Simple Foods for a Gross Halloween Banquet

Take a look around your kitchen and you'll find all sorts of things that can be converted into gross and creepy Halloween food items. You might be surprised at how easily common foods become spooky or disgusting.

Poppy seeds - Poppy seeds, since they're small and black can be used as tiny insects or roach droppings. These are especially effective when combined with a platter of stuffed roaches (cream cheese stuffed dates).

Flax seeds - Flax seeds make excellent fleas because they are small, brown and shiny. They look great in rice or mashed potatoes, but can be used in just about anything.

Shrimp - Small salad shrimp warmed in a bit of olive oil make great grubs or larvae. Larger shrimp make big grubs, rolled and skewered they become human ears, or straightened and skewered they're skinned fingers. If you wrap straightened and skewered shrimp in thinly sliced ham it looks even more like skinned fingers.

Long grain wild rice or white rice - White rice, especially if it's long-cooking rather than instant, can make good grubs. Dye with a smattering of red food coloring to make it look like they've been feeding on blood. Long grain wild rice can look really gross because when cooked the dark husks split revealing a curled gray rice grain. It looks like little maggots emerging from casings.

Blended tomato and peppers - Trow some fresh tomatoes (Roma or cherry work best) and a few bits of green pepper into a blender and pulse until only a few solid bits are left. It resembles frothy, bloody vomit. Mix in some grated Parmesan or cottage cheese for a chunkier effect.

Mashed potatoes - Mashed potatoes are incredibly versatile. Make them a bit thick and pack them into a brain mold or add food coloring and leave them a bit lumpy as vomit. Color them and spread them under or around other foods. Dye them green and brown, add some rice and flax and you've got a bug-infested rotten mass.

Spaghetti - Spaghetti can be cooked and packed in a mold to look like brains, or cooked and mixed with a creamy tomato sauce for a similar effect. Dye thick spaghetti and cut into lengths as worms.

Gelatin - Gelatin is superbly versatile because it can come in any color (or be dyed with food coloring) and can be molded into just about any shape. Gelatin can also be mashed for a really gross, slimy addition to any dish.

Soft tofu - Soft tofu, much like mashed potatoes makes great brains and chunky vomit.

French cut green beans - French cut green beans already look a bit like green worms or small snakes. Serve them in some beet juice and suddenly they look quite creepy.

Bean dip - Bean dip can be used as vomit, dyed a bit it can become soft poo, or with added flax and sesame seeds it becomes bug puree.