Tag

halloween

Browsing

Mummy Rice Krispie Treats

Whether you are age two or 92, Rice Krispie squares are sure to bring smiles. This season, create a little spooky fun with the classic treat and add a white chocolate drizzle to turn them into yummy mummies. These easy-to-make treats would be cute individually wrapped for Halloween parties at school or even just as a surprise for your family or friends. Mummy Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal 1 10-ounce bag mini marshmallows 3 tbsp butter + 1 tsp for greasing pan and spatula 1 cup white chocolate candy melts Candy eyes Directions Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over the sides so you can grab and pull out the treats later. Grease the parchment paper with butter to prevent sticking. Rub butter on spatula and set aside. In a large pot, slowly melt 3 tbsp butter — careful not to burn.…

10 places you can score free food and other deals on Halloween

“Trick-or-treat” doesn’t always have to mean candy. While there are still some days left until everyone’s favorite haunted holiday Halloween, now is the time to plan your fright night feast. There are a number of restaurants giving out freebies in the days leading up to Oct. 31, so you might as well take advantage of the free (or seriously discounted) food giveaways. Applebee’s For an adult trick-or-trick, visit Applebee’s where they are serving up the Dollar Zombie all month long. It’s just $1 and has an eerie blue color concocted with rum, pineapple, passion fruit, and gummy brain garnish. Baskin-robbins Sick of candy? Switch to ice cream! Visit your local Baskin-Robbins location and score a kid-sized scoop for just $1.50 on Halloween. (That’s a savings of $2.79). All flavors are available during the promotion. Bubba Gump Shrimp The kid-friendly restaurant is allowing kids to eat free with purchase of an…

The truth behind 8 common food and drink urban legends

It turns out, some of the food urban legends you heard on the playground as a kid are still around today. While some of them ended up to be true (like, the occasional alligator living in a sewer), most are far from it (like, “throwing a penny from a skyscraper will kill someone”). But in the world of kid-dom, folklore is strong, and maybe never moreso than around Halloween time when the spookiness of the holiday mixes with the fear of approaching strangers houses. But frankly, we’ve all probably just had too much sugar. Whatever the reason, here are 8 of the most persistent food and drink related urban legends: https://youtu.be/vYEXzx-TINc The legend: Pop rocks Little Mikey from Life cereal died from eating Pop Rocks and soda. True or False? False The facts Little Mikey was known to all kids thanks to his television fame, yet few people knew his actual…

Six ingredients commonly found in gum, soda, candy banned by the FDA

Just in time to squash your Halloween fun, the Food and Drug Administration has nixed six synthetic flavorings commonly found in candy, soda, baked goods, booze, and gum. The ingredients in question have all been shown to directly contribute to cancer in animals. They included synthetically-derived benzophenone (also used in rubber reusable food containers), ethyl acrylate, eugenic methyl ether (methyl eugenol), myrcene, pulegone, and pyridine. Even if you’re an avid label checker, these names probably don’t look familiar to you. Since they fall under the umbrella of proprietary “artificial flavors,” the manufacturers don’t have to print them in the ingredients list, according the FDA. The additives are known to contribute floral, cinnamon, mint, citrus, mango, pineapple, garlic, roasted onion, and woody flavors, according to a petition.  The ingredients were proven to cause cancer in laboratory animals by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program. But no…

Tips for storing your Halloween candy so it will last longer

The end of October typically means way too much candy — even for those with the most insatiable sweet tooth. Whether you have kids bringing home big bags of candy, or you overestimated how much you needed for trick-or-treating, chances are, you’re going to need to store some for later. If you want to enjoy your candy haul slowly, it’s vital you know how to properly store your candies. If not, you could end up with a melty mess or scary flavors later on. Candy bars are very high in sugar and low in moisture — a combination that inhibits bacterial growth. This keeps them naturally edible for really long periods of time, but you can extend their shelf-life even further with a little care. Here are some tips from the National Confectioners Association that will leave your candy tasting fresh, long after your jack-o-lantern has gone dark. Candy Storage in…

