The Conversation
Halloween is arguably one of the most fun holidays. There are no gifts to buy, there’s candy corn recipes galore and you get to be someone you’re not for a night! That means you want to spend most of your time partaking in the party and *not* slaving away in the kitchen. The solutions to this are no-bake Halloween treats and a stockpile of make-ahead recipes that you can either prep early or cook way in advance so that you can relax once guests arrive. While you’re contemplating this year’s costume, get to pinning these 14 make-ahead recipes that will make your Halloween a breeze.
1. Gummy Worm Ice Cubes: Whether you’re indulging in a cocktail or serving a bunch of kids mocktails, these creepy crawly cubes will liven up any drink. You can dye the cubes any color you wish or you can try using juices instead. (via Taking Care of Monkey Business)
2. Bloody Good Cheesecake: Red velvet cheesecake serves as the bloody base for this massacre. The dripping blood is a frightening mixture of corn syrup, red food coloring and cornstarch… Or is it? Make sure you start the cheesecake a day in advance so it has plenty of time to chill. (via Sugar Dish)
3. Halloween Bundt Cake: Thanks to boxed cake mix, this cake isn’t nearly as difficult to make as it looks. The fun part is getting messy with icing and sprinkles to create your own Halloween masterpiece. (via Love Bakes Good Cakes)
4. Chocolate-Dipped Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats: Enlist the help of a few kids and these candy corns will basically make themselves. When stored in an airtight container they’ll keep for several days… If you can keep everyone out of them. (via Pint-Sized Treasures)
5. Chocolate and Caramel Apples: Why would you spend a fortune on gourmet chocolate apples when you can easily make your own? Decorate each one with different toppings and prepare for people to fight over them. (via Hey Modest Marce)
6. Creepy Jello Cups: Jello is the ultimate make-ahead treat because it can last for ages in the fridge without changing. Pro tip: Definitely turn these into creepy Jello shots for an adults-only party. (via From Brazil to You)
7. Day of the Dead Cookies: Get your piping bags ready, because you have quite the task ahead of you. These intricate masks may be more advanced, but if you enjoy cookie decorating, it’ll be a fun challenge for the holiday. (via Wilton)
8. Halloween Trail Mix: No good Halloween party is complete without a snack mix. Combine all of the components way before guests arrive and try your best not to pick out all of the good stuff. (via The House of Hendrix)
9. Halloween Candy Saltine Bark: Break into your Halloween candy early to top this sweet and salty bark. It’s quick, it’s delicious and you don’t have to wait until the last moment to fix it. (via The Blonde Buckeye)
10. Pumpkin Slice and Bake Cookies: Slice and bake cookies are a must during any holiday. If you decide to make your own, you can freeze them and then slice off however many you need at a time. (via My Name is Yeh)
11. Pretzel Pumpkins: Instead of handing out the same old candy every year, make these pretzel pumpkins to give to trick or treaters. Pre-package them in baggies and they’re ready to distribute on Halloween. (via About)
12. Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dip: Halloween kicks off pumpkin pie season, so it’s only fitting that you represent at your party. Serve this cheesecake dip in a hollowed baking pumpkin alongside Biscoff cookies for the ultimate dunking experience. (via A Night Owl)
13. Cheesy Halloween Breadstick Bones: These scary and delicious bones can be made up to the baking point and then frozen. When you’re ready, just pop them in the oven and serve with your favorite blood — er, marinara. (via Just a Taste)
14. Shredded Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers: Even if you’re just having a chill Halloween at home, you have to celebrate a little bit. Turn your mundane dinner into a festive pumpkin by carving a jack-o’-lantern face in an orange bell pepper. (via Everyday Jenny)
Follow us on Pinterest for more easy + delicious Halloween recipe ideas.
Paige is a blogger, food writer and culinary master from Louisville, Ky. She's a newlywed who's obsessed with dogs and renovating her 117 year old home. When she's not working on her blog — My Modern Cookery — you can find her binge watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S with a triple shot latte in-hand.
More From Appetizers
You can wear many hats running a business and sometimes some look better than others. Thanks to Office Depot, we're talking with Koyun Fan, co-founder of Sticky Rice Sisters, about finding inspiration along the way and staying organized on the road to success.
