Oh, the crisp night air, the warm apple cider, the pumpkins. Don’t you just love this time of year?
For our family, Halloween means the first BIG bash of the holiday season. While my sons love the creepy, spooky side of this holiday, I’m all about the food.
My kids understand that we bend the rules for special occasions and eat things we wouldn’t regularly have. With all the candy, it’s important to get some protein into the kiddies, but you need to scare up some party food they’ll want to eat. What kid doesn’t like hot dogs?
Here are two happy appetizers that give a creative spin to the humble hotdog. Budget friendly party food your little monsters will love.
Menacing Mummy Dogs
Making these cute little guys is too easy for words.
What You’ll Need:
Hot dogs – one package
Crescent rolls – one tube
Here’s How:
Take regular hot dogs and cut them in half so you have short dogs. Open the crescent rolls and tear them into strips. Wrap the strips around the hot dogs. Wrap the bottom a bit bigger so they can stand and leave room for “eyes” to peek out.
Bake standing up for 11-13 minutes or until the crescent roll wrapping is baked and golden brown. Use mustard dots to make the eyes. Serve with mustard or honey mustard.
Spooky Spider Bites
Tell me this isn’t the cutest creepy idea you’ve ever seen? People will wonder how you did it but it’s really very easy.
One package of hot dogs and box of spaghetti makes a mountain of little spiders.
You could use any dipping sauce you wish, I like the look of the red pizza-flavored sauce but a gooey cheese sauce would be wonderful also.
What You’ll Need:
Hot dogs
Spaghetti – dried NOT boiled
Italian Dressing or olive oil
Dipping Sauce – spaghetti or pizza sauce
Here’s How:
Start a large pot of well salted water off to a rolling boil. Slice the hotdogs into pennies, about 12 slices per hotdog.
For each spider; break 2 pieces of spaghetti in half and skewer the 4 pieces through each hotdog slice to make 8 legs.
Boil for 14 minutes OR 3 minutes longer than the directions on the box of spaghetti. Test one to be sure the pasta in the center of the hot dog is cooked. Meanwhile put about a TBSP of Italian dressing in a large bowl. Drain the spiders well.
Toss the spiders in the dressing, or olive oil, to keep the little legs from sticking together. Serve with dipping sauce of your choice.
For more Halloween inspiration go to Divasonadime.com and enjoy the Halloween $urvival Guide filled with creative, frugal and fabulous ideas for a Spooktacular Booffet, Bewitching Beverages, Daunting Décor, Creepy Crafts and more. Eat, Drink and be Scary!
Frugal festivity contributed by Patti Diamond author of Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!, www.divasonadime.com. Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADime DotCom.