Tag Archives: candy

Making Affordable Holiday Crafts from Fruit and Candy

Don’t break the bank trying to deck your halls this holiday season. Rather, look around your home for inexpensive materials that can be transformed into festive seasonal decor. Two of my favorite frugal materials: fruit and candy. Both are popular this time of year, and you can cut down on costs even more by using fruit and candy that have been given to you as gifts. It’s very simple. Take a look: FLOATING CRANBERRY CANDLE Materials: 1 large clear glass punch bowl 3 12-oz. bags of fresh cranberries (amount will vary depending on size of bowl) 4 floating candles 6 … Continue reading →

Recipes for Leftover Halloween Candy

Instead of taking your leftover Halloween candy into the office to join the other 15 pounds of chocolate that came from other co-workers with the same idea, consider these decadent recipes. Both features popular Halloween candy, but instead of eating the sweet treats straight up, you’ll feast on them in spectacularly delicious cakes that I can assure you will be gobbled up a lot faster by your colleagues than stale candy strewn around the break room. CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CAKE Ingredients: 2 cups brown sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg … Continue reading →

Sinfully Sweet Halloween Candy Cakes

What’s your favorite Halloween candy? Butterfinger, Kit Kat, Milky Way, Snickers, Hershey Bars, Twix, M&Ms? I happen to love them all, which is why I try not to buy them in bulk to pass out on Halloween. The leftovers would kill my diet. If you plan to purchase enough Halloween candy for the entire neighborhood you might consider taking a note of the following recipes. They are ideal for using up any leftover Halloween chocolate you might have come November 1st. These Halloween Candy cakes are sweet, delicious and breathe new life into calories you’d probably consume anyway. BUTTERFINGER TORTE … Continue reading →

Bewitching Halloween Treats

Here’s a terrific edible project to add to your Halloween party. It’s ideal for children of all ages and can be tailored around food allergies. Essentially, you will be making a food station in your home so young guests can create their own Witch Hats filled with all sorts of goodies. The treats don’t have to be packed with sugar. In fact, I’ve listed some healthy alternatives in the recipe below. You can make this project as elaborate or as simple as you wish. In addition, you can substitute carob chips for chocolate and eliminate the peanuts if your children … Continue reading →

Halloween Candy Cheesecakes

Whether you are looking for a sweet treat to serve up on Halloween or you are searching for a way to use up leftover Halloween candy (trick-or-treating starts today in my neck of the woods) you might consider checking out the following recipes. Both feature popular Halloween candy. The first recipe is one that is specifically designed for the stressed out cook, who is scrambling to find an easy no fuss dessert to bring to a Halloween party at the office, a neighbor’s house or school. You can make this Super Simple Snickers Cheesecake in less than 20 minutes (it … Continue reading →

Seriously Sweet Homemade Halloween Treats

Don’t invite your dentist to your Halloween party if you plan to serve up the following sweet treats. These saccharine-filled desserts will tame even the sweetest tooth in your clan. If you are a sucker for chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate (along with butterscotch, caramel and marshmallows) then consider adding the following easy to prepare recipes to your Halloween Boo Bash: GERMAN CHOCOLATE BARS Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 package German chocolate cake mix 2 cups chocolate chips 2 cuts butterscotch chips 1 cup flaked coconut 1 cup chopped pecans 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk. Directions: Preheat oven … Continue reading →

Halloween Crafts: Spooky Scarecrows and Creepy Candy Creatures

If you have children of varying ages in your household the following projects should come in quite handy this Halloween season. Parental supervision is required for both because the projects call for a hot glue gun. I can tell you that the Creepy Candy Creatures are a bit easier to make than the Spooky Scarecrows. My preschooler had a blast embellishing her Creepy Candy Creature (thanks to some great tips provided on the back of a bag of Hershey’s Miniatures). But, we both struggled to find a way she could contribute to the Spooky Scarecrow project, which I think is … Continue reading →

Fight Cavities with Gummy Bears

Another candy joins the fight against bad teeth: those sweet, colorful Gummy Bears! As long as those Gummy Bears are sweetened with xylitol, that is. Xylitol is a naturally-occurring sugar alcohol that is often used as a sugar substitute. Studies have shown that xylitol can help reduce levels of a particular kind of bacteria (mutans streptococci) in plaque. You may have seen xylitol as an ingredient in sugar-free chewing gum! However, gum isn’t usually recommended for younger children — it’s all too easy for a young child to chew and swallow gum, rather than just chew it. A study from … Continue reading →

Summer Fun with Kids—-Making Tanning Teddy Bear Cupcakes

It could be sunny and 100 degrees outside, yet my young daughter would opt to help out in the kitchen than play in the sprinkler. She is a culinary whiz (with a butter knife) and loves to whip up tasty treats regardless of the season. If your kids love to cook (or at least lend a hand to the cook) then this next recipe will keep them entertained for hours. It is a perfect rainy day activity or one that could be made the night before a summertime picnic, a family potluck or a Fourth of July party. It features … Continue reading →

Ready, Set, Grill—-Marinated Steaks and Chocolate Burritos

This is it. For the past few days I have been posting some of my family’s all-time favorite grill recipes. Chicken, shrimp, steak… you name it and we’ve probably tried to grill it in years past. But today is the day that I finally reveal what we will be grilling up this Memorial Day. I’m combining two of my favorite ingredients—-balsamic vinegar and rosemary–to make a killer marinade for steaks. It’s so simple and so incredibly delicious I wouldn’t be surprised if you decide to make it a summer staple. I will be topping our steaks with some sautéed mushrooms … Continue reading →