Halloween Treats & Craft Ideas

My girls love to use any excuse to bake or create goodies...especially fun looking ones.  Here are some of the ideas we've come across while trying to decide what to do for Halloween parties at school and friends' houses.                                    

We've already hit one Trunk-or-Treat event and have a couple more planned on Halloween...PLUS Trick-or-Treating with some good friends. By that time my oldest daughter should have her Red Angry Bird costume. (we improvised and made her a Pop Star for this one)

With very little time on my hands now that I have a new baby demanding all of it, I am pulling on Pinterest like mad this week.  From sweet treats to crafts to drinks...these are the ones that caught my girls' eyes.  Which are your favorites?

To view other ideas, visit my Pinterest Board!

1. Personal Pumpkin Pizzas - TheChattyMom

   My girls absolutely LOVE building their own pizzas. This is just another fun way to enjoy a piece of pizza...err, a whole personal pizza.

2.  Crayon Melt Pumpkins  - BudgetSavvyDiva.com

 

    We will be making a couple of these pumpkins this year...just to be different from our neighbors.

Banana Smoothie

My daughter loves anything banana flavored so it only makes sense that her favorite smoothie would be chalked full of banana flavor.  Plus it's so easy to make, she can throw it together herself.

 

Banana Smoothie

Yield: 16 oz. serving

1 Large Ripe Banana (or 2 small bananas)
1 Cup Crushed Ice
8 oz. Silk Original Almond Milk

 

Instructions:

1. In a blender, combine banana, ice and almond milk until smooth.

2. Pour into a glass, sip and enjoy!

Sometimes it's so frosty & chilly, fuzzy earmuffs are necessary.  

Tropical Pearberry Smoothie

 Spring is upon us and that means that my cravings for fruit rise.  This morning I gave into those cravings with glee! 

This smoothie is light (yet filling), refreshing and surprises you with a wonderful lite

 coconut aftertaste.

Indulge in the sweetness that Spring brings:

Tropical Pearberry Smoothie

Yield: 1 - 16oz. Drink

Ingredients:

1/2 Bartlett Pear

3 large ripe Strawberries

1 cup frozen Peaches (4-6 slices)

1 tsp. Honey

2 Tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup ALMOND BREEZE - Almondmilk Coconutmilk blend  

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until  smooth.

Love this blog? Please click the Top Mommy Blogs banner every day! This casts a vote for my blog today and helps me continue to get great products to share with you! You can vote daily! Thank you so much!

Easter Pudding Baskets

I wanted to do something a little bit different for an Easter treat this year...and the Robin's Eggs Nests are such an easy build, I figured that I could incorporate those with one of my kiddles' favorite treats. Pudding!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

There are always open plates ready to receive pancakes in our home. And the creative side of me wants to always do something a little bit different…not just plain pancakes.

The one thing that I do consistently is rely on Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix…they always come out wonderful and with a little bit of tweaking, they become my own. And my little kiddles love them!

 P.S. ~ This is a great pancake recipe for the kiddles to get involved in. They just need and adult to man the stove for them.

In a medium mixing bowl I add the pancake mix,

then add the water called for on the mix's instructions, but reduce the amount by 1/4 cup.

Next the star of the pancake...applesauce! I add the 1/4 cup that was removed from the amount of water that the mix called for.

 I really like the flavor of the natural applesauce, not the ones that have a bunch of sugar added to them.

Time to get to whisking. Just a quick whisk to make sure that the applesauce gets incorporated into the batter.

Now for the spices....I love cinnamon and have to constantly remind myself that not everyone is as much of a cinnamon fan as I am...especially my little Grace. So the recipe listed below has less cinnamon than what I chose to add to these cakes here.

The adjustment of more will be completely up to you.

For me there are very few things that go together with cinnamon better than nutmeg...and I have to remember to hold back on the nutmeg too. (love that stuff!) So, the amount called for in the recipe is also adjusted to be less than what I personally enjoy.

Just trying to keep everyone happy here.

Alright, give it another quick whisk to get those spices in there...I love the way all of those little specks of cinnamon and nutmeg look in the batter.

Now over to the stove. Take a Teflon coated skillet and place a pat of butter in the center to melt. I take a gravy ladle to make pouring these cakes a little bit cleaner...and the same size. One ladle each makes a perfect sized pancake for my girls...and allows me to fit 2 cakes in the skillet.

Wait until the bubbles start appearing on the surface of the cakes...they let us know when it's time to do the flip.

And.....FLIP! Very nice, very nice indeed. All they need is just about 3 more minutes and they will be ready to get dressed and served.

Now I just top the pancakes with a little bit of powdered sugar and a large mountain of whipped cream for my kiddles.

They like them just like this without any syrup.

