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Halloween is right around the corner, so I have to sprinkle a little spooky inspo into your world. The Emmy-winning production team at NBC came over in August to shoot a Halloween segment, featuring five fun ideas for festive and easy bewitched entertaining, including: lychee eyeballs, mozzarella skulls (that are so scary looking they almost freak me out), burnt menus, ice hands, and batty chips!
Lychee Eyeballs: Stuff green olives, maraschino cherries (we love Luxardo’s) or blueberries into lychees and drop them into cocktails, sangria, red wine or non-alcoholic drinks. They also look pretty creepy just displayed in a bowl on the bar!
Mozzarella skulls: You’ll need a heat-proof silicone mold for these (like this), and the more detail the better! Pre-heat the oven to 350, then fill each cavity with a small mozzarella ball. Bake just until the mozzarella is soft, but not totally melted (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press the mozzarella further into the mold (and expel the extra liquid too). Transfer to refrigerator and let cool completely. Once cool, combine skulls in a bowl and top with balsamic vinegar. Use the skulls on pasta, salads, or a super spooky cheese board!!
Burnt Menus: Use Word or Canva to create a menu and copy it so there are four menus per page. Cut out each one (it doesn’t even have to be straight because you’ll burn the edge!). One at a time, use a lighter to burn the edges—do it over the sink and have a paper towel nearby so you can tamp out the embers if it gets a little wild. Be careful and definitely don’t let kids participate in this one! 😊
Ice Hands: Fill latex gloves with water then tie off. Place in the freezer and arrange the fingers over whatever is in your fridge (like a bag of peas!) so they look realistic. When you’re ready to use, run the hand under warm water to loosen the glove, then use scissors to cut it off. Make several and be very gentle during the removal process as the fingers can easily fall off (but that also makes it a little extra creepy, don’tcha think!?)
Bat Chips: Use small cookie cutters (we love this bat and tiny star shape!) to cut shapes out of tortillas. I love the contrast of a blue corn tortilla, but spinach, or sundried tomato are fun too. Once you’ve cut out all your shapes, warm a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in olive oil. Place your cutouts in the skillet and let fry for 1-2 minutes, then flip over (the tiny shapes will fry faster!). Remove and transfer to paper towel. Float the bat chips on soup, tuck in salads, accent a bowl of regular chips, or use to decorate a cheese board.