I'm always on the look out for new recipes for hosting and entertaining that are EASY and IMPRESSIVE, and this Southern classic makes the top of my list.


Buttermilk Sage Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken
2 cups buttermilk
Salt
Vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh or dry sage

1. Toss chicken, buttermilk, and 1 tsp of salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high.
3. Mix flour, paprika, 1/4 tsp pepper in shallow bowl.
4. Roll pieces of chicken in flower mixture. Place into hot oil and fry until golden brown and completely cooked.
5. Sage can be added in the flour mixture with the paprika, or on top right after chicken has been removed from oil.

Flaxseed Waffles

Ingredients:
Whole wheat instant waffle mix
Flaxseed
Water or milk

1. Add waffle mix and flaxseed to bowl.
2. Add water/milk as directed, then add additional 1/2 cup (to balance out flaxseed--batter should be thin).
3. Cook as directed.

Bacon: Cook favorite thick cut bacon as directed.

Assemble waffles, chicken, and bacon. Drizzle with pure maple syrup.

This year we had the most fun Halloween party--a zombie prom! Here is everything you need to know to throw a killer zombie prom dance party!

1. The theme: We used black, red, and a bright green. This hand graphic became the symbol of the zombie prom. A zombie arm with an elegant corsage on it gave the right macabre feel.


2. The space: This year, we threw our Halloween party in a larger venue than normal. But, because of the prom theme, we were able to do some decor that wasn't too expensive. These balloon garlands were perfect because they made it feel very prom like, and the red was reminiscent of blood.

We made these garlands by blowing up balloons and threading fishing line through the tips of the balloons. Make sure to thread it through both sides so that the balloon hangs evenly.

Then we haphazardly wrapped the pillars of our venue in red streamers and zombie crossing caution tape (found this at the Dollar Store!).


Tulle and cheesecloth paired together make for some elegant/creepy vibes. We also used headstones, black flowers, and more balloons (with helium this time) to set the tone. The green balloons had little lights in them so they glowed.

3. The activities: We wanted mostly dancing to be happening, so that was our focus. We played songs that everyone could jam to, mixed with a few Halloween favorites. We also had a performance at the beginning by the BYU hip hop club to get the energy up, and in the middle of the event we taught the Thriller dance. Everyone really enjoyed learning it and dancing together! We had a dance off at the end to award zombie prom king and queen:


In addition to dancing, we had a few zombie games that we played on the patio:

Brain Toss: We took a brain gelatin mold and painted it red. Then we took some styrofoam heads and painted them so they looked like zombies. The objective of the game was to toss the brain on to the zombie head.



Eyeball Pong: We wrote number scores on some clear plastic cups and filled them with water and a few drops of green food coloring. We found some ping pong balls at the Spirit Halloween store that had eyeballs on them. Then we set up some tables and the objective was to see how many points you could get by bouncing the eyeballs into the cups.


Zombie Attack: We found these life size wall clings also at the Spirit Halloween store (for about $10). We put them up on a window and set out some nerf guns and darts. The objective was to hit as many zombies as you could and count up your points! Eyeball: 25 points. Head: 10 points. Arms/legs: 5 points. Everywhere else: 1 point.

4. The photo booth: People dress up for Halloween so they can show off their creativity and have fun, so obviously they will want some photos! Our photo booth consisted of white butcher paper (which came from our local party store) covered with red and black paint and a chalk sign from Target. We added the dripping blood at the top that we found at Spirit. Super cheap, easy, and creepy!



5. The lighting: Halloween calls for a spooky atmosphere. We had the lights limited to green and blue on the stage with this cool orange/red accent light. We also had strobe lights in either corner.


6. The ambience: Our particular venue for this party had a large chalkboard that spanned a wall and lots of TV screens. We used the chalkboard to reinforce the theme of the event (the zombie hand and corsage). Then on the TV screens, we showed zombie "news reports" (clips on YouTube of fake news reports covering zombie attacks). There was no sound on the TVs, but you could gather what was happening from the screen (the ticker at the bottom). It functioned as a mood element.


Here are a list of zombie attack news reports we referenced: