Halloween Party Spread

GRAVE DIGGER DIP: Place foil-covered cardboard inside of a loaf pan to resemble a coffin. Add activated charcoal to bread dough. Place the black dough in the loaf pan and let rise. Bake for 20 minutes at 350° F. Allow the bread to cool before carving to bread for it to look like a coffin. Empty the center of the coffin and fill with vegetable dip. Place the sliced vegetables around the coffin and replace the top.

ALL-SEEING APPETIZER: Place Ritz crackers on a serving tray. Use a large straw to make a hole in the mozzarella balls. Place a mozzarella ball on top of each cracker. Cut the olives in half and place inside each hole. Wrap each cheese ball with prosciutto. Decorate the platter with fake blood and spiders.

LIFE-LIKE RIBS- Make the "hearts" by blowing up small balloons. Lightly coat each balloon with Crisco and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the gelatin, cold water, and food coloring. Whisk well until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Dip each balloon in gelatin and place it on a drying rack. Let IT set for two hours, then dip again. Let set overnight. Once the gelatin is hardened and completely dry, pop the balloon and remove it. Place the ribs on a platter to resemble a ribcage. Garnish with salad. Fill the gelatin heart with barbecue sauce and place the heart in the center of the ribs.

SHRIMP-COCKTAIL BRAINS- Cover the small bowl with plastic wrap and fill with cream cheese. Chill, then de-mold the cream cheese onto a platter. Use a spoon handle to make a divot in the center. Cover the cream cheese to resemble a brain using slices of roasted red pepper and cooked shrimp. Brush the entire thing with cocktail sauce and pour more sauce into the divot. Fill the bottom of the dish with the rest of the sauce.

EMBALMING JELLY SHOTS- Place a gummy brain in each shot glass and set aside. Make the Jello shots by boiling 2 cups of water and 1 cup together with each flavor of Jello. Add 1 cup of vodka to each bowl and mix. Fill the shot glasses with Jello and chill to set. Decorate the serving platter with bloody handprints and fake spiders.