Halloween Party – the good and the bad found on Pinterest

We had another Halloween party at our house. Overall – a great success and super fun for parents and kiddos. I used a few ideas I’d found on Pinterest, (as I know so many folks use these ideas) and I thought I’d give them a review. Some worked, some flopped and some just weren’t worth the time. Also, I’ll throw in a couple of cheap decor ideas at the end!

First review: Shrunken Apple Heads

 

Cute idea. I must admit right off that I did NOT read the actual website instructions (show of hands on how many people do this??). I just thought, “Oh yeah! I know how to make shrunken apple faces. We used to do that as kids!” So I carved me some apples and put them in the oven on the “drying” setting so they would get good and pruned and… well… “shrunken.” The morning of the party, I got my apple cider brewing in the crock pot. I didn’t add the apple heads until about 20 minutes prior to the party. But they bloated rather quickly. And kept inflating… and growing… and cooking. And only an hour into the party, they were practically sauce.

You can see in this photo (above) how two of my three apple heads are barely recognizable. For the record, when they first started to rehydrate, I had a “duh” moment and realized that any dehydrated food that gets added to a liquid (especially a hot liquid) will rehydrate. So in the end… my review is they were cute for the first couple people serving themselves apple cider, but probably not worth the time. {Find Martha’s instructions – perhaps she didn’t dry the apples first. But I image they would still cook and turn to sauce.}

Second review: Apple Bobbing, the DRY version

This seemed like a great little game. Classic fall party game with a dry twist. I went out and found the smallest apples I could, as our party goers ranged from 10 to 4 years old. I got them all on strings and hung them from our pergola on the deck. I had prizes! I lined the kids up. I said “Go!” and they all sort of seemed confused. And then when they DID try, it was seeming more and more improbable that they would be able to bite the apple. My review is this is not for the younger kids. It bombed. I gave them all a prize and shuttled them off to beat on a pinata.

Third review: Apple Mouth Snack

 

These were cute and easy to make. Time consuming, but easy. There are a few different versions on Pinterest, but these are simple slices stacked with peanut butter and mini marshmallows in between. The kids loved them, too. I was worried about the apples browning, even with a citrus bath, so I waited until about an hour or so prior to make them. There were a few leftover after the party that I put into a sealed plastic container and into the fridge. I brought them out today for the afternoon snack and the apples seemed soft and the mallows had taken on some water as well. So my review is GOOD! Worth the time (and you DO need some time) just don’t plan on making these more than a couple of hours ahead.

Fourth review: Pumpkin Juice

 

The pin pictured is the recipe I used… mostly. I found apricot nectar in the Mexican foods isle and I used canned pumpkin puree. I also used brown sugar (rather than white) and some orange juice for acidity. After it cooled, I refrigerated it overnight and then strained out most of the pulp and spices. I added 2 liters of ginger ale – just to add fizz and to extend the quantity. Honestly, I think the cooking of the apple juice and pumpkin puree with the spices AND the apricot nectar are the two keys. Without the nectar, it was just too apply and simmering it all helps marry and infuse the spices. My review is it was yummy and a fun treat for the kids (especially the older ones familiar with Harry Potter).

Fifth review: Ghost Cheese Sticks and Jack O’Lantern mandarin oranges

There doesn’t seem to be much to review on these. I just wanted to point out that while I used permanent marker on both, the cheese sticks still smudged. Not a big deal, but some of the kids ended up with some purplish black marks on their hands and some of the ghosts lacked eyes. The marker worked great on the oranges, even after getting a bit wet. My review is they are a great Halloween themed snack that ISN’T candy and doesn’t take too much time. Just a FYI on the smudging.

So, here are some fun, simple and cheap decor ideas for a Halloween party:

Dried black beans as a base for your candle hurricanes!

If you don’t have a “spooky” cloth or want to dress up the plastic table cover (as I did) just get a square-ish cut of fabric and use pinking shears to finish the edges.

Here I used two ribbons and a glue gun to create little napkin rings. Then I finished it off with a green googly monster eye.

Same packet of monster eyes changed a simple hot/cold cup and lid into a fun monster cup. Add a striped paper straw, too. I then added the eyes to the edges of plain black paper plates. One packet of eyes went a long way!

We also gave new names to some of our food and treats. “Bat wings and green ghoul dip” was blue corn chips and guacamole. Corn Nuts were transformed into “Skeleton Teeth” and carrots and humus became, “Troll Toes with Toe Jam.” Have fun with it and get creative! Enjoy and Happy Halloween!