Pumpkin seeds are normally flat, dark green seeds. Some are encased in a yellow-white husk, although some varieties of pumpkins produce seeds without shells. Like cantaloupe, cucumber, and squash, pumpkins and pumpkin seeds belong to the gourd family.

Pumpkin seeds offer a number of health benefits from helping with inflammation from arthritis to strengthening men’s bones. Pumpkin seeds are also low in cholesterol and high in protein and make a terrific snack anytime.

Eating pumpkins, and their seeds came from the Native American Indians who treasured them both for their dietary and medicinal properties. The cultivation of pumpkins spread throughout the world when the European explorers, returning from their journeys, brought back many of the agricultural treasures of the New World. While pumpkin seeds are featured in the recipes of many cultures, they are a special hallmark of traditional Mexican cuisine. Pumpkin seeds have recently become more popular as research suggests they have unique nutritional and health benefits.

Making Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Remove the seeds from the pumpkin’s inner cavity and wipe them off with a paper or cloth towel. Spread them out evenly on a paper bag and let them dry out overnight.

When they are ready, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and light toast them in a 160-170°F (about 75°C) oven for 15-20 minutes. By roasting them for a short time at a low temperature you can help to preserve their healthy oils.

Some Great Serving Suggestions:

- Add pumpkin seeds to soups and stews.

- Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of mixed green salads.

- Add chopped pumpkin seeds to your favorite hot or cold cereal.

- Sprinkle chilli powder or paprika on top with a little sea salt and enjoy alone.

- Add pumpkin seeds to your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe.

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• 1 box of Duncan Brownie mix
• Eggs
• Vegetable oil
• Marshmallow spread
• Chocolate icing

Make your brownies according to the box, let them cool, and prepare your icing. You will need to heat your marshmallow spread so it will spread easily on your brownie. After coating it with marshmallow then top it with the chocolate icing and it’s ready to serve.

Magical Ice-cream Cookies

• Big chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate Ice-cream
• M&Ms chocolate candies

Put your chocolate ice cream on top of one of your cookies and then top it with another cookie as if you were making a sandwich. Stick M&Ms in your ice cream and it is ready to eat.

Hogwarts’s Banana Cheesecake Pudding

• Bananas
• Cream cheese 8 oz
• Sweetened condensed milk
• 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
• Vanilla wafers
• Cool whip
• Milk

Make your banana pudding according to the box. In a separate bowl, add your cream cheese (softened), small can of condensed milk, and one bowl of cool whip and whip with a beater until well blended. Then add your pudding and blend it all together until blended well. Using a large serving bowl, you will want to layer your bowl with banana’s and vanilla wafers. You pour pudding and layer it again until all pudding is layered. Top it with bananas and wafers and your pudding is ready to serve.

Hagrid’s Deviled Eggs

• 1 to 2 dozen large white eggs
• Salt
• Salad dressing
• Mustard
• Paprika
• Cilantro

You will need to boil your eggs in salt water until fully cooked. The salt water helps to peel your eggs with ease. After you peel all your eggs, you will want to cut each egg in half, putting all of the yolks in a bowl. After all your eggs are cut you will need to smash up your yolks until is well crumbled. You then add about one or two heaping tablespoons of salad dressing and about two small squirts of mustard. Add a dash of paprika and blend until well blended. You then can put all your mixture in your eggs, filling all egg halves. Then top each egg with a small piece of fresh cilantro and sprinkle paprika.

All of these are simple to make recipes and easy to serve for any Halloween event. These are my kid’s favorite recipes and I am positive all kids everywhere will enjoy. Spice up your Halloween with these fun ideas and go online if you are looking for some more. Harry Potter fans no matter what age can make these simple recipes.

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1. Fun Halloween Party Food With Halloween right around the corner, I am sure you...

