Halloween Party

Last night I went to a Halloween party. I didn't see lots of spooks and goblins but I did see a number of princesses, sexy witches, a storm trooper, a burglar, a nerd, and a dragon. There was lots of spooky food including a punch with a hand in it, a foaming cauldron, sloppy joes (oh, the carnage), strawberry and boogers (green fruit dip), baby toes (cocktail wieners that are pretty big for even for adult toes but it's a kid's party and we shouldn't say what they really looked like), bones (bread sticks from a refrigerated roll with the ends gathered to look like bone ends), apples that were bobbed (best to go first), and chips. I brought some eye balls which I made from dried apple slices topped with a half of a dried apricot (sticky side down) and half a raisin (again, sticky side down). I also brought a brain. I peeled a round watermelon. The directions were in the Star Tribune last week and they said to peel it with a vegetable peeler. That didn't work. I had to use a knife and it was a lot of work. I have blisters on my right hand and a couple cuts on my left hand from peeling that watermelon. Once it was peeled I found it was very easy to carve each hemisphere and carve out the frontal lobe so the pink inside showed through. I think the kids liked the brain, inside and out. The kids had fun. One kid, walking through the kitchen was offered strawberries and boogers. "No thanks, " he said, "I don't really have a taste for strawberries."