Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts

Sunday, October 5, 2014

fun finds: the best halloween costumes of the year


the time has come to shop for halloween costumes (my favorite). i love shopping on etsy for the uniqueness and creativity......plus, you get to support a small business owner.....a win-win in my book.  here are my picks for best halloween costumes of the year:

















































what are your kiddos going to be for halloween this year?


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

diy: carving forever pumpkins

halloween is just days away. just tonight my kids carved their real pumpkins up for our front porch. while i love the traditional pumpkin carving, i also love the idea of having fake pumpkins specially carved for use every fall. my parents are the experts in this category and have carved "forever pumpkins" for each of their grandkids. 

this year i have seen these popping up everywhere. several businesses are now charging quite a bit to make a custom pumpkin of your own. if you go purchase the fake pumpkins (most likely on sale at the end of halloween season), some inexpensive stencils and a carving knife, you can make these for yourself at a fraction of the cost. the steps are simple and the results are adorable. 



the steps for making a forever pumpkin: 


  1. purchase hollow, fake pumpkins, 3 inch stencils and a hot knife (pictured).
  2. stencil the letters or drawings on the pumpkins.
  3. use the narrow, sharp blade of the tool. carve out your letters being careful not to create a narrow space that will break off. (this means that you may have to adapt some of the letter shapes.)
  4. cut off the lid of the pumpkin. clean out the pieces inside. use a small battery operated votive candle to light the inside of the pumpkins. 
  5. enjoy!

this heated carving tool can be found at most craft stores.


needed tools

finished pumpkin

Monday, October 31, 2011

mmmmm mondays: leftover halloween candy bar meltaways

looking for something to do with all of the leftover halloween candy you will have? with all of the candy that your kiddos collected? this is the perfect recipe for you. it is not only easy, but delicious. enjoy!



ingredients:
14 ounces refrigerated cookie dough (chocolate chip (shown), sugar cookies, etc.--pick one)
13 (18 g) fun size candy bars
1/2 cup crushed golden grahams cereal
1/2 cup pecans, (or favorite nuts) chopped (optional)

directions:

heat oven to 375°
break up cookie dough into ungreased 9 x 13" baking pan.
press in bottom to form crust.
bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
remove partially baked crust from oven.
arrange candy evenly over crust.
return to oven -- bake an additional 3-4 minutes or until candy softens.
meanwhile in small bowl, mix cereal and pecans.
remove pan from oven, with spatula or knife, quickly spread candy evenly over crust.
sprinkle evenly with cereal mixture pressing in slightly.
cool 30 minutes or completely cooled.
cut into bars.


**do you have any other recipe favorites that involve leftover halloween candy? please share with us in our comments! **

Monday, October 17, 2011

mmmmm mondays, toasted pumpkin seeds




fall is one of my favorite times of year (not that we get to experience it much in southern california). i love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins, deciding on the *perfect* face to carve on my pumpkin.....and best of all is toasting the pumpkin seeds. alright, i will admit it. i am not a big fan of digging through all of the goop and slime to harvest the seeds....but the end product puts a smile on my face every year. heaven. 


toasted pumpkin seeds



directions
  1. preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (this is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
  3. spread the pumpkin seeds on a medium baking sheet. drizzle with oil. sprinkle with salt.
  4. bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted.
  5. let cool and store in an air-tight container.




above is for the "classic" toasted pumpkin seeds. they are my favorites.....but below are some fun variations on the classic that are super tasty as well--enjoy!



ginger soy
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

brown sugar and spice
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

pumpkin pie

  • 6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar, divided







Wednesday, October 12, 2011

halloween costumes...the horror!


i love the fall. i love to decorate for the fall. my house is currently full of pumpkins. some people love to decorate for halloween. i'm not one of them. my decorations have to last until i pull out the christmas decorations (this usually happens before thanksgiving.) still, somehow i have gotten caught up in the throws of dressing up my kids for halloween. i don't just let them pick out a costume. no, i let them pick out a costume as long as it fits into my pre-picked theme. i can see the years of therapy lining up already.

last year, my kids were all characters from "the chronicles of narnia..."prince caspian, king peter, lucy, the baby was the lion. seriously...so stinking cute. i have had friends dress their baby up as a bee and then get little bee keeper costumes. this year it was going to be "star wars." they could pick any character i could buy as a costume. can't you just see it...a little ewok, boba fett, princess leia, master yoda. i had it all planned out and, miraculously, the kids were happy to play along.

then i looked at how much this little venture would cost me. i was looking at close to $150.00 for one night. that's when i decided my obsession was a bit ridiculous. it is dark when my kids "trick-or-treat." no one notices how cute they are except for me and while the cuteness does bring me a bit of joy, so does buying them winter clothing.

so, this year i've gone practical. i'll have one boba fett, two characters recycled from last year's "narnia" and one recycled dinosaur from three years ago. it won't be coordinated but it will be affordable and for one night of candy swapping, i think that's the smarter move. i think that matching costumes might be one of those luxuries i have to give up while having a big family. what about you? to match or not to match...i'd love to hear your stories.

Monday, October 3, 2011

mmmmm, mondays: frosted pumpkin cookies


it's october, and for me that means everything pumpkin. (pumpkin spice lattes are back at starbucks--yahoo!) in honor of this magical orange fruit (am i the only one who thought it was a veggie?!) we will be posting our favorite pumpkin recipes for mmmmm, mondays this month. we are kicking it off with my *favorite* frosted pumpkin cookies. they are cake-like and just delightful. enjoy!


frosted pumpkin cookies

cookie ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp ginger
1 cup raisins (optional)

frosting ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
4 tsp milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

directions (cookies):
cream together shortening, sugar, and pumpkin.
then add in the egg, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, raisins, all spice, and ginger.
drop from a spoon to cookie sheet.
bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.
makes about 4 dozen.

directions (frosting):
cook milk, butter, and brown sugar until dissolved.
cool and add powdered sugar and vanilla.
spread on warm cookies.

Friday, September 30, 2011

friday fun finds: halloween decorations

i think that halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate for. it is fun and spooky and not everyone on the street does it. i think it is fun to be the super decorated house in the neighborhood that all the kids want to trick-or-treat at too. here are some of my favorite halloween decorations this year. enjoy!