Slithering Snake Suckers

Ssssssay, how would you like to whip up some ssssslithering ssssnake ssssssuckers in less than 10 minutes?

I thought sssssso......:)

Slithering Snake Suckers
Ingredients:
Green Candy Melts (OR, you can use white almond bark or candy melts w/ a little oil-based green food coloring, see notes at end)
Trix Cereal
1 fruit roll up (for tongue)
Edible Eyes (or you can use chocolate chips)
Sucker Sticks or Popsicle Sticks
Ziploc Freezer Baggie

Directions:
Lay sucker or popsicle sticks on wax paper. Cut out "tongue" shapes from fruit roll-ups (if you wait until later, your suckers will have hardened and you're out of luck!). Melt candy melts at 30 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl, stirring after each interval until smooth and melted. Spoon into freezer baggie and snip off one end of the bag (about 1/4 inch or less). Pipe out an "S" shape with one extra curve onto each sucker stick. Squeeze the bag a little more at the top to make the head shape.

Insert fruit roll-up "tongue" into wet chocolate.
Add an edible eyeball or chocolate chip and a row of Trix Cereal.
Let set completely (about 5-8 minutes, if you can't wait you can make them on a cookie sheet covered w/ wax paper then pop them in the fridge, they'll set in about 2 minutes).

Go find your little sssssssssweeties and watch these treats ssssssslither away!

Notes on Candy Melts: Candy Melts are little round wafers of Coating Chocolate, when set they are very hard, so they're great for suckers and molded candies. You can buy white or brown Candy Melts (made by Wilton) at Wal-Mart in the craft/wedding section. You can also use white almond bark (suck as Candi-Quik), available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets. You can color this, just make sure to use oil-based coloring. I get most of my Candy Melts from Sugarcraft (look up Compound Coating Chocolate, they have about 12 colors). If you have a cake or candy supply store in your town, you can most likely find them there, too.

Shrunken Head Apple Bars

I had a really good time doing the Cereal Spooktacular kickoff with General Mills, here is our last spooky creation....
Shrunken Head Apple Bars!

Shrunken Head Apple Bars
makes 16
Ingredients:
for bars:
6 C. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
1 bag (10 oz.) marshmallows
3 T. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 can Pillsbury Cream Cheese Frosting
Nonstick cooking spray

for shrunken heads:
8 small apples
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
5 T. butter or margarine, melted
nonstick cooking spray
1/4 c. Cocoa Puffs cereal
lemon juice, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine brown sugar, melted butter, and spices in a small bowl. Wash apples, cut in half, and remove cores. Using a sharp knife, cut out various faces on the rounded side of each apple. Brush with lemon juice if desired. Place in prepared pan. Place a spoonful of the brown sugar mixture on the top of each apple, spreading it around the sides and filling the face cutouts.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until apples are tender. Remove from oven and place one Cocoa Puff into each "eye socket". Let cool completely(they will shrink up even more!).

While apples are baking, put marshmallows and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and cook an additional 1 minute. Add cinnamon and cereal and stir until well coated. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Let cool completely. When cool, frost with Pillsbury cream cheese icing. Cut into 16 bars and add a "shrunken head" to the top of each bar.

Spooktacular Breakfast Buffet

I am on the FRONT PAGE
of BettyCrocker.com today! Holy cow!!
Here's the link. That just made my day!

This fun and spooky breakfast buffet takes the award for the easiest, cheapest, and most fun party I've set up! Hooray!

I wanted to have a little Halloween Playdate Party for my younger girls & friends, but seriously, what do you make for toddlers? Although I'd love to spend days making fun Halloween food for them, it's not worth your time! So, I whipped up this Spooktacular Breakfast Buffet! My kids LOVE special breakfast cereals and thought this was so cool! I went off some of the ideas I made last year for our Witches Brew Puddings and it turned out so great!

The best part? You can download and print the templates here and whip up your own in under 20 minutes!
I bought the goblets, bowls, and accessories all at our local dollar store.
Now that's a spookily easy party that's a hit with all ages!

No Spooktacular Buffet is complete without:
"Ghost's Blood" (Milk)

"Frog's Eyes" (Trix)

"Eye of Newt" (Cheerios)
"Bat Droppings" (Cocoa Puffs--this was my kids' favorite)

"Tombstones" (Chex with a dollar store foam tombstone taped to the front)

"Bone Pieces" (Lucky Charms)

"Mystical Moonbeams" (Marshmallows)
"Spooky Goblets" to mix your potion in! (from dollar store)

in case you can't read or download the poem, it says:
It’s Halloween and time for treats,
But be careful about the things you eat!
If you’re brave here’s what to do,
We’ll mix up a little Witches Brew!
Pick your potion, mix it well,
and we’ll see if you fall under a spell!
If you turn into a frog, don’t have a fright,
You’ll turn back tomorrow night. Boo!!

Spook-tacular Buffet
Ingredients:
Milk jugs
Trix Cereal
Cocoa Puffs Cereal
Corn Chex Cereal
Cheerios Cereal
Trix Cereal
Marshmallows
Plastic Goblets (from dollar store)
Poem and Labels (download here)
Black construction paper
Double-sided tape
Foam tombstone (optional, from dollar store)

Instructions:
Print and cut out templates. Attach poem to goblets. Tape labels to serving dishes and bowls. Using black construction paper, cut out eyes and a mouth for your "milk jug ghosts". Attach with double-sided tape.

Attach tombstone to box of Chex with double-sided tape. Fill bowls with various cereals to match the labels. Call in the spooks and watch it disappear!

Come back tomorrow for the kickoff of a week of fun giveaways! Hooray!

