Butterfinger Bars...or....What To Do With That Extra Halloween Candy

Friday, October 31, 2014 1 comment
 I don't have any kids to collect candy....though my friends understand that they are to collect and redistribute any boxes of Dots to me on the day after Halloween.  BUT....I do have a ton of trick or treaters that swing by my house on Halloween.  And...you know what happens if you run out of candy?  Tricks!  So....I buy a lot of candy....which means that if I don't meet my Halloween trick or treater quota...I have a lot of candy.  I've found if I can disguise it in a more 'elegant' dessert form I can usually foist it off on people at work So I give to you-the Butterfinger Bar...so good that I can assure you....that bag of butter fingers will be used only in the case of emergency b/c I want to make this puppy when the evening festivities are over!
I found the recipe here, and I changed it a bit to suit my fun size bars of candy.
Butterfinger Bars
Ingredients:  16.5 oz pkg of refridgerated sugar cookie dough at room temperature and broken into pieces, 8 fun size hershey bars coursely chopped, 20 butterfinger fun size bars (or 7 whole bars)-this is basically one pkg of the pass out candy, with two to eat while you make your dessert.  
Instructions:  Heat oven to 350.  Grease a 8x8 pan.
Mix the cookie dough and Hershey pieces.  Press half of your mix into the bottom of the pan. Reserve 3 fun size bars (or 1 full size bar).  Line up the rest of your butter finger bars across the dough.  Top with the remainder of your batter.  It won't totally cover your bars, that's fine.  Crush the remaining three fun size bars and set aside.  Bake your dessert for about 20 minutes (until dough is cooked).  Remove and top with the crushed bars.  Let it cool COMPLETELY.  Slice and serve.

Primitive Cat Straws

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 No comments
 I have a few last projects airing today (or tomorrow) on Good Morning, Texas.  I did a whirlwind recording last week before one of the shows.   I'll post the segment later on facebook.   I have been really into primitive stuff lately and so I made some of these little cat faces for straw decorations/candy dcorations.
For these little guys I googled primitive cat pictures and found these little fella's.  Here is the site I found these on.
 I cut some crepe paper in half and then pinch it into a ruffle and just taped it to the back of the cat.
I trimmed around the cat a bit and just glue it to a straw.  
I'll also be sharing the rest of my 2x4 projects.  I demo'd the cat a few weeks back-that video is here.  
...and last....some kitchen supplies turned pumpkin.  Links below.  

2x4 Halloween Projects
Jack O Lantern Cheese Grater
Cutting Board Pumpkins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 No comments
 I haven't met a pumpkin dessert I haven't liked....BUT...I also haven't met one I loved this much in a long...long time.  I found this recipe at food.com.   I regret that I shared these with other people....less for me.  BUT....I guess at least they enjoyed these too...and that's something.  So, if you like to share great recipes with friends, or...as I plan to do in the future, feel like eating 18 delicious muffins....might I recomment....the pumpkin cream cheese muffin?
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
*makes 18 muffins
Ingredients:  8 oz pkg cream cheese, 1 egg, 1