# Old fashioned/Halloween dinner



## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

I'm looking for some ideas on throwing an old fashioned party this year. I can't decide if I want to do a gothic sort of theme with candelabras, crows, and black lace or more of an autumn theme with corn husks, pumpkins, and hay bales. We live in a small house with a fairly small yard so the room for decorations is limited... I was also thinking about having a Halloween sit down dinner instead of a party since we only have about 8 guests who show up every year. I will probably make autumn soups but I need some ideas for the rest of the menu. I want to be a little more sophisticated than dips and snacks if I do a sit down. I'm in the early planning stages so if anyone has any ideas, please toss them at me. Thank you!


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

Thats a great idea, a halloween dinner. I can't do it because I am so busy on halloween, but i do take the whole family to Cracker barrel every Halloween morning for breakfast. Try this site here, there is alot on here, I am sure you can find something good.

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=halloween dinner


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## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

Thanks for the site, they have a lot of great ideas! I think I have decided on the gothic theme, but the only decorations I have are candelabras and a couple gravestones for the yard as guests enter. In hopes of having enough space, I think I am going to cover the sides of our porch and serve dinner out there since we do not have a dining room and the living room is too small. 

1) Any ideas on what I could cover the porch with so it will not be cold outside if it gets chilly?

2) I am finding a lot of good soups and desserts but not really a main dish. Any ideas? I was even thinking of just having lasagna or meat loaf or something. 

3) I need some good adult games. There will not be a whole lot of drinking, so I need games people will enjoy that won't involve taking shots

4) For side dishes the only thing I have thought of is mashed potatoes with gravy that has been colored red with food coloring. Any other ideas are appreciated


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## BekkiM (Sep 3, 2008)

I do a formal, sitdown dinner every year for Halloween, usually for 12-18 people (though afer last year's 18 I've vowed to pare it down, if only to save my sanity).

In 2006, which was my first attempt at this, the menu was:


Autumn Salad of Mixed Greens with Tangerines, Avocado, Candied Pumpkin Seeds and Cornbread Croutons
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme Oil, Creme Fraiche, and Parmesan
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetables and Parmesan Polenta
Jack-O-Lantern Spice Cakes with Rum Caramel Sauce

In 2007, I did a "Seven Deadly Sins" theme which was a TON of work, but a ton of fun too:


Greed: Oysters Rockefeller
Anger: Shrimp Diablo
Gluttony: Pork belly confit with lentil caviar
Sloth: Creamy asparagus soup with pickled beets, truffle oil, and Parmesan custards
Envy: Individual Wellingtons (beef, salmon, pork, and mushroom)
Pride: Rainbow of cheese (a small portion of 6 different cheeses each paired with an appropriately colored garnish, e.g. fresh ricotta with candied orange slices, blue cheese with purple figs)
Lust: “Better than sex” chocolate cake
Absolution: Vanilla bean crème brulee

In 2008, I did "Ghoul's Night" with just my girlfriends and decorated the table entirely in pink and black:


Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Port Wine Poached Pears, Port Caramel and Candied Walnuts
Gougeres with Maple Pumpkin Butter
Spiced Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Carrot Chips and Sugar-and-Spice Pepitas
Roast Pork Belly with Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Puree with Five Spice
Duck Confit with Port and Sour Cherry Sauce, Root Vegetable Hash and Pumpkin Wild Rice Bread Pudding
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce

In 2009, I did a black and white theme. A friend came and decorated the table half black and half white (including skeleton hands that I cast myself out of plaster of Paris--I'm a little over the top when it comes to my Halloween dinner):


Porcini Gnocchi with Chestnut Brown Butter
Mushroom Soup Shooters with Truffle Foam
Duck Confit Salad with Bitter Greens, Pear Chips, and Black-Pepper Cheesecakes
Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Roasted Orange and Purple Sweet Potatoes
Dark and White Chocolate Mousse

Clearly, I go a little bit crazy every year (my friends certainly think so), but the key is preparation: pick recipes that can be made in advance and require very little last-minute prep. For example, braised short ribs are actually better if you make them the day before, allow them to cool in the braising liquid, and reheat to serve. The stuffed chicken thighs are completely assembled the morning of (you don't want to leave stuffed chicken sitting too long, even refrigerated) and popped in the oven in time for dinner.

