Spread Joy with 25 Considerate Winter Party Favor Ideas

Spread Joy with 25 Considerate Winter Party Favor Ideas

by | Dec 20, 2021 | Christmas, Event Catering, Holiday

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is here already. While it may be a stressful time for some, planning your winter party can be fun.

You want to make sure that you are providing favor ideas that are festive, thoughtful, and unique. Here are 25 great gift items for guests to enjoy at their respective parties.

Lip Balm Favors

You can create lip balm favors by filling small tins or bags with peppermint-flavored lip balm. To give them an added touch, you can print winter-themed designs on stickers; place them on the tins or bags.

Be Safe! Candy Cane Seatbelt Charm

To keep safe during the holiday season, you can print out your own candy cane seatbelt charms for guests to wear. You can also have them attached to cute key chains that are red or green.

Homemade Chocolate Figurines

In winter, it is the perfect opportunity to share the makings of delicious chocolate goodies. At your party, you can have a few molds of different shapes and sizes for guests to fill with chocolate.

Give a Blessing Angel Ornament

Lovely angel ornaments are great favors that guests can take home and hang on their trees. You can put a personalized message on the back of each one.

Make a Treat

You can fill molds with red and green colored chocolate to create your unique candy-inspired treat for guests. For added fun, you can add some sprinkles or nuts on top of the melted chocolate so that the final product resembles ornaments.

Cute Buttons

You can easily print out your own Christmas tree buttons on normal printer paper. To make them look festive, you can color the trees green with ink or marker.

Stick them on homemade cards to share with coworkers, friends, and family.

A Trivia Game Booklet

A fun game that can be played at your party is trivia. You can make a booklet of the questions ahead of time or write them on an index card during the event. For winner prizes, you could give each guest a small ornament as a prize.

A Place Card/Photo Holder

These place cards and photo holders can be made with foam board or cardboard painted green and decorated by gluing on googly eyes and felt pieces for the mouth and buttons. You can also add a cute hat to make them extra festive!

Miniature Gingerbread Houses

These wonderful miniature gingerbread houses are great winter party favors. After your guests have enjoyed their treats in these mini-houses, they can take them home to put on display until next year’s holiday season.

Mitten Place Cards

You can make winter-themed place cards with mittens by cutting out card stock in the shape of a mitten and punching two holes on each side. You can then tie a pretty ribbon or jute through the holes to make them easier to carry around.

Homemade Cinnamon Wreath Ornaments

These homemade cinnamon wreaths are easy to make and will add a lovely scent to your home come winter time. If you like, feel free to put up a small sign with the recipe.

Fresh Pine Branches

Depending on what is available in your area, you can purchase fresh pine branches from your local florist or grocery store. If you like, you can also make it festive by decorating each one with red ribbons and green ornaments.

A Cookie Favor

The cookie party favors can be a hit at your gathering with guests from children to adults because they will also love the festive cookies that you have prepared for them!

Christmas Party Favor in a Jar

These favors can be stored in a jar and reused for years to come. You can give them out at your family gatherings or parties with friends. You can make a sign that says “cheers” and put it next to the jars for added cuteness.

Homemade Peppermint Hand Scrub

This peppermint hand scrub is great for moisturizing hands and giving them a fresh scent. Don’t forget to let your guests know how much you appreciate their coming by putting up a cute label on the jars that say “thanks!”

Hot Chocolate Party Favor

Why not make some hot chocolate for your guests? This homemade hot chocolate is the perfect favor that can be stored in a mason jar. If you like, you can also put marshmallows on top of each cup for some added flavor.

Santa Claus Mini Cupcakes

These Santa Claus mini cupcakes look festive for winter events and will undoubtedly leave your guests with a memorable impression. You can decorate them yourself or ask a bakery to make them for you ahead of time. Just be sure to keep them in the refrigerator until it is time to serve!

Snowflake Chocolate Lollipops

These snowflake chocolate lollipops are adorable treats that you can give out at your party. You’ll be surprised with the amount of guest appreciation that you will receive when you hand this candy pops out.

