No tricks here. This Halloween you have the option to hand out glow in the dark treats. Reese’s, Kit Kat, and Hershey’s have upped the fun factor for trick-or-treaters this year. Wrappers of the three iconic chocolates are getting a make-over for the holiday season. Snack-sized versions of the trio will now come in limited edition glow in the dark wrappers in 9.35-ounce packages (about $2.99 each). Hosts passing out the candy should switch out their porch light with a black light bulb to best view the boo-tiful candies. Placing small black lights in or around the bowl will also achieve the glow effect. Each brand is also launching new festive foils for their miniature size snacks. Reese’s will don ghost and skulls, Kit Kats will be dressed as ghosts, skeletons, and sheriffs, and Hershey’s Kisses will sport mini ghosts, spiders, and bats. Whether you’re handing out candy this year,…
Hamburgers vs hot dogs: which is healthier?
It’s almost the Fourth of July, and chances are you’re about to face the toughest choice of your summer: hot dog or hamburger? If you’re thinking “Both!” you’re in good company. But if you’re trying to make healthier choices this holiday, “both” probably shouldn’t be your response. Consider what a registered dietitian says about this age-old American debate. The Hot Dog Hot dogs typically have about 150 calories. Add a bun and some condiments, and you quickly hit about 300 calories — still a very reasonable amount of calories for a dinner entree. Their smaller size gives them a caloric advantage over the hamburger, but there are some disadvantages to hot dogs. Hot dogs have about 5 grams of saturated fat, which is pretty high for what you’re getting. They’re also packed with sodium (about 500 mg in contrast to 375 mg a burger might have) and sodium nitrites or nitrates, which may…
Patriotic thumbprint cookies
Where I’m from, thumbprint cookies seem to have a place at every holiday get-together. For Christmas and Easter we roll them in nuts and make icing centers coordinate with the season. At Valentine’s Day, we make them chocolate. And now for Fourth of July we dress them up with star sprinkles. These thumbprint cookies have a delicious sweet and tangy flavor. The vanilla and raspberry are perfect companions. And the red, white, blue sprinkles make them fun and ready for the Fourth! Patriotic thumbprint cookies Makes about 3 dozen cookies Ingredients 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg white icing 1/4 cup sprinkles 1/8 cup raspberry jam Directions Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set…
Star spangled ice cream sandwiches
Ice cream sandwiches already scream summer, but with a little makeover, they can be the coolest Fourth of July treat at the table. Okay, this “recipe” is basically cheating. But if you want to add a little fun to your Fourth of July without any effort — literally, like zero effort — then you’ll love this simple trick. Buy a pack of ice cream sandwiches from the grocery store — or ice cream truck! I went for the mini sandwiches since there are always so many delicious treats at picnics. Smaller sizes mean you can sample more sweets. They also mean less mess, since they won’t have as much time to melt. Pour some sprinkles in a bowl, and get rolling. Just like an ice cream cone with sprinkles, the extra taste and texture is delicious — and way more fun! Happy Fourth of July! Star spangled ice cream sandwiches Ingredients 1 dozen ice cream…
Fourth of July spending takes a dip because of ‘Hump Day’
To celebrate the birth of our country, Americans eat a whole lot of hamburgers and hotdogs. And no Fourth of July party is complete without loads of other red, white, and blue picnic paraphernalia. But according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insight & Analytics, consumers are planning spending less overall this year than last year. Consumers will spend about $6.9 billion, down from $7.1 billion in 2017. The decrease is attributed to the holiday falling on a Wednesday. But patriotism is still high. Despite the decrease, this is still the second-highest amount reported in the history of the survey and the highest per-person spending ever. Nearly 153 million Americans are planning a cookout or a picnic. Average spending per person is reportedly $75.35 — up from $73.42 in 2017. More than 216 million Americans plan to observe the holiday in some way — down from 219 last year. About 31 million Americans…
You would never guess this country consumes the most candy