Soups are almost always easy to do ahead of time and the butternut squash one is my favorite: Cube peeled butternut squash, toss with olive oil, thyme, salt, and a little crushed red pepper and roast at 400 until nearly soft. Toss into a pot of chicken broth to complete the cooking, blend (be careful blending hot liquids--the top of the blender can shoot off with disastrous results) and strain (if you're picky) or pour back into the pot to keep it warm.

Have fun with it!


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## Skullie (Apr 22, 2008)

Hallowseve31
Do you have one of those portable fire pits? I use one that I have and I piled large rock around. it give off heat as well as decorate. Have you thought about moving all your furniture into one bedroom for the night. Snake a long table around in the house and have dinner on it. It may give it a cozier feeling. I have halloween organ music playing real low in the background.
Sort of a play on an old baby shower game is the little thingy. Lets say you have 10 guests. you take 10 clothespins and paint them black or green. glue two wiggly eyes on them. maybe a little hair or not. give each guest a clothespin. they can clip it to their costum and every time someone either says a certain word or phrase ( you know) or crosses their legs a guest can steal their clothespin (Thingy). Who ever has the most thingy by a certain time they win a prize. I had some teenagers one year that spent the whole night collecting the thingy. If you have several thingys on you someone else can steal all you have too.


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## BekkiM (Sep 3, 2008)

For dinner, I've had good luck with braised short ribs (not only can they be made ahead of time, they actually improve if they're made the day before and allowed to cool in their braising liquid overnight). For a side, consider polenta (Fine Cooking has a recipe for making it in the oven that eliminates the "stir continuously while pouring the polenta in a fine stream" step and I've had great success with it) and roasted (diced) sweet potatoes. I did a mix of orange and purple sweet potatoes 2 years ago and they were beautiful on the plate, as well as great Halloween colors.


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## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

Thank you for all of the great ideas! BekkiM your parties sound fabulous! I don't know if I could handle all of that work since I will be working and my husband is going to school full time. The short ribs sound like a good idea. Plus, I could incorporate my mashed potato idea or sweet potatoes easily. I will probably make a pumpkin roll for desert and either pumpkin or butternut squash soup. I have only ever made broccoli cheese soup by hand so I guess I better start practicing =) I do have an outdoor fire place so that might work nicely unless it rains (which is pretty common here in Colorado). Thanks guys! Keep throwing the ideas my way.


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## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

BekkiM- what kind of salad dressing did you have for your 2006 salad with the candied pumpkin seeds?


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

You mentioned you were considering meatloaf - if you do a Google image search for Halloween meatloaf, you'll get a bunch of recipes for different Halloween-themed shapes, from the cute to the gross. I've seen a meatloaf mummy, zombie, individual meatloaf rats, etc - it's all about the decorating.

One main dish I had was a beef and root vegetables stew served in a hollowed out pumpkin - nothing too fancy but people really liked it. "Bat wings" are also pretty simple - there are a number of different recipes online for that - the one I liked best incorporated molasses rather than just using food coloring to turn the chicken wings black.

Two appetizers that were popular with my crowd and were absurdly easy to make were "Monster Mouths" - raw snow pea pods with almond sliver fangs and red-pepper tongues, and "Cheese Bugs" - small chunks of cheese with Chinese chow mein noodles for the legs and antennae.

There are tons and tons of recipes online! It will definitely be a great time!


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## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

*Also, you said mashed potatoes...*

Here's a recipe for mashed potato ghosts - basically a ghost shape with black bean eyes.

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/roasted-ghosts-678445/

And some more main meal type options:

Candy Corn Pizza (the colors, not the flavor!):
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/candy-corn-by-the-slice-recipe.htm

Buzzard Claw Chicken:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/buzzard-claws-with-swamp-dip-recipe.htm

Fish Bait with Gator Heads:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/fish-bait-with-gator-heads-recipe.htm

Meat Feet:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/feet-of-meat-recipe.htm

Adam's Ribs:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/meat/adams-ribs/

Slithering Snakewich:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/appetizers-snacks/slithering-snakewich/

Jack-O-Lantern Sloppy Joe Pie (Or you could make with shepherd's pie filling)
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Jack-o--Lantern-Sloppy-Joe-Pie

You could also serve tacos with meat/cheese/olive eyeballs, or I've seen it done with pasta shells as well, with meatball & mozzarella eyeballs.

For really great food, though, I want to go to BekkiM's!