Be Merry Mistletoe Ornament Tree

This is a fun ornament tree that has mistletoe hanging down. You can attach the mistletoe to the tree with double-sided tape or small holes that you will create for each of them.

Party Favor Label Coasters

With party favor label coasters, you won’t have to worry about losing your drink on a slippery table during your event. These are great for putting under your guest’s cups and will help to keep their drinks in place.

Sugar Scrub

The sugar scrub is a great way to moisturize your skin while also giving it a refreshing clean. Put it in a jar with a festive label, and you’ll have the perfect winter party favor that all of your guests will love.

Party Food Leftovers

Rather than throwing out your party food leftovers, you can put them in individual plastic bags and tie them with festive ribbons. These tasty treats will also last for several days if they are stored inside the fridge.

Spray-On Snow Spray

If you buy this spray-on snow, you can pretend that it is snowing inside your home for festive family celebrations. To add more fun, let each guest spray it on themselves and their surroundings.

Cookie Mix In A Jar

We all love to eat cookies during the holiday season, so why not have some on hand? This cookie mix in a jar is a great party favor because it comes with a cute snowman cookie cutter and a recipe for the cookies.

Pie Candle Favor

This pie candle holiday favor would be a perfect find for your guests, and they will love the festive look. Don’t forget to put up a label that says “thank you” next to each one.

Contact KPacho for Catering Delicious Food for Your Winter Party!

KPacho makes delicious food for your party! We have many dishes for you to choose from, so feel free to look at our menu if you are planning an upcoming event. You can focus on your party preps and leave your catering needs to us. Contact us to know more.

15 Friendsgiving Party Ideas for 2021

15 Friendsgiving Party Ideas for 2021

by | Nov 4, 2021 | Event Catering, Holiday

There is nothing quite like a wonderful Friendsgiving. Something about sitting around with loved ones, discussing gratitude, brings the whole group closer together. The following Friendsgiving party ideas can elevate your Friendsgiving and make it one to remember!

1. Dress for the Occasion

Set the tone for a cozy evening by encouraging guests to wear festive, fall attire that is appropriate for a dinner party. Fall is the perfect time to break out scarves, tights, and plaid. After all, the clothes people are wearing should complement all of the themes and decorations you choose to include. Whatever you choose for the dress code, though, make sure to include in the invitation. None of the guests should feel out of place or uncomfortable due to their attire.

2. Set the Mood Lighting

Thanksgiving calls for warm lighting to help create a comfortable ambiance that all guests can enjoy. Fall wouldn’t be fall without scented candles and soft lamps that bathe the room in a festive glow.

3. Include a Festive Centerpiece

As opposed to a traditional dinner party, where flowers may be in order, a Thanksgiving-themed centerpiece can serve as a wonderful decoration that sets the mood of the whole room. Centerpieces may include pumpkins, squash, foliage, and other beautifully-colored fall fruits and vegetables that will catch the eye of your guests. They will surely be impressed by the attention to detail and commitment to the fall theme.

4. Build a Good, Old-Fashioned Fire

While scented candles and diffusers can create a wonderful aroma, nothing can replace the scent and cozy feeling created by a fire. Fall is supposed to be spent reading books and drinking coffee by the fireplace, so don’t neglect this while planning your Friendsgiving. Making a fire in the fireplace is a simple way to make Friendsgiving feel warmer and more festive.

5. Provide an Assortment of Beverages

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy all types of festive beverages that have fall flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon. Friendsgiving, being less formal than traditional Thanksgiving, can also be a great opportunity to let loose and showcase your bartending skills in front of your friends. Just make sure to research festive fall drinks to whip up the perfect concoction and impress your loved ones! If homemade drinks are too much work, a simple selection of wine and soda is just as good.

6. Select the Playlist Carefully

While Friendsgiving is best spent talking and laughing, a little bit of background noise goes a long way. Choose soft, comforting music to make guests feel comfortable and at-home immediately upon arrival. A playlist reminiscent of the music played at a quiet coffee shop is ideal, or a soft, festive instrumental piece is just as good.

