But on Halloween there are no rules about what to serve - or how. It's a chance to be creative - and a little bit disgusting - with your food.

This year Halloween falls on a Friday, which means the whole weekend can be full of ghoulish fun. On Friday, let the kids trick-or-treat and play games. Designate Saturday for the adult festivities.

Here are some recipes and tips we've gathered to help make Halloween a "spooktacular" celebration for all ages.

Small tykes

Keep things simple, says Michelle Simpson with Culinary Concepts Catering in Cache Valley. Take foods that you know kids love and give it a scary name.

» Canned black olives stuffed with cream cheese become cat eyes; a bowl of Jell-O becomes brains.

» Dip a large pretzel stick in peanut butter and then fan out pieces of licorice string, making it look like a witch's broom.

» Try this scary twist on the grilled cheese sandwich, published in the September/October issue of Cooking with Paula Deen. Cut 24 slices of pumpernickel bread into circles using a 3 -inch cookie cutter. Cut eyes and mouth of a jack-o'-lantern face on 12 of the circles. Spread each plain round of bread with ranch dressing, top with cheddar cheese and cover with one of the jack-o'-lantern faces. Grill until cheese is melted.

» Freeze gummy worms or plastic spiders in ice cubes for "scary" drinks.

Hallow-teens

They've outgrown trick-or-treating, but they still love a good scare with a scary movie marathon.

» As everyone arrives, play the name game. Pin the name of a famous monster or Halloween character on each person's back and have them ask yes/no questions until they guess their identity.

» Serve spicy "bat" (chicken) wings, deviled eggs and vegetables with green "vomit dip" (artichoke or spinach dip). Serve punch in a witch's caldron with dry ice.

» Before the movie, play a few games such as pumpkin bowling or miniature "pumpkin" golf. (Hit a golf ball into the mouth of a jack-o'-lantern. You'll have to build a cardboard ramp to make this work.) More Halloween game ideas are online at pumpkinnook.com/hween.

» Put teens in teams and have them race to build a scarecrow using old shirts, jeans and hats.

Family affairs

» Celebrate with a slow-cooker potluck, suggest the editors at FamilyFun.com. Transform your garage into a creepy setting complete with motion-activated skeletons and scary music. Have each family bring a dish as well as Halloween candy - making it one-stop trick-or-treating.

» Serve soup or a casserole in a pumpkin shell. (See recipe below.)

» Do all those "old-fashioned" fall activities like bob for apples or plan a scavenger hunt.

Adults only

» Have a "Costumes & Cocktails" soiree. Pick a theme for your costumes: 1980s, movie stars or famous couples.

» Have a ballot, let everyone vote for their favorite costume and give prizes for the funniest, scariest, most original.

» Bloody Marys are the most obvious cocktail to serve. But there are dozens of possibilities, including the Jack-O'-Lantern, which looks just like a pumpkin or a black martini, but uses blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur instead of vermouth. Both recipes, from cocktails.about.com, are published below. This time of year there also are many Utah microbreweries offering harvest and pumpkin ales. Don't forget to offer some nonalcoholic choices for your designated drivers.

Kathy Stephenson writes about food and dining. Contact her at kathys@sltrib.com or 801-257-8612.

Casserole in a pumpkin shell

1 (8 to 10-inch) pumpkin or squash

2 pounds ground beef

4 potatoes, cubed or grated

3 carrots, grated

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/3 cup chopped green olives, optional

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can tomato soup

3 eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees. For the pumpkin, cut out a lid as you would for a jack-o'-lantern. Remove seeds and strings from inside of pumpkin. Put the lid back on pumpkin. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Pumpkin should remain firm.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium heat, cook ground beef until browned. Add potatoes, carrots and onion. Cook until vegetables are tender. Mix spices, tomato soup and eggs. Blend well. Pour over meat and vegetables mixture. Mix until combined.

Pack the filling inside baked pumpkin. Cover with the pumpkin lid and return to oven. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The last 20 minutes of baking, remove lid, stir the filling well. Continue baking, uncovered, 20 minutes longer.

Remove from oven. Place pumpkin on a platter. When scooping out filling, scrape some of the pumpkin from the inside of the shell.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Source: Celebrate the Seasons

The Jack-O'-Lantern

This cocktail looks like a pumpkin when garnished correctly, perfect for Halloween.

1 ounce cognac, (Hennessy VSOP suggested)

1 1/2 ounces orange juice

1/2 ounce ginger ale

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

Orange wheel and lime twist for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake well. Strain into a glass over ice. Float an orange wheel topped with a lime twist on top.

Makes 1 drink

Source: www.cockatils.about.com

Black martini

This is one of the best cocktails for a Halloween party. It replaces the traditional vermouth with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur, although the brandy is the best choice.

3 1/2 ounces gin or vodka

1/2 ounce blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur

Lemon twist or black olive for garnish

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or serve on the rocks in an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or black olive.

Makes 1 drink

Source: www.cockatils.about.com

Creamy gelatin eyeballs

14 candied cherries, sliced in half

28 dried blueberries

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 of one vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, discarding shell

Place a blueberry in the middle of one of 28 truffle candy molds or cups. Place one cherry half, cut side down, over each blueberry.

Set aside. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cream and gelatin. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine remaining 1/2 cup cream, sugar and scraped vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin mixture, whisking until smooth. Strain. Pour mixture evenly into prepared molds. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Gently unmold, loosening with your finger. Invert onto a serving platter.

Makes 28 eyeballs

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen, Sept./Oct. 2008

Barbecue pit deviled eggs

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved

4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) cream cheese

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

1/3 cup minced dill pickles

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or to taste

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced parsley

Carefully remove yolks and put into the bowl of a food processor. Add cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, barbecue sauce and vinegar. Process until smooth.

Add garlic, onion and pickles. Pulse to blend. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Add 1 tablespoon parsley and pulse to blend.

Spoon or pipe mixture into egg whites and sprinkle parsley over eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 24 eggs

Source: Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes from Simple to Sassy by Debbie Moose