are highly likely to call it Devil’s Night if you live in Detroit. Or it might be more familiar to you as Gate Night if you come from the Middle West. Fortunately, in any case you mean no other holiday but Halloween! Or the night of October 30th and 31st, to be precise.
Having originated in Ireland more than 2,000 years ago, Halloween has turned from a Celtic harvest festival, Samhain (sah-win), into a widely observed and globally known celebration. It was renamed All Hallows’ (or Saints’) Day under the significant influence of Christianity. The two traditions, pagan and Christian, appeared to merge quite harmoniously. They gradually spread all around Western Europe and even crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
What has Halloween become today? Just think what you’d associate this holiday with – that’ll be the answer. Myriads of sweets and so homey smell of some pumpkin dish. Bobbing for apples and trick-or-treating. Funny outlets and spookily glowing jack-o’-lanterns all around the neighborhood. Is there anything missing?
Halloween dinner! That’s when you can apply all your culinary creativity and bring the freakiest ideas into being. So, what to start with? You aren’t limited with any traditional food ideas. Let’s experiment and create something truly outstanding this year!
Marky’s has selected a few scarily delicious Halloween treats for your holiday menu! They will definitely surprise any of your guests, or, probably, even scare them a bit. So, make sure none of your potential visitors is deadly afraid of toy spiders, bats, and other creatures which are must-haves of every Halloween party. Maybe, you should even notify them in advance that you’re going to use those as decorations.
Still, let’s see how to make your celebration really spooktacular!
Hauntingly Flavorful and Cozy Cookout
If the weather forecast for the last two October days isn’t going to trick all of us, why not spend some wonderful hours outside your house and office? Bet you were planning to decorate your yard for this holiday. So, it’s a good idea to turn it into a creepy beautiful spot for a BBQ.
Prepare warm woolen plaids for your guests not to feel chilly in the cool fall air, while they’re waiting for those honey glazed pork ribs. Make sure there are enough morsels to heat up their appetites. And if you happen to have any extra peach pumpkin, turn it into an organic and flavorful bowl for, say, apple cider. It will serve both as a decoration and a great source of warmth for your whole bunch.
And while your guests are waiting for the main treat, let them try these ghostly guys!
Ingredients:
And don’t forget your pumpkin carver!
Directions:
Home Celebration – Addams’ Family Style
It looks like Halloween dinner is the best occasion to remember this series and borrow some of its eerie style. By the way, you could also have your family celebration in the outlets of the main characters. And don’t forget about the Thing – yeah, that creepily nice hand, “played” by outstanding Christopher Hart. Guess you can purchase it at some Halloween stores.
But if you still want to decorate your sitting room with something less…, well, scary than artificial human hands and plastic skulls, what about glow-in-the-dark roses from 1-800-FLOWERS? Covered with a special topping that absorbs day light, they will radiate a soft green glow in the darkened room. Add some candles and pumpkins to complete the whole Halloween atmosphere around you.
Yet, let’s go back to the menu. It must feature something really themed. So, would you mind this pasta?
Ingredients:
Directions:
Creepily Awesome Party That’s Gonna Be Legend
Before you start planning the Halloween party menu, ask your guests if they’re afraid of spiders. Oh, and make sure you personally can treat these creatures fairly well. No, we don’t mean any exotic Asian dish now. Though it’s considered that spiders are a good source of natural proteins. Whatever, we’re going to use not real live spiders, but small plastic ones.
To make the atmosphere even more impressive, you can drop these guys in an ice cube tray, cover them with water and freeze for a few hours before the party. Such ice cubes will add even more flavor to any cocktail.
Now let’s think about the dishes. How about a baked dough spider with sauce on the festive table? Here it is.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Enjoy your spookily great party! Bugs and hisses to all of you over there!
Happy Halloween from Marky’s!