"Fall Fun" by Ginger Garvey

As Halloween approaches, the seasonal “to-do” list, typically marked with finding the perfect costume and trick-or-treat route, is a bit more complicated with the growing need to protect the environment and manage household budgets. In preparing for your neighborhood ghosts and goblins, try these easy tips and tricks to “go green,” and spend less on your families’ spook-tacular celebration.

Howl to be Green
Incorporating small changes into your holiday preparation will go a long way to create an eco-friendly Halloween. Whether you’re hosting a party or adding colorful flare to the home or office, take inventory of your decorations and go back to nature by using locally-grown pumpkins, apples or fresh gourds to create tabletop and front porch accents. Organic, pesticide-free produce is widely available at farmers markets, grocery and specialty stores and leaves little waste once the celebration ends.

Also look for ways to “re-use” your Halloween accessories. Cloth or canvas shopping bags and pillowcases are great alternatives to paper, plastic bags and more traditional plastic jack-o-lanterns used by many trick-or-treaters to collect candy. Gather fall-colored scraps of fabric, ribbon, buttons or food coloring and spend the afternoon with the kids decorating a recyclable trick-or-treat bag. Use the custom creation to hand out candy at your door and your house will be the hit of the neighborhood.

Howl to Save
Spend less this Halloween by using old or outgrown clothes, sports equipment or dress-up items to make one-of-a-kind costumes. Unpack your graduation gown and buy a gavel at a thrift or prop store to transform your trick-or-treater into a judge. Dust off a wedding gown or bridesmaid’s dress, polish an old pair of pumps and grab a wig from a costume store and you’ve got a princess. Host a costume trading party and make sure everyone comes with old clothing or accessories to trade. Let the kids use their imaginations and see how many new and different costumes come to life.

You can also save by using recyclable household materials to decorate. Bed sheets hung from the ceiling or tree branches make convincing ghosts, as do balloons covered with a white sheet, tied with a ribbon around the neck and black felt tapped on for eyes. The sheets can be taken down, laundered and returned to the linen closet once Halloween is over.

Howl to Have Fun at Home
Consider baking at home this year to get everyone in the Halloween mood. Find unique recipes for Halloween treats that can be used as decorations or centerpieces before you indulge.

Gather everyone around and make creepy “edible eyeballs” with mini white powdered donuts, Life Savers Gummies, red icing and chocolate chips. Cover the hole in the center of the donut with a thin layer of icing and top with a gummy. Next, dip the bottom of a chocolate chip in icing before layering it on the gummy. Make the eyeball scary by drawing lines from the center of the donut to the outer edge with red icing. Finish the treat by poking each donut with a lollipop stick and arranging them in a bowl of candy corn to make a freaky yet tasty centerpiece.

Howl to Be Safe
Set the seasonal mood by decorating trees and sidewalks with lights and lanterns while making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find their way from door to door. Neat, well-lit landscapes make everyone feel more comfortable and confident.

Another simple way to help ghosts and goblins find their way door to door is to use makeup to finish a costume as an alternative to masks. Face paint makes it much easier for trick-or-treaters to see … especially at night.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Pumpkin Seeds

This year, instead of throwing your pumpkin seeds away, roast them for a crunchy treat that’s low in fat and full of heart healthy goodness.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Toss 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of cleaned, unshelled pumpkin seeds with 2 tsp melted Becel with Bertolli olive oil margarine.

Add a dash of salt or other seasoning of your choice – such as black pepper, garlic powder or paprika.

Bake at 350° F (175° C) on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes. Cool and serve with a bowl for the discarded shells.

Olive oil is high in beneficial monounsaturated fat, contains polyunsaturated fat and is low in harmful saturated and trans fat. Find ways to incorporate this winning ingredient into your repertoire online at www.loveyourheart.ca.

Haunted Gingerbread House

(NC)-If you are looking for a ghoulish Halloween activity everyone can enjoy, why not create a peanut-free Haunted Gingerbread House? Decorated with Nestlé Fav*rites peanut-free treats, it’s not only safe for children who have peanut allergies, it’s also spooktacularily fun to make!

