How to Put Together a Quick Halloween Party Appetizer

So you've been invited to a Halloween party and are at a loss for what to bring. Surely there will be piles of mini Snickers, Reese's, and Hershey's, and the ubiquitous bowl of candy corn. You want something thematically relevant, reasonably priced, and, of course, delicious. At the end of the night, there's nothing worse than retrieving a bowl of dip from the spread that was barely even touched. What to do, what to do. Time is of the essence and you need a quick solution.

Being that it's Halloween, begin by narrowing down your aesthetic options:

Bring something orange.

Bring something black.

Bring something spooky.

The last option is somewhat subjective (and requires added labor and thought) so let's focus on the first two. Orange and black are the true colors of Halloween, after all.

Pumpkin bread: Round about late September, Pillsbury starts to push its Pumpkin Quick Bread, just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Though usually available year round, I've seen boxes of this mix as low as 88 cents at my nearby grocery store. Simply add oil and eggs to the mix, pour the batter into a loaf pan, bake while you're prepping your costume, and remove from the oven after 30-40 minutes. The bread is moist, and its pumpkin flavor encapsulates everything that is so great about this time of year. Spooky? No. Delicious and Halloween-appropriate? Yes.

Oreos Dipped in Chocolate: Yes, yes, there will be oodles of candy at any Halloween party. Halloween has candy, Thanksgiving has pies, and Christmas has cookies. Why not break the rules and whip out some cookies for Halloween? Grab a pack of Oreos - the Halloween-themed ones, if possible, with their orange centers - and a bag or block of some melting chocolate. (If you're feeling ambitious, you could even grab some white icing to draw cobwebs on the cookies.) Melt your chocolate, and then simply dip your Oreo halfway into said chocolate. You'll have a nice flash of color from the cream center on one side, and a rich chocolate coating on the other. Simple, and sure to please at any Halloween party.

Shaped Halloween Pita Bites: Use cookie cutters to cut pumpkin or ghost shapes into tortillas or flat bread. Slather the ghosts with a little cream cheese, adding two raisins for eyes. Alternatively, add some Tabasco sauce to your cream cheese and slather that on the pumpkin shapes.

Pimento Cheese Dip: Go "upscale" during Halloween with a delicious dip. Combine grated white and yellow sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, chopped pimentos, and perhaps a little yogurt for added tang. Mash it together, chill, and serve with vegetables or crackers. Spooky? No. Delicious? Most definitely. Your bowl will be clean by the end of the night.