Great Treats to Give Out on Halloween

Great Treats to Give Out on Halloween

If you are planning a Halloween party of any type, there is a good chance that food will be involved. However, with Halloween being a night of creeps and spooks, you might want to get a little more creative than the typical chips and dip. Here are some ideas for how to incorporate the themes of the season and the holiday into your kitchen.

Seasonal foods

Halloween comes at the end of fall, a time when there are plenty of fresh harvest items to enjoy. You can incorporate these into your Halloween dining for fresh, (and often inexpensive) delights.

One of the favorite Halloween traditions is the carving of the Jack-o-lantern. And as anyone who has ever carved a pumpkin knows, the glowing creation on your front steps on Halloween night leaves behind a pile of slimy pumpkin guts. However, you can use this pumpkin flesh to create delicious treats. Pumpkin cooks up well into pies, cookies, muffins, and soups that you can serve for your Halloween meal. And seasoned and roasted pumpkin seeds are a popular snack. You can always experiment with flavors to create your own delicious versions.

Another bountiful harvest item around Halloween is the apple. Apples work great fresh, candied, and baked into cakes, muffins, and pies. And of course there is always applesauce! If you are in need of some game ideas for your Halloween party, bobbing for apples has always been a long time favorite.

Other Treats

Of course, your ghouls and goblins are probably not thinking about healthy fruit when they are donning Halloween costumes. For many, Halloween is as much about the candy as it is about getting to dress up. So you will want to have plenty of sweet treats on hand as well.

Cookies are always a favorite with kids of all ages. You can use your favorite cookie dough flavor, and then shape it into fun Halloween shapes using cookie cutters. Bats, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns/pumpkins all work well for shaped cookies. Or, you can choose to decorate your favorite cookies using orange, black, and white frosting and/or sprinkles. If you are pressed for time, pre-shaped holiday cookies are often available at your local grocer.

If you are looking for another treat idea, popcorn is always fun. You can take your favorite popcorn ball recipe and fashion ghosts instead of balls. Add a few pieces of candy for eyes and a mouth, and you have a fun treat. Or, put fresh-popped popcorn into disposable plastic gloves, with a piece of candy at the finger tip, to create monster hands.

Getting creative
You can always turn your kid’s favorite foods into Halloween dishes with a little creativity. Food coloring can turn ordinary foods into creepy monster dishes. Decorate cupcakes with licorice legs and candy eyes to create spiders. Or simply get a little creative with how you serve everyday items to design your own spooky feast.

With a little work and a little creativity, you can come up with your own Halloween treats for your little tricksters.

George Foreman GFP84MP Evolve Grill 6-Serving Cupcake and Muffin Pan Insert Accessory

George Foreman GFP84MP Evolve Grill 6-Serving Cupcake and Muffin Pan Insert Accessory

• 1-Piece set: 6-portion cupcake and muffin pan insert fits easily into the deep-dish bake pan for cupcakes and muffins in a snap
• George Tough nonstick coating lets you cook without oil or butter, plus lets you wash the insert in the dishwasher for fast, simplified cleanup
• Extended plate handles let you easily set and remove the insert from the bake pan
• Compatible with the Evolve Grill series, Kitchen Bistro, and Next Grilleration G3, G4 and G5 grills (model numbers GRP4EMB, GRP4EP, GRP4EWS, GRP90WGR, GRP93G, GRP94WR); requires deep-dish bake pan
• Measures 14.8 by 7.3 by 2.04-inch; 3-year limited warranty

Expand the versatility of your George Foreman grill even more with our 6-portion cupcake and muffin pan insert accessory plate. The unique insert pan fits easily into the deep-dish bake pan to let you make 6 muffins or cupcakes directly on your grill. With our George Tough nonstick coating, you can cook without oil or butter, plus enjoy fast and easy cleanup in the dishwasher. The insert requires a deep-dish bake pan and is compatible with any Evolve Grill, Kitchen Bistro or Next Grilleration G5, G4 or G3 grill (model numbers GRP4EMB, GRP4EP, GRP4EWS, GRP90WGR, GRP93G, GRP94WR).

