I had high hopes for putting a weird holiday recipe out there, but October really got away from me. We still have a couple more days until Halloween, so maybe I can squeeze in a batch of something before then?

In the meantime, I decided to go on a hunt for some old party recipes to entertain and inspire. I am very unlikely, in general, to ever throw any kind of actual party, so it made perfect sense to use my free time to explore the bygone world of home entertaining. Halloween is just the occasion to subject ourselves to horror and all manner of terrifying things. And the thought of planning and hosting any of the parties from the books below is truly frightening.

Dainty Hallowe’en Party Food

From Entertainments for All Seasons (1904)

This is the only Halloween menu I’ve found that includes cheese straws and Japanese cream cake, so of course they made the list.

Hallowe’en Spreads

From Catering for Special Occasions by Fannie Farmer (1911)

Hallowe’en Menu

From The Party Book by Winnifred Fales and Mary H. Northend (1912)

If I had to pick a favorite party book, this would not be it. The book is organized (mostly) by topic rather than holiday, so you have to jump around a lot to find what you’re looking for. It only has a handful of actual recipes, as it is more focused on decorations and activities. Still, the menu offers some cultural insight.

Hallowe’en Sunshine Cake and Lighted Ice Cream

From The Children’s Party Book by Marion Jane Parker (1921)

This book has three pages of Halloween menus, party games and recipes. It’s a great little resource for anyone looking for ideas for 1920s themed holiday and birthday parties.

Hallowe’en Frolic Menu

From “Dame Curtsey’s” book of novel entertainments for every day in the year by Ellye Glover (1921)

This book, like many party books, contains menus instead of actual recipes. Dame Curtsey offers some ideas for Halloween brownie parties, nut parties, fortunes, frolics, and even includes some photographs of some very…unique centerpieces.

Caramelized sweet potatoes

Menu description from The Art of Entertaining by Jean Walden (1927)
Recipe from Better Homes Recipe Book by Marjorie Mills (1926)

Tomato-Celery Salad

From The Silent Hostess Treasure Book by General Electric (1932)

The author noted that a Scalloped Oysters recipe was in the book, but this appears to have been a lie. So I’ve included her recipe for Tomato Celery Salad instead.

I did find a Scalloped Oyster recipe in another book called The Handbook of Recipes by Faith Lanman (1934):

Novel Suggestions for Hallowe’en

From Three meals a day at home: the Woman’s World book of home cookery for 1937

Here is a whole page of holiday magic, but Witch’s Treasure Chest has to be on my list for next year. Few things amuse me more than making off-putting historic food.

Jack O’Lantern Salad

From A good time at your party : party plans and games for all occasions by Helen Fisher (1941)

If you want to make the Jack O’Lantern Salad, use this 1940 recipe for Waldorf Salad from a book called Your Frigidaire recipes prepared by Home Economics Department, Frigidaire Division, General Motors Sales Corporation.

Hallowe’en Oranges and Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

From Easy does it! Shoppers’ Haven Party Cookbook by the National Council of Jewish Women (1956)

Peanut Punkins and Goblin Frosties

From Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book (1959)

1960 was a good cutoff date for this mini project, but I did find a strange party book from 1963 with some ideas for your next bible-themed adult Halloween party. It is not in the public domain, but you can borrow a digital copy here: Encyclopedia of Party Ideas for Adults

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Sources and Links

• Better Homes and Gardens. Holiday Cook Book: Special Foods for all Special Occasions. Des Moines, Meredith Pub. Co., 1959. https://archive.org/search?query=external-identifier%3A%22urn%3Aoclc%3Arecord%3A1035621120%22.
  
• [Dew, Louise E.]. Entertainments for All Seasons. New York: S. H. Moore & company, 1904. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7jq1v629
  
• Fales, Winnifred Shaw and Mary Harrod Northend. The Party Book. Boston: Little, Brown, and company, 1912. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112046508617.
  
• Fisher, Helen Stevens. A Good Time At Your Party: Party Plans And Games for All Occasions. New York: M. S. Mill co., inc., 1941. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/pst.000004369899.
  
• General Motors Corporation. Your Frigidaire Recipes. Dayton, Ohio: The Corporation, 1940. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112078505580.
  
• Glover, Ellye Howell. “Dame Curtsey’s” Book of Novel Entertainments for Every Day In the Year. 14th ed. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1921. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015091642176.
  
• Parker, Marion Jane and Helen Harrington Downing. The Children’s Party Book. Chicago: Rogers & Company, 1923. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112004498520.
  
• Farmer, Fannie Merritt. Catering for Special Occasions: With Menus & Recipes. Philadelphia: D. McKay, 1911. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t49p3sw0w.
  
• General Electric Company. The Silent Hostess Treasure Book, 5th ed. Cleveland, Ohio: General Electric Company, 1932. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951d010591678.
  
• Lanman, Faith. Handbook of Recipes, 11th ed. Columbus, Ohio: Faith Lanman Gorrell, 1934. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435072033988.
  
• Mills, Marjorie. Better Homes Recipe Book. Boston: Herald-Traveler, 1926. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924089587335.
  
• National Council of Jewish Women. Easy Does It!: Shoppers’ Haven Party Cookbook. Elkins Park, Pa.: National Council of Jewish Women, 1956. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433077428567.
  
• Wakefield, Ruth. Mrs. Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried And True Recipes, eleventh printing (revised). New York: M. Barrows & Company, inc., 1940.
  
• Walden, Jean. The Art of Entertaining. Minneapolis: The Buzza Company, 1927. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951001620302z.
  
• Woman’s World. Three Meals a Day At Home: the Woman’s World Book of Home Cookery for 1937. New York: Woman’s World, 1937. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435061586947.