Boot Hill/Graveyard Dip Idea

Brent came up with this the other night for a Halloween finger food. I think it’s a great idea – we’re going to try it for our snack table in the basement (ahem…the lab) this year.

The important part is the grave markers, of course. And unfortunately, I haven’t seen any tombstone or cross-shaped chips in the grocery store. So we have to make them. The idea is to buy thin corn tortillas, and cut out grave marker shapes (crosses, tombstones, etc). Then we’ll fry or bake them under a weight (think pie plate with stones or a cast-iron bacon press – anything to hold them flat). Voila – creepy chips!

Then just put your favorite nacho or bean dip ingredients into a suitable container, and top with the grave marker chips. I think either a rectangle cake pan, or a round mound of bean dip with toppings (for a “hill) would be great for this application.

Obviously we’ll have to test this out first – photos to come after the test run. Anyone else try something similar?

Scaryview Sanitarium 2009: IV's

A couple of our first props for this year's party! Always handy to have IV's on hand...


Currently on the planning table: A Corpse Buffet

Treasure Island: Menu & Tables

A taste of the Caribbean was our goal for the pirate party, and we scoured the ‘net and books for recipes that would do the trick. We did pretty well, I think, aside from a few power problems with slow cookers & a warming tray that evening. What’s a party without any hitches though, right? We decorated the dining room “island style”, complete with palm trees & bright island colors, as you can see above. This picture was taken “the morning after” – as you can see, our inflatable palm tree couldn’t quite handle the excitement.

Our menu consisted of Salmagundi, a traditional pirate stew (minus the rat and pigeon meat), Jamaican Jerk pulled pork & rolls, Hula (pineapple glazed) meatballs, a tropical fruit plate, hot wings, and 2 tropical desserts (cake and cheesecake – both were delish!). The snack table downstairs was piled with chips and brownies – not traditional fare by any means, but enjoyed nonetheless.Upstairs on the non-alcoholic beverage bar, my skull punch bowl was the centerpiece as usual, with hot cider, water and pop nearby in a palm tree cooler (no picture, unfortunately). This is also where the drawing was to vote for our 2009 theme.
Downstairs at the “wicked” bar the Red Rum Punch was a huge hit, and gone before the night was over. Our rough-n-tumble bartender watched over the mixers with some help from our evil laughing pirate in the corner.