List Price: $ 19.99

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Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

It’s official, trendy cupcakes are “out” and Pie is “in”. Recessionary times cause people to look for comforts and nothing is as comforting as a sweet and delicious pie. Gourmet pie shops are popping up everywhere and people are realizing pie is not only the most comforting and soulful of foods but is also a perfect gift to give to anyone for any occasion.

Once deemed the quintessential Thanksgiving pie, homemade pumpkin pie is showing up everywhere and at any time of the year. In the fall when pumpkins are plentiful try your hand at making a pie from scratch with fresh pumpkin. If you decide to make a homemade pumpkin pie when pumpkins aren’t available simply buy the canned pumpkin which is also great. Also feel free to buy a pie crust and follow the instructions on the package if you don’t want to try making your own crust. This recipe for pie crust makes two-9 in. pie shells and the pumpkin pie filling is for one pie. Either double the filling to make two pies or you can freeze the extra crust for another day.

Pie Crust (for 6 tart shells or two-9 in. pie shells)

2 cups flour

1/2 pound butter, at room temperature

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients.

2. Mix the center ingredients with the fingers of one hand or a pastry blender until blended. Quickly work in the flour. Add a small amount of ice water if necessary to moisten the dough so it can be gathered into a ball.

3. Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill 1 hour. Roll out the pastry, fit it into the plates and bake on the bottom shelf of a preheated 450 degree F oven until brown about 15 minutes.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling

Pastry for 1-crust pie

2 large or 3 small eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

2 cups pureed cooked pumpkin

1 1/2 cups milk, half-and-half or evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Prepare the pie shell with a fluted standing rim. Brush lightly with egg white or shortening.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Beat the eggs with the sugar, molasses, salt and spices until well blended. Add the pumpkin and milk and mix well. Adjust the seasonings.

4. Turn the mixture into the prepared crust and bake on the lower shelf of the oven 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 400 degrees F and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, or about 30 minutes longer.

Besides being so delicious and comforting, homemade pumpkin pie is lower in calories than most pies. A slice of pumpkin pie is normally only 320 calories. Compare that to pecan pie which is around 500 calories per slice and pumpkin pie looks a whole lot sweeter. Also pumpkin pie is loaded with Vitamin A and has Vitamins B and C!

 

If You Care Mini Baking Cups, 90-Count Packages (Pack of 24)

If You Care Mini Baking Cups, 90-Count Packages (Pack of 24)

• Mini Baking Cups perfect for mini-cupcakes and bite size muffins
• 100% unbleached greaseproof paper, 100% recycled unbleached cardboard
• No added chlorine; no toxins
• Microwave safe; oven safe to 45ooF/2400C

If You Care Environment Friendly Products, Jumbo Baking cups. Mini Baking Cups perfect for mini-cupcakes and bite size muffins.

List Price: $ 33.36

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A Princess Birthday Party Invitation is Sure to Excite Your Child’s Party Guests

A Princess Birthday Party Invitation is Sure to Excite Your Child’s Party Guests

Princess Party Invitations Any Little Girl will Adore for their Birthday Party Celebration

In Walt Disney’s Cinderella, remember when the duke hand delivered the invitation to the ball and the stepsisters nearly drew blood trying to read it? Okay, so maybe you don’t want that exact reaction to your little princess’ birthday party invitations, but excited anticipation would be nice. With some planning, a wonderful party is easy to achieve.

The reason for the party is obvious – there’s a birthday – and little girls love to add a theme to their celebration. Not all parties are Disney related or festooned with marketing, but a good princess party can get a huge stamp of approval from young girls.

The party invitation sets the tone for the princess’s birthday as a magical and fanciful event. Announcingit.com has a great selection of kids birthday party invitations and some playful, whimsical or elegant princess invitations.

After choosing the invitation that best reflects the mood or theme of your party, parents must decide on the wording for their invitation. In general, it is cute to include a little poem that features the birthday theme, but a word of caution, do not make it so trite and tired that it loses its charm.

