Monster Buffet Halloween Party Fun

Are you having a Halloween party and looking for something a bit out of the ordinary to entertain your guests of all ages? How about hosting a “monster buffet”…sure to satisfy monsters of all shapes and sizes. This buffet isn’t to dine on, though. Instead, it’s creepy, crawly, touchy, feely scrumptious party fun. Your guests will walk down the “buffet” line, getting a good feel of “eyeballs”, “guts”, “a shrunken head”, “snot”, and more…your imagination is the limit. 

Here’s how it works:

Prepare a station of six or seven ghoulish experiences along a rectangular table or countertop. Visit the dollar store and purchase plastic pumpkin candy totes – like children use for trick or treat – one for each station. Each pumpkin will contain one “buffet” item. Consider:

Black olives = eyeballs
Cooked spaghetti coated generously with oil = guts
Small, hairy coconut = shrunken head 
Cornstarch slime = snot (here's how to make snot - use green food coloring)
Baby carrots (leave out and allow to dry a bit) = fingers
Ripe mango - lightly oiled = heart
Cornmeal = ground bones
Ears = dried apricots
Large pickle end = nose
Popcorn kernels = teeth
Wet yarn = hair

Cover the top of each container so guests cannot see inside. Label each station with what’s inside (guts, eyeballs, snot, etc.). Have a few “crypt keepers” behind the table to help guests and discourage peeking. 

Invite guests to walk the line, reaching into each pumpkin container and getting a good feel of the contents. Be sure to provide plenty of napkins or paper towels (and perhaps even a bucket of clean water) for guests to use to clean up at the end of the “buffet” line.

Tip: Avoid using any type of meat product or other item that may be unsanitary. 

Enjoy this good clean fun…guaranteed to gross out even the most wicked monsters among us! Delish!!

Let me know how it goes...what you used...party goer reactions...right here on the RV Cooking Show blog...


I hope you enjoyed this encore blog post originally released in 2009. Boo!


Evanne
RVCookingShow.com  

Zucchini Mock Apple Pie RV-Easy Recipes

Not too long ago we toured the Norcold RV refrigerator factory in Sydney, Ohio for an upcoming RV Cooking Show episode. It was there that I met a terrific lady named Jana. We traded email addresses and not long after I arrived back at the camp I had an email from my new Norcold friend. In it Jana shared that she's been making Norcold RV refrigerators for 20 years and has worked in almost every department at one time or another. She's presently building the 1200 and 2117 models. Maybe she's had a hand in building your RV fridge!

Married 36 years, Jana has 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. Aside from loving her life as a mom and grandmom, she loves to camp and enjoys finding ways to use the fruits of her husband Don's gardening labors. It's this last love that prompted her to send along two mouth-watering, tried and true RV easy zucchini recipes. If you have an overflowing zucchini patch excellent. If not, visit your local farmer market for a fresh crop. Either way, try them in your RV kitchen (I used my toaster oven for these)...I suspect you're going to like them!

Jana's Zucchini Mock Apple Pie

6 c zucchini peeled, cored and chunky sliced 

1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice 

1-1/4 c sugar 

1-1/2 t apple pie spice 

2 T minute tapioca or flour

9-inch unbaked pastry pie shell 

Streusel Topping:

1/2 c brown sugar 

1 c flour 

1/2 c butter

In a large saucepan combine zucchini with lemon juice, sugar and apple pie spice.

Simmer over medium heat until zucchini is fork tender but not mushy (about 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and add tapioca or flour.

Pour into prepared unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with streusel topping (combine brown sugar and flour and cut in butter until crumbly).

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until pie is bubbly and browned.

Serves 8 

Jana's Plain Ole' Zucchini Pie

3 c peeled, cored and diced zucchini

1 can evaporated milk 

1-1/2 c sugar 

2 t vanilla 

3 T cornstarch 

2 T butter 

3 eggs

2 pie shells

cinnamon

Cook zucchini in slightly salted water over medium heat until tender and drain. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.

Add zucchini and divide into two unbaked pie shells. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Each pie serves 8

Enjoy Jana's Zucchini pies and look for the Norcold RV Refrigerator factory tour this fall. Meantime, happy camping everyone - it's the very best time of the year just about everywhere!

Evanne

RV Cooking Show