Turn Halloween into a party! Get the gang gobblin' before or after trick-or-treating with scary snacks just right for All Hallow's Eve.
Scary Skewer Head
Thread cured meats, green grapes and pieces of your favourite cheddar cheese onto wooden skewers. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of a red grapefruit so it doesn't roll (or use a small pumpkin). Draw on a spooky face. Stick skewers on top. Hair-raising fun!
Note to Stylist: I used a red grapefruit bc small pumpkins are not available at this time. The red grapefruit peel does offer an orange colour and it's easy to pierce.
Monster Snail Croissants
It's a pan of frozen croissants from the Bakery Dept.? No, it's a slew of monster snails! Thaw rolls (6 per pan) overnight in fridge; place 3 in. (8 cm) apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. With a croissant lying horizontally in front of you, cut it roughly into thirds, but make the midsection wider than the end pieces. Leave end pieces where they are. Turn midsection 90 degrees (a quarter turn) for the shell. Firmly squeeze the 2 end pieces onto the midsection. Cut a slit in one of the end pieces to split it into "tentacles." Pinch each tentacle until 3 in. (8 cm) long. Make all snails; let rise at room temperature for 30 min. Re-pinch risen tentacles back to full length. Bake rolls in preheated 180°C (350°F) oven until golden, about 15 min.. Serve warm. Or let cool, then add icing and candy eyeballs to tentacles. Yummy on their own or enjoy with meats and cheeses as snail sammies!
Note to Stylist: I used the tube icing sold in bakery aisle to stick on candy eyeballs. The candy eyes also came from Sobeys.
Witch's Nails
Tell 'em they're a witch's nails and kids will squeal with delight as they munch on these crunchy, wholesome carrot straws! Using a veggie peeler, slice long ribbons off large carrots; toss with olive oil. Place 6 or 7 ribbons in single layer between paper towels on microwaveable plate. Heat on High for 3 min.; let cool for 3 min., then microwave for 2 or 3 min. (cooling between heatings stops over-browning). Work in batches while they cool. Make a day ahead. To re-crisp entire batch, if necessary, spread straws on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake in oven preheated to 100°C (200°F) for 10 to 15 min. They're soft out of the oven but crisp up perfectly as they cool. Gnarly good!
Note to stylist: Both speed and "Y" veggie peelers work well for this hack.
Pumpkin-Donut Pumpkins
A crafty way with 9 pumpkin donuts from the Bakery Dept. A ring of cake donuts hooked onto a centre one looks like a pumpkin! Leave 1 donut whole. Cut the other 8 into C shapes. To make the C, cut out a section just slightly wider than the thickness of a donut. Test that the opening will slide over a donut to the edge of the hole. To allow 8 donuts to fit snugly onto the whole one, use kitchen scissors to shape the ends of the C's into points. Test out a couple of donuts; make adjustments. Cut all donuts before assembly. Working on a serving plate, hold the whole donut horizontally as you fit the C donuts onto it, pushing them into the centre but leaving a hole. Don't cram too tightly; don't worry about gaps. Dust with cinnamon sugar. Brush off plate. Don't forget your celery stick peduncle!
Note to Team: Customers would benefit greatly from having a clear shot of this one as reference.
Note to Stylist: These are supposed to be coated in cinnamon-sugar in-store. Mine didn't come that way which is why you don't see it in the photo. The studio shot should be done with donuts that have the in-store coating, obviously. However, hack directions also direct customers to dust with additional cinnamon-sugar -- to cover where in-store coating is knocked off from pumpkin assembly.
Date & Oat Skulls
Energy balls get a spooky makeover! Break up a package of Date & Oat Squares (450 g) from the Bakery Dept. into large pieces into food processor; add 2 tbsp (30 mL) Compliments Cocoa Powder and blitz to a soft "dough" that holds together when pinched. Using wet hands, roll into 1 in. (2.5 cm) balls. Makes about 20 (ingredients can easily be halved, if you want fewer). Roll in coatings like ground almonds, shredded coconut or sprinkles. Press in assorted flavours of chocolate chips for "eyes" (pointy tips inward). Space eyes slightly far apart, then pinch the chips together to mimic a skull shape. Store in fridge for up to 5 days. A super-easy snack, no bones about it!
