HALLOWEEN COCKTAILS WILL GIVE YOUR GUESTS A GOBLIN'S GLOW

Halloween cocktails can add just that right bite to your ghoulish gathering and party pours. Just remember to drink and serve responsibly and if you imbibe, don't drive!

BLOODY MARY

Although not strictly reserved for Halloween, this drink will make guests howl with delight.

6 oz. tomato juice
1 1/2 oz. of vodka
Juice of one lime wedge or 1/2 tsp. of lime juice concentrate
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
Salt and Pepper
Celery stalk, lime wedge and/or a slice of fresh red bell pepper
Pimento-filled Spanish olive halves, wholes or slices

Pour the tomato juice and vodka into a tall, ice-filled glass. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of Tabasco sauce (to taste). Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Stir and garnish with a celery stalk, lime wedge and/or a slice of fresh red bell pepper. For the creepy-crawlies, float a couple of Spanish olive slices or full olives so that it looks like your drink is looking back at you.

For the Virgin Mary version of this drink for tee-totalers and designated drivers, just skip the vodka.

BLOODY-TINI INGREDIENTS

With the proliferation of vampire movies, books and TV shows, why not try a Bloody-tini. Similar to a martini, this will appeal to "blood-suckers" in your group.

2 oz. acai spirits (VeeV makes an excellent brand)
1 oz, acai juice
1/2 oz. of fresh lime juice
Champagne to top the drink
Lime slice or acai berries

Combine the first three ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, strain and pour into the glass. Garnish with the lime slice or acai berries.

About the Acai Berries
The chocolate-tasting berries that look similar to a blueberry or cranberry comes from the acai palm. You can often find these in your natural food store but call ahead to make sure they have the berries and juice in stock.

BLACK CAT COCKTAIL

Superstition says that if a black cat crosses your path you're going to have bad luck. Not with this cat. You and your guests will be lucky to enjoy this tasty drink.

1 oz. cherry brandy
1 oz. vodka
cranberry juice
cola

Pour the cherry brandy and vodka into a tall ice-filled highball glass. Top the glass with equal parts of cranberry juice and cola. Add a little flair to your bartending skills and double-hand it by pouring the cranberry juice and cola at the same time.


HARVEST MOON

Now what's a Halloween without a glowing orange drink!

1 oz. cranberry juice
1 oz. pineapple juice
2 oz. lemon-lime soda
1 oz. Coconut rum

Fill a short highball glass with the chilled juices and soda and slowly slide the rum into the drink just before serving.


Remember, friends don't let friends drive drunk. Take their keys. Call a cab. Take them home. Put them in the guest room. You want your Halloween party to be memorable for the fun not because of an accident or tragedy.

GREAT COSTUMES FOR AN OFFICE OR POST-OFFICE HALLOWEEN PARTY

What's an appropriate costume for an office Halloween party? Or what do you do if there is a party right after work? Well the thing to remember is that you don't want to go too far out there. While suggestive costumes might be fine for the bedroom; they'll never be acceptable in the boardroom. And with the proliferation of camera-phones, you can easily find your picture blasted all over the internet, so it's better to be more conservative and keep your job.

Remember, too, that the outfit you choose should always be not only politically correct but sensitive to your co-workers and fellow citizens alike. So stay away from costumes such as a homeless person or an illegal alien (masks of which were recently pulled off of shelves).

Here are some ideas that will work well for office/work costume attire or for a quick change for a post-work party.

One of the best "office" attire costumes I ever saw was worn by Denzel Washington's lawyer character in the movie "Philadelphia." He wore a business suit with a lot of legal documents attached to it and went as a "law suit." Clever!

There are some very witty t-shirts available. I saw one once that said "This is my costume."

You also could easily wear a tropical print dress or shirt and when it's time for the party, add a lei and a beachcomber hat.

Western attire (denim and a plaid shirt) would work fine for the office. Then you just need to add a cowboy hat and boots and you're all set.

A pirate or fortune teller outfit is also easily attained with a flowing blouse and a peasant skirt which is perfectly appropriate for an office. Then just add a ton of beads, bracelets and a head wrap. The guys can wear an eye patch for a pirate and change into what was a great funny bit on a popular "Seinfeld" episode – a puffy shirt.

A team jersey can easily be worn over a pair of slacks. Wear a team hat, smear on team makeup colors and you can go as the ultimate fan.

Add an apron and pearls to a shirtwaist dress or a skirt and blouse and carry a rolling pin and you're Martha Stewart, Julia Child or Betty Crocker! For that matter, a man or woman could add a chef's jacket and hat and go as a chef.

Add a tool belt to a t-shirt and jeans and you are all set as a carpenter, handyman or plumber (butt-crack is NOT acceptablel).

