Halloween Recipe Ideas

Five Easy Halloween recipe ideas for entrees, a side and dessert

Whether you're just planning a family dinner, or want to host a party for Halloween, you can bring a bit of fun and spooky ambiance to the celebrations with five easy Halloween recipes, reflecting the traditional colors associated with the holiday. Every cook knows that color is an important element of a successful dish. Here we've got some ways to use those colors to your advantage, in easy, tasty recipes.

A big pot of chowder provides a hearty main dish for those cool evenings. The traditional ingredients fit well into the Halloween color scheme. Corn, sliced black olives, diced purple or red-skinned potatoes (leave the skins on) and orange bell peppers, or sliced carrots, if you prefer, cover a few of the bases. Add 4-5 medium sliced mushrooms and you're all set with the veggies. Chowder is one of those dishes that offers a lot of latitude in what you add to the mix, so if some of these veggies aren't to your taste, substitute as you prefer.

With Halloween recipe ideas, the general idea is to include some orange, yellow and black (or purple) to stick with the Halloween theme. Just a couple of drops of yellow food coloring, added to the pot, highlights your other colors, without making the soup unappetizing. Use discretion, adding a drop at a time, until the hue of the sauce is just right.

Our next main dish in Halloween recipe ideas is delicious, easy and in keeping with your Halloween color scheme. Boil up a package of spinach linguine. While green isn't a traditional Halloween color, including some green in a dish lends a darker tone, creating a good backdrop for the brighter colors.

While the linguine is cooking, slice up a few young carrots, orange and red bell peppers and florets of cauliflower. (Watch your linguine and drain in a colander as soon as it's done.) Place the veggies in a saucepan with a small amount of water, cover with a lid and microwave at full power for 3-4 minutes, or just until the veggies are cooked, but still have some crunch.

Add the linguine and cooked veggies to a large saucepan and place on the burner at a warm setting. Add cooked shrimp or chicken and stir. If you wish, add a couple of tablespoons of melted butter and stir. Dinner's ready!

Next in our lineup of easy Halloween recipes is a bit more adventurous: the Halloween Frittata A Frittata is the Italian version of an omelet, somewhat like a quiche.

Begin with a large, deep dish pie crust, ready made from the supermarket. With a fork, pierce the crust several times on the bottom of the dish – this keeps the crust from puffing during the brief initial baking.

Bake the crust for just seven minutes at 325 degrees. In a large bowl, beat 8 eggs well. Add 1 drop of red and 2 drops of yellow food coloring to the eggs and beat again, until your egg mixture is a bright orange.

Add sliced black olives, diced fresh mozzarella cheese, pimientos, broccoli or cauliflower florets and cooked salad shrimp, stirring well. Pour into your prepared crust and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the eggs are firm.

The easy Halloween recipes must take into account an appropriate accompaniment to each of these main dishes.

Garlic bread, Halloween style, goes well with any of these entrees. Put a stick of butter in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature. Mash up the butter until it's of a spreadable consistency. Add one drop of red food coloring and mix well – your butter should be a bright and festive orange.

Slice a loaf of French bread horizontally in to two halves. Butter the bread, sprinkle evenly with one diced Roma tomato, freshly snipped basil, sliced black olives, minced garlic and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. Broil just until the cheese melts. Slice and enjoy!

To complete our easy Halloween recipe list, here's an easy, sweet dessert. Use a purchased pumpkin pie from the supermarket. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon and four of sugar. Use your fingers to sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pie. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped topping.

With the exception of the garlic bread, each of these Halloween recipe ideas can be made the day before your party, then gently warmed before serving. This leaves you free to decorate the dining room on party day. Bon Appetit!

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