<p><strong>B+C: What set you on this entrepreneurial path of Sticky Rice Sisters?</strong><br></p><p>One day I was looking for stickers and cards to use to write to kids for a program I volunteer for when I came across Etsy shops selling products I was familiar with, growing up in Taiwan. I always had easy access to cute stickers and stationery, so I thought I should just bring them to the U.S. myself and also share Taiwanese culture with others. I also thought that if others can do it, I can do it too. I had been a marketing professional for many years before starting the store. I was still working full-time when I first started, and thought this could be something fun to work on outside of work. Also, I thought that with my marketing experience, running and promoting a store shouldn't be too hard. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! </p><p><div id="teads-ad"></div>
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</p><p><br></p><p><span></span><strong>B</strong><strong> + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from <a href="https://tryselfmade.com/" target="_blank">Selfmade</a>?</strong></p><p> I've thought about taking a business course or pursuing an MBA previously, but the cost and commitment made it difficult to. When I saw the 10-week-course on Brit's Instagram, I knew it was right for me. Since everything would be online and recorded with unlimited future access, I knew I would have enough time to consume all the information and refer back to it whenever I wanted.</p><p>I had a great experience with all the coaches. They were amazing and super helpful. I learned so much about the different aspects of business, from ideation, to creating new products, operations, legal, finance, marketing and more! I love how the course started with helping us establish the right mindset. The coaches taught us to not limit ourselves. My coach, Naomi Powell, was always challenging us on our beliefs about ourselves and she would tell us to set higher and bigger goals. It is definitely something I always think about now and I have her voice in my head.<br></p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p>All of my classmates were AMAZING. Everyone was so talented and so willing to share. It was truly a community of women who were cheering each other on and rooting for each other. </p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><strong>B + C: What's the biggest challenge you face as a small business owner?</strong></p><p>Not knowing if I am doing things "correctly" has definitely been an obstacle. I have tackled this by sending out surveys to our customers and followers asking for their feedback. This is also something Brit would always talk about--we should just ask others what they think instead of guessing. People are pretty good at giving honest and helpful feedback and it really helps with thinking about future plans.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><strong>B + C: Who are your role models in the entrepreneurial space?</strong></p><p>Not to sound super cheesy, but I would say it's Brit. She is such a great example of Selfmade. She started the company by herself and continues to innovate and inspire. She always radiates positive energy and in the Selfmade course she made herself available to everyone. She didn't just share what she knows, but also brought in her network to help us. My favorite thing she said is that we are all creative--creativity exists in many different forms!</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><strong>B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?</strong></p><p><strong></strong>You will never be 100 percent ready so just start now and learn and improve as you go. You will make mistakes, things won't go as planned, you might not have customers to start, but you will learn. If you keep waiting for the "right moment," or wait until "you're ready," you have already lost time that you could've used to learn on the job or make mistakes. In the beginning, not a lot of people will know you, so it doesn't matter what you do--you can try anything you want and figure out what works and doesn't. As you start to have more customers and followers, you will start to get better and they will help you, encourage you, and support you. </p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><strong>B + C: What's one female-owned business that you absolutely love and support?</strong></p><p><span></span>There are so many I love and support. To name a few fellow stationery stores: A Jar of Pickles, Occasionallish, AnnSunn, and fellow Selfmade businesses Evening Star Baby, Summer Space Studio, and The Ponnery! They are all amazing women running their own businesses.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><span></span><strong>B + C: How do you stay motivated?</strong></p><p>I look at stores I want to become. I try not to think of them as competition but as inspirations, so when I see them working hard on their businesses it motivates me to do so as well. I also listen to motivational audio books or podcasts where they interview other business owners like <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this" target="_blank">How I Built This</a> and <a href="https://www.theskimm.com/skimmd-from-the-couch" target="_blank">Skimm'd from the Couch</a>.</p><p><strong>B + C: How do you stay organized? What tools or apps help you stay productive?</strong></p><p>I think I'm a very organized person. I use Dropbox for photos and Google Docs for everything else. My tip would be to always name your files and have a system for it so it's easy to search and find easily when you need them.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><em>We're inspired! Thanks Koyun for sharing your story and your organizing tips! You can find Sticky Rice Sisters at <a href="http://sticyricesisters.com/" target="_blank">SticyRiceSisters.com</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stickyricesisters/" target="_blank">@StickyRiceSisters</a>, or email at koyun@stickyricesisters.com.</em></p><p><strong><em>Office Depot OfficeMax has the solutions to help you <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/marketing/save-time-and-organize?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=org_na&utm_term=eff" target="_blank">organize & save time</a> & create the <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/multi-category/work-from-home?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=wfa_na&utm_term=pro" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">perfect workspace</a> to help craft your story. From <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/tul/N=5+971469?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=org_na&utm_term=eff" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">journals</a> to , Office Depot OfficeMax is your go-to for all business solutions.</em></strong> <em><em><strong></strong></em></em></p><p><em><em><strong><em><em>Head to </em><em><a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/marketing/selfmade-promo?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=lf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_prch_aq&utm_content=tea_na&utm_term=tea" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Office Depot's Selfmade page</a></em><em> to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last.</em></em></strong></em></em></p>
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