Halloween is a great day to be a kid. You get to play dress up, run around the neighborhood collecting free candy, and are granted a once-a-year pass to gorge on that overload of sugar you’ve lugged around all evening.

But why should only the young Frankensteins have all the fun? Why can’t more mature monsters celebrate, too?

Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, that’s all the reason you need to throw a party for your favorite grown-up ghouls, encouraging your guests to get into the spirit of things. Adult costumes are a billion dollar boon each year to the economy, though homemade ones allow for creativity and let you spend more money on the really important things: the food and drinks, of course.

A Halloween get-together without the kids is a chance to serve some holiday-themed dishes that children would likely run from, screaming.

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A spicy curried pumpkin soup would be boo-tiful, served along with crisp sweet potato chips that are a naturally festive orange. Squid ink pasta is a spook-tacular shade of black, and would be delicious served with roasted squash dressed in an herb vinaigrette. Both of these would complement the suggested treats below: a peppery pumpkin-shaped cheese ball, Ghost Toasts with a choice of black olive and red pepper spreads, a bourbon-infused butterscotch pudding, and some diabolical drinks.

Thirsty vampires could sip on some blood orange soda or on wines such as HobNob Wicked red blend, Casillero

del Diablo cabernet sauvignon, The Seven Deadly Zins zinfandel, Ghost Pines cabernet, or The Velvet Devil merlot. (The labels on these bottles definitely complement the table decor, too.)

Pumpkin ale and hard cider would also help to cast a spell with their seasonal charms. Give them a thrill – er, chill – in a hallowed-out pumpkin or, for those with less time or skill, a bucket filled with ice.

Witches, zombies, and all other ghostly grown-ups can gather this Halloween for a hocus pocus-filled party of their own.

Guests won’t have to scream in fright, worried about tricks instead of a treat. With these recipes and suggestions, they know for sure you’ll give them something good to eat.

 

Pumpkin Patch Cheese Ball

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 8-ounce container chive-and-onion cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper, or to taste

16 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 broccoli stalk

Crackers, pretzels, and vegetable sticks for serving

Place both cream cheeses into a large mixing bowl; thoroughly mix in the paprika and ground red pepper. Stir in the cheddar cheese until blended.

Shape mixture into a ball. (If the cheese mixture is too soft to hold its shape, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm it up.) Smooth entire outer surface with your fingertips, then place cheese ball onto a serving platter. Use a sharp knife to press vertical pumpkin-like grooves into the cheese.

Cut florets from broccoli stalk. Cut stalk to resemble a pumpkin stem, then press into top of cheese ball. Serve cheese ball with a spreader, surrounded by crackers, pretzels, and vegetable sticks.

Yield: 12 servings.

Source: Adapted from Southern Living.

 

Ghost Toasts

Dunk the toasts into the black olive tapenade and red pepper dip, or offer a spreader to schmear the toppings onto the toasts.

1 16-ounce loaf Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread

1 10-ounce jar black olive tapenade

1 5.3-ounce container plain Greek yogurt

1 10-ounce jar roasted red pepper bruschetta topping

Preheat oven to 325F.

One by one, to get cleaner cut-outs, place a slice of bread onto a work surface. Use a 4-inch ghost-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a bread ghost; place onto an unlined (no parchment, no silicone) baking sheet and continue with remaining bread slices. Scraps can be saved for another use.

Toast the breads in the oven for 5 minutes per side until just crisp but not taking on any color. Place onto a decorative plate.

Place the black olive tapenade into a serving bowl. Stir the yogurt into the red pepper bruschetta topping and place into a serving bowl.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Mary Bilyeu.

 

Butterscotch Bourbon Pumpkin Pudding

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup bourbon

2-1/4 cups half-and-half

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Whipped cream, for serving

Candy corn or other small seasonal candies, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add water and bourbon; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking to remove lumps. When the mixture becomes thick and translucent, turn heat down to medium-low.

Combine half-and-half and eggs; add slowly, whisking constantly. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes, until very thick. Stir in butterscotch chips until melted into the pudding. Stir in pumpkin until mixture is smooth.

Divide pudding among 12 small cups and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to set. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a candy corn.

Yield: 12 servings.

Source: Mary Bilyeu.

 

Liquefied Ghost

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce vanilla coffee-flavoring syrup

1 ounce half-and-half

2 ounces cream soda

1 Peeps ghost, for garnish

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a decorative glass. Cut a small slice in the bottom of the Peeps ghost and place it onto the rim of the glass, for garnish.

Yield: 1 serving.

Source: Adapted from cookingchanneltv.com.

 

Cuento del Diablo

The original recipe calls for pisco Quebranta, a Peruvian brandy, that has been infused with chiles. Substitute a ready-made spicy vodka, for ease.

2 tablespoons Absolut Pepper

2 tablespoons triple sec

4 teaspoons strawberry purée

4 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons grenadine syrup

4 ice cubes

Place the Absolut Pepper, triple sec, strawberry purée, lime juice, and grenadine syrup into a shaker with the ice; shake, then remove ice. Pour into a chilled glass.

Yield: 1 serving.

Source: Adapted from Virgilio Martinez, Lima the Cookbook.

Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com or 419-724-6155 or on Twitter @foodfloozie.

First Published October 27, 2015, 4:00 a.m.