Halloween Stories to Liven Up Your Halloween Party

One of the best activities to really bring out the spooky at a Halloween party if for everyone to sit around a candlelit room and tell their own scary Halloween stories, especially if these are true stories.
Most people have a scary Halloween experience that they like to tell, or a ghost story they wouldn’t mind sharing, and what better time to do this than at a Halloween party. If you and your guests don’t have enough Halloween or ghost stories to keep everyone entertained, you can always related some of the Halloween urban legends that have been making the rounds for years, such as the hanging dummy in the Halloween attraction that was a real dead person, or maybe even a real story, such as when the lady that was hanging from her tree for days, but since it was Halloween everyone thought it was just another Halloween prop.
With a little imagination you can turn any Halloween party into a true spooky event with scary Halloween stories.

Halloween Cooking

Halloween cooking has always been a tradition in our family. We always cook up special Halloween dishes and treats for this holiday. The main course has always been to cook up a big pan of chili, and some breadsticks that my mother always called skeleton bones. Then of course the candy apples, spiced cider etc.
Here is a recipe for your own homemade Halloween chili and skeleton bones.

Halloween Chili
2 tablespoons oil
4 pounds ground beef
4 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 bottles dark beer
2 cans whole tomatoes, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 cups cooked red kidney beans or 4 cans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add the beef and brown well, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and brown sugar to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Skim off as much fat as possible. Add the beans, return to a simmer, cover, and cook until thickened, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Serve with the cheese, green onions, and cilantro alongside as garnish.

Halloween: Skeleton Bones Bread
1/2 pk Frozen bread dough
1 tb Water
1 Egg, beaten
1 tb Poppy seeds

Instructions for Halloween: Skeleton Bones Bread
Thaw and let bread rise according to manufacturers instructions. Punch down dough; divide in half. Set 1 half aside. Cut remaining half into thirds. With 1 of the thirds, form head shaped like a light bulb. With scissors, cut eyes, nose and mouth. Place heat at end of greased 17x11-inch rimmed baking sheet. Shape second third into 3-inch long triangle; place, point down, below heat to form body. Divide remaining third of dough into 7 pieces; roll into sausages. Arrange 3 on each side of upper body for ribs. Use remaining piece for neck. Halve reserved dough. With 1 half, make 4 logs for upper and lower legs; attach to body. With two-thirds of the remaining dough, make 4 logs for upper and lower arms; attach at shoulders. With remaining dough, make 2 small and 2 large triangles for hands and feet. With scissors, make 4 cuts at broad ends of triangles for fingers and toes; attach to arms and legs. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Whisk egg with water; brush some over joints, pressing to seal. Brush entire skeleton with remaining egg wash; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in 375F oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Making a Halloween Prop Corpse

Here is some information about how to make your own Halloween Prop Corpse for your home haunt.

Make Gargoyle From Halloween Skeleton Prop

To make this gargoyle I bought a Halloween skeleton prop and put the flesh on it by mixing a mixture of monster mud, and glue with strips of cotton from cotton balls. After applying it in different locations around the skeleton, I let it dry. I also attached some horns that I had made, to the head, and used wire and sheer cloth to make wings, which I attached to the back.
After you have added several layers of flesh to the skeleton, and it has completely dried, you then stain it with wood stain. I used dark cherry wood stain. When this has dried you then spray the gargoyle with a clear coat finish to give it the glossy flesh look. Though in this picture the gargoyle is not hung up, this Halloween prop works great posed on top of a building or hanging from a tree.