7. Design a Fun Invitation

While invitations can seem like an insignificant detail, in reality, they set the tone for the event before it even begins. There are plenty of festive templates available for online invitations that are perfect for Friendsgiving. You can also send out physical invitations in the mail, for a more personal, heartfelt feeling.

8. Put Effort into the Seating

A well-thought-out seating chart goes along way. It allows friends to enjoy each other’s presence, and it allows acquaintances to become close friends. Put some thought into who sits next to each other. Take into account who is close and who would hit it off immediately!

9. Let Your Friends Help You Out

Allowing friends to bring something small, even just a side-dish, bottle of wine, or a dessert, lets them feel useful and less like an imposition. Accept any gifts graciously at the door, and all of your friends will thank you for it. Friendsgiving is about sharing, and all of your friends will get to share the gift brought by their loved ones.

10. Get Fun with the Decorations

There’s a reason so many children make Thanksgiving-themed decorations in school: they’re fun and festive! Even if you’re not an artist, you can make easy decorations like turkey hands and decorate festive gold banners.

11. Pick a Color Scheme and Stick to It

With so many decorations and so much food, Friendsgiving can get overwhelming quickly. Sticking to a classic, fall-themed color scheme can help the atmosphere seem more put-together and simpler. Typical fall colors include orange, red, yellow, dark green, and brown. Even silver and gold can make wonderful accents to make the event feel a little more glamorous.

12. Turn on a Football Game

Even for people who aren’t football fans, there is something undeniably specific to Thanksgiving about a football game. If there’s a football game on, then it’s great to have some football on in the background. Otherwise, you can play reruns from a Thanksgiving football game in the past.

13. Use Friend Photos as Decorations

Printing out and hanging up photos of your friend group having a good time can add a nice personal touch to the decorations. Your guests will undoubtedly pour over pictures, laughing and trying to spot themselves in the photos you’ve put up.

14. Give Out Leftovers as Party Favors

Party favors aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Leftovers, especially Thanksgiving leftovers, on the other hand will undoubtedly be put to use. Make sure your friends can enjoy a turkey sandwich on a delicious baked roll for days after the actual event. Show your love and gratitude for your friends by making sure they’re well-fed even after they leave.

15. Enjoy Your Loved Ones’ Company

With all of these plans being made, it can be easy to forget the true meaning of Friendsgiving: to appreciate the people in your life. While planning is important, it’s not as important as making sure that you, the host, are enjoying Friendsgiving just as much as your guests. Be a good host, but don’t forget to laugh and share stories and memories with your friends.

Choose KPacho to Handle Your Friendsgiving Celebration

Delegating the catering to a third party allows you to focus on creating a detailed plan to make sure the event goes off without a hitch.

Whenever you’re ready to plan your Friendsgiving event, let us help you with your catering needs. Contact us to learn more about our taco fajita bar as one of our excellent and delicious takeout options!

7 of the Best Halloween Party Themes for Adults and Kids in 2021

by | Oct 1, 2021 | Event Catering, Halloween, Holiday

There’s a chill in the air, a spring in your step, and crunchy leaves coating the ground. It’s officially Halloween season.

Now is the time to start figuring out when you’ll have your Halloween party and who you want to invite. There is so much to do!

In order to have the best party, however, you have to come up with the best theme first (no matter when you throw it). A Halloween event isn’t complete without some heavy planning and inspiration from the get-go.

Read more below about our top 7 Halloween party themes for all ages this year.

1. Murder Mystery Party

A lot of people love mysteries and incorporating this type of drama into your Halloween theme is going to make it a memorable affair. You can create an entire story with the help of other friends that are in on the mystery, or you can even hire actors if you want to take it the extra mile.

Don’t forget to incorporate some delicious dinner to go along with the story! You can work with a company that serves your catering needs or make a meal yourself that incorporates themes from the overarching mystery. Remember that all of the details need to serve a purpose to really keep your guests engaged in the story!

