Happy Halloween from Bottle Your Brand! We’d like to hear how your party planning has been going for the big day. You’re house is decorated inside and out, you’ve invited your guests, prepared overflowing bowls of candy, and you’re ready to celebrate, right?! While many hosts keep on schedule while planning, we’re sure some of you may be thinking… No — no I don’t have everything ready for all my guests that will be arriving in less than 24 hours to celebrate Halloween with me.
So, we’ve gathered a few simple ideas to help bring your party planning to completion, right in the nick of time! Besides the Halloween candy aspect which is an easy task to complete, the main elements for any party are fun, food, and drinks with your friends and family.
For a little added fun, Bottle your brand suggests turning your party into a Halloween costume contest with prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd winner! This Halloween contest will bring excitement and a bit of friendly competition to the party. Consider our suggested prize giveaways below for each of the lucky winners:
1st prize winner receives a $100 gift card to the local movie theater, a bottle of wine, and a festive Halloween tote bag.
2nd prize winner receives a $50 gift card to the restaurant of their choice and a festive Halloween tote bag.
3rd prize winner receives a bottle of wine and a festive Halloween tote bag.
Now, let’s make sure you’ve got the food and drinks covered for your party! Give your guests something to much on with this Caramel Apple Monster Munch recipe… And, provide delicious juicy sliders for your guests, plus specialty cocktails (recipes below). Then, serve trays of Halloween candy for dessert!
CARAMEL APPLE MONSTER MUNCH
Total Time: 25 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Yield: 10 to 12 servings (8 1/2 cups)
Make sure to use stove-popped popcorn for this recipe–not the microwave type–to ensure that your munch will be extra crisp and delicious.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the bowl and spatula
1 cup salted cocktail peanuts
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups lightly crushed red and/or green apple chips
Directions
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until very hot and shimmering. Add the popcorn and immediately cover with a lid. Shake the pot constantly, holding the lid on with a heatproof holder, until the popping starts, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to shake the pot until the popping slows to just a few per 5 seconds, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let stand for another minute to allow any last kernels to pop.
Spray a very large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Put the popcorn in the bowl and remove any unpopped kernels. Add the peanuts. Spray a rubber heatproof spatula with the cooking spray and place next to the bowl.
Combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and the edges of the mixture begin to bubble. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan so the bottom of the thermometer is resting in the sugar syrup but not touching the bottom of the pan. Boil, stirring, until the thermometer registers 300 degrees F (the hard-crack stage), about 8 minutes.
Turn off the burner and add the vanilla. Stir briefly–about 5 seconds–being careful not to burn yourself as the mixture bubbles up.
Immediately pour the caramel evenly over the popcorn and quickly stir with the prepared rubber spatula until the pieces are mostly separated, about 3 minutes. Pull apart any larger clumps, being careful because the caramel will still be hot in spots. Stir in the apple chips.
Cook’s Note: Lightly spraying the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring helps prevent the corn syrup from sticking.
SPICY JUICY LUCY-FER SLIDERS
Total Time: 50 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings (12 sliders)
To ensure a nice browned top to your sliders, check that the broiler flame is on when you pop them in. Many broilers cycle on and off as they work, so it’s important to broil these fast-cooking burgers during an “on” cycle.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, cut into 12 equal pieces
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 slider-size potato buns, split and toasted
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions, spreading them into an even layer. Cook, without stirring, until the edges of the onions are beginning to brown, 5 minutes. Stir the onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and caramelized, another 20 minutes. Add the chipotles, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until fragrant and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes, and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven broiler. Divide the meat into 12 portions, about 2 ounces each. Form a patty around each piece of cheese and flatten to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Put the wrapped patties on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle all the patties with 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Broil until the cheese is melted and the burgers are still a bit pink inside, about 6 minutes. The burgers will be cooked to at least medium in order to melt the cheese but still stay juicy.
Mix the ketchup, balsamic and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Brush the burgers with some of the ketchup sauce and divide the rest among the bottom halves of the buns. Place a burger on each bottom bun, top with some of the spicy onions and finish with a top bun. Serve warm.
BLOODY TOOTH COCKTAIL
Yield: Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
1 1/2 ounces pomegranate juice
1 ounce Simple Syrup
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Lemon twist, for garnish
Place whiskey, pomegranate juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker; fill with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and lemon twist.
BLOODY SCARY COCKTAIL
Yield: Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
4 ounces prosecco
1 ounce freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 ounce Campari
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
1 ounce Blavod Black vodka, chilled
In a champagne flute, combine prosecco, orange juice, Campari, and simple syrup. Pour vodka over the back of a cocktail spoon into glass creating a layer of black. Serve immediately.
HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
