SPOOKY DINNER

This spooky dinner started as a last minute attempt to be a "fun mom" when I was actually more of a tired witch. It then took on a life of its own for almost a decade.

Halloween was not a huge thing in my home growing up and it was certainly nothing more than a recycled Tutu or cowboy hat and a loop around the neighborhood. Somehow, with the combination of having a daughter who loves creativity and three little boys who loved all things “gross”, the Spooky Dinner was born. It was originally just my four around our little table in our flat. My youngest was still in a high chair. I made menus and leaned on other people’s creativity on Pinterest to create the most disturbing menu that I could think of that involved “roaches, urine, blood filled syringes, brains, and mummies”. As years passed, a different child was able to invite a group of friends each year. The older siblings recruited friends to become “spooky waiters”. Chaos ensued. Below are some of the “greatest hits”.

Spaghetti Brains, Bloody Fingers, Boody Shirley Temples, Earwax, Witches Broomsticks, Baked Roaches, Urine Samples, Scabby Bandaids, Shards of Glass Cake

I tried to make at least one thing that had some nutritional value so the Spaghetti Brains made me feel better but often sat uneaten. Hotdog Fingers were always a hit. Bloody Shirley Temples were my favorites. The kids’ syringes were filled with grenadine and placed in Sprite, but this looks good for a grown up version. When my now senior in High School invited his fourth grade pals, I had just had curtains hung in my dining room. They are cream and gorgeous and something I will keep for decades. After that night, they were newly decorated with splatters of grenadine so careful to whom and where you serve these! When I host his senior dinner this year, I will make a toast to the memories and pretend I wasn’t initially filled with a little rage and horror. The Earwax Q-tips are almost too gross for me, but a kid favorite. I always used cookie butter to avoid peanut allergies, but she uses caramel here which also sounds good. Witches Broomsticks give a little break from the guts and gore and add a little protein. The “cockroaches” were generally eaten by adults standing around the kitchen island with a glass of wine. The “cups of urine” required asking my favorite nurse at our pediatrician’s office to find a stash of urine sample cups for me. I loved her even more after she procured them in secret. Fill them with yellow gatorade and voila. Scabby bandaids were generally a hit and easy to grab. She uses icing, but I always used cream cheese and a dried cranberry as it looked much more like a scab:). The shards of glass cake was actually southern chess squares with sugar shards and red frosting. This all looks sort of involved and it is actually really simple (I know that sounds annoying, but it’s true). It is mostly assembling. Get creative- one year chips and guac were “crispy skins and guts”. Turn the lights super low with orange hued lighting. Turn on a spooky (not scary!) playlist, print out menus and make them sound as gross as possible. Keep adults out of the dining room by having cocktails in the kitchen and wait for the squeals and screams. I am not a fun mom. I am a “why are you eating that junk” type of mom, but one night a year, I was fun. If you are hosting your own spooky dinner for the the young or young at heart, these are some of my favorite things to make your table a little extra “spooky”. -Jenny