2. Classic Haunted House

When you’re going for gasps during your spooky Halloween party, a haunted house is a traditional route to take. You can break out all of the scariest decorations you have, get some friends to help you set up the route or act behind the scenes, and find your favorite music to really set the tone.

Once your guests have gone through the haunted house, perhaps it could spit them out in your backyard for a full-fledged party with games, drinks, food, and more! Don’t forget the fog machine.

3. Elegant Halloween Dinner

A simple thing to do if you aren’t a huge fan of Halloween, but you still want to get in the spirit, is a regular dinner party amplified with a little bit of Halloween pizazz.

You can add some classy decorations, such as dark red flowers, white table settings, statement pumpkins, or even Victorian-style candlesticks.

Whenever you’re planning holiday parties, you always want to make sure that the food is top-notch. This is why a classy dinner affair needs classy caterers for the finishing touch.

4. Zombies Only Party

For this Halloween theme, you just have to ask your guests to dress up like zombies! That’s it! They can be creepy, funny, stylish, or anything else they’d like, as long as they look like the undead.

Because this is something that anyone can do, it’s a great option for families, couples, or singles that you invite to your party. It’s also kid-friendly, especially since the adults can help make their costumes perfect!

Complete this theme with some zombie-themed food choices and a costume contest. You can create your own awards ahead of time for a personal touch, or buy some pre-made trophies or pins for your guests to take home.

5. Backyard Spooky Movie Night

If you want to create lasting family celebrations with your loved ones (young and old), a scary movie night during the Halloween season is a great way to do this.

Set up a white sheet in your backyard by setting it up with posts, over your fence, on a tree branch, or any other way that you can get it to stay flat. You’ll also need a portable projector that can hook up to your laptop or smartphone to play the content.

Get some Halloween-themed seating, such as hay bales, large pumpkin chairs, or regular chairs draped in black fabric to get the party going.

Keep in mind that if you’re inviting little ones, you may want to err more on the side of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown instead of The Conjuring.

6. Halloween-Themed Craft Party

When you’re planning events that will work for people of all ages, it can be hard to come up with a theme that will work no matter what. A craft party is one of those themes that everyone will enjoy because everyone can participate!

You can pick the Halloween project that people will work on and provide all of the things they’ll need, including a space to work, supplies, tools, and even a template to reference.

If you want to spice it up when you’re done, you can ask everyone to write their name on the back of their projects, and have a judging contest to win a prize! Are some of your guests going to be very young? If so, the contest may be fairer if you split it up into two options: an adults-only contest and a kids-only contest.

7. Pumped-Up Pumpkin Party

Are you crazy about pumpkins? If so, you may want to consider having a pumpkin party, complete with a pumpkin carving station, pumpkin pies, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin-themed gifts, and more.

Go all out with the orange color here, and make sure that you have plenty of pumpkin-scented candles to set the tone.

During autumn, you can always find plenty of items that are pumpkin-related, so it shouldn’t be a chore to plan this type of party! Gather your supplies ahead of time and come up with some party games that you can gear toward the theme to make it a fun event for your guests of all ages.

Choose the Perfect Halloween Party Theme

Halloween is a wonderful time of year to explore your spooky side, but if you’re getting together with friends and family, you need to come up with an event that they will love.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy these party theme ideas, so you should decide which one is best for the type of shindig you want to throw this year!

Speaking of shindigs, we are also hosting our own spectacular Halloween bash this year with our latest event: Freak Show. This will be on Saturday, October 30th and we’ll be having a live DJ, Halloween-themed specials, and a spooktacular prize for best costume! Don’t miss out!

Whenever you’re ready to plan your Halloween bash, let us help you with your catering needs. Contact us to learn more about what we can offer you this spooky season and beyond.

Book Now!

10 Epic Catering Themes To Have Everyone Buzzing

by | Sep 1, 2021 | Event Catering, Holiday

Every event needs an award-winning theme, right?

Your catering event doesn’t need to be boring and plain. You can spice it up with a theme that will make the night unforgettable.

Are your creative juices not getting you anywhere? Read on for 10 epic catering themes to have at your next events!

