Halloween

Celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day

Sometimes holidays make sense because of the popularity of an activity or a person.

At other times, even though a holiday is celebrated, the reasons for celebrating can be quite obscure.

Take “Carve a Pumpkin Day”, for example. Many people have never heard of this holiday.

Carve a Pumpkin Day is celebrated on October 31 just like Halloween. And, since this holiday is associated with Halloween, you would think it would be widely celebrated. Amazingly, finding information about the holiday isn’t that easy to do.

There may not be a specific day set aside for Carve a Pumpkin Day as people choose different days in the month of October. If you celebrate Halloween you’re more than likely carving a pumpkin. How can you make Carve a Pumpkin Day a tradition at your house no matter which day you celebrate it?

Start your own pumpkin-carving tradition by following these steps:

If you need to, purchase a good pumpkin carving set to make things easier. Here is a good one: Grampa Bardeen’s Family Pumpkin Carving Set.

1. No earlier than two weeks before Halloween, start looking for a pumpkin as a family. Try not to buy it too early or it will begin to decay. Washing the pumpkin may help it remain healthy longer.

2. Plan your Carve a Pumpkin Day activity for two to three days before Halloween because they will begin to go bad very quickly after they have been carved.

3. Invite friends to bring their pumpkins over to have a carving party. You may want to have harvest-type snacks to enjoy while you’re busy creating your pumpkin masterpiece.

4. Before you actually cut into the pumpkins, let the children draw the faces they’d like on their pumpkins with washable magic markers. If they make a mistake, correcting it is as easy as washing it off and starting again. When the children are happy with the faces they’ve drawn, it’s time to let the parents start cutting.

5. To avoid injury, don’t allow the children to handle the knives or the candles unless they have a special “kiddie” carving set.

After the pumpkins are all cleaned out and carved, have a contest among the artists to decide which one is scariest, which one is funniest, and which one is the most intricate. Avoid calling one the “best” so no one feels badly that their pumpkin wasn’t chosen.

Instead of throwing the pumpkin seeds away when the pumpkins are cleaned out, roast them for an additional snack. You can fix them so they’re either salted or unsalted; whichever way you prefer them best.

Since you’re celebrating Halloween and planning on carving at least one pumpkin to decorate your house, why not celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day, too. Make a day out of it by inviting friends to join in the fun. In fact, why not create a tradition of having a Carve a Pumpkin Day celebration every year.

What Halloween Treats Are You Giving Out This Year?

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Back when I was a kid, getting homemade Halloween treats was not uncommon, but today, too many dangers exist for us to let our kids eat anything homemade from a stranger.

We did have a teacher in our neighborhood a few years back who made popcorn hands (using popcorn, small candies then tossing it all in see through gloves). She only gave them out to her students that knocked on the door, and we trusted her so that was fine. Any concerned parent would toss these kinds of treats without a second thought.

Halloween Treats That Don’t Contain Nuts

More people today are aware of the common allergy to nuts, especially peanuts. Although it is not your responsibility as a treat giver to determine if Halloween treats are suitable for your little ghosts and goblins, some parents may want to try and find nut-free treats.

While it’s easy to know that “Snickers” has nuts, it’s more difficult to know if the processing plant where the candy is made also processes nuts. It only takes a tiny bit of nut kernel to set off a severe allergic reaction in some people. Many Halloween candy companies label boxes to indicate if they are “Nut Free”, so do look for that label.

Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Smarties and Sweet Tarts, or Lifesaver Gummies are good non-nut treats to give out. If you still want chocolate, look for allergy information after the list of ingredients on the package. In view of this information, there are some treats developed where the manufacturing process is known to be safer. These include Junior Mints, Tootsie Rolls, Hershey Kisses, Chips Ahoy Cookies, York Peppermint Patties, and Oreo Cookies.