Franken-Snacks

Happy Anniversary to Gourmet Dad and me!
Our anniversary officially kicks off my favorite time of year...
Halloween time to Christmas!
We have all kinds of frightfully fun recipes as well as amazing giveaways! Let's get the party started!!!

Need a frightfully yummy Halloween snack? Here's a perfect mix to whip up for your next gathering or school party.

You can change up the "Mix-in" ingredients to suit your family's taste (or whatever you need to clean out the pantry!:)), the Chex Frankensteins are what makes this treat truly "Spook-tacular".

Franken-Snacks
Ingredients:
8 c. Corn Chex Cereal
1 package Lemon-Lime drink mix (unsweetened, we used Kool-Aid)
1 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 c. Light corn syrup
1/3 c. Butter or Margarine
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 oz. vanilla candy coating (we used Candi-Quick, available in the baking aisle)
1 oz. chocolate candy coating (we used Candi-Quick, available in the baking aisle)
1/4 c. Cheerios
Toothpick
Wax Paper
Non-Stick cooking spray

Mix-ins (you can change them as desired):

3 C. Kix Cereal
2 C. Trix Cereal
3 C. mini-pretzels
1 bag Goldfish Crackers
1 C. M & M's Candies

Directions:
Heat oven to 225 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the sugar, syrup and margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil for 3 minutes (do not stir).

Remove from heat and stir in soda and Koolaid. (Does this look like a spooky brew in a cauldron or what??!)

Pour over 6 cups Chex Cereal and stir gently. Spread onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 225 F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and while still warm, set 20-30 pieces on another greased cookie sheet to use as your "Frankensteins". Cool completely, stirring occasionally if desired.

To assemble "Frankensteins", melt chocolate candy coating in a small microwave-safe bowl for 45 seconds. Stir well. Dip one end of a Chex square into the chocolate. This is your "hair". Set on wax paper to dry. Using a toothpick, dip end into chocolate and draw two eyes and a mouth on your creature. Repeat with all 20-30 squares. When set (about 5 minutes), melt vanilla candy coating as above. Dip two Cheerios in coating and attach to sides of Frankenstein (these are his "bolts"). Let dry completely.

Mix remaining Chex and other Mix-ins in a large bowl. Top with your "Frankensteins" and serve it up to the waiting Goblins and Ghouls!

You can also spoon into small bags and tie with ribbon for a fun school snack or party favor. Happy Haunting!

Green Goblins

It's time to make some Green Goblins!
This is a perfect "not-too-spooky" treat for younger kids, although I have to admit, the older ones seem to enjoy themselves, too....right, Gourmet Dad?....(nice Tootsie Roll tooth!)

We had so many laughs making these, it was a really great family activity.
This "Baby Goblin" was my favorite...

Green Goblins
Ingredients:
6 C. Kix Cereal
1 package marshmallows (about 40 large)
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
4 drops green food coloring
Wax Paper
Nonstick Cooking Spray
1 package circus peanuts (you need 2 per goblin)
1 can Pillsbury vanilla icing
assorted candies

Directions:
Put Marshmallows and butter in large mirowave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave 1 additional minute. Remove from microwave and stir in green food coloring.
Place Kix cereal into your cauldron...I mean large bowl... Pour marshmallow mixture over Kix and stir well. Let cool for 3-5 minutes.After mixture has cooled slightly but is still moldable, spray hands generously with cooking spray (otherwise you'll get VERY sticky!). Scoop out 3/4 C. of the mixture and shape into a firm ball. Place on wax paper to harden. After the Goblin Bodies are set (about 30 minutes), place on top of two Circus Peanut candies. Your Goblins are ready to decorate!

(As a side note, does this look like peas and carrots to anyone else??! Spooky!)

Place assorted candies in bowls on your table. Give each spook a goblin and a little bit of vanilla icing to use as "glue". Time to create! (This is also a great activity to clean out your pantry!!)

Eye of Newt Cookies

It's getting colder, the leaves are turning and it's almost time for the spookiest, silliest, scariest time of year!
HALLOWEEN!

Time to whip up some GHOULISH treats!

Eye of Newt Cookies
Ingredients:
1 package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1 egg
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. Trix Cereal, crushed
1 c. Trix Cereal (do not crush!:))
2 T. mini chocolate chips
2 oz. vanilla candy coating or almond bark (such as Candi-Quik)
Wax paper
Green food coloring, optional
Green colored sugar, optional
1 T. Pillsbury Vanilla icing (optional)

Instructions:
To make eyeballs, melt vanilla candy coating in a small bowl for 30-40 seconds in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

Lay out a sheet of wax paper. Using the 1 c. of Trix Cereal, let the kids dip the cereal pieces into the candy coating, covering one side. Lay on wax paper to dry.

When set, let the kids pick up the "eyeballs" and push the flat part of a mini-chocolate chip onto the white coating. You're Newt Eyes are ready!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine Sugar Cookie Mix, butter, egg, and crushed Trix Cereal. Add a few drops of green food coloring (optional) and mix well.

(Isn't that pretty?...)

Roll into 1" balls and roll in green colored sugar (optional). Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until edges are barely brown. Remove from oven.

While cookies are still warm, press 3-6 eyeballs into each cookie. Let cool completely.

Serve and enjoy! I kept a small amount of vanilla icing on hand because I had 3 or 4 eyeballs try to "roll away". Just re-attach with a little icing and you're ready for the spooks to gobble them up.

All month long I'll be featuring Halloween ideas using something fun: Breakfast cereals!

(Hey, if we're going to eat treats they might as well be vitamin fortified!:))