Sunday, October 28, 2007
Leftover HALLOWEEN CANDY Recipes
| By Lynn Forgy Maybe you're one of the few people who have Halloween Candy left after all the little ones have been by, or maybe you're really frugal and bought your Halloween candy for next year the day after Halloween and went a little overboard. Whatever the reason, below are some recipes for using up all that candy: Homemade Fudge  Fudge squares make a great gift for coworkers and neighbors. Wrap up a few squares of each variety on a plate and it's a gift they're sure to enjoy. You'll need: 2 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. butter 2/3 c. evaporated milk 4 cups chopped candy (anything you want to use!) 1 tsp. vanilla Line a 9 inch square or 13x9 inch pan with foil so that foil extends over sides of pan, and butter the foil. In large saucepan, combine sugar, margarine and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add candy and blend until smooth. Stir in walnuts and vanilla. Pour into buttered, foil-lined pan. Cool to room temperature. Score fudge into 36-48 squares. Refrigerate until firm. Remove fudge from pan by lifting foil; remove foil from sides of fudge. Using large knife, cut through scored lines. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 3 pounds: 36-48 squares. From: Squidoo Candy Bar Cookies  Some candy bars make GREAT cookies! Try this with Baby Ruth, Snickers, Milky Way, chocolate bars, or other misc. chocolate pieces. 3 c. sifted flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. softened butter 3/4 c. smooth peanut butter 2 eggs beaten 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla 2/3 c. milk 5 small candy bars, chopped up Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs ad mix well, then add the vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients together and add alternately with the milk. Stir in the cut-up candy bar pieces. Spoon teaspon sized dropps on greased cookie sheets. Bake about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 18 cookies. From: Squidoo Leftover Candy Cake 2 c. coarsely chopped leftover Easter (*or Halloween, Christmas, etc.) candy 2 3/4 c. sifted flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla 8 oz. unsalted butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 3 lg. eggs 1/4 tsp. almond extract 1 c. sour cream Optional: Confectioners' sugar Such as: Chocolate eggs, marshmallow chicks, chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, jellies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a tube or bundt pan (10 to 12 cup capacity) and dust with fine bread crumbs. Tap out excess crumbs. Set pan aside. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter until soft, add vanilla, almond extracts and sugar. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. On low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients with sour cream, scraping bowl as necessary. Place 1 1/2 cups mixture in prepared pan. Add candies to remaining batter, fold in gently. Pour this mixture into pan over plain batter. Bake 1 hour or until tests done. Cool 15 minutes. Cover pan with rack and invert. Remove pan. Let cake cool. Serve plain or with confectioners' sugar dusted on top. From: Cooks.com If for some reason you don't want to eat the leftover candy (Gasp!), here are a few other ideas on what to do with all that candy: 13 Things to Do with Leftover Halloween Candy 10 Things to do with All That Halloween Candy Labels: cake, candy, cookies, Frugal recipes, fudge, Halloween |
Friday, October 12, 2007
Scary Spider Pumpkins for Halloween
| By Agatha Curtis Make your own scary little spider this Halloween from a mini pumpkin and a few other inexpensive items, easily found. Spiders are easy and fun to make and can be used for decorating or for gifts. Mini pumpkins range around 4” in diameter, 3” in height including stem, and are found in the produce section of your grocery store. I have seen them priced at two or three pumpkins for $1. You will need the following items: mini pumpkin, black pipe cleaners, clear acrylic spray, black acrylic paint (craft paint), white or red or yellow acrylic craft paint, paintbrush. You can find the clear acrylic spray in the spray paint section of your store. Acrylic paints such as those used in crafts are my choice for the body of the spider, but you could substitute black spray paint if you plan to mass produce or if you have some on hand. Cover your work surface with newspapers and, if using spray paint, ventilate well. First, spray a light coat of clear acrylic spray on your pumpkin and let it dry. This will help seal the surface, the paint will adhere better and your painted pumpkin will last a little longer. Then, coat your entire pumpkin with black paint. Acrylics dry fast, so this won’t take too long. Paint the stem or leave it natural. Using the white or red or yellow acrylic paint, make circles for the spider’s eyes and let dry. Paint small black pupils in the eyes. When all paint is dry, spray another light coat (or two) of clear acrylic spray over the entire surface of your pumpkin. Let dry between coats. You have a choice on the spider’s legs. For long legs, take one pipe cleaner (these measure about 10 or so inches) and bend it into a vee in the middle of the pipe cleaner. About one-half inch from one end, bend the pipe cleaner end up. This gives you one leg for your spider, with the last little bend being the “foot.” If you would prefer short legs, cut your pipe cleaner in half, then bend the same way (or leave off the “foot” bend and just make one vee bend, if you prefer.) Take a pencil point and make small indentation holes in the top half section of your pumpkin. Four holes for legs beginning on the left from the spider’s eyes and four on the right side. Hold your pipe cleaner close to the end opposite the foot bend, and gently insert it about one-half inch into an indent. The legs can be adjusted up or down, close in or flare out, after you have all eight inserted. Scary Spider Pumpkins would be a great craft for kids or adults, but remember that they are not toys. Keep out of the reach of babies and young children due to the paint and pipe cleaners. Happy Scary Halloween!! Labels: Halloween, homemade craft, pumpkins, scary |