Many people have stopped giving candy and opt for party favors instead. Check the dollar stores for packages of things that can be divided. For instance. Many kids love post-it notes or some sort of unusual pencil. Look for sheets of those temporary tattoos, little cookie cutters, beading, or plastic figurines like army men or farm animals. Look for glow in the dark eyeballs or Halloween stickers if you want to keep the Halloween theme in tact. If you don’t expect but a few trick-or-treaters, consider giving them money or individually wrapped fortune cookies. Anything you would give as a party favor will do for a Halloween treat.

The whole point of this holiday is to give out Halloween treats to your little ghosts and goblins. As I said before, we as parents can’t be responsible for what other kids choose to eat, it is up to their parents to do that job. Hand out Halloween treats that you feel good about and have some fun!

Halloween Popcorn Balls

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Two of the things that kids and adults like about Halloween foods are the creepy crawlies and the ghoulish items.

The problem is that ghoulish or icky, isn’t always appropriate. And to be honest, even I don’t want to attend a party where everything attacks my senses and imagination. Sometimes I just want to eat what I can eye-dentify, if you know what I mean.

The most versatile snack I’ve found that fits this bill is popcorn balls. You add all sorts of flavors and you can “dress” them up with gross creepy crawlies for older people or fun items appropriate for the younger children.

These Halloween Popcorn Balls fit perfectly with any crowd and here is how you can make them for your celebration too.

Halloween Popcorn Balls

Ingredients

3 cups brown sugar
3 cups corn syrup
3 sticks butter (1 ½ cups)
3 teaspoon salt
3 cups popcorn kernels, popped

Makes approximately 36 small popcorn balls

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, add a small amount of oil. Add 1 cup
and about 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels. As popping begins, listen to the speed of the kernel pops. When the speed slows to about 2-3 seconds between pops, popcorn should be ready… This is ONLY an estimate! Do not allow popcorn to burn. Repeat 2 more times or until you have about 48 cups of popped corn.

Note: Pour popcorn into a large bowl. If you do not have a bowl large enough, you can thoroughly clean & dry your kitchen sink, lay a saucer over the hole and use it.
Sift through popcorn to remove any unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bowl.

Using the same pan you popped the corn in, add the brown sugar and corn syrup.Next add the butter and salt. Bring to a simmer; continue simmering for about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and slowly pour over popcorn. Using a large spoon, stir until all popcorn is well coated.

Once popcorn has cooled enough to handle, shape into balls with your hands, pressing tight to ensure they stay together. Decorate with candy corn, candy sprinkles, gummy worms, etc.

Note: Adding candies into the mix doesn’t work well as the waxy candy coating tends to make the popcorn balls break apart.

Turning Everyday Dinners into Spooky Meals

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Spooky meals for Halloween? Yes, and it’s easy!

When it comes to holidays, the family cook may feel frustrated because they feel they are in a rut. They want to offer their family something different but may not be able to come up with ideas. Consider turning everyday dinners into spooky meals leading up to Halloween.

Start with your traditional pasta and meatballs but give it a ghoulish twist. Instead of making normal meatballs, make eerie eyes with cheese, olives and pimientos. You can use either black or green olives, depending upon what your family likes better.

Dinner will never be the same once you serve your family worms. Take your favorite hot dog and slice it in half and then in half again. Grill the hot dogs and watch them twist and turn into worms. You can use these as an alternative to meatballs on spaghetti or to top your favorite salad. Use your imagination and you will likely come up with some spooky meals of your own.

Create a mummy meatloaf. Shape the meatloaf mixture into a body and wrap it with one-inch strips of puff pastry or pie dough. Bake the meatloaf and then create eyes using olives. The wrapping can be bloody by squirting a little ketchup on the pastry.

Do you need something to serve with your mummy meatloaf? Scare up some ghosts by making Mashed Boo-Tatoes. Start by making mashed potatoes like you normally would, but make them just a little thinner. Place the potatoes in a plastic bag and cut the corner off. Squeeze out the potatoes to resemble ghosts. Add sesame seeds or pieces of black olives for eyes.