Important details to include on the invitation are the birthday girl’s name and birthday age. It makes it easier for some people who want to buy a specific gift that is personalized or memorializes her age. Also necessary to include is the address of the party, the duration, and basic info about food (such as will there be full meal or cake and ice cream.) Additionally, a phone number and an RSVP date should be included to allow the guests to ask any follow up questions and reply in a timely fashion. Additionally, if guests are invited to dress up in princess attire, include that on the invitation.

For food, be careful as food allergies are so common it is courteous to double check with parents for any sensitivities. In general pizza is a delicacy for this age group. Letting the kids make their own requires bravery and nerves of steel (not to mention a large investment in paper towels), but they are more likely to eat food that they help make. You can use pita pockets as the crust and have several toppings out to allow kids a variety of yummy choices.

To stay with the princess theme, serve sparkling cider or sparkling grape juice in plastic wine glasses. Your guests will love feeling grown up and fancy toasting each other with their ‘champagne.’

The princess party theme provides limitless list of possible activities. As younger girls love making crafts and hands-on activities, you cannot go wrong with a simple art project. A fun project is making magic ribbon wands.

You will need:

¼ inch or ½ inch dowels cut to about 18 inches in length (one for each girl)
Silver paint or whatever colors you would like the dowels to be
Several lengths of pretty ribbons about 18 inches in length
Stickers to decorate the wand
Larger beads to string on the ribbons

The day before the party, paint the wands to the desired color and let them dry. During the party, let guests chose the ribbon they like and tie/glue it on to the dowel. Allow the guests to decorate their wands with stickers and embellish the ribbons with beads.

It wouldn’t be a birthday party without a cake, candles and singing. A hot trend is using gourmet cupcakes instead of a cake. What’s not to like! Cupcakes are just fun and cute. Chocolate or vanilla may be this crowd’s favorite. An added bonus of cupcakes is no fighting over who has a larger slice and no cutting involved.

After the party, every princess should express their gratitude and learn how to write, or at least help write, thank you notes. Writing thank you notes is a habit we should all practice. Write them soon so the party is still fresh in your child’s mind and making a connection from the gift to the person is easier.

The options are limitless for little girl’s birthday parties, so have fun during the planning as well as the party. They also allow you, as host, to relive your childhood while watching the little princesses frolic and enjoy the special day.

San Francisco Cake Moda Cupcake Wars at Crush Barrel Wine Market

Shot entirely on an iPhone 4! The Bay area’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: Cash Prizes and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes and win the title Bay Areas best Cupcakes. Cupcake categories: Professional and Amateur. Cupcakes will be reviewed by 5 judges, and the audience will vote for their favorite. Judging Criteria: best overall cupcake design, most creative use of ingredients, most likely to be eaten, best use of theme, and best overall taste.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Solid Red Glassine Baking Liners Cupcake Muffin Cups 75 count

Solid Red Glassine Baking Liners Cupcake Muffin Cups 75 count

• Greaseproof paper
• Standard Size 2″ base 1-1/4″ wall
• 75 count (approx)

made of greaseproof paper
uses a standard size cupcake or muffin tin

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How to Keep Your Kids Entertained

How to Keep Your Kids Entertained

All parents have found themselves with their hands in their hair trying to figure out new ways of keeping the kids entertained and out of mischief. Kids are a great blessing and they give meaning to our lives, they can however also drive us mad at times. In this article we will be taking a look at some fun activity ideas for young children.

Kids Cooking Activities

Learning to cook helps kids to learn about nutrition and healthy eating
It boosts their self esteem
Kids will eat what they helped to make
This activity will create family time and bonding
Cooking teaches kids how to plan and make choices
You can be creative and design fun recipes that the kids will enjoy
This activity will keep the kids occupied for a while

 

Menu Ideas

Homemade ice cream
Cupcakes topped with different coloured icing
Fruit kebabs
Toffee apples
Popcorn
Animal shaped biscuits

 

Playing Games

Children use games to learn
Games help children to work through difficult situations
Games allow children to acquire new skills
Kids invent their own games and it improves their decision making abilities
Kids learn how to interact in a group through playing games
Name and theme games are very educational

 