Why Are Themes For Events Important?

You may be thinking:

“Why do I need a theme? Why can’t I just put up whatever decorations I want and serve whatever food looks good?”

Themes ensure that your catering event has one overall cohesive train of thought. It brings all the elements of your party together to create harmony instead of chaos. It gives you something to strive towards and build upon, rather than just shooting ideas out left and right.

While themes aren’t a requirement to host a great dinner party, it’s something to consider if you are looking for your event to really be a hit.

Themes also are great hits no matter what age you are targeting. This means your family celebrations will always be enhanced. Your grandparents down to your youngest child will all have a grand time.

Picking a theme can be tricky, but in the long run, it’s worth it! It will give your party the extra touch it needs to be special and memorable. The last thing you want is to plan parties that will be forgotten about by the next day.

1. Holiday Hype

Everyone loves the holidays, right? So why not give them a taste of their favorite holidays with a holiday-themed catering event.

Bring Thanksgiving or Christmas a few months early and deck that table out with all your holiday favorite foods.

2. Blast From The Past

Are you catering to an older crowd? Maybe choosing a blast from the past theme could be the hit you are looking for!

Whether you choose the 90s, 80s, 70s, people are bound to be hooked into traveling back to their younger days.

We can help you create the perfect catering menu for your event. Let’s bring back all those good memories from simpler times!

3. Pajama Party

If you’re targeting a younger crowd, a pajama party theme could be just the thing! Stocked with comfort food galore, this theme is a sure-fire way of being a hit to the Gen Z crowd.

What’s better than spending a night in your pajamas? Eating breakfast for dinner.

You can choose to cater breakfast at your event and give your guests the illusion that they are at the pajama party of their dreams.

4. Mexican Fiesta

What’s better than a Mexican Fiesta?

If you are a Mexican food fanatic, choosing a fiesta theme for your catering event could be a dream come true.

By building a taco bar set with all your Mexican favorites, your guests will have no choice but to enjoy themselves. On top of that, you can get the parties started with some traditional fiesta music!

5. Game On!

Are you looking to celebrate after a successful ball game? A sports-themed catering event could be just the way to do that.

We can help you stack your table with traditional sports food, like pretzels, churros, finger foods, and more.

Do a little something extra for all the hard work your team put into the game season.

6. Luau Dinner

You can make your dinner look classy and functional at the same time with a Hawaiian Luau. Let the simple decorations do the work and the Hawaiian food favorites fill up the table.

A Luau is a fun and simple theme for your dinner, especially if you are running on a tight budget. It also gives you the opportunity to get your creative juices flowing and make fun Hawaiian activities for your guests.

7. Pizza Party

Pizza is a worldwide favorite and can come in so many different options. This is an easy choice for a catering theme and can satisfy each one of your guests.

This is a good option if you have certain guests with allergies or vegan preferences. Pizza is very flexible to be made however you need it.

Are you looking to make the experience a bit more fun? You can even do a build-your-own-pizza party and let people choose what they want for their pizzas. This will make the experience not only tasty but fun too!

8. Bite-Sized Favorites

Get rid of the mess that may come with dinner parties and choose a bite-sized food theme. Mini burgers and hotdogs? Little desserts? Your table set-up will be chic and classy by presenting bite-sized foods.

The best part? The smaller the food, the more you can eat!

9. Around The World

You can take your guests on a journey by offering international favorites at your dinner.

Set your tables up with a little something from each culture. This is a great opportunity to be able to serve even the pickiest eaters. If you have a bit of everything, there’s bound to be something for everyone to enjoy.

10. Under The Sea

A classic choice that is easy to replicate. Deck your tables out with all the seafood you can imagine. The possibilities are endless: poke bowls and sushi, salmon and lobster, shrimp and clams, and more!

This is a great choice for an aesthetically pleasing dinner that everyone will enjoy. Play some tropical music for an extra touch and let your guests dig in!

How Do I Get Started?

Are you ready to plan the ultimate dinner party? Then don’t keep waiting! Kpacho can serve your catering needs and ensure that it is the event of your dreams.

