The question:
Dear Chef Mom: This year, we're having all the kids - and their parents - at our house for a Halloween party. Do you have some food ideas for us?

Chef Mom says:
The best part about Halloween parties is that the grown-ups have as much fun as the kids! Creepy hands and other silly stuff are amusing for partygoers of all ages. Other ideas play up the ghoulish side of the holiday, and aren't for everyone. (And thanks to some moms on the GeoParent.com message boards for ideas!)

Thrillers and chillers
Every good Halloween party needs a punch bowl. There are just too many cool things to do with the ice! (For the actual beverage in which to float the ice, try Phantom Punch or Party Fruit Punch.)

Some party divas recommend using a child's face mask to make a uniquely haunting ice cube. Line the mask with plastic wrap and fill the void with water and freeze. (I suggest placing the mask in a pan before you place it in the freezer, just in case you spill a bit.) After it has frozen solid, remove from the mask and take off the plastic wrap (run quickly under warm water if you need help releasing the wrap). You will be left with a face ice cube to float in your punch. Chilling!

Want something a little simpler (but no less fun)? Get some unlined, powder-free latex gloves and fill 'em up with water or juice. Secure the ends with twist ties and freeze them. When solid, take off the gloves, and put the freaky floating hands in your punchbowl.

Dinner winners
For supper time, you probably want something a little less sweet. Here are some ideas:

Put your pumpkin to good use - it can make a great centerpiece and serving dish! "You can make any kind of stew or chili, hollow out a pumpkin and fill with the chili," says Janelle, the mom of three. "Bake it all together just to bring out the pumpkin color and smell, and serve from the pumpkin."

For a ghoulish dinner, any "wormy" food is appropriate: spaghetti, chow mein - even ramen noodles or old fashioned chicken noodle soup! Pasta is good with "blood" (marinara) sauce or "bug blood" (pesto).

For more silly twists, you can serve "bugs" (black beans or olives) or "dirt" (sauteed ground beef, ground turkey and veggie burgers can play this role).

If you're dying for more weird and wacky recipes, click here - you'll learn how to make a "kitty litter" cake, "day old bathwater" punch and more.

Only human
Hot dogs can be cut to be "fingers" (and cocktail franks look like this already). Janelle says she has also made "hands" out of chicken breasts. "Pound the breast to flatten a bit, and then with a sharp knife cut strips partway down to look like fingers and a palm. Coat with whatever favorite coating and bake. Use barbecue sauce to add little 'fingernails' to the tips."

Hard boiled eggs (with the shells off and sliced in half around the middle) can, with the help of a little black olive slice, become "eyeballs." Stand them on a plate with the cut end down and they'll watch you 'til eaten.

Treats 'n' eats
You don't have to be a master chef to create a fun and festive Halloween cake. Your kids will love both the Goofy Spooks Halloween Cake and the Halloween Spider Poke Cake. Black Cat Cupcakes are easy to share.

Apples are a traditional fall fruit, and can seem extra special with the help of a little candy coating! Quick Caramel Apples, Candied Apples and Caramel Marshmallow Apples are all worth trying.

Do you need something to transport and give to a crowd? Try Halloween Crispy Rice Treats - they're great to bring to school or to serve at a Halloween party! Easy to make, even at the last minute. Halloween Popcorn Balls are also fun - and there's a fun variation, too: "Take plastic gloves (not latex) and put one candy corn in each of the fingers," says Amy. "Then fill the rest of it up with popcorn. It's a cute treat."

And yet more
Looking for more fiendishly clever ideas? Christi, a fantastically creative mom, suggests these festive tips:

• Shape your cheese ball like a pumpkin;
• Make a seven-layer dip on a round plate, and use bell pepper slices and scallion tops to make a cat face;
• Use a plastic cauldron for the chips;
• Make "Witches hat cookies" with a Oreo cookie and a Hershey's kiss - use icing to pipe around the kiss so it will stay attached;
• Use those peanut-shaped cookies (like Nutter Butters) - dip in white chocolate and use mini chocolate chips for eyes.

Trick or treat? No question here - your party will be a treat for everyone!