Games to Play

Hide-and-Seek or variations of it
Scavenger hunt
Games with balloons – fun activity for a hot day
Using clay to make sculptures
Games with marbles
Tag and variations of it

 

Using Kids Play Rugs

Kids area rugs are a great way of entertaining your kids
Kids learn while they play
There are hundreds of themes to choose from
Kids rugs can be used for fun group games
You can use them indoors or outdoors
Play rugs are kids safe
It creates a cozy, inviting and fun place to learn and play

 

Play Rugs to Choose From

Puzzle mats
Where in the World rugs
Tiny Town rugs
State themed rugs, e.g. California rugs, Texas rugs
Maps that Teach rugs
Where to Go street rugs
Alphabet rugs
Numbers rugs

 

Promoting Literacy at Home

Read aloud to your child daily
Choose a quiet time to read to your kids
Choose a comfortable reading area
Let the kids choose the book that you should read
Make sure that the kids can see the pictures
Allow the kids to turn the pages

 

It is very important that we as parents invest time and money in our kids and provide them with love, security and support so that they can grow up to be the best that they can be. There are low cost options available when we are looking for fun and educational activities for our kids. Cooking or baking, fun games, playing on childrens rugs and reading books are not expensive and should form part of your kids activity planning.

How to Ease into Vegan Desserts

How to Ease into Vegan Desserts

How to Ease into Vegan Desserts

Nowadays there are more people who are choosing to become vegan because of the health benefits or after recognizing the cruelty of the egg and dairy industry. Being a vegan means that you choose not to eat meat, poultry, fish, all dairy products, and eggs. This can pose some problems for vegans who want to eat desserts because traditionally many desserts are made with milk, eggs, butter, and/or honey. However, you can still have your cake and eat it too if you follow these steps to gradually change to your new lifestyle.

Step 1: Buy packaged vegan desserts. It can be overwhelming to learn how to cook an entirely new diet overnight. You might also have visions of unappetizing brown blobs that will be smashed once you try an Uncle Eddie or Alternate Baking Company cookie.

Step 2: Try a new vegan dessert every week. You might be surprised that often times the vegan choice tastes better.

Step 3: Replace the milk in your home with rice milk, soy milk, or almond milk if you love to wash down your desserts with a tall cold glass of liquid. There are many different flavors of milk including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and plain. With all the different choices, you can pick one that you love, maybe even a bit more than you loved cow’s milk.

Step 4: Encourage your family to join your efforts. Even the strongest willed person can be sabotaged by a non-vegan cupcake.

Step 5: Pick a date to go vegan in advance of the time when you plan on actually doing it. Give yourself at least two weeks’ notice and write the date on your calendar.

Step 6: Stop buying desserts with dairy and egg products in them two weeks before you have planned to go vegan.

Step 7: Explore baking your own vegan dessert creations. You might realize that you are opening yourself to more freedom because you will be trying all kinds of desserts that you never thought of trying before.

Step 8: Enjoy!

Check out VeganBakingSecrets.com for yummy vegan recipes, baking tips and, of course, more about vegan desserts!

Golda’s Kitchen Cupcake Insert – Mini – Holds 12 – 10 pack

Golda’s Kitchen Cupcake Insert – Mini – Holds 12 – 10 pack

• This reversible cardboard insert securely holds 12 mini cupcakes in place inside a cake box and…
• Pack of 10
• Capacity: 12 mini cupcakes
• Color/Pattern: White on one side; kraft (natural) on the reverse
• Dimensions: 10″L × 10″W

This reversible cardboard insert securely holds 12 mini cupcakes in place inside a cake box and prevents them from tipping over or touching one another. Each hole in the insert is 1¾”Dia, with finger holes to allow the cupcake to be easily removed from the insert without disturbing the icing or decorations.
Fits inside a 10″ × 10″ cake box.
Pack of 10
Size: Mini
Color/Pattern: White on one side; kraft (natural) on the reverse
Capacity: 12 mini cupcakes
Dimensions: 10″L × 10″W
Materials: Cardboard
Product of United States
For cupcakes to be held securely in place, baking cups should be filled ¾ full with batter.
NOTE: Cake box sold separately

Price:

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