Halloween Office Party Food Ideas

Celebrating Halloween at work can be good for team building

Office parties can be a great way for co-workers to get to know each other, and can be a good networking opportunity. At Halloween, ice-breakers like a pumpkin carving contest or best ghoulish food contest, can provide opportunities for team building. There are many recipes for pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins and other fairly standard fall food, but making it fun for all is the best way to make the menu jump for this occasion.

Basics

An edible center-piece sets the mood.

Offering small prizes for "best scary food" will encourage staff to bring something for the potluck. Offer simple recipes to the cautious, and make sure you have a list to avoid duplications. Challenge the participants to bring their scariest cupcakes, but be prepared to provide some basics. A center-piece of a carved melon "brain" and some "bloody fingers" made from carrots with almond pieces for nails are good starters. Make a non-alcoholic cider punch with floating apple "shrunken heads" or gelatin eyeballs, for little cost.

Simple Recipes

Roll meatballs in cooked rice before serving to make "maggot balls."

Suggest simple recipes such as "pizza mummies" mini pizzas decorated with mozzarella for bandages and olive slices for eyes, or doughnut hole "eyeballs" dipped in melted icing with candy irises. Even meatballs with rice can be re-titled maggot balls, and a meatloaf can stand in for a dead rat. A meatloaf hand is another grotesque option. Decorating normal pot luck food to resemble Halloween themed goodies can be fun for all.

Silly Stuff

Peeled grapes and gelatin make a ghoulish game.

Halloween is an opportunity for adults to behave like children, adding a "guess what's in the bowl" contest can add to the fun. Make a gelatin mold and mix it up so that it has a "mushy" texture. Put some objects, such as peeled grapes, to simulate body parts and cover the bowl. Each participant has to put their hand in the bowl at the entrance to the party and "guess" the contents. The answer will be something like "mashed brains and eyeballs" or something suitably gory.

Judging Contests

Judging anonymously is the best way.

Encouraging people to bring foods for a contest requires judging them. This is best done democratically. Putting "the Boss" in this situation is unfair. Provide participants with sticky dots to place on the back of the recipe cards, count the dots and declare the winners. This way, no feelings are hurt, and no charges of favoritism can be made.

Safety Concerns

Avoid food allergies and food poisoning with simple precautions.

Providing the best fun food will be wasted if someone becomes ill. Since workplace parties can cause liability concerns, it is particularly important that foods served be safe for all. Make sure that everyone who contributes food lists all ingredients, and that anyone with allergies identifies themselves, and their particular allergy, to an organizer. Ask each participant to make up a menu card to be placed in front of each dish. To avoid food poisoning, keep all perishable food in the refrigerator until right before serving, particularly anything with mayonnaise in it.

References

• Food Buzz: Melon Brain Instructions
• Epicurious Recipes: Finger cookies
• Not Martha: Meat Hand
• Martha Stewart: Shrunken Heads in Cider

Resources

• Disney Family Fun: Halloween Recipes