Archive for Halloween

Eerie Eyed Mint Cocoa

What You Need:

 

8 C of milk, divided

1 C mint chocolate chips

1 C instant hot cocoa mix

16 large marshmallows

16 Crows candies

16 lollipop sticks

 

How to Make It:

 

Pour 1 C of milk into a saucepan and place the pan over low heat.

Stir in the chocolate chips and hot cocoa mix.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the chips has completely melted.

Add the remaining milk and stir to blend in well.

Cook 5 minutes or until the milk is hot.

Cut a slit into the top of each of the marshmallows.

Insert 1 piece of candy into each of the marshmallows slits.

Insert 1 lollipop stick into the bottom of each marshmallow.

Pour the hot cocoa into mugs.

Place 2 of the prepared eyes into each cup just before serving.

 

Halloween can be a cold gloomy nigh and a cup of hot cocoa can really hit the spot.  All ages will get a kick out of these eerie cups of cocoa and they are one of the simplest Halloween treats to create.

 

Makes 8 servings

 

Preparation Time:  approximately 10 minutes

Cooking Time:  approximately 10 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 20 minutes

 


Tips for Planning a Trick-or-Treat Party that Doesn’t Cost a Fortune Part 2

Halloween is a fun time of year! It’s a time to think about costumes, carving pumpkins and just plain fun. A Halloween party is an alternative to the normal trick or treat. You can plan an inexpensive party for your child. From the invitation to saying your goodbyes at the end of a fun filled night, this article will give you affordable ideas for the perfect party.

The Internet has some inexpensive invitations that you can download for the price of the ink and paper. Choose a color that would fit the season or theme of your party. I would deliver or mail these invitations to arrive three weeks prior to the date of the party.

Costumes are a huge part of a successful party. If you choose a theme, such as Star Wars or Character theme, you want to put that on the invitation so people can dress accordingly. Choosing a comfortable costume is in your best interest. You can often find what you’re looking for at thrift stores. Throughout the year I look for white sheets, full skirts, old vests, boots, scarves and other things that I can put together to make easy outfits. Colored hair sprays, wigs and gloves are some things you will want to look for. With some planning you can easily make a costume that will be comfortable and cute.

Next comes feeding your guests. Whatever you choose, use key words in your recipes like Zombie Punch and Graveyard Chips with Blood Salsa. I make iced pumpkin bars and design black spiders on them. I call these Spider Bars. For Zombie Punch, I take one each of 12 oz frozen orange juice and limeade. Mix with half the water as the recipe calls for. Refreeze these into tubs. At party time put them frozen into a punch bowl and add key lime sherbet and 7-Up to taste. For Graveyard chips and Blood salsa, I buy blue corn chips and find a very chunky salsa.  

Tips for Planning a Trick-or-Treat Party that Doesn’t Cost a Fortune Part 1

Halloween is a fun time of year! It’s a time to think about costumes, carving pumpkins and just plain fun. A Halloween party is an alternative to the normal trick or treat. You can plan an inexpensive party for your child. From the invitation to saying your goodbyes at the end of a fun filled night, this article will give you affordable ideas for the perfect party.

The Internet has some inexpensive invitations that you can download for the price of the ink and paper. Choose a color that would fit the season or theme of your party. I would deliver or mail these invitations to arrive three weeks prior to the date of the party.

Costumes are a huge part of a successful party. If you choose a theme, such as Star Wars or Character theme, you want to put that on the invitation so people can dress accordingly. Choosing a comfortable costume is in your best interest. You can often find what you’re looking for at thrift stores. Throughout the year I look for white sheets, full skirts, old vests, boots, scarves and other things that I can put together to make easy outfits. Colored hair sprays, wigs and gloves are some things you will want to look for. With some planning you can easily make a costume that will be comfortable and cute.

Next comes feeding your guests. Whatever you choose, use key words in your recipes like Zombie Punch and Graveyard Chips with Blood Salsa. I make iced pumpkin bars and design black spiders on them. I call these Spider Bars. For Zombie Punch, I take one each of 12 oz frozen orange juice and limeade. Mix with half the water as the recipe calls for. Refreeze these into tubs. At party time put them frozen into a punch bowl and add key lime sherbet and 7-Up to taste. For Graveyard chips and Blood salsa, I buy blue corn chips and find a very chunky salsa.  

Fluffy Ghost Pops

What You Need:

 

1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips

4 1/2 t canola oil

40 large marshmallows

20 Popsicle sticks

1/2 C of orange sprinkles

1/2 C of black sprinkles

1 C of cashews, ground fine

 

How to Make It:

 

Line a baking sheet with wax paper

Place the chips and oil into a small microwave safe bowl.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds then stir until smooth.

If the chips have not completely melted return the bowl to the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring after each time, until smooth and creamy.

Place 2 marshmallows onto each Popsicle stick.

Toss the orange and black sprinkles together in shallow bowl.

Dip the marshmallows into the melted chocolate, covering them well and allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl.

Roll the coated marshmallows through the sprinkles, coating them well.

Roll them through the ground cashews.

Place the marshmallows onto the wax paper standing up.

Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour or until firm.

 

Kids will get a real kick out of these ghost pops.  Any type of ground nut can be used or can be omitted if you prefer.  If you can’t find black sprinkles use white or chocolate instead.

 

Makes 20 pops

Halloween Pumpkin Picking Part 2

The kids and I pick up gourds and squash that we find to be “totally cool” and everyone gets their fill. Some of these special finds are used for home decoration, end up at school in show and tell time and some go home with daycare children that we have. I pick up a few squash to cook, which at first was not real popular at our house with the kids, but now they find that the squash they pick is not really so bad (brown sugar and butter help a lot!)  

 

At the farm we visit, they also have pumpkins that are grown specifically for making pumpkin pies. I can tell you that at first I was not excited to make my very own pumpkin pie from scratch but making it a family project, we now find it is as fun as wrapping Christmas presents. The calendar alone told me that it was fall in September, but my sense of smell and the pumpkin pie baking in the oven is always my way of welcoming fall again every year.     

 

Often times we set the pumpkins out as a display for harvest or Halloween decorations because we don’t like to carve them too early. We find that in the last week before Halloween we carve the pumpkins and the children take them home.

 

We are so glad that we discovered this way to spend a great time together with the family. Choosing pumpkins from a pumpkin patch is much better than picking them from your local store market. Check around and see if you can’t find a patch and start your own family tradition.

Halloween Pumpkin Picking Part 1

If you have the opportunity to choose your Halloween pumpkins from a farm this fall, I would encourage you to do so.

 

The last ten years I have taken my children and grandchildren out to a local farm to pick out our pumpkins. They have a hay wagon loaded with hay bales that we sit on. As the farmer pulls out very slowly, we know that our fall journey has begun. We are on our way to one of the finest times we spend together every year.

 

We travel over often slightly bumpy areas of ground, past recently harvested cornfields to our patch. This is a time where we are all together with no other sounds but that of the tractor and anxious children. The country farm smells are delightful and the kids laugh gleefully as we near the fields of pumpkins lying ahead.

 

I’m not sure if it’s the fact that we can walk all over, through the pumpkin fields or if it’s the camaraderie of just being together and having fun, but we always pick out far more pumpkins than we need.