Host a Halloween Spookfest

What better time of year to go all out for the kids? They're decked out in their costumes, primed for a spooky night and hungry for goodies. Once you've decided whether it's a pre or post trick-or-treating extravaganza, it's time to create the menu. Here are some of our favorite tricks when it comes to preparing the treats.

  • Go small. Halloween offers too much excitement for a sit-down meal. Make sure to have plenty of hand held items like Turkey Burger Buns or Veggie Dip on hand to coat those tummies before the sugar takes up all the room.
  • Get black at them. You can count on black foods to spook up any recipe. Float California Ripe Olives in your favorite tomato soup, toss them in pasta or stuff them with roasted garlic and serve them straight up to ward off vampires. Ladle Carrot Olive Soup into coffee cups for some festive fall faire.
  • Play the Name Game. Make sure to give your recipes titles that entice. Rather than serving Spaghetti with Ripe Olives, offer it as "Worms and Eyeballs".
  • Shape up. Make mini pizzas shaped as ghosts. Top them with mozzarella cheese, then mark their eyes with California Ripe Olives.
  • Oooze with Enthusiasm. Make Jack-o-Lantern Quesadillas by cutting silly faces out of the top tortillas, allowing orange cheddar cheese to melt through the holes and create and eerily delicious effect.