If you are ready to get started, contact us today to see how we can help!

Book Now!

Fun Party Set-Ups for the Holiday Season

by | Jul 31, 2021 | Event Catering, Holiday

We may still be in the heat of summer, but there’s no better time than now to start planning for your holiday parties. Planning a party takes time, effort, and creativity. Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out how you want to wow your guests this holiday season.

We’ve gathered together our top 10 favorite fresh party ideas for you to use in your planning this year. Whether you’re planning a family, friends, or work party, don’t waste an opportunity to celebrate. You never know, the party you plan could turn out to be an annual tradition.

Read on for some fun holiday party ideas to get you in the spirit of the season.

1. Ugly Sweater Party

An ugly sweater party is a tried and true party theme but there’s a reason why it’s so popular. They’re a lot of fun! Everyone likes to get cozy in an outrageous holiday sweater as they spend time with friends and family.

There are still opportunities to make your ugly sweater party different than the rest. Do a contest where everyone votes on their favorite sweater at the party and hand out cheesy trophies. Have fun catering at your party so your guests can indulge in their favorite food.

2. Holiday Movie Night

Who doesn’t love watching Christmas movies? You don’t have to do this party in December either. Host it the weekend after Thanksgiving while everyone is in town to kick off the holiday season.

If you have multiple rooms in your house with TVs, have a different movie playing on each screen. Have specific party meals in each room that are tailored to the movie playing. This is a great opportunity to eat your favorite holiday foods and movies.

3. Wreath Making Party

Host a wreath-making party with friends and family this year. Holiday wreaths can be made from greenery from local markets or with artificial goods you can find at a craft store. Eucalyptus leaves, evergreens, magnolia, and dried citrus slices are great options for autumn or winter-themed wreaths.

Don’t worry about trying to feed your guests while you’re busy working on a wreath. Have a catering company bring food for your event. Focus on having fun with your guests and leave the stress of cooking to someone else.

4. Cookie Swap

Learn new cookie recipes by hosting a cookie swap. Have your guests bake their favorite holiday cookies and bring them to the party. They can either put the cookies in individual packages for everyone to take home or on a tray so guests can sample throughout the party.

Recommend that people bring small handouts with the recipe printed out so people can grab the ones for their favorite cookies.

5. Gingerbread House Making Party

Who doesn’t love putting together a gingerbread bread house? This is a great option for kids or adults. Depending upon your skill level, you can make the pieces of the houses ahead of time or buy premade pieces for your guests to put together.

6. Block Party Open House

If you have a neighborhood that loves to go all out during the holidays, host a neighborhood block party/open house. Each house can have a different theme for the holidays. Themes can include:

  • Winter wonderland
  • Traditional Christmas
  • Vintage Christmas
  • Hawaiian holidays

Guests can roam between houses, sampling drinks and food wherever they go. This is a great way to bring your neighborhood together in a fun, unique way.

7. Hawaiian Holiday Party

You don’t have to have a winter wonderland-themed party in order for it to feel festive. Pair palm trees with poinsettias, stringing them with twinkle lights. Have your guests wear their favorite Hawaiian-themed shirts and give them leis.

A Hawaiian-themed party is a great opportunity to have fun with your menu. Served roasted pork and pineapple-themed drinks to your guests, really amping up the island flavor.

8. Vintage Cocktail Party

If you really want to go glam for the holidays, host a vintage cocktail party. Ask your guests to come in their best 1920s glam outfits. There are plenty of Christmas cocktails to choose from, including eggnog and peppermint martinis.

Serve finger foods and other easy-to-eat appetizers for your guests to enjoy while they walk around the party. Hire a bartender to make your party feel even more sophisticated. Have a few non-alcoholic drinks available for guests to choose from.

9. White Elephant Party

Is there anything more classic than a white elephant party? If you’ve never played it before, it’s like a twisted version of Secret Santa.

Ask your guests to bring a wrapped gift, ensuring you put a dollar limit on whatever item they bring. Each of your guests will take turns picking out a present to open. Another guest can steal the gift or exchange it as the game progresses.

