I found this forum late in the season last year, so wasn't on much, but this year, I have lots of time to pick the forum brains, so to speak (and hopefully add something helpful too...). :-)
We had our guests vote last year on the theme for this year, and the "Haunted Hospital" theme won by a landslide (against "Killer Carnival" and "Heaven & Hell"). Naturally, we've been planning since November 1st...and I can say that here without everyone thinking I'm kooky, which is cool!
Anyways, I know I saw some toe-tag invites around here last year that I hope to get some great ideas from, and a toe-tag game...and hubby and I are already working on props. One of our major "props" though is the "Corpse Buffet" that we want to lay out on our dining room table (aka either "Surgery" or "Autopsy Room 1") for dinner that night.
Whatever we end up making, I'm going to lay it out in the shape of a body, and cover it loosely with skin-colored fondant (so it will appear "loose" over the dishes of food). I figure that way I can make things that still taste good without having to worry too much about whether they look *enough* like actual body parts underneath. Naturally I'll have a brain mold and heart mold - there's a recipe online for a heart that "leaks" blood when cut into...when I find it again, I'll post a link here (if it's not here already).
So what I'm wondering (finally) is if anyone has any finger-food type recipes that could "sort of" resemble body parts, but still be good to eat (and not look *too* gross for our guests)? Say, mini-sandwich sticks for "shin splints", something for a "funny bone"...that sort of thing? We'll probably do spaghetti for the "main dish"/entrails (heck, maybe rib platters for the "ribs"), but I'd like finger-type foods for the respective limbs.
Chicken breast could be cut/carved into almost any shape... my first thought would be a liver (put alot of paprika in a light colored breading?) but that would really only serve one, unless you wanted to cut it into strips while on the body... I love the hot dog fingers, that made me think of tortilla roll ups for bony parts... hmm... I will keep thinking on this one
Dixie, I thought the same thing...tortilla rollups of could be laid next to each other for the long bones in the legs/arms....and how about these for the fingers?
Creepy Witches' Fingers
Yield: 5 dozen
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 Egg
1 tsp Almond extract
2 2/3 C flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Almonds, whole blanched
1 Tube red decorator gel
In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour and salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into 1 end for nail. Squeeze in two places to create knuckle shape. Using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.
Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325F (160C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes.
Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
I used red food coloring to "paint" the almonds red after placing them on the fingers and before baking.
Yes!! Those ideas are perfect...why didn't I think of tortilla rolls for the bones? How easy is that - and I could color a cream cheese filling for "marrow"... that is just absolutely perfect!!
Thanks for the links to the hot dog fingers, my husband loved them. I always make the cookie fingers, and probably still will, but we have two hands, so I can do both, one on each side.
I was looking at the "meat head" thread here yesterday, and thought that was a super-cool idea for the head, so I think I'll adopt that as well.
__________________
Rev. Noch
2008, 2009 Official Denver Haunt Critic http://www.HauntedDenver.com
LaserQuest Colorado, Team Paragon (R.I.P.)
North America Challenge Champs '01 '02 '03
Man, there are some great ideas in here.... usually the inside of my house is dark, empty and desolate on Halloween night because everyone is out partying in the yard.... now, I'm reading this and wishing I thought I was organized enough to pull all this off for some snacks in the house inbetween trick or treaters.... usually I'm only organized enough to call the Pizza delivery man, haha.
Man, there are some great ideas in here.... usually the inside of my house is dark, empty and desolate on Halloween night because everyone is out partying in the yard.... now, I'm reading this and wishing I thought I was organized enough to pull all this off for some snacks in the house inbetween trick or treaters.... usually I'm only organized enough to call the Pizza delivery man, haha.
I can't wait to see how this turns out!!!
My house is empty too. I tried a grown-up party years ago and it was a dud...so haven't even thought about trying to have another since some people are just too cool to get dressed up.
You could always do a meathead and if you wanted it to lay down instead of standing up you could just cut the styrofoam wig head so the back is flat. There's a thread in this section somewhere with pictures of a bunch of meatheads.
Corpse Buffet for a Haunted Hospital Theme
good luck
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