Pineapples are this year’s hottest carving trend: Here’s how you do it

After a lifetime of carving pumpkins, maybe you just need to mix things up a bit this year. Pineapples might not scream Halloween, but the tropical fruit works really well as an alternative to traditional gourds. Here are a handful of examples people have shared on social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/Barc8BoDVrd/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/BayOahpDPE9/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba6rZ_Oll4H/?tagged=pineapplecarving This one even brings a bit of original Halloween back into the picture by using an orange glowing light in the middle. https://www.instagram.com/p/BacnvTjg9h4/?tagged=pineapplecarving Pineapples certainly do have more of a festive feel when fruity drinks are being served: https://www.instagram.com/p/9hXhBgsMpO/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7YPd5gFVd/?tagged=pineapplecarving Pumpkins have the advantage of smooth exterior skin, meaning you can get more detailed with your design. With pineapples, the prickly skin means your options are a bit more limited. But they’re easier to cut and carve than you might think. If you haven’t sliced many whole pineapples in your life, once the center fruit is removed, the exterior…

The sweet history of Candy Corn

Every October, when the weather cools, we recognize that it’s time to start arguing about candy corn. But whether you think the little tri-colored candies are delicious or disgusting, no other candy is more iconic of Halloween. The history of candy corn and its place as a part of Halloween dates back more than a century ago. Though nobody knows for sure, candy corn is said to have been invented in Philadelphia by George Renninger, a candymaker for the Wunderle Candy Company. In 1898, George’s recipe rose to nationwide popularity when the Goelitz Confectionary Company picked it up and started marketing it as “Chicken Feed.” The candy packages pictured a rooster and a tag line that read, “Something worth crowing for.” The initial marketing was intended to appeal to Americans’ agricultural roots, and it was touted as a year-round treat. The Goelitz company, now known as Jelly Belly Candy Co., has the…

This is what a teal pumpkin means

If your kid has food allergies, trick-or-treating can be a seriously scary evening out. Many kids are unable to eat items like milk, peanuts, eggs, and soy — ingredients found in many popular Halloween candies. But the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) group is raising awareness and making Halloween fun again for kids who may have had to previously sit this holiday out. The Teal Pumpkin Project launched in 2014, is designed to encourage inclusiveness on Halloween by making it easy for kids and their families to spot the houses offering allergy-friendly treats. Because of the vast array of allergies, participating houses may even opt to have “non-food treats” such as small toys, books, stickers or crayons. Participating houses are instructed to paint a pumpkin the color teal and put it on their porch or stoop in an obvious location. This way, parents will know that house is safe…

Creepy new cooking show coming to Netflix in time for Halloween

There’s a new cooking show headed to Netflix in October, and it sounds perfect addition to our Halloween fun. According to the streaming service’s description, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell stars the “wickedly talented baker and artist” Christine McConnell. Fans will recognize McConnell from Instagram where the baker/artist/photographer has over 260,000 followers for her creepy cakes, pies and other macabre makings. The show is being produced by Wilshire Studios and Henson Alternative, the grown-up side of the Jim Henson Company, so we just might see some creepy puppet critters lending Christine a hand in the kitchen. The entire season is expected to drop on Netflix Oct. 12. https://www.instagram.com/p/BkL4qqzBdRM/?taken-by=christinehmcconnell The streaming service has released a new poster in advance of the show, which features McConnell in an ET/Stranger Things-esqu style. McConnell described the show to MyRecipes.com saying, “It’s like if Morticia Addams stopped in the the middle of the movie…

This is the most popular Halloween candy in every state

It’s officially fall and that means Halloween fun is right around the corner. Of course, for most of us, that means filling up on loads of sweet treats. But where you live might depend a lot on which candies you prefer. Americans are expected to gobble up $2.6 billion on trick-or-treat candy, according to the National Retail Federation — slightly less than 2017’s $2.7 total. Still, if we’re going to spend that kind of money on chocolates and goodies, we might as well spend it on the sweet stuff people actually want. Across the country, Skittles, M&M’s, and Snicks take the top three spots respectively. Reese’s Cups, Starburst, Candy Corn, Hot Tamales, Hershey’s, Tootsie Pops, and Jolly Ranchers round out the top 10. Online retailer Candystore.com compiled data from the past 11 years to show which candies are most popular in each state: Source: CandyStore.com. Alabama – Candy Corn Alaska…