A Halloween Fun DInner

 Dinner is important even on a fun day like Halloween.The little ones have to eat a good dinner before trick or treating. The best bet here is make the dinner  fun. They'll want seconds and even thirds.

Hamburgers are always a good meal. They're hot and filling along with being tasty. Make them fun by turning them into jack o'lanterns. This is an easy fix.  Cut out eyes and a grin on cheese slices . Put aside as you grill the burgers.WHen the burgers are almost done layer the cheese on them .The meat's heat will slightly melt the cheese leaving to to cling on the hamburger.This will give it a round pumpkin shape. You could add a small piece of green pepper at the top for the stem.  Another idea is giving the sandwich eyes. Stick two olive "eyes" on the top of the bun. You could have a piece of red pepper sticking out of the middle for the tongue.  Mummy dogs are easy and fun to make.It's taking crescent roll dough and tearing it into strips. Wrap around any kind of hot dog, whether beef or vegan and then wrap the strips around them. You could add cheese or brush the dogs with mustard before wrapping. Bake in a375 Farenheit degree oven for about thirteen to seventeen minutes. After you can add two dots of mustard for eyes. Have different kinds of mustard for dipping.

It's amazing that even pasta can be turned into something scary. You can make spaghetti with meatball "eyes".This is taking meatballs baking them. Add  mozzarella ovals then press olives into the melty cheese. Place on the spaghetti (or whatever the  kids like). Pasta can also take a dark turn with the addition of   mushrooms cut into the shape of skulls. Use button mushrooms for this  and then gouge out two little holes for the eyes. Do two little slits under neat the eyes for the nostrils. The stem can be the teeth,. Carve little lines in them to simulate the skull's mouth. Use a  wooden skewers or small paring knife to do this. For an even spookier look serve  these over black pasta made with squid ink. (although any regular pasta works with this as does any sauce.Pasta can be turned into a brain .It's first cooking spaghetti and then baking it in a rounded pan. A mix of mozzarella and eggs is poured over to as a binder. Leave an end to end well in the middle of the"brain" then cover with breadcrumbs. Bake for thirty to forty minutes in a 450 degree Farenheit oven for half an hour. Pour  marinara sauce in the well for a lovely bloody brains look. You could serve with meat ball eyes if you want.

Make sure the kids eat well before they spend the night trick or treating.It could be jack o lantern burgers r  mummy dogs. It could be a plate of scary pasta. They'll feel better and won;t gobble all their candy if they're well fed.

Those Fun Faux July Holidays

 It;'s JUly and that means celebrating holidays - yes holidays.Of course there the Fourth of July barbecues but there's also the fun Summerween barbecues and Christmas in July trays.It means interesting spins on classic holiday treats.

There's always been some sort of Christmas in July. Mostly people may set up a mini fake fir tree and decorate it with seashells and lights. As for Summerween this is brand new yet growing in popularity. There are some really fun ideas for a ghost and pumpkin themed barbecue. I think the pumpkin cheeseburger will be making an appearance at my upcoming outdoor party. This is taking a slice of cheddar and cur out a jack o' lantern face .It;s then laying the slice on the burger and eating it open faced. You can do the same thing with a slice of MUenster to create a ghost on a burger. Then there's the mini pizzas with the mozzarella ghosts which can be made on a grill.The piece de resistance is the watermelon carved like a pumpkin. It could filled with fruit as the centerpiece or lit with votive candles for light. The flesh itself can be turned into balls and added to fruit salad or pureed for tasty mocktails and cocktails. Try mixing it with lime juice and water and sweeten with agave syrup for a refreshing drink.End the night with bloody s'mores You can dip the marshmallows in red food coloring to get that sanguine look.Also serve black and red fruit like blackberries and cherries for a dessert treat.

What about Christmas in July? Look to Australia and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. Whiles it's winter up here ,it;s summer down there. Many have barbecues that feature chicken and London broil. You could serve this with Stovetop stuffing or Yorkshire pudding which surprisingly can be made on the grill. You will need some kind of pan to collect the drippings for the gravy. An easier plate would be a Christmas tree charcuterie board. This will have all the components of a regular board but the lines of food are arranged so it forms a giant triangle with a small trunk.. Make the trunk out of crackers or slices of French or Italian bread. Decorate with green olives and cherry tomatoes to represent balls. You also use strands of string cheese for tinsel. This idea can be carried out in veggies along with seafood too.Of course a picnic salad is de rigeur. Have a macaroni salad heavy with broccoli florets and sliced grape tomatoes. What would be the perfect dessert? It's too hot to make a slew of cookies but you could buy chocolate wafers and make the famed chocolate log . Dust some cocoa powder on it for a true Buches de Noel feel. Another idea is chocolate peppermint sundaes. Have chocolate ice cream with syrup and crushed Starlight mints for a fun ending. Top with  mounds of whipped cream and more crushed peppermint.

Yes the JUly 4th barbecue can be tasty and fun?Yet what could be better than Halloween and Christmas in a month that's also full of beach fun.Celebrate with gusto and tasty food.