Halloween Buzz.

Every year for the past five years, we have hosted a Halloween Open House Party. It's loads of fun and people come and go. Our neighborhood gets pretty packed with trick-or-treaters and we love taking the kids around the block. The first year we hosted, the kids were so little! Marco was only 2 and Isabella was not even a year old. But we made some great friends and had a blast. I cooked my favorite chili recipe and made loads of treats.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for the simple reason that it is just a fun holiday. It gives everyone (even me!) a reason to dress up and eat candy!! I've always been a fan of spooky things, so it also gives me a perfect excuse to blast some scary music and make corny comments and jokes ("you look booo-tiful!").

Today has been my Halloween prep day. I rearranged all the outdoor decorations and started planning my Halloween party menu. Every year I make chili with cornbread and this year is no exception! Following is my Halloween menu. I can't wait to get started in the kitchen!!

Halloween Menu
Appetizers
Mummy Dogs (pigs in a blanket)
Chocolate Fondue Fountain with fruits to dip
Veggie Tray with dip
Chips & Salsa

Main Course
Chili with Cornbread
Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Treats
Popcorn Balls
Chocolate & Caramel Covered Pretzels
Candy Apples
Spooky Cupcakes

Drinks
Halloween Punch
Assorted drinks

I'm never sure how many people will show up, but leftovers have never been a problem! I'm also hoping to get the house in order this weekend. I don't want to worry about cleaning the house during the week, so I'm doing as much as I can now and then getting the house cleaner to come a day or two before Friday. This will free up my time for cooking and baking.

I also have some game ideas for the kids that I have to decide on. If anything, our get togethers are always kid friendly. Besides trick-or-treating, I like the kids to be able to do something fun. Usually, I set out a table with Halloween craft projects that the kids can do mostly on their own. This year I'm thinking of adding musical chairs, a pinata, bobbing for apples, or some other fun games. We'll see how it goes!