Don't Be That House - A List of the Worst Halloween Candy Ever

If your usual Halloween candy purchase includes *any* of the following treats crimesagainsthumanity, STOP IT.  Shut.  It. Down.  This Public Service Announcement is for you.  

Listen.  

I get it.  
  
Not everyone has a friend who will speak the truth to them.  I choose to believe that no one ever told you about your vomit-inducing, candy-giving habits.  Just like no one ever told you that flip-flops and/or facial piercings are inappropriate for an interview.  Or that you’re not supposed to gift those Snuggies you excitedly hoarded from HSN/QVC/CVS.  <-- No one wants those.  Likewise, no kid wants to find any of these candies in their treat bag, on Halloween: 

For starters, we’ll begin with the orange Circus Peanuts.  What blows my mind is that somewhere, someone tried one once and thought “These are DELICIOUS! Let’s mass produce them!”  At times, I’ve wondered if actual packing peanuts have more flavor than these vile, flavored bits of foam. 

Black Licorice?! Are you for real, giving out these tar bites?   They smell like rotten, root beer farts and dead squirrels. Why would anyone want to put one near their mouth?

I’d never met a chocolate that made my lips curl into a frown, until I tried Whoppers.  Chocolate covered chalk nuggets?  N’Okay!

Spearmint candies – Wha? Why?  Is this anyone’s favorite?  Please let me know, because I will ship you all of the ones we receive in our annual Halloween haul.  I enjoy the smell of halitosis more than this mint.  

Gummy bears?  I can do those.  They’re delicious and adorable.  Gummy HAMBURGERS?  No.  Uh-Uh.  Who seriously looks forward to finding one of these in their bag?  Can you picture a child out there, savoring every layer, piece-by-piece?  Not me… but typing that out and imagining it just made my mouth fill with pre-vomit saliva. 

Mike & Ike/Good & Plenty – Good news.  No one will e-v-e-r steal your stash... unless they mistake your G&Ps for actual pills.

Random orange & black candy... is this supposed to be generic peanut butter? caramel? taffy?  While we're here, any off-brand/no-name candy <-- Don't do it.  There's too much good candy out there for a kid to take a chance on that ambiguous blob you tossed in their bag.  Not to mention, these particular candies are easily opened/reopened {AKA thrown out by cautious parents}.

People, I’m begging you.  Halloween is once a year.  Splurge on the name brand chocolate or at the very least Sour Patch Kids.  Don’t be that house.

What's your most hated candy?  

 
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Easy DIY Halloween Crafts

Halloween is almost here!  I love scoping out clearance sections for deals on seasonal decor.  My favorites are Target, Williams-Sonoma, Bath & Body Works and Kohl's - unfortunately, it can be hit or miss at times.  Sometimes, stores will have great looking decor at winning prices, and other times, they seem to market cheaply made or too-trendy items that aren't even worth purchasing at 90% off.  An easy way to add items to your seasonal collection is to make your own.

I found Kathleen's tutorial, wherein she used styrofoam pumpkins, a hole saw, glue and glitter to create shimmery, pumpkin candle holders.  Hello?!  Candles?  GLITTER?  Sign me up.  I got lucky, and found these silver, glittered craft pumpkins, so all they needed was a little saw action.  BOOM! Done.

For an easy, Halloween countdown, I purchased a large, foam pumpkin and covered it in chalkboard spray.  We update it daily, with a liquid chalk pen.

Have you seen these vampire pumpkins, that Martha's team created?  Here's my version - minus the map tacks, and with foam pumpkins instead of the real deal.  

Allie had such a great idea, with these spider magnets - they were so cheap and simple to make.  I purchased a bag of spider rings, and clipped off the ring portion.  Then, I took a pack of magnets and cut them down, using hot glue to affix them to the back of the spiders.  You can arrange them any way you like!

What crafts have you created for Halloween?

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Lemon Bundt Cake with Citrus Glaze

Y'all, I made my first Bundt cake {and it turned out pretty well}!  It was surprisingly difficult to find a recipe with actual lemon in it.  I kept finding ones with lemon flavored soda, lemon flavored pudding, lemon flavored cake mix <-- GROSS

Then I found this one. 

The glaze compliments the cake nicely and makes it SO moist.  When I baked this, I initially ate some, gave half to the neighbors, and then sent my husband to work with the rest {so as not to tempt myself}.  Now, I see that was a mistake, and am seriously considering making another one tonight.

Lemon Bundt Cake with Citrus Glaze {adapted from memyselfandi's recipe} Printable Recipe

makes: 1 cake

Ingredients (cake):

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon zest {about 2 lemons}

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups milk

3 eggs

Directions (cake):

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2) In a food processor, blend together the vanilla, lemon juice, zest, and oil; mix together for about a minute. <-- I do this, because I can't stand chewing on bits of lemon zest, and want them broken down so I just get the delicious flavor.  If you enjoy the zest in all of its glory, skip this step.

3) In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Slowly mix in the milk and eggs.  Then, pour in the vanilla, juice, zest and oil.

4) Pour into a fluted pan {i.e. Bundt}.  Bake in the preheated oven for 70-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, and then run a paring knife along the sides of the cake, to loosen it.  Cover the cake pan with a plate and flip the cake out onto it.

In the 10 minutes that you allow your cake to cool, you can whip up the glaze!

Ingredients (glaze):

1 tablespoon lemon zest {about 2 lemons}

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 lemon - juiced

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions (glaze):

1) In a food processor, blend together the zest, vanilla, lemon juice, milk, orange juice, and sugars; mix together for about a minute. <-- Again, I do this because I can't stand chewing on bits of lemon zest, and want them broken down so I just get the delicious flavor.  If you enjoy the zest in all of its glory, skip this step.

2) In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the zest, vanilla, lemon juice, milk, orange juice, and sugars.  Whisk until it comes to a foamy boil, cooking for about a minute more, and then remove from heat.  Drizzle mixture over warm cake and enjoy!

Have you made a Bundt cake before?  What's your favorite?

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

If you're looking for a Game Day appetizer, this is the mother of all meaty dips.  The added chicken essentially turns it into a meal, so don't feel bad about eating too much.  The creamy cheese and satiating chicken are polished off with a spicy bite, making this one addictive football game snack.

My husband recently purchased a bigger mixer for me.  I'd drooled over this KitchenAid for months, and lemme tell you - I'm totally in love with it.  When the holidays roll around and you find yourself making multiple batches of cookies and pie crusts, it saves time and aggravation to be able to make all of them at the same time.

Buffalo Chicken Dip {adapted from Nunpunch's recipe} Printable Recipe

makes: 1 - 8x8 dish

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Chicken, cooked in garlic powder and a little oil

1 cup Ranch dressing {I highly recommend using Hidden Valley}

3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

2 (8oz.) packages, Cream Cheese

2/3 (23 oz.) bottle Frank's Buffalo Sauce {update: we've discovered Hooter's wing sauce at our grocery store, and it's now our favorite - just empty the entire jar into your batch}

 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a mixer, blend together the chicken and cream cheese until the chicken is shredded.

3) Add in the dressing and sauce, mixing until well blended.

4) Pour into your 2qt. baking dish and top with cheese.

5) Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

You can eat this with chips, but I prefer to scoop it with celery sticks - either way, it's out of this world.

What favorite appetizer do you enjoy, during games?

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