Today we have a real Halloween food treat for you! Forget the “kids” scary-themed dinners – bowls of cut up grapes or skinned tomatoes. Let’s create some truly spooktacular stuff. Stuff for adults. And vampires.
The Libations
The best way to start any holiday dinner is with a cocktail. Not only does it loosen people up (physically and mentally), it also sets the tone for the rest of the evening. That’s why we always get creative with our sips and concoct something apt to the event. For Autumnal Halloween, you could serve a myriad of drinks. Some of our favorites include:
- Bloody Torture Shots via PopSugar
- Basic Bloody Mary via Chow.com
- Classic Caesar Cocktail (the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary) via Canadian Living
- Blood-Red Cherry Punch via The Food Network
- Blood Orange Cocktails via Martha Stewart
- Blood Orange Gin & Tonic via White on Rice Couple
We obviously enjoy the red/vampire theme but there’s no reason you couldn’t make a myriad of refreshing drinks in all kinds of Autumn or spooky themed colors – green, orange, brown or even black! The only limit is your imagination!
The Eats
Now comes the fun stuff. Especially if you’ve had a drink or two beforehand. Of course, don’t have more than that or your delicious evening might go from spooky to down right scary.
Keeping with the vampire theme, you could go one of two ways. Or combine them. Food vampires eat, and food they wouldn’t.
If you’re trying to keep the vampires and ghouls away, you could dish up recipes like prosciutto on wooden stakes, roasted garlic with thyme served on a rustic baguette, or any grain/seed/rice recipe that you can create! According to folklore, they can’t cross lines of grain on the ground because of an OCD complex, so even if you run out of garlic, you should be good to go. Or at least, good to chow down on delicious food.
Choosing what vampires WOULD eat is simple enough – red stuff. It’s also known as The Vampire Diet. Berry platters, tomato based sauces, salmon and red velvet cake for dessert are all different directions you could go in for this inspired meal. Simply choose a cuisine or style of food and then run with it!
Or if you really want to take your Halloween party to the next level, you can actually serve your guests blood. Yes, blood. In the form of blood sausage (aka black pudding). People – mainly the English and Irish – have been eating this for centuries and with good reason; It tastes pretty darn good. Especially when procured from artisan producers. Or, get a hold some pigs blood from your local butcher and make it yourself! It isn’t just the flavor that will blow you away, but also the heightened experience of knowing what you’re eating. It isn’t something typically cooked with in North American culture but get creative and you can incorporate it into all kinds of stuff – pasta sauces, soups, stews, breadcrumbs or even dessert. Now that’s adventurous cooking!
The Fun
Games aren’t just for kids! Unless of course you consider yourself a kid at heart. There’s plenty of activities you can come up with for this year’s adult Halloween party. Bobbing for apples, mummy wrapping, or even a rousing game of “Who Am I?” can provide ample laughs – and frights – for party guests.
Drinks, plus food, plus entertainment guarantees real wow moments that you can experience with your dinner guests. Now that’s success.
Where do you find your holiday inspiration? What Halloween food is in your house right now? Candy? Cocktails? Blood? What do you plan on cooking for the big holiday? Anything spooky? Ever try blood sausage? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation on our Facebook page!
