The Student Chef’s guide to throwing a Halloween bash

Happy Halloween readers, and welcome in to the Student Chef’s guide to throwing a Halloween Bash! Growing up, Halloween was always my favourite holiday: dressing up, free candy, and now that I’m an adult, I’ve found a new way to enjoy it — a shot of vodka while dancing with friends to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I kid, but hosting is something that I enjoy far more than I think the average person does, and while I don’t get to do it as much as I would like, here is a brief guide to hosting your own: from the playlist, decor and a full three-course meal!

Decorations

I like to keep it classy, but you’ve certainly got two options. The more high-end luxury Halloween style is in trend right now, but if you’ve just got some friends coming over, then you can never go wrong with good ol’ reliable — spiderwebs that look like your grandmother’s hair and a spooky plastic skeleton. If you did want to go the luxe route, I’d recommend going relatively simple: black with purple and orange accents, through tablecloths, decorative pumpkins, etc. Get creative! This is the one night a year you are (socially) allowed to get even spookier with it, and have fun! 

The Playlist

Admittedly, this playlist is a little on-the-nose, but I find the classics are the best at a party because everyone knows them, though I did include a few newer picks. I would generally recommend tailoring it to your guests; you know them better than I do. 

1 – “Monster Mash” — Bobby “Boris” Pickett

2 – “Ghostbusters” — Ray Parker Jr.

3 – “I Put a Spell on You” — Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

4 – “The Time Warp” — Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack

5 – “Thriller” — Michael Jackson

6 – “Dracula” — Tame Impala

7 – “Somebody’s Watching Me” — Rockwell

8 – “The Dead Dance” — Lady Gaga

9 – “Goo Goo Muck” — The Cramps

10 – “Spooky Scary Skeletons” — Andrew Gold

Appetizers

I would do a mix of things for appetizers; you have to have some candy, even a big bag of off-brand candy from Dollarama will do the trick, and then something snacky like potato chips. For properly prepared food, I’d go for devilled eggs and charcuterie skewers with the cheese cut into little skulls; finger food works best.

Devilled Eggs

Ingredients

-Boiled Eggs

-Mayonnaise

-Paprika

Directions

1. Shell and slice the eggs in half, then separate eggs and yolks. Combine yolk with enough mayo until smooth, and either scoop or pipe back into the hole in the egg white. Serve topped with paprika

Charcuterie Skewers

Ingredients

– Block of Cheese, cut into small skull shapes

-Mozzarella Balls

-Proscutto

-Pepperoni

-Cherry Tomatoes

-Olives

Dessert

For my dessert recommendation, I am going to reshare with you my vanilla cupcake recipe that was the first-ever Student Chef recipe in the Dalhousie Gazette; the original can be read here. As in the original, I would pipe ghost faces and spider webs into the icing on the tops of the cupcakes. 

Cake Ingredients:

1 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1⁄2 cups sugar

1 3⁄4 tsp baking powder

1⁄4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

A dash of cinnamon

3⁄4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

3 egg whites (no yolk)

1⁄2 cup milk, warmed

3⁄4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Icing Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup butter, softened

1⁄4 tsp salt

4 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg yolks, beaten

2 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a cupcake sheet with wrappers. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients until smooth. Gradually combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, stirring after each addition. When finished, the mixture should roughly resemble the consistency of pancake batter.

2. Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds full with batter, then bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

3. For the icing, beat butter until light and creamy. Gradually add salt and sugar, beating well. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract, and blend until smooth. Pour in the milk, and mix until the icing has a smooth consistency.

4. Ice the cupcakes and enjoy!

Entree

The center piece of the whole party, but I often find at parties it should be something smaller that can be easily picked at in between party games. I went with stuffed peppers that you can carve faces into — the recipe serves six, but it should be relatively easy to resize depending on your guest list. 

Ingredients

6 Orange Bell-Peppers

1 Onion, Chopped 

½ tablespoon Garlic Powder

½ tablespoon Oregano

3 tablespoons tomato paste (or ketchup if in a bind)

1 lb ground beef

1.5 cups cooked white rice

3 Large Tomatoes, Chopped

1 cup shredded cheese

Oil

Directions

1. Remove tops and cores from the bell peppers, and carve jack-o’-lantern faces into the sides. Preheat oven to 400°, and add onion to a large skillet over medium heat with oil; cook until translucent. Add ground beef and spices; cook until browned, then add tomato paste.

2. Stir in rice and tomatoes, then allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

3. Arrange peppers cut side up in a baking dish, and spoon filling into them. Cook until soft, about 40 minutes; take out, top with cheese, and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. 

Drinks

I have a few options here; three alcoholic options and one non-alcoholic option.

Witches Brew

2 oz Green Apple Sour Puss liqueur or equivalent sour alcohol

1 oz Vodka

4 oz Sparkling Lemonade

2 oz simple syrup

Peanut Butter Cup

½ a bottle of a Chocolate Mudslide, or 6oz of another chocolate cream liqueur

1.5 oz Peanut Butter Whiskey

1.5 oz Milk

Vampire Bite

4 oz Roscato

2 oz Cranberry Juice

1.5 oz Vodka

Ghost’s Kiss (Mocktail)

3 oz Cream Soda

2 oz Coconut Milk

1 oz White Cranberry Juice