Your party can definitely get hilarious as your guests get competitive. The goal of the evening is to end up with the best gift.

10. Bring Your Own Tradition Party

Every family has its own sets of Christmas traditions. Some traditions include:

  • Hiding the Christmas pickle
  • Making homemade hot chocolate
  • Having a gift exchange
  • Making a special dish

Whatever your guests’ holiday traditions are, ask them to bring them to the party. This kind of party is a great way to learn more about your loved ones. You never know, one of their traditions may become one of yours.

Use These Fresh Party Ideas This Holiday Season

If you’re out of ideas for themes for your holiday parties, no problem. Use one of our fresh party ideas when planning your next event celebration. Enjoy spending time with your loved ones this year as you host memorable events.

Leave the party catering to us. Contact Kpacho to discuss the menu for your next event.

Book Now!

Themed Halloween Food Ideas

Themed Halloween Food Ideas

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Holiday

The leaves are falling and there’s a chill in the air. Soon all the ghouls and ghosts will return to walk the earth. This Halloween is going to be different, with many municipalities banning trick-or-treating, parties canceled, and school shutdowns relegating kids’ party contests to Zoom. But there’s no reason you can’t have some of that spooky Halloween spirit in your own home, and what better way to do that then with creepy themed treats? Here are a few ideas.

Calaveras

You can’t talk about Halloween food without talking about Mexico’s centuries-old tradition of making candy skulls for your friends and family. You can go the traditional route and mix sugar with hot water and lemon juice to make a delicious and sculptural paste, or alfenique, reserving some to die with food coloring so you can pipe creative decorations onto the skull’s ghoulish face. Or, if you’re working with kids, skip the hot water and make skull-shaped sugar cookies with colorful icing.

Eyeball pops

Who doesn’t love a cake pop? Literally the only way to improve on a lollipop is to make it out of cake. And what’s creepier than an eyeball? Put the two together and you’ve got an instant Halloween hit. And the best part is, you can make them in a hurry. Just pull out your favorite easy recipe for cake pops, then dip the finished pops in white icing or white chocolate, stick a blue or green Smartie or candy of similar size and shape onto it, put a black dot in the middle of the candy, and add a few crinkly red veins around the “white.”

Spooky Jell–o molds

For some, molded Jell-o will always be a reminder of mid-twentieth-century suburban kitsch, but it has two distinct advantages when it comes to Halloween treats. One, it comes in all shapes and sizes; if you want to make a Jell-o mold of a brain or heart or burgeoning heap of guts, some macabre mold maker will have you covered. Two, it jiggles. It quivers. It does everything that a disembodied human organ would do. In short, it hits the exact balance of cartoonishness and realism that a good Halloween snack should hit.

Mummies-in-a-shroud

They’re just pigs-in-a-blanket, but for Halloween. Instead of wrapping up a cocktail frank in a solid sheet of pastry, you cut the pastry into a long strip and wrap it in a loose spiral around the frank. Then, after baking them according to package instructions, you take two white 4mm sugar balls and put them near one end of the frank to create the illusion of blank, staring eyes. Or, if you feel like pressing your luck, you can check your local Halloween stores for sugar eyes — they come in handy for all kinds of Halloween treats.

Witch’‘s hats

Witch’s hat cookies are as simple as they are delicious. You start with your favorite recipe for one- to two-inch chocolate cookies, then, once the cookies are cool, you add a dollop of frosting on top and stick a Hershey’s Kiss right in the middle. Now you have a witch’s hat with a ribbon around the inner brim. Use your frosting to neaten up the ribbon, then draw on a bow or buckle. If you have large, square sprinkles, you could also make the “buckle” out of one of those, or find a suitably buckle-looking candy.

Halloween may be all about creative snacks and desserts, but when you want a festive family meal to top it all off, you want K. Pacho. K. Pacho is a Mexican restaurant, bar, and lounge in New Hyde Park. Dine in or order out before your socially distanced Halloween party.

View our Halloween Packages