And two little pancakes are perfect for filling their little tummies.

Now for Momma, I like to make a nice big cake...2 ladles worth, right into the center of the skillet.

Just wait a couple minutes for the bubbles to start surfacing and then...

FLIP!

Just look at that color!

Mmmm...and the smell of the cinnamon and nutmeg just sing out to you.

Just a couple minutes more and then I get to dress my cake!

Now, I am not a fan of maple syrup. If you like it then go for it, but I will typically choose to use either a butter flavored syrup or a fruit one.

Since there are already mashed up apples in this cake, I'm not going to top it with anything that will take away from them.

So, I do a sprinkling of powdered sugar, a drizzle of butter flavored syrup and a mountain of whipped cream on top.

Time to enjoy my apple cinnamon pancakes...Good Morning!

Marshmallow North Poles

These North Poles were inspired by my daughter's 1st grade Christmas party.  Her teacher has the tradition of throwing a pajama day ice cream party with a showing of The Polar Express.  Since all of those little kiddles were going to have "polar" visions before their eyes, I thought that they needed to have a little bit of the North Pole in their tummies.

Here's everything you need...yes, I thought of taking this picture when I was actually done with all of the dipping & decorating but at least I got it.

Take a marshmallow and pop it in your mouth...Then take another one and gently push & twist a pretzel stick into the center of it.  Be careful not to push it all the way through, just until you can feel it almost at the bottom. 

Place onto wax paper (which you have placed onto a baking sheet) and continue this process until you have the desired number of poles in the snow.

Follow the directions on the bag of your candy melts.  I used candy melts instead of white chocolate simply because they set much faster and have less run-off.

You want the candy to be just melted, not too hot or it will start melting the marshmallows when you're coating them.  I learned this the hard way.  Poor marshmallow didn't know what hit it.

 Using a small spoon or rubber spatula, gently place a thin coating of the melted candy up the sides and across the bottom of the marshmallow.

Immediately decorate by sprinkling with colored sugar sprinkles.  The larger sprinkles tend weigh down the candy coating and run straight off of the marshmallow. Again, lesson learned the hard way.

Place onto the wax paper and repeat the process with remaining marshmallows.

Allow to set completely (only 5-15 minutes depending on the candy) and then ENJOY!

 

Marshmallow North Poles

Level:Easy

Ingredients:
1 bag Campfire (Large) Marshmallows
Pretzel Sticks
Vanilla Flavored Candy Melts (CandiQuick)
Red Sugar Crystals

Directions:
Melt candy pieces per bag's instructions.  Do not overheat!

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

Take one pretzel stick and gently push & twist it into the center (short end) of a marshmallow. Do not push all the way through. Place onto wax paper. Repeat for desired amount.

With a spoon or rubber spatula, gently coat marshmallow edges and bottom.  Do not make a thick coating or the decorations will run off of the marshmallow.

Quickly sprinkle sides and bottom with colored sugar.  Set bottom side down onto wax paper. Repeat with remaining marshmallows.

Allow to set completely. (5-15 minutes) Store in an airtight container.

Personal Pumpkin Pizzas

It's a little chilly outside, a little breezy and also happens to be Halloween.  So in the midst of it all I decided to have a little helper make some very festive personal pizzas...Pumpkin Shaped! These little personal pumpkin pizzas are such a fun way to have little ones enjoy Fall.  And they really are easy to do too. 

Preheat the oven to 485°F.  Start by taking a little butter and smearing it into the shape of  two pumpkins onto a cookie sheet. The base of these pumpkins will be either store bought pizza dough or homemade dough. (a typical store bought round of dough will make 2-3 personal pizzas)

To keep the dough from sticking to your hands simply coat your hands with either olive oil or a little butter.  Separate the dough into baseball sized rounds.  Then press a ball of dough and form it into the rough shape of a pumpkin.  To make the stem, pull gently on the dough and pinch into the shape desired.

Top dough with pizza sauce (see recipe below), shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings.

Place pizzas in the oven and set a timer for 8-10 minutes.  Check pizzas at the 8 minute mark.  Gently slide a spatula under the edge of a pizza and check the bottom of the pizzas.  They should be lightly browned.  Continue to check every minute until the bottoms are golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before serving to little ones.

Tip: Melt a tablespoon of butter in a microwave safe bowl and add a teaspoon of garlic salt. Brush over the edges of each pumpkin before baking.

 

*******************
Pizza Sauce
Prep Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:
1 (6 oz.) Can of Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Water
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or 1/4 teaspoon each of dried Oregano & Basil)
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
OPTION: If you are not a fan of fresh garlic, or just don't have any, then use 1-2 teaspoons of garlic salt and bypass adding any sea salt.