Americans love candy. We have several holidays where we put the sweet stuff at the center of the celebration — Halloween candy, Easter baskets, candy-filled advent calendars and candy canes. We even have amusement parks dedicated to it. You’d be forgiven for assuming Americans eat more candy than any other country — but you’d also be wrong. There is one country that beats out the U.S. in candy consumption: Sweden. A recent study conducted by Jordbruksverket, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, found that Sweden has the highest candy consumption per capita in the world. Citizens consume on average 35 pounds of it every year. Doing the math … that’s about a half pound every. single. week. The sugar consumption is about three times more than what the World Health Organization recommends. Candy culture in Sweden is strong. “Lördagsgodis” is a Swedish word that literally means “Saturday candy.” The thinking went that…
Opposing politics cut our Thanksgiving dinner short by more than an hour, study shows
Large family dinners can already be tricky to navigate, but recently, politics has added a fresh, new layer of malfunction. A recent study published in the journal Science shows that Thanksgiving dinner 2016 was considerably shorter than other years. (If you need a refresher, the holiday hit just shortly after Trump’s surprising victory.) The report suggests that annual holiday meals were cut short that year by an average of 30 to 50 minutes when people of opposing parties were seated at the same dinner table. To gather their data, researchers went pretty deep, and yes, creepy. They first collected 21 billion smartphone location pings from cell phone users all across the United States. Then they overlaid that information on an election map with the election result for 172,000 precincts. Essentially, the researchers figured out each person’s home using pings, extrapolated their political ideology based on where they lived, tracked where they went on Thanksgiving…
Festive fruit kabobs perfect for patriotic holidays
Some people can pull off elaborate cakes that look like perfect American flags. Those works of art are inspiring, but hardly practical. For the party host who wants to add patriotic flair to the table, without staying up too late the night before, here is a simple recipe solution. These fruit and pound cake kabobs make for a cute and tasty table-topper. Just wash some berries, cube your favorite white cake (vanilla cake, angel food cake, etc.) and skewer away! To make this even easier, I used a store-bought vanilla pound cake. You can also use blueberries and strawberries instead if you prefer. Happy summer holidays! American Flag fruit kabobs Makes 10 kabobs Ingredients Approx. 50 raspberries, washed and dried Approx. blackberries, washed and dried 10 long skewers 1 half loaf of poundcake or angel food cake, cut in 3/4″ cubes Directions Starting with a red raspberry, alternate red raspberries…
Treat mom to these Mother’s Day restaurant deals and specials
Mother’s Day is the busiest day for dining out, according to the National Restaurant Association, and it makes sense. Mom shouldn’t have to spend her special day in the kitchen. At least one-quarter of the U.S. population, or about 92 million people, went out for a meal in celebration of the holiday last year, and figures are expected to be about the same for 2018. If you’re looking for a few deals — hey, Mom understands the value of money — here are some places offering discounts or Mother’s Day specials. Carraba’s Italian Grill Enjoy a special made-from-scratch Italian Mother’s Day menu beginning May 11 that includes family-style and single serving entree options, as well as dessert. Einstein Bros. The bagel chain is taking pre-orders for heart-shaped bagels in chocolate chip, cranberry or plain flavors. Bagels can be picked up on Mother’s Day. LaMar’s Donuts and Coffee Mother’s receive a free red velvet cake donut…
Mediterranean tricolored rotini crab pasta salad
I make this recipe no less than 10 times a year. It’s always a hit at friend gatherings. It’s a must at Memorial Day. I never have leftovers when I bring it to work potlucks, and it’s perfect to have ready in the fridge anytime you think people might stop by. Plus, you can prepare it the night before, never worry about keeping it hot, and you can adapt the recipe to make as much as you like. When you have to feed a large number of people, try this pasta salad instead of your go-to lasagne. I made a huge bowl of this for my friends after they had their baby and they appreciated someone finally brought them something lighter and healthier! You can add anything to the mix from shredded mozzarella to sunflower seeds or blueberries. I like tossing in mandarin orange slices for a touch of sweetness and crushed croutons for some…