Last Minute Halloween Treats!

Hosting a Halloween party this weekend? Here are some quick and easy treats that are perfect last minute additions!

Edible Wands
No Halloween party is complete without edible wands, especially if Harry Potter or any of his Hogwarts friends will be making an appearance. This recipe is so easy that your kids will be able to make these for you!

Ingredients:
Pretzels (the long, big stick kind)
Bark Chocolate (available on the baking isle of most supermarkets--often comes in what looks like an ice cube tray)
Wax paper

1. Melt bark chocolate in the microwave according to the directions on the package.
2. Dip the pretzels about half way into the chocolate
3. Put pretzels on wax paper to let cool

If you are in a time crunch, you can always put the dipped pretzels on a cookie tray and stick them in the freezer to get the chocolate to harden faster.

Drinkable Potion
This potion is great for parties with kids. It's colorful and fun to drink.

Ingredients:
2 or 3 flavors of Jello of different colors (for example, you might want to pick cherry, grape, and lime)
Pop Rocks
Ginger ale or Sprite
Clear cups (well, technically you don't have to have clear cups, but it does make it more fun)

1. Make the Jello according to the instructions on the box
2. Cut the Jello up into little pieces, the smaller the better.
3. Set each flavor in it's own bowl
4. Allow party guests to fill their cup with Jello, alternating colors as they like
5. Pour some pop rocks on top (not too many, or you'll have a mess)
6. Pour the Ginger ale or Sprite on top, and enjoy!

Edible Dirt
It's fun to play in the dirt, but how about eating it? This recipe calls for chocolate pudding. You can make it yourself, or you can buy pre-made. You can either make each serving ahead of time, or allow guests to make it themselves! You can either put the gummy worms on top, or mix them into the pudding for an extra surprise

Ingredients:
Chocolate pudding
Oreos, crushed
Gummy Worms
Individual bowls or cups

1. Fill each cup about 2/3 of the way with chocolate pudding.
2. Top with crushed oreos
3. Add a few gummy worms!

Other last minute time-saving ideas
1. Add food coloring whenever possible. Halloween is all about things that look weird or gross. Your culinary masterpieces can become perfect Halloween fare just by simply adding some food coloring, especially green food coloring. Cakes, icing, and even scrambled eggs can take on a whole new and exciting look without any extra effort.
2. Rename foods. If you aren't making anything special for Halloween, simply rename the foods you are serving to give them a little extra flare. Be creative, and ask your kids for help. Your party guests will enjoy the themed food, even if the food is themed only in name.
3. Use the Internet. There are tons of sites out there with Halloween food ideas. Do a simple Google search, and you are bound to come up with some great ideas really quickly. Don't feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. People post their ideas to share with everyone. So take full advantage of the resources out there!
4. Don't feel like you have to go overboard. If you are stressed out, don't feel bad about serving chips and salsa, chex mix, and sodas.