Directions:In small bowl, or 2 cup measuring cup, empty can of tomato paste. Add extra virgin olive oil a little at a time, mixing it in completely in between each pour. Add water a little at a time, mixing it in completely in between each pour. Depending on the consistency that is preferred, more water can be added to thin the sauce, less to thicken it. Add Italian seasoning & sea salt. Mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate any unused portion for up to 5 days.

Can also be warmed and used as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.

White Chocolate Bones

My girls have been dying to do something in the "goodies" department for Halloween...I figured that making some "bones" just might be the solution. 
Is it a simple recipe?  Yes. 
Do kiddles love making them? Yes again.
Is it messy?  To a certain degree, oh yeah.  There will be some finger licking going on.

If I had my way we'd be using dark chocolate though. (Momma loves her some dark chocolate!)


Ingredients:
Pretzel Sticks
Marshmallows (regular, not jumbo or mini)
White Chocolate Morsels

Directions:
1.  Line a baking sheet with either wax paper or parchment paper.

2.  Press one end of a pretzel stick completely through the center of a marshmallow.  Position the marshmallow at the edge of the pretzel stick. Repeat this step for the opposite end of the pretzel stick.

3.  Place the assembled pretzels & marshmallows on the lined baking sheet.

4.  In a microwave safe bowl, pour 1/2 cup of white chocolate morsels and heat on high for 30 seconds.  Stir and heat at 10 second intervals until morsels are completely melted.  Be sure to stir between each heat session. Allow to cool enough to touch. (about 2-3 minutes)  Repeat step as necessary.

5.  Holding the center of a pretzel & marshmallow stick begin to coat the entire stick with the melted white chocolate.  A pastry brush or teaspoon can be used.  Dipping the sticks can cause the marshmallows to come off.

6.  Place chocoalte coated "bones" on lined baking sheet and allow chocolate to set. Cooling time varies by chocolate thickness. (10-15 minutes)

PB & J Freezes

I remember being in grade school and volunteering to work in the cafeteria whenever I could. The gesture was not just to get in good with the lunch ladies, there was a deeper purpose to my generousity. Frozen PB & J's.

It came to me...My girls haven't been introduced to this little frozen delight yet! Oh, that issue had to be remedied right away.

View complete posting: PB & J Freezes

Peachberry Smoothie

My girls love smoothies...and my little Rose has an infatuation with strawberries. So I came up with this simple breakfast concoction for her. There isn't a smoothie that she's met that she hasn't loved.



Smoothies need to be nice and frosty, so I start with some vanilla frozen yogurt. I really like Blue Bunny's vanilla...or Dryer's Vanilla Yogurt Blend.

View complete posting: Peachberry Smoothie

Sunrise Smoothie

I'm not much of morning person, so anything that can help brighten my day is always welcomed. This is a very simple recipe for a quick jumpstart to a healthy day...packed with vitamin C & potassium too! PLUS, it's a great gluten-free option. Added Bonus: The Kiddles Love It!

So I start with crushed ice...2-3 cups depending on how thick I want my smoothie. (and if I'm using fresh fruit, I always make it 3 cups of ice) Pour in one cup of vanilla flavored Almond Milk. You could also use vanilla flavored Soy Milk, but I personally prefer the Almond Milk for this smoothie.

View complete posting: Sunrise Smoothie

Blue Raz Smoothie

With Spring here and Summer right around the corner, it's time to get into the "smoothie mode"! My family L-O-V-E-S smoothies. And during the Summer, we really go through a lot of juice and frozen fruit. And the smoothie tends to become breakfast quite a bit too.

Easter Pudding Baskets

I wanted to do something a little bit different for an Easter treat this year...and the Robin's Eggs Nests are such an easy build, I figured that I could incorporate those with one of my kiddles' favorite treats. Pudding!

Okay, so I start off by lining a large muffin pan (12 muffin cups) with some saran wrap. This is where I'm going to be building my baskets...

View complete posting: Easter Pudding Baskets

Peanut Butter Banana Bagels

My little Grace LOVES bagels...anything that is sweet or cheesy and she's a happy little girl. Typically her bagel half gets topped with just a little butter and some cream cheese...but one morning things took a turn. A good turn.

Grace loves to help make her bagels in the morning, and other than any knifing skills that may be needed, I happily encourage her to "cook".

View complete posting: Peanut Butter Banana Bagels

Haystacks 'N Sticks

My little kiddles L-O-V-E, LOVE, dark chocolate and peanut butter. And like most little ones, snacking is a favorite past-time. So the thought came to me…Why not combine those two sweet treats and make some haystacks?…Why not add one of their favorite snacks, pretzels?

All you need is a few things and about 30 minutes.
Here’s all that is needed to make a sweet treat that has some nutritional value too:

View complete posting: Haystacks 'N Sticks