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• Create a fun dish with your kids, like ice cream with spooky candies like spiders or worms. You could get a lot of scary candies and gummies and let your guest make their own spooky ice cream.
• Make a homemade pizza with your kids and arrange a spooky face or a haunted house with your toppings. Your kids will love doing this and it will make eating it a blast.
• You could make dirt and worm cake or cups, which is a cool Halloween treat. You will need chocolate pudding and chocolate drink mix (powdered). Mix your powder and some gummy worms in with your chocolate pudding. The powder gives it a dirt feel. Dish it out into bowls or cups and it looks like dirt and worms but is a tasty treat. Serve it with a spoon. Kids will love it.
• Try to get Halloween sack cakes if you do not want to cook a lot. The grocery stores sell lots of exciting shapes like pumpkins and spooky witches. Kids and grown-ups alike will love these creamy little treats.
• Serve green eggs and ham. This is fun and all you have to do is use green food coloring. Prepare your eggs as desired and your ham then after it’s cooked, color it with your food coloring. It is fun and makes your party exciting when you are trying to get your adult friends to eat it.
• Make Halloween cupcakes with your kids and try buying a scary or creepy baking kit. You can buy some that have many cool designs and treats that are Halloween inspired. Try putting your own creativity in it.
• Make deviled eggs and color them red. This makes a creepy fun snack and you can pretend the red is blood. Kids really like these and it gives your party something different that is also unique.
• Use food coloring in your Halloween foods this makes it fun and different. It also gives it a more Halloween feel.
• Another fun food idea for Halloween is nachos and cheese. You can color your nachos a fun color and watch the faces of your kids and friends.
• Sandwich’s with a kick to them are a great party food. You can make fun sandwiches by adding details to them like putting a toothpick through them and then putting ketchup as if the sandwich is bleeding.
• If you like gummy eyeballs, you can make a necklace of eyeballs for your guests to wear and eat as well. You simply use a toothpick and tie a string on it then you thread your eyeballs through on to the string. It is fun and easy and your kids would love helping with it to.

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Halloween Finger Foods For Kids

If you want to fix finger foods that are great for kids, you can go with the basic finger foods that are enjoyable at all of the parties for kids. For example, why not fix them some frozen mini corn dogs, or pizza rolls? Corn dogs are especially popular in the autumn time, because they bring to mind the autumn fairs, were corn dogs are constantly being sold. The kids also love chicken nuggets. Keep in mind again that the Halloween party is all about the candy, and the fun. Make it easy on yourself, serve a few fun treats, and you’ll be just fine.

Halloween Finger Foods For Adults

Adults: If you are hosting a Halloween party for adults, you would want to serve finger foods that are a little bit more sophisticated than what you would serve to the kids. However, there is still is a need for you to keep it simple to save your sanity. When adults come over your house for a Halloween party, they’re going to be paying attention to each other’s costumes, and they’re going to want to enjoy alcoholic drinks. They’ll appreciate the food, but they won’t be expecting servings of fillet mignon, for example. To this end, get a recipe book, or look online at some common favorites for finger foods, such as anything that is puffed, pursed, or wrapped in a crescent roll. Keep it simple, keep it simple!

Gross & Creepy Halloween Finger Food Ideas

Some people like to get very creative during their Halloween parties, and when they’re serving a guest food. Because Halloween is all about things that are scary or creepy, some people like to create dishes that are downright creepy or gross. For example, you might be able to creep out your guests with little Jello spiders. Simply buy dark purple, or black Jell-O mix, and pour the Jell-O inside of spider molds. When they have set, set them on a plate, and your guests will be able to look at all the spiders on the plate. Some people like to go with the gross theme, by making a bloody punch, or are serving up meatballs, and pretending that it’s eyeballs. If you use your imagination, you can come up with a lot of ideas that are both quick, easy, and on message for the holiday.

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Use a hollowed out pumpkin as a punch container. Add dry ice to the interior of the pumpkin. Now you can set your punch bowl on top of the dry ice and enjoy the effect that is created by the smoky haze of the dry ice.

Everyone loves the tangy flavor of a cheese ball and these appetizer favorites can be used as an edible centerpiece at your table or buffet bar. To better represent Halloween all you need to do is to change that boring cheese ball into a ghoulishly delicious and oh, so appropriate…

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Cheese Ball

For this simple Halloween appetizer recipe, combine 2 cups of extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup of cream cheese, 1/3 cup pineapple preserves, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice and 1 teaspoon light brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of packed pumpkin to the bowl and beat all of the ingredients until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

Refrigerate the mix in a covered container for at least 4 hours to help create firmness that can be shaped.

Pat the mixture into a shape that resembles a pumpkin.

With a sharp knife or pumpkin blade you should draw some vertical lines to resemble the lines that are visible on a pumpkin.

Pop a broken pretzel stick into the top portion of the cheese ball for a stem. Attach a green leaf made from construction paper.

Use black or green olives to form the eyes and nose. You can cut the olives into triangular shapes if preferred.

Use mushrooms or black olive pieces to create a mouth.

Set the cheese ball in the middle of a serving tray and place assorted crackers all around your Halloween table centerpiece.

Veggie Stand-Ups

Make your table pop with bright color and give your guests some Halloween appetizers they can really rave about. Create harvest veggie bundles to decorate a place setting or buffet spread.

