Halloween For All

Halloween is a time for fun!

Dress up as your favorite movie character or super hero,

then go to the neighbors houses and get FREE candy.

Now for many kids, they LIVE for the candy!

Twix, Skittles, Nerds, or WarHeads, it doesn't really matter,

because it's candy and they love candy.

But not all kids are as excited about the candy.

For some kids they know that at the end of the night,

their candy will go away.

Most likely it will go to some weirdo middle school teacher who still

"Treat-or-Treats" in her school hallways.

(Yes, you read that right...

it's "Treat or Treat" because I don't encourage students pulling tricks on me.) HA!

Nevertheless, those kids will be left with any empty treat bag.

Now that's really sad.

So it's my goal to make it a fun night for all of my trick-or-treaters!

The Teal Pumpkin Project- Food Allergy & Education

All kids should have a fun time on Halloween,

and this is a way to make it that way.

Really, it's not that hard!

Just have a few things that aren't food related

for kids to pick.

That's really it!

Super easy,

and I have a feeling that many kids will pick the toys

even though they don't have any allergies.

I mean, seriously...

who doesn't want stickers?!

Or spiders and bats rings?!

That's just creepy fun.  :)

So what could you put out for kids to pick from?

Well, I just went to the dollar store and pick up a both of little things.

If you need a little more ideas,

here's a list from The Teal Pumpkin Project.

Ideas for Non-food Treats  

Available at dollar stores, party supply stores, or online shops, these low-cost items can be purchased and handed out to all trick-or-treaters, or made available in a separate bowl from candy if you choose to hand out both options. Nearly all of these items can be found in a Halloween theme or festive colors.

• Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces

• Pencils, pens, crayons or markers

• Bubbles

• Halloween erasers or pencil toppers

• Mini Slinkies

• Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers

• Bouncy balls

• Finger puppets or novelty toys

• Coins

• Spider rings

• Vampire fangs

• Mini notepads

• Playing cards

• Bookmarks

• Stickers

• Stencils

Now this will make it a fun and safe Halloween for all kids!

Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?

Yep, I thought so.

Now go out and get a couple non-food items 

to offer to your trick-or-treaters.

You’ll get some big smiles from kids and parents for your effort,

but mostly you’ll bring awareness to others about allergy sensitivities. 

For more information about food allergies,

please visit F.A.R.E.- Food Allergy Research and Education

Eyes on Red Velvet

Whatcha looking at?
Oh yeah...creepy eyeballs....
Eyeballs gross me out...they've always have.
I really don't know when they became creepy,
but I don't like anything that has to do with them.
Maybe it's because I don't see well.
Maybe it's because I think that I'll go blind....someday.
Or maybe it's because a doctor that I worked with loved to show me eyes...yeah, that's probably it.

When I was in high school, the vet clinic that I worked at was always trying to gross me out with eyes.  There were many things to tease me about. In fact, one of the veterinarians actually sewed an eye into a tumor that was removed, to gross me out!  He even added eyelashes! Actually, it was the eyelashes that made me not feel nauseous. :0P  Somehow, all of the eyeball jokes helped to ease my queasiness that I felt for them.  So much so that when my niece wanted to make eyeball cupcakes for Halloween, I actually thought it would be cool.  A gross kind of cool, but cool nevertheless.

 

Red Velvet Eyeball Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cocoa powder
1.5 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 oz red food coloring
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

**Set aside vinegar and soda...you'll add this right at the end.

Frosting:

- 7 ounces marshmallow cream

- 1/2 cup butter softened

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

- 2-3 tablespoons milk

1. Prepare two muffin trays by lining them with cupcake liners.
2.Sift all dry ingredients- twice.

3. Whisk all wet ingredients together until it's really lovely and red :0)

4.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Now, the magic...mix the vinegar and baking soda...bubble, bubble...then add it into the batter.  This will make the cupcakes moist and fluffy. 
6. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. 

7. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting.  I used my Marshmellow Frosting...Yumma!

Frosting:


 

1. Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add extra milk if necessary to get the correct consistency. And YES, we lick the spoon, or knife rather, in this house. :0)

2. Frost cooled cupcakes.
3. Add red frosting gel....purchased.  Yes, I took the easy way out.  Then add the creepy part...chocolate eyeballs. 

Put all of the eyes together and blah...             

eyeball madness!!! Happy Halloween!