Oct 20

Cotton Candy Cobweb Cupcakes

Oct 20

With Halloween about two weeks away I am thrilled to say that costumes have been purchased, treat bags have been assembled for school, decorations are up and the giant cauldron by the front door is full to the rim with CANDY! This year was painless. Since I ordered Toodie’s costume and accessories online I was able to avoid the crazy crowds, the worst part of any holiday. Of course I decided to use the saved timed and energy to make another treat in the kitchen this weekend, Cotton Candy Cobweb Cupcakes. I couldn’t help myself given the next two weeks are busy ones. This may be the last yummy treat I make before the haunted holiday arrives!
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Oct 14

Lumpy Bumpy Monster Candy Cupcakes #Treats4All

Oct 14

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #Treats4All

It’s no mystery that Halloween is high on the list when it comes to my favorite holidays. Last month I got a head start and began sharing a few of my ghoulish recipes to get into the spirit. As we approach the spooky day of celebration my gears have been locked into creative mode and there has been quite a bit of hocus pocus going on in the kitchen. As much as I enjoy nibbling on Halloween candy before and after the big day, it has become a staple ingredient in my creations lately. These Lumpy Bumpy Monster Candy Cupcakes bring the best of my two favorite treats together- cake and candy. Using the Wonka Mix Ups I was able to bring those fun lumpy bumpy creatures to life!
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Oct 05

Count Chocula Bat Treats

Oct 05

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.

Just in time for Halloween the Retro Monsters are back! Count Chocula, Boo Berry and Franken Berry cereals are once again hitting the shelves at Target in their retro packaging. They’ve also brought Monsters snack items for you to enjoy as well. Count Chocula Treats, Boo Berry Fruit Roll-Ups and Franken Berry Fruit Roll-Ups are sure to make this month even more spooktacular. In fact, they inspired me to create another fun Halloween treat and this one is Bat-TASTIC. Learn how to make these adorable Count Chocula Bat Treats below!
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Sep 26

Monster Marshmallow Krispie Treats

Sep 26

No matter how busy my week gets, and this one has been CRAZY, I always make time to create something fun in the kitchen. So far I have gotten my fix through Zombie Oreo Cookie Eyeballs, Caramel Pretzel Mummy Bites, and Eerie Eyeball Pretzel Rods. It’s about time we moved on to monsters! This is a fun one and a great pre-Halloween activity to do with the kids. You can prepare the treats and let them make their own faces and expressions.
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Sep 22

Zombie Oreo Cookie Eyeballs

Sep 22

Let’s talk zombies. Since The Walking Dead series took off almost four years ago the zombie has become the favorite monster of many. I may be the only human being out there left to say this but I have never actually watched an episode of the show. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a soft spot for the emancipated, decaying, brain-eating, grotesque community of zombies. No longer the bottom feeder of the monster world, zombies make Halloween much more exciting.
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Sep 11

Caramel Pretzel Mummy Bites

Sep 11

Today I have another semi spooky recipe you can make for your little goblins! These sweet and salty mummy bites are a perfect addition to any Halloween treat line-up.
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Sep 08

Eerie Eyeball Pretzel Rods

Sep 08

Last week I picked up a copy of the Better Homes & Gardens newest Halloween Tricks & Treats edition for 2014. Normally I head straight to Pinterest when looking for ideas and inspiration but I am loving the quick and clever creations within the pages of this seasonal magazine. Inspired by a set of bright green pretzel rods decorated with eyeballs, I re-created my own version of spooky salted sticks. These Eerie Eyeball Pretzel Rods are easy to make and also adorable for Halloween. Since my trial run was a success I plan on making these for Toodie’s class next month. They are just the right amount of creepy and can be individually wrapped for each child to enjoy!
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Oct 03

Dogswell LIVEFREE: Halloween Munchies For Your Four Legged Friends!

