If Halloween is not the holiday for some pretty wild creativity, I don't know which one is. I'm not one for gruesome and gory scenes, but I do love using this holiday as an excuse to get a little out there when decorating and preparing party food.
I'll admit that when I first made this alien baby in a watermelon womb, I thought it was just adorable. Not scary, not weird, and definitely not worthy of the stares and disturbed looks from my friends and coworkers. Let's just say everyone was a little concerned about me after they saw my alien baby during a creepy Halloween food contest. The side stares lasted a long time. (See other great creepy food ideas here!)
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Regardless, this DIY extraterrestrial treat is sure to wow the guests at your Halloween party this year. Luckily, it's very easy to make and requires nothing more than fruit, JELL-O and some candy!
Things You'll Need
Large watermelon (to comfortably hold two apples within)
2 apples
Green or yellow jelly beans
1 package of strawberry JELL-O
1 package of unflavored gelatin
Twizzlers candy
Toothpicks
Carve out the watermelon
Place your watermelon on the cutting board and trace a large rectangle about 2 inches from the sides and about one-fourth of the way down.
Cut along the line at an angle, and the top should come right off. Next, scoop out the insides and hollow out the watermelon.
Make the alien baby
Peel the skin off both apples. You are going to use one as the head and the other as the body. On the apple that will be the head, carve out two slits for the eyes, nose and mouth. With toothpicks, push two jelly beans (either green or yellow) into the slits as "eyes."
Cut the second apple in half lengthwise. Use one half as the body, and on the other half, slice out little arms and legs. With toothpicks, secure the limbs onto the body.
Place the head and body into the hollowed-out watermelon. Secure them into the bottom with, you guessed it, more toothpicks!
Add the life source
So far, so cute, right? OK, maybe it's one of those "a face only a mother could love" moments, but I think it's SUPER cute. Those watching may think it's weird and start questioning what goes on in your head at this point, but all doubts will melt away once you add the umbilical cord. (Then they'll know with 100 percent certainty that you are weird.)
Connect a thick strand of Twizzlers with a toothpick from the belly of the apple baby into the wall of the "uterus" (aka the side of the watermelon).
Placenta or JELL-O?
To fill the womb, you'll need to make a batch of clear, unflavored gelatin and one of strawberry JELL-O. Follow the instructions on the boxes. Why even bother with the clear gelatin? Since the inside of the watermelon is already red, adding only red JELL-O would make the opacity very dark and difficult to see the apple baby inside. And we don't want that!
Pour some of the red gelatin mix into the unflavored clear gelatin mix and stir it together. Pour that mixture into the watermelon until it's full.
Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until the JELL-O completely sets.
Oh baby, oh baby!
How adorable is your new baby? Wait, you also think I'm crazy for thinking it's cute? Well, you aren't the only one.
Tip
If the Twizzler umbilical cord dissolved after you added the JELL-O mix, you can always add another one after the JELL-O sets. Stick a toothpick into the side and slowly work it in through the congealed JELL-O until it goes through the apple body. Then add the other end to the inside or top of the watermelon, also securing it into the wall with a toothpick.