There’s no place like Halloween! 
It’s our 4^th annual Halloween video and I am so excited for this year because I have so many fun ideas and great recipes to share. As I’m sure you all know by now, I have so much fun planning for my Halloween party every year, and this year is no exception! 

First, I made a Cauliflower Brain to hold some chip dip. Simply remove all the leaves from a head of cauliflower and slice the end of it flat so it stands. Then cut out a bowl shape on top of cauliflower to hold the dip. Decorate the brain by weaving thin strands of red and blue fruit strips between the florets to make veins and arteries. Then it’s time to add the dip and I just had to use Crazy Fresh Guacamole because it’s the best!

Every menu needs something hot to serve and these Eyeball Sandwiches using Simek’s meatballs are the perfect way to really make your Halloween theme come to life! Using a nice chunky sauce adds flavor and makes the eyes look bloody. A little melted cheese over the meatballs makes the whites of the eyes. Top them with a sliced black olive to complete the look. You can cut these into smaller sections to serve as an appetizer or keep them bigger and make this a fun meal too! 

Next, it’s witch’s brooms and these are so cute and easy! All I did was cut Crystal Farms Mozzarella Cheese sticks in half, then shred one end of the cheese and the other end I placed a pretzel stick in. Then take some chives to tie just above the broom bristles to really make it look awesome!

Variety is always nice when throwing a party. One of my new favorite dips is that’s perfect for Halloween is Dead Man’s Dip and this recipe is fantastic and so quick and easy. Simply combine all the ingredients and bake it in the oven. The corn is an unexpected surprise that really makes this dip one people will remember! 

Now to make some fun and healthy items for the kiddies. I cam across some seriously adorable ideas that kids are sure to love. I made some little carved oranges and all you do is hollow out an orange and carve it like a pumpkin. Then add a variety of blueberries and raspberries. Another quick and easy kid friendly idea is monster munchies. For these I cut rambutan fruits in half and filled the spikey shells with pomegranate seeds. White fruit from the rambutan is perfect to toss in the punch recipe for some spooky eyeballs too! 

Next I made little Frankenstein heads that I thought were so cute. First, cut off the bottom of a kiwi so that it sits flat, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the fuzzy skin from the kiwi leaving some on the top for hair. To make neck bolts, take a pretzel stick and break it into three pieces. Push the ends of the broken pretzel on each side of the kiwi towards the bottom so they stick out just a little bit. For the mouth, take the center piece of your broken pretzel and gently push that piece sideways into your kiwi where the mouth should be. Lastly, use two mini chocolate chips and push them each into position above the mouth to make his eyes. These are a great way to get the kids to eat some fresh fruit by making it fun! 

Now, the kids need something fun to drink too so make sure to serve Kemps Chocolate Milk! October is usually pretty chilly in the Midwest, so what better way to have chocolate milk than to heat it up and turn it into hot chocolate! This is great for when the kids get back from trick or treating… and make sure to add Kemps new whipped topping before serving! 

Of course, kids aren’t the only ones that enjoy Halloween! I love using dry ice to set the mood and make some spooky fog flowing out of my punch bowl. This recipe for Eye Of Newt Punch is a tasty adult beverage and the greenish glow makes it look like a potion  straight from the witch’s cauldron. Adding the rambutan fruit for eyes makes it even spookier! 

When decorating for a party, don’t forget there are fun ways to make your food be part of the decor! We have Here are some more fun and creative decorating tips to make your food the life of the party! 

• Order fun halloween themed desserts from any of our bakeries. It will save you tons of time and you can custom order cakes, cupcakes, giant sugar cookies or our 12 inch chocolate chip cookies to fit your halloween theme! 
• Turn whole carrots into witch fingers by placing a dab of cream cheese on the pointed end of the carrot. Then add a sliced almond for a nail. Then place them into your dip bowl for a dramatic look. 
• Use whole carrots instead of candles in candelabras to add more color and texture. 
• Serve dips in small, hollowed out pumpkins. They add color and variety, plus save on dishes! I put our new spinach and artichoke dip in a pumpkin and added the witch finger carrots to it as well to make it even more interesting! 
• Adding small decor to your food like plastic spiders, skulls or fake cobwebs can really help set the theme and take a simple plate of chips and turn it into a spooky spider web! 

I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Jayne, 
Coborn’s, Inc. Merchandising Specialist Team Manager – Bakery & Deli