By Lo Lankford From care2

The costume is planned, the candy is bought… but have you cooked up the perfect menu? Halloween is right around the corner and we’ve got some excellent festive foodie recipes.

If you’re planning a last-minute Halloween party or get-together, or just need some quick ideas for something to make for your kid’s school event this Thursday, have no fear! We’ve got you covered with recipes that will have the whole group excited.

If none of these recipes appeal to you, be sure to click around on each site mentioned in order to find plenty of other ideas. Each place we pulled recipes from had tons of good ideas – we just chose our favorites from each site. Luckily, the options are truly endless!

These olive adorned mini quiches look a little…undead. Perfect for Halloween! A little over two hours total cooking time will yield you 20 minis

Every party deserves a cheese ball, and we’re not just talking about your nerdy aunt. Filled with cheeses, garlic, onion, pimiento, and spices, this one has a savory kick while also (obviously) being awesomely festive. Rolled in crushed blue tortilla chips, this grinning cat is surprisingly easy to pull off, you’ll just need ample time to prepare and execute (a little over five hours).

This is an easy and cheap way to get festive with your apps. Plus, this one definitely won’t scare the kiddos. To make, use mini Halloween-theme cookie cutters to cut out pieces of cheese and meat. Place cutouts on top of various crackers, along with lettuce leaves; use olive pieces to decorate the faces.

With just a little patience and enough time to practice, you can create this spiderweb in your soup with milk and sour cream. Cute and… yum!

We know… one of these pics is a little gross. But so good! And delicious too. Created with red pepper “veins” and plenty of flavors, guests won’t be scared to keep eating once they taste it. It’s quick to make but needs five hours to chill, so give yourself ample time

These simple-to-make apple bites are a great healthy alternative to all the sweets going around. You just need apples and slivered almonds, plus a little patience. Just quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

In ten minutes you can have a whole pot of these orange cream floats ready to go. And why wouldn’t you want to? They look delish! In large bowl, mix ice cream, orange juice concentrate, water, vanilla and food color until almost smooth. For each serving, scoop heaping 1/2 cup ice cream mixture into 16-ounce glass. Pour about 1 cup ginger ale over top of each.

Bones and blood, yum! Good thing this is actually just cookies and dip, which actually is pretty yum. Total time to make is only an hour and will yield 40 servings – perfect if you’re cooking for a large group. They’ll love the strawberry chocolate dip!

Grab your pizza making gear and start creating a creation so cute your guests will be sad cutting into it! Too bad that feeling won’t last after they take that first bite though. Make eight Halloween appetizer calzones in 45 mins

Nobody wants to see mice in their home, but who can resist these super cute and creative chocolate mice made from cream cheese, chocolate and cake? You’ll need two hours to make three dozen. Perfect to bring to the office or your kids school celebration!

Photographs are mainly from Better Homes and Gardens, excepting:

apple bites from Spoonful, orange cream floats from Betty Crocker, bones and blood from Taste of Home and choc mice from Delish.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-festive-and-delicious-halloween-recipes.html