Haunted Gingerbread

1 1/2 cups shortening 375 ml

1 1/2 cups sugar 375 ml

3 eggs 3

1 1/2 cups fancy molasses 375 ml

1/4 cup golden syrup 60 ml

8 cups all purpose flour 2000 ml

1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger 22 ml

2 tsp each pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon 10 ml

1 1/2 tsp each baking soda and salt 7 ml

1 box of 100 Nestle Peanut Free Fav*rites snack-size chocolate bars

Method

1. Beat shortening and sugar until light. Add eggs, one at a time, with molasses and syrup.

2. Stir dry ingredients together and add in heaping spoonfuls to molasses mixture; stir until well combined. Divide dough into 4 balls. Wrap individually and refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours or up to 1 week.

3. Cut out and carefully label each pattern piece. Roll balls of chilled dough individually between wax paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Trace and cut out each pattern piece for the house; save cookie scraps to roll again as needed. *Remember to cut out windows and doors before baking*.

Click to enlarge the Halloween Gingerbread House pattern

4. Transfer gingerbread to parchment paper-lined cookie sheets leaving at least 1 inch between shapes. Place in freezer for 25 minutes.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes or until gingerbread is firm.

Haunted Icing

3 egg whites 3

1 tsp cream of tartar 5 ml

3 1/2 – 4 cups icing sugar 875-1000 ml Optional: food colouring

Method

1. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar for 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Slowing add icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time beating until thick (may require less sugar). Add food colouring if desired.

2. Transfer icing to large zip-lock bag. Close and set aside.

Assembly and decorating

1. Use the haunted house photo as your assembly guide, and use a foil-covered cutting board as the base.

2. Snip corner from icing bag, and pipe icing generously along edges of gingerbread to glue pieces together. Start with the walls, using cans or jars to support the structure as the icing hardens.

3. Complete structure by gluing on the roof and chimney with piped icing. Allow to harden for at least 15 minutes.

4. Use the 100-count box of Nestlé Peanut Free Fav*rites to decorate your haunted house, gluing the chocolate in place with icing.

Nestlé Canada encourages parents to read the labels when buying ingredients to ensure they are made in a peanut-free facility. For more information on Nestlé’s peanut-free offerings, visit www.nestle-peanutfree.ca.

Credit: www.newscanada.com

Candy-Speckled Popcorn Cakes

Here’s a fresh new take on the classic popcorn balls. Homebasics.ca brings you this easy recipe that can be served at sleepovers or Halloween parties. If you don’t have mini bundt pans, you can use a large bundt or angel food pan or mini muffin tins. Or simply let the kids form the popcorn balls themselves.

1/2 cup Imperial Margarine

1 1/2 bags mini marshmallows

20 cups (2 bags, 80 g each) popped microwave popcorn, cooled, uncooked kernels carefully removed

1 1/2 cups colourful candy-coated chocolate pieces

In a large pot over medium heat, melt margarine and marshmallows. In a large bowl, combine melted marshmallows with popcorn and chocolate pieces. With lightly greased hands, pat popcorn mixture into non-stick mini bundt cake pans. Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Great for sleepovers and Halloween parties. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

- News Canada

Mystery Pirate Ships

You’re invited to a “Monster Bash.” What’s more fun than Halloween? Young or old, everyone seems to get into the spirit. Why not gather a group together this Halloween and have some spooky fun along with a frightening feast?

When planning a Halloween party, it is best to consider the ages of all goblins that will be attending. Adults and children may both love the fun of Halloween, but the fright factor will be different. Once you have established your guest list, you can start to plan “tricks or treats.”

For tricks, start the guests off by having a “frightening fashion show” where they walk down a red carpet to show their costumes. Cover the carpet with spiders and webs and, if everyone is brave enough, turn the lights down low. Be sure to play some ghoulishly good music, such as “The Monster Mash,” so that your party ghosts and princesses can get into the spirit. This is a good way to “break the ice” and let everyone showcase their costumes before the party begins.

