Halloween is the perfect holiday to get creative in the kitchen. Whether you need themed appetizers for a Halloween bash, want a holiday-inspired main dish for a small dinner party or desire sweet treats to sink your teeth into, these recipes will help you out.

Ghastly Guacamole
Start your Halloween get-together off right with this horrifying dip and chip combo. This spicy homemade guacamole with black beans looks like swamp goop, and serving it with blue corn chips makes it all the more sinister. If you’re feeling extra adventurous or hosting a zombie party, serve this appetizer in a de-stemmed cauliflower. Brains never looked so good — to eat.
Ingredients

• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno chile, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2-3 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf cilantro, chopped
• Blue corn tortilla chips, for dipping
• 1 head cauliflower

Directions

1. Combine the beans, salt, onion, garlic, jalapeno, chipotle and lime juice in a bowl. Mash the avocados and stir into the bean mixture with the cilantro.
2. Remove all the leaves from the cauliflower and remove the stem, leaving a hollow area with the outer part of the head intact.
3. Place the cauliflower in a small, shallow bowl (for stability) so that the hollow is facing upwards. Fill with the guacamole dip and serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

Pasta with pumpkin sauce
What’s October without pumpkins? We all know about pumpkin pie, but the versatile vegetable is just as delicious when used in a main dish. This pumpkin sauce is quick and easy to make, and it’s a change up from regular pasta sauce. If you’re having a Halloween dinner party, this would make a great main course.
Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette or conchiglie (shell-shaped) pasta
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and more for serving

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat some olive oil and add the onion, garlic and sage. Cook over moderately low heat until the onion is softened, about seven minutes. (Optional: transfer the mixture to a food processor until smooth, then back into the pan.)
3. Add the pumpkin puree, salt and pepper, mascarpone and parmesan. Add a little of the pasta cooking water and mix gently. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce in the pan, or serve the pasta and add the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy.

Bleeding Vampire Cupcakes
We know vampires are hot; “Twilight,” “Vampire Diaries” and “True Blood” have seen to that. So what better way is there to impress your Halloween guests and join in on the bloody fun than by making vampire cupcakes? These cupcakes are filled with jelly, which will give your friends a fun surprise when they bite into the sweet treat.@@Eww, Twilight reference!@@
Ingredients

• 12 to 24 cupcakes from your favorite white cupcake recipe
• 1 jar of smooth strawberry jelly
• 1 jar white frosting (or your favorite homemade white frosting recipe)
• You will also need: 1 paring knife (small knife with plain sharp edge), toothpicks
• Optional: black sprinkles

Directions

1. Bake the cupcakes using your favorite recipe.
2. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a paring knife to cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, about two-thirds of the way in. Trim off the pointy end of the cone and discard, leaving the flat top of the cupcake. Using a spoon, add the strawberry jelly into the hollow space, then place the top of the cupcake back in place to hide the “bloody” filling. Repeat for each cupcake.
3. Frost the cupcakes to erase the evidence of cutting them open.
4. Using a toothpick, stab each cupcake twice to give the appearance of fang marks. Then dip the toothpick into some of the leftover jelly to decorate the holes with dripping “blood.” Add sprinkles if desired.