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

*Here are a few ideas....Hope this helps! Have fun!*  *H1*















































I can understand you need to have a menu that is easy to prepare. Here are a couple of ideas.....For a main dish *Pork Tenderloin* tastes excellent and is easy to prepare. You don't have to do alot to it, for it to come out great...Just remember not to over-cook it! (It is a lean meat, and it will make it dry, otherwise.) There are a ton of recipes out there, it can be pretty plain and it's fine. Pares well with a sauce or gravy. You can find recipes here:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/coriander-crusted-pork-tenderloin.aspx









*Brie is very easy and tasty appetizer..*

*Baked Brie*
Ingredients
1 sheet frozen prepared puff pastry, 11 x 17 inches, defrosted
1 wheel brie cheese
2 Tablespoons of your favorite preserve- apricot, rasberry, apricot, etc.
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (or use chopped toasted pecans)

Yields: 9-10 servings

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Slice brie in half across the middle.

Spread the puff pastry sheet onto a counter and roll it to an 1/8 of an inch thick. Place half of the brie onto the puff pastry. (you do not have to cut off the rind) Spread the preserves on top. Sprinkle the almonds on top.

Replace the top half of the brie. Wrap dough up and over the brie, starting at the corners.

Turn over so the sealed side is underneath. Lightly spray cookie sheet with pam, before placing brie on pan. Then bake for 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to watch it! Serve with apples, assorted fruit, plain crackers (like Carr's), crusty fresh bread, etc.

NOTE: can subsitute 2 cans of pillsbury crescents instead of puff pasrty, by pinching together the serration marks so you have one large piece (depending on your size of cheese wheel, you might not need to use all of the dough)


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## MHooch (Jun 15, 2007)

I just bought the new Better Homes and Gardens Halloween magazine, and there are two really cool looking dinner parties with all recipes and decorating directions...one based on Edgar Allen Poe and the other based around a coffin (the buffet is laid out-no pun intended- in the coffin). The webpage of BHG and also Martha Stewart have lots of decor and recipe ideas for Halloween. 

We have a covered screened porch off our kitchen, and every year my husband tacks up black plastic between the wooden supports. You'd be surprised how warm it gets out there with the sun shining on the black plastic all day. It gives us so much more space for the party, and we are still using the same roll of plastic that we bought from Lowes a good 6 years ago!! That might be the single best idea my hubby ever had for the Halloween season.


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## mommyto3 (Aug 24, 2009)

Halloweenie1 - those pictures are amazing! I really like the orange roses - simple but classic!


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## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

Thanks for all of the great ideas! I love the orange roses as well. And I will look for the BHG magazine. The Poe theme would probably work well with my black lace and crows idea. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. The baked brie recipe sounds great (since it is my favorite cheese), but I don't like the rind very much. Is it a problem if you remove it?


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

I think the Halloween meat loaf or maybe even meat balls would be a good main dish. The scene setters would look great for a setting at the atble also. I would use maybe the thick plastic sheeting tacked down or perhaps cardboard to close in the porch area. It would be simple enough to get some cheap beistle type cardboard cut out decorations to really spook it up a bit and give a nice nostalgic halloween feel. Man, I want to come to your dinner now.


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## BR1MSTON3 (Jul 31, 2010)

I think you need Cornish hens, with a few raven feathers slightly placed around with lines from the Raven on placards, but then again I am partial to that poem!


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

HallowsEve31 said:


> Thanks for all of the great ideas! I love the orange roses as well. And I will look for the BHG magazine. The Poe theme would probably work well with my black lace and crows idea. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. The baked brie recipe sounds great (since it is my favorite cheese), but I don't like the rind very much. Is it a problem if you remove it?


No problem...if you don't like it--- remove it before you wrap.


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## HallowsEve31 (Jul 20, 2007)

Ok, I think my menu is going to look something like the following:

Baked brie with fruit
Pumpkin or butternut squash soup
Autumn salad
Ribs
Mashed potatoes with blood gravy
Spice cake or pumpkin roll

What do you guys think? I might go to Big Lots today and check out what they have


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## Maxiboots (Aug 31, 2010)

In the past for an easy fall dinner I have made stuffed peppers, except that I use orange bell peppers so that they look like small pumpkins. The nice thing is they are easy to make, all the prep is done ahead of time and you just pop them into the oven prior to your guests arriving. There are many great recipies at allrecipies.com. I make mine with venision, wild rice and mushrooms. 
Lots of inexpensive spider webs spread THINLY around your light fixtures, chairs and furniture is a cheap way to get the Halloween feel. 
Good luck


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