Oct 03

Halloween is a short month away. I have a feeling the next four weeks are going to speed by too. Most of us are preparing our children’s costumes, making goodie bags for school, and creating fun festive recipes to start the holiday off right. While you may have all of those things in order, did you remember your furry friend? This year make a conscious effort to treat your pet with a spooky snack on the big night. After all, who doesn’t take their dog out this time of year? It’s the one day we have an excuse to dress them up in ridiculous costumes and show them off to neighbors. Well at least that’s what WE do! I can’t say Chloe & Sam are big fans of that whole process but they do enjoy the constant flow of company at the house. As long as they have something of their own to snack on, the barking is kept to a minimum and little tails are waggin’.
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Oct 22

Pooch Friendly Treat Bags For Halloween!

Oct 22

The weeks have flown by and Halloween is quickly approaching. By now you probably have a stock pile of candy and delicious goodies to give away to trick-or-treaters. Children aren’t the only ones seeking a special treat this time of year. If you have a dog that is anything like mine, you know that they somehow find a way to get into the candy stash. Last year I caught my pug hiding under the kitchen table with a peanut butter cup between her teeth! She was one happy pup but didn’t enjoy me chasing her around the house attempting to get it from her death grip. This Halloween I decided to minimize the temptation and have pet friendly treat bags on hand.I can‘t guarantee that this will keep those wet noses out of your little one’s treat bag BUT it sure will keep them occupied.

Oct 07

Halloween UNJUNKED: An UNREAL Ice Cream Social #GetUnreal

Oct 07

Halloween is only three weeks away! Have you stocked up on your candy, toys, and treats yet? This week I began buying little by little, each time I go to the store. If I buy it all at once, I just end up eating it! Trick or treaters will be getting a surprise this year when they knock on my door. There is a new candy on this block, and it’s UNREAL-literally! They are on a mission to unjunk your candy and show you it can still taste great without the yucky additives. To introduce family and friends to UNREAL Candy, I decided to put together a Halloween inspired ice cream social. Yes, this was not only an excuse to put out more decorations but to eat yummy ice cream too! I offered a variety of ice cream, candy toppings, treat bags for my guests, and great company. It’s finally October which means we are all entitled to have candy this month and with UNREAL you can eat it more often without feeling guilty.

UNREAL candy focuses on the ingredients of the product rather than the appearance. They contain less sugar and are also made with more cacao, real caramel, peanuts, protein, and fiber. Since it is free of any artificial coloring, the chocolate covered candies are dull in color. This doesn’t mean they are dull in flavor though! Without all the preservatives and corn syrup, you can actually taste the true flavor and sweetness. Buying the same old candy can get boring, but when you see something new it tempts you to give it a try. We all agreed that the bright packaging makes it stand out from the rest.

There are five different types of candy available: candy coated chocolates with or without peanuts, peanut butter cups, and caramel & nougat bars with or without peanuts. When you open the candy for yourself, you will notice the concept of each is very similar alternative to popular brands on the market.

While their names aren’t very traditional, their taste makes up for it. You can find all of these sold in stores under UNREAL 54, 41, 5, 77, and 8. I served each of them as toppings for ice cream but we couldn’t stop eating them on their own. My favorite was the caramel nougat because it was chewy and packed with thick caramel. The crowd favorite was the Peanut Butter Cup. It was time to sit back and relax with our customized ice cream creations in hand. Even the dogs enjoyed the ice cream social! They sure weren’t complaining when they got to lick the bowl either.

The ice cream social appeared to be a hit. Everyone enjoyed their refreshing ice cream and candy toppings. I was happy to send each guest away with their own UNREAL gift bag containing a sample of each product they tried today. I think I successfully converted them after hearing a lot of chatter about the UNREAL 77 Peanut Butter Cups tasting better than the leading brand! They were shocked to hear it contained half the amount of sugar and also less fat. With it still being a few weeks away from Halloween, there is still plenty of time to make better candy choices this year. I know we will be stocking up on UNREAL Candy to hand out and spread the word to our neighborhood trick or treaters.

To find out more information on UNREAL Candy you can visit their website where you can learn more about each product and the mission behind them. You can also interact by following along on Twitter and Facebook. Want to get unjunked before Halloween? You can purchase UNREAL Candy at CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Michael’s, Staples, and many other stores listed on their site. This month they will also be debuting at Target locations so keep an eye out!

Disclosure: This post and party have been sponsored by Global Influence and UNREAL Candy. I have been compensated but all opinions are my own.