The sweetest day of the year is almost here. So whether
you’re hosting a costume party, attending a friend’s pumpkin carving
get-together, or just taking the kids out and about the ‘hood—we’ve gathered
some tricks (for what to do with all that leftover candy!) and treats (for
entertaining) that the whole family is sure to devour. —
FESTIVE TREATS
Hosting a spooky soiree? Babble has put together a list of 35
Spooktacular Halloween recipes for kids. Try the delectable Frankenstein
Baked Peppers for a healthy, endearing twist on its scary counterpart. And
the Tentacle
Pot Pie—what could be more adorable? Don’t forget to throw in some sugary
goodness with Creepy,
Crawly Spider Cupcakes or Halloween
Cake Balls. With 35 choices, you’ll have an entire party spread ready in no
time!
To get everyone in the spirit, you can also create a full menu from start to finish with
Food Network’s Kid-Friendly
Halloween Bash, courtesy of the Network’s famous chefs. Begin with Cheese
Ball Goblins and Carrot Fingers with Ranch Dressing for the horrors
d’oeuvres while kids sip on Spooky
Punch. Next up is the main course: Paula Deen’s Snake
Bites. And what Halloween dinner would be complete without five different
dessert choices? The Ghastly
Meringues and Whoopie
Pumpkin Pies look scarily scrumptious to us.
Take the Pumpkin Challenge with Kelsey Banfield, creator of
the Naptime Chef and one of our Yummy Delicious bloggers. This week, Kelsey
encourages everyone to cook or bake at least one delicious pumpkin dish. Her
mouthwatering recommended recipe is Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting—perfect to
take to a Halloween school bake sale or a neighborhood party. And in keeping
with the cupcake theme, MarthaStewart.com has compiled 16 ideas for everything
from a spooky Vampire
Bat Cupcake to a menacing Little
Devil Cupcake (which is actually pretty darn cute).
For a less sugary snack that probably won’t require a trip
to the dentist, try Carla Sullivan’s amusing and easy idea. Carla is also a
Yummy Delicious blogger and the brains behind MiniMunchers.com. “I’m
not sure where we picked this recipe up, but we use an apple corer and core
green apples,” Carla says. “Taking two slices of apples the same color, you
slather creamy peanut butter on one side each. Then in between the peanut
butter, arrange five to seven candy corn like teeth. It’s a fun vampire jaw for
a kid’s party.”
Looking to keep the festive fare on the healthy side? Here’s our own round-up featuring everything from spooky flatbread to simple, salted pumpkin seeds.
CANDY TRICKS
Your kids come back with gobs and gobs of candy after a
night out of trick-or-treating. Now, you’ll let them eat most of it, but let’s
not induce a sugar coma here. When they get burnt out on Twix bars or
Peppermint Patties, here are some brilliant dessert
ideas you can make with all of the leftover sweets.
Ever heard of the Candy
Corn Debate? Alison, a blogger on Etsy, argues that the best part of
Halloween is the candy, not the costumes (“Costumes are merely a vehicle to get the candy,” she writes. “Never forget
that.”). However, Alison doesn’t love all candy, and the thought of candy corn
is detestable to her. Read her hilarious post, and join in on the conversation!
What’s your most disliked candy?
Brett Singer of Babble has assembled what he believes are the
25
All-Time Greatest Halloween Treats. He calls Raisinets healthy because they
have “fruit” and Gummy Snakes awesome for the “ewww” factor. Take a look at Brett’s
list and see if you agree. Some of our favorite candies that weren’t included
are classic chocolate M&Ms and Snickers — you can never go wrong with
chocolate, and there’s no such thing as too much!
So, follow these tips and tricks to make Halloween sweeter
and spookier than ever. Wee witches and ghosts will be “goblin” up your homemade
treats in no time.