Serve your family bat wings (link to recipe) for Halloween dinner. Of course, these are actually chicken wings. You can prepare them in any number of ways. Using soy sauce will darken the skin of the wings so they look different than normal chicken…or add a little food coloring.

Pea soup can be renamed “green slime” in keeping with the Halloween theme. You can also make a green curry soup which will pass for slime.

Finally, if your family enjoys one-dish spooky meals, try Kitty Litter Casserole. This is made with ground beef, rice, shredded cheese and Bisquick. This will be similar to Shepherd’s Pie but without the vegetables.

Use your imagination when it comes to turning everyday dinners into spooky meals. Your family will enjoy the change of pace and you may even find something they ask for each year at Halloween.

Gluten Free Treats for Halloween

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You may need to make gluten free treats for Halloween if you or a loved one has gluten intolerance or celiac disease. These treats may take a little while to prepare, but they are yummy treats anyone can enjoy.

Candied Pecans

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups pecan halves, one tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons yacon syrup and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt. Mix these together until the pecan halves are thoroughly covered.

Place them in a single layer in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and then allow them to cool.

Chocolate Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix together 1/4 cup of carob powder, 1/4 cup of rice flour, 1/4 cup potato flour and 1/2 cup white sugar. Beat 3/8 cup of butter or margarine with one large whole egg. Add the egg mixture a little at a time to the dry ingredients. Beat these together until the mixture is smooth.

Pinch out a small amount of dough, and using your hands, roll the dough into small balls. These will be placed on a greased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.

Meringue Bones

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place brown paper bags or parchment paper on cookie sheets to line it.

Separate three large eggs and put the yolks aside. Using a medium bowl beat the egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt at high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Add 2/3 cup of sugar slowly and then add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the mixture and beat for another minute to incorporate it.

Place the mixture in a piping bag or large plastic bag. Add a plain piping tip to the bag or simply snip off a tiny corner. Pipe out as many three inch bone shapes onto paper as you can. Bake these ‘bones’ for one hour. Turn off the oven and allow the ‘bones’ to continue drying in the oven for an additional hour. When they have finished drying, place them in an airtight container to keep them from becoming soggy. This will make about four to five dozen ‘bones.’

And when it comes to trick or treaters, some gluten-free options include Skittles, York Peppermint Patties and Jelly Belly jelly beans.

These three gluten free treats will allow anyone with gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, enjoy sweet treats for Halloween. Of course, they taste delicious so you may have others asking to share.

Chocolate Spider Clusters Halloween Recipe

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Chocolate spider clusters are a traditional Halloween treat for many families. You may have wanted to make them yourself but had no clue how. The chocolate spider clusters are actually quite easy to make. Here is a simple recipe that you can try.

Chocolate Spider Clusters Recipe

There are only three ingredients for this recipe. You will need:

• ¾ cup chocolate chips
• 2 cups crispy chow mein noodles
• 1/4 cup red candies for eyes (M&M or your preferred candies)

Here is how you make and assemble these Chocolate Spider Clusters.

Begin by lining two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper. This will make clean-up easy because the baking sheet won’t get dirty.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the chocolate in the microwave on high, 60 seconds at a time. Remove the bowl carefully, so you don’t burn yourself, and then stir it well. If you’re not satisfied with how smooth the chocolate is, you can heat it again for 10-second bursts. Stir the chocolate between bursts. If you would rather not use the microwave, you should be able to melt the chocolate by placing it in a double boiler. Remember to stir frequently so the chocolate doesn’t burn. Don’t overheat the chocolate or it could seize up into a stiff mass.

Carefully hold onto the side of the bowl while you pour the chow mein noodles into the melted chocolate. Stir the two ingredients together. Using a tablespoon, drop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets.

Create the eyes by pressing two red candies onto the cluster. Lift up eight chow mein noodles to make it appear like the spider has legs. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator to allow the clusters to harden. This will take about 20 minutes.

These are best served chilled. They can be placed in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator. They will remain edible for up to a week, but it’s likely your family won’t let them stick around that long.