Cut some fresh carrots and zucchini into thin strips and arrange them into small, individual bundles. Now add a twist tie of raffia around the middle of each bundle and stand them on your table. These orange and green colors are perfect for any fall celebration and you can add little craft store figurines to the raffia for even more visual impact.

Make a veggie dip by combining 6 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream. Blend these ingredients until the mix has a fluffy consistency. Next you can add 1 ½ cloves of finely minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, a dash of salt, ½ cup finely diced cucumber and some fresh parsley and chives. Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate for 2 hours in a covered bowl before serving.

Spooktacular Spider Dip

Turn up the spooky effects of your Halloween table by making a dip that is bound to attract your guests’ attention.

Mix a jar of hot salsa with 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of horseradish and ¾ cup guacamole. Use a food processor or a blender to create a smooth consistency. Layer the mixture into a round pie pan or dish.

Add the sour cream to a piping bag and carefully create 4 concentric circles with a dollop of the sour cream placed in the middle of the dip similar to a bull’s eye target. Use a butter knife to draw diagonal lines from the outer edge of the dish to the center and the effect will resemble a spider’s web.

If you are looking for some creepy and gross Halloween recipes and treats then you have come to right place! Another one of my favorite Halloween appetizer recipes is the brain pate, its a simple dip that looks really creepy and is perfectly made simple with a mold just check out all the cool halloween appetizers with pictures. Another great choice are the deviled egg eyeballs which add an extra fright to the night and are a delicious little meal as well.

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Ingredients:
* 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
* 1/2 cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
* 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
* 1 teaspoon white vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* Green and Red food Dye
* Sliced Black Olives and pimentos

Directions:
Boil eggs and cool. Remove the egg yolks and place in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and some green dye, mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg whites with the mixture and place a sliced black olive with a pimento in the middle. Using the red dye and a tooth pick dry small red lines in the egg white areas for a really creepy look.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

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Ingredients

* 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
* 1 12 oz can of cream of mushroom soup (concentrate)
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 Tbsp butter
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
* 1 lb cooked shrimp, chopped in small pieces
* 1/2 lb imitation or real crab meat, cut into small pieces
* 1/4 cup jarred pimentos (liquid drained)
* 2 Tbsp jalapeno pepper sauce (green or red)
* 2 Tbsp Knox unflavored gelatine dissolved in 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
* 1 pound of cubed bread or crackers to serve with dish

Directions

In saute pan cook chopped garlic and onion in butter and olive oil until golden and soft. Meanwhile, slowly melt creamed cheese, soup, whole milk, mayo, shrimp and crab meat. Cook until creamy and seafood is incorporated. Add pimento, pepper sauce and unflavored gelatin with lemon juice. Cook dip until bubbling for about 2 minutes and cool at room temperature.

Once cooled scoop the pate mixture into an oiled mold- you can find one at amazon (below) for around $10. Place in fridge to be chilled. When you are ready to serve, just turn upside on a plate and it should slide out nice and easy leaving you with a perfectly gross but delicious brain pate. If you don’t have a brain mold you can use a round bread loaf and cut middle from round bread loaf to make a bowl. Place the cooled dip into the bread bowl, add eyes using green olives on the front on the bread bowl and a mouth with a red pepper. You can also use a small knife to draw some patterns in the pate after it has cooled and place some red dye to give it more of a brain look.

Brain Mold from Amazon and works perfectly for this dish and many other dishes- great for Jello as well and can be used over and over again to make fantastic Halloween recipes.

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Ingredients:

Plastic Skull
Cream Cheese
Meats and Cheeses (enough for 4-12 people)
Green Olives

Directions:

Taking an inexpensive plastic skull, slather on some cream cheese, apply a layer of thinly sliced, flesh-colored meats, place green olives into the eye sockets, and that’s it- you’ve got a creepy centerpiece for your Halloween party.

Photo via Flickr

Halloween Budget Life-Size Human Skull can be found at Amazon for pretty cheap and makes a great decoration or mold! Just wrap the meat around the skulls head and create a real meat sheet head. Use olives for the eyes or add some creepy flashing lights for a really eerie effect!

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Directions/Ingredients

* Quarter apples and take a wedge out of the center of each quarter. Dunk them in water with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.-
* Use slivered almonds for teeth (I toasted mine for color and taste!)
* Eyes are optional but can be make by poking in some pretzels, adding a tab of peanut butter and then a small m&m or other candy piece.

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1 can (8 oz) canned refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (8 count)
2 1/2 slices (2.5 oz) American cheese slices, quartered
10 large hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough; separate at perforations creating 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).
2 . Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
3 . Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on “face.”

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