Dig through your t-shirt collection and find one from a favorite amusement park or area attraction. You can wear this with your office pants or with a pair of plaid or khaki shorts (if they're acceptable attire in your office), sunglasses, sandals, a fanny pack, and a baseball cap. Hang a camera around your neck and stuff an amusement park brochure or an old airplane boarding pass into your pocket and go as a tourist.

Jeans, a white t-shirt and a denim or leather jacket is perfect for a '50s biker look. If you want, you can put on some temporary tattoos. While women can easily wear a full or pencil skirt and a sweater set with pearls for another version of a '50s character.

A lab coat and stethoscope will make anyone a doctor. Or wear a red-paint splattered (or fake blood available at any costume store or by mixing red food dye and light corn syrup) to a lab coat or long, white apron and carry a plastic knife. With that outfit you're either a butcher or with a mask, a psycho killer. Of course, these would be completely unacceptable if you're in the healthcare, law enforcement or life insurance field!

Add a pocket protector to a white dress shirt and tape up the center of an old pair of glasses and you're a nerd - computer or otherwise.

Dress all in black for work and then add a witch's hat and a wide belt for a not overtly sexy witch.

Remember, it's fun to step out of your own skin and take on a character. Just make sure that it's a character's costume you can defend when it comes time for your next job review.

It's Not Too Late to Plan a Halloween Party

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year making it the ideal time to plan a party. And, no, it's not too late to plan a celebration.

If you don't have the time and you do have the money, I'll be happy to share the name of some party pros to put everything together for you. Just write to me at PartyPlansPlus@aol.com and tell me what type of party pro you need and where you live and I'll send some recommendations.
However, if you do have the time and only a little money and are a DIY person, let me give you my thoughts on what you can do.

My FAVORITE store for all things affordable for Halloween or any party is Dollar Tree. There's probably one near you but if there isn't, you can go to http://www.dollartree.com/ to order their products.

I can spend HOURS in that store and find all sorts of things that I can use to create a great party. And best of all, since everything is a buck it's very affordable (and, no, I'm not getting paid to advertise for them, I just think they're a great resource).

Since it's getting a little late for sending invitations, an e-mail or phone invitation would probably work best. And there are services like http://www.evite.com/ that can add a little atomosphere to your invitation.

Let's get to the party.

There is no rule that says a Halloween party has to be strictly about a haunted house. In fact that's why we came up with our "Halloween Terror with a Twist" page which you can find at http://www.partyplansplus.com/partyplansplus.com/holidays/hallowtheme.htm.

The great thing about the ideas you'll find on that page is that you can incorporate party props from other celebrations you may have had in the past such as a western theme party, luau, beach party, '50s, '60's, '70s, fiesta or other theme party. Remember, recycling is good for the planet and your budget.

But let's say that you want to do a haunted house, here are some ideas to try.

Have a ceiling fan? Cover it with spider webs and suspend lightweight spiders from the blades and set it on low.

While you're at it, cover almost everything - especially corners - with spider webs. You can suspend with them straight pins. The pins will leave virtually invisible holes and won't damage your walls like many tapes will.

You can buy gauze fabric and tea-dye it, sheets from a thrift store, rolls of black plastic sheeting or drop cloths to cover your furniture. Or cover your dining chairs in oversized black leaf bags. Not only will it add to that haunted mansion look, it will help keep your couches clean.


Light your home entirely with candles - just be sure to keep them in places where they won't touch anything flammable, can't be jostled and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.


Don't have enough candleholders for taper candles. No problem. Just fill a glass or container with sand, kitty litter or pebbles to hold up the taper.


If you don't want to use all candles, colored light bulbs are affordable and will add an eerie effect. Or drape lampshades with a fabric or scarf to give a subdued glow.

Tuck holiday string lights behind furniture and behind curtains for a unearthly glow.

Dig through your family photo albums and find pictures of your great or great great grandparents. The way they took photos of unsmiling family portraits can be pretty creepy. Blow these up on a copier in a sepia tone and replace your artwork with the photos. Or dig around the Internet for uncopyrighted creepy photos.

Now for the food!

Make bony fingers by cutting finger shapes out of whole wheat bread. Cover in peanut butter and strawberry jelly. Use slivered almonds as finger nails.

Make hard boiled eggs. Cut them in half lengthwise. Add a slice of a green pimento olive to the center yolk and you have eyeball eggs.

Guacamole served in a cleaned out pumpkin or gourd will look like Pumpkin Puke. Grizzly but yummy!

Lady finger cookies with red fruit rollup finger nails will be a bloody sweet treat.

Red velvet cake with green icing decorated like a giant bug will have guests screaming for more.

Use dry ice in your punch bowl and trim the rim of the bowl with gummy worms.

Make diagonal slits in hot dogs and fill the slits with relish and ketchup to look like slithering snakes.

With just a little preparation and a few dollars you can host a Halloween party that will have guests talking about for years.

Hope it's a boo-tiful party!