Blog Posts by Southern Living

Try these easy and inexpensive ideas for making children's Halloween costumes at home-no sewing required!
























More from Southern Living
Halloween Pet Costume Contest
Eerie Halloween Desserts
Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Ideas



Flower























1) Create the petals by cutting alternating pieces of orange and pink felt for the neck and waist. Attach petals, using hot glue, to two lengths of string that fit around your child's neck and waist.

2) Make the hat by gluing butterfly or flower shapes (we cut ours from colored construction paper) to a pink party hat.

3) Dress your child in a pink leotard and leggings, place strings of petals around waist and neck, and then add hat.

Related: 31 Creatively-Carved Pumpkins

Teapot























1) Cut out two doughnut-shaped pieces of cardboard to fit around your child's waist and thighs like inner tubes. Use hot glue to attach about 2 yards of red felt to cardboard pieces for the teapot. Add polka dots and ribbon "rim." Attach rickrack suspenders. Add a white cardboard

Spook up your Halloween party with these festive appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and more!

Main Dish: Mummy Dogs
Photo: Jennifer Davick























Ingredients
1 (11-oz.) can refrigerated breadstick dough
12 bun-length hot dogs
Wooden picks (optional)
Vegetable cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Unroll breadstick dough, and separate into 12 strips at perforations. Gently stretch each strip to a length of 8 inches.

Wrap 1 dough strip lengthwise around each hot dog. Secure with wooden picks, if necessary. Coat lightly with cooking spray. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. (If using wooden picks, remove before serving.)

(Watch Our How-To Video)

Related: 31 Creatively-Carved Pumpkins

Side: Deviled Green Goblin Eggs























Ingredients
6 cups hot water
1 (0.3-oz.) bottle yellow liquid food coloring
1/2 (0.3-oz.) bottle blue liquid food coloring
1/2 (0.3-oz.) bottle green liquid food coloring
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
12 large

Get crackin! Here are 9 easy pecan recipes you'll love to make again and again.

Bacon-Wrapped Figs with toasted pecans make for an easy yet impressive appetizer.
























1) Bacon-Wrapped Figs
Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together 1 (4 oz.) goat cheese log, softened, and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil. Cut 6 large fresh figs in half lengthwise. Place 1 heaping teaspoonful goat cheese mixture and 1 toasted pecan half on cut side of each fig half. Wrap 1 ready-to-serve bacon slice around each fig half, and secure with a wooden pick. Place figs on a wire rack in a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, and bake 6 to 8 minutes or until bacon is crispy and browned. Note: We tested with Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon.

2) Pecan-Cheese Crisps
Preheat oven to 400°. Stir together 1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans in a small bowl. Spoon cheese mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, forming mounds. Flatted each into a 2-inch round, creating an even thickness. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until

Stray away from the typical jack-o'-lantern look and get creative this year with these fun and festivepumpkin ideas!

1. Pumpkin Man
Why should your jack-o'-lanterns always be deprived of a body? Stack two pumpkins to give your display more presence. Carve the body to look like a shirt, and give jack a spiky hairdo.

Related: 10 Printable Pumpkin Carving Patterns

2. Fishy Pumpkin
Tuck a fishbowl into a gutted pumpkin, and fill with bottled drinking water (not tap water from the faucet, distilled, or deionized water.) Find creative props at the pet store. This tiny gravestone is perfect. Paint smaller pumpkins black, and stack them up to create a cat. Scrape away flesh to create eyes, and use discarded pieces of the orange pumpkin to make ears. Your fish friends will be purr-fectly frightened. Note: Replace about 20% of the water in your fishbowl with fresh bottled drinking water twice a week. As a bonus, the discarded water is great for plants. Avoid placing the bowl in direct sunlight,

If you like your tea sweet and cold, what about deep-fried? Watch Test Kitchen Professional attempt to fry this Southern staple.

Check out Deep-Fried Jack Daniel's, Pimiento Cheese, and more!

Don't waste time in the kitchen on game day! Make some of these no-cook recipes so all you have to do is pack and go!
























More from Southern Living
Game-Day Drinks
Unbeatable Burgers
Make-Ahead Tailgating Recipes

New South Jalapeño Pimiento Cheese SandwichesPhoto: Beth Dreiling Hontzas
























Ingredients
2 (8-oz.) blocks extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-oz.) block mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 (7-oz.) jars diced pimiento, drained
1 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1/2 cup drained picked jalapeño pepper slices

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preparation
Process first 3 ingredients, in batches, in a food processor 45 seconds or until well blended. Add pimiento and next 4 ingredients, and pulse 5 to 6 times or to desired consistency. Cover and chill up to 1 day. Serve with crackers or bread slices.

Related: Refreshing Fruit-Filled Cocktails

Italian Skewers























Ingredients
1 (8-oz.) block mozzarella cheese
16 (4-inch) Genoa salami slices
1

Slow cookers are great for making hearty meals the whole family will love. This easy chicken recipe takes only 20 minutes to prep. Leave the rest to the slow cooker!

Find more easy slow-cooker recipes!

Follow this game plan for delicious pregame grub, and watch guests huddle up near the food, whether you're at home or on campus. It's all easily transportable and can be made in advance, giving you more time to cheer on your team!

Mini Muffulettas
Photo: Jennifer Davick























Tailgate Tip: You can easily make these mini muffulettas the day before the game. Just assemble, place in zip-top freezer bags, and refrigerate overnight. Store-bought craft paper and simple twine make clever, team-inspired sandwich wrappers.

Mini Muffulettas
Ingredients
2 (16-oz.) jars mixed pickled vegetables
3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, chopped
2 Tbsp. bottled olive oil-and-vinegar dressing
12 small dinner rolls, cut in half
6 Swiss cheese slices, cut in half
12 thin deli ham slices
12 Genoa salami slices
6 provolone cheese slices, cut in half

Preparation
Pulse pickled vegetables in food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely chopped. Stir in olives and dressing.

Spread 1 heaping tablespoonful pickled vegetable