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Hosting Halloween Hooplas
Trends show many families
plan to have Halloween parties this year.
(ARA) - Swarms of costumed Harry
Potters, Powerpuff Girls, Pokémons, ghosts and witches
will take to the streets this Halloween, begging for sweet treats
from neighbors and friends. Because many parents worry about
their child's safety while trick-or-treating, do-it-yourself
Halloween parties are becoming a popular alternative.
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The Halloween Association (THA)
indicates that Halloween is the third most-celebrated day of
the year, and according to the 2000 American Express retail index,
two out of three American households celebrate Halloween. Here
are tips for everything from the food to the games for Halloween
parties without too much fuss:
Make your own invitations
Let the kids help create invitations
for the party. Decorate construction paper with colorful cut-outs,
add Halloween-themed stickers or use stamps and ink to create
clever invitations. Or, send e-mail invitations or online greeting
cards.
Create homemade costumes
Work with your children to invent
the family's Halloween attire. This allows their imagination
to reach beyond store-bought costumes and gives them a sense
of pride when showing off their handiwork at the party. With
a little paint and creativity, a cardboard box can become a die,
a spaceship or a favorite book. Old clothing boxed-up in the
attic is perfect for a retro look. Plus, you can find princess,
wizard and farmer accessories in a second-hand shop. |
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Prepare easy-to-make Halloween-themed
treats
While Halloween means candy overload
for many kids and parents, hosts are heading to the kitchen to
create homemade treats for partygoers. Serve goodies such as
Orange Pumpkin Cupcakes (decorate orange frosting-spread cupcakes
with brown and green sprinkles to create a pumpkin), Pumpkin
Brains (macaroni and cheese served in a hollowed-out pumpkin
with a face) and Nutella Spiced Sugar Cookies (recipe following)
to add a ghostly touch.
Continue the theme by serving
treats on orange and black plastic tableware.
Decorate with style
To get your fright-seeking guests
in the Halloween spirit, haunt a room in the house by covering
windows with towels and adding cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, black
lights, pictures of witches and goblins and eerie sounds. For
younger ones who won't visit the haunted room, decorate the house
with hay bundles, pumpkin lights, streamers and ghosts cut out
of construction paper by the kids. Show kid-friendly Halloween-themed
movies, such as "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,"
"Casper" or "Goosebumps" to add a festive
mood to the party.
Play horrifically fun games
Add a Halloween twist to traditional
games to keep kids occupied and make your party a hit with adults,
too. Do the limbo to "Monster Mash," conduct Halloween-themed
scavenger hunts and have costume contests to add to the hair-raising
experience. For even more fun, offer guests rolls of toilet paper
and let them transform each other into paper-wrapped mummies
or give kids markers, paper and other materials and let them
decorate their own pumpkin.
Nutella Spiced Sugar Cookies
2/3 cup shortening
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Nutella
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted
In a medium bowl, cream the butter,
shortening and sugar with a hand mixer on high speed for two
minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for one minute. Stir
in the remaining dry ingredients on low speed just until combined.
Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disk. Cover
tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about one
hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Divide
the dough in half and roll out each piece on wax paper to 1/8-inch
thickness. Cut out desired shapes (bats, pumpkins, headstones)
and bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Make the Glaze:
Heat Nutella, milk and confectioner's
sugar in a small pot over low heat until combined and slightly
warm. Spread each cookie with the glaze and decorate as desired
with jimmies, sprinkles, mini chips or Halloween candy. Allow
to set on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes
24 cookies
These cookies can be baked ahead
of time and frozen, unglazed, for up to 6 weeks, if stored in
an airtight container.
Nutritional Information Per
Serving:
Calories: 210
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 20mg
Sodium: 100mg |