Follow up the fashion show with a few games such as pass the pumpkin or bobbing for apples. If guests will be heading out for candy, be sure to feed them a selection of healthy “treats.” Why not start with deviled eggs?

The incredible edible deviled egg is a party favorite and fits perfectly into a Halloween theme. The high quality protein from the egg will help witches and mummies feel full longer, which could help minimize their munching on candy. Deviled eggs are also the perfect appetizer before serving a Halloween meal such as “creepy crawly chili” (chili topped with gummy worms) and “tombstone tossed salad” (decorate the salad bowls with funny tombstones).

If you really want to get into the spirit when planning your menu, why not dress your basic deviled egg recipe up in a costume by trying this recipe? For more recipe ideas visit www.incredibleegg.org.

Mystery Pirate Ships

Yields: Six servings

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 package (2.5 ounces) smoked sliced, chopped, pressed, cooked ham
12 green olives, optional
Directions:

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks. Set whites aside. Place yolks in a one-quart plastic food storage bag. Add mayonnaise, relish and mustard. Press out air. Close bag. Press and roll bag until yolk mixture is thoroughly blended. Push yolk mixture toward bottom corner of bag. Snip off about 1/2 inch of the bag corner. Squeezing bag gently from the top, fill reserved whites with yolk mixture.

Place each filled egg on one ham slice. Turn two opposite corners up over the yolk mixture and gently press. For masts and flags, stick wooden picks topped with olives into the boats, if desired. Chill to blend.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

“A fun Halloween treat for kids – they will enjoy making these and eating them too! Find more Halloween fun for kids, including coloring pages, crafts and printables, at www.ActivityVillage.co.uk – Keeping Kids Busy!”

Halloween treats are a great way to promote healthy snacking during a time when many unhealthy snacks are being passed around. Therefore, take advantage of the situation and make some healthy Halloween treats. Here are a few yummy ideas for some healthy Halloween treats that your kids and you will love.

Halloween Treat #1: Caramel Apples

One of everyone’s favorite Halloween treat is caramel apples. These are easy and fun to make. Simply melt some caramel squares in a sauce pan. Place a Popsicle stick in the center of the apple and dip it into the melted caramel until the entire apple is covered. You can then roll the apple in sprinkles, nuts, or decorate them with raisins and pretzels.

Halloween Treat #2: Spooky Honey Popcorn Balls

This is a simple and fun Halloween treat to make at Halloween time. Pop some popcorn in the microwave or on the stove. Next, place some sugar, honey and a stick of butter in bowl and melt it in the microwave. While the mixture is still in a liquid form, pour it over the popcorn and use a wooden spoon to make sure it covers all of the popcorn. Once it is cool enough to handle, form the popcorn into balls and place in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Halloween Treat #3: Spooky Halloween Hands

Popcorn is a very popular and health snack for children of all ages. Pop some popcorn in the microwave or on the stove and then stuff it into clear, see-through rubber gloves. Tie the end of each glove with a ribbon. Then, decorate the glove by gluing on spooky spiders or other adornments or by painting its creepy fingernails. Kids will love popping open their spooky hands for a tasty Halloween treat.

Halloween Treat #4: Halloween Goo

This is an easy and fun snack made from Jell-O. Make the Jell-o according to the package. Before refrigerating the Jell-o, add some small pieces of fruit that have been cut into the shape of body parts. Refrigerate the Jell-O mixture for about two hours. You can tell the kids that this is mystery Halloween Goo. They will love the taste and they will love picking out the small body shaped fruit parts of the Jell-O.

These are just a few healthy Halloween treats that kids will love making and eating. With everyone else passing out candies and cakes to the kids for Halloween, you should create some healthy snacks so that your children will learn that Halloween is not just about eating junk food. It is also a time when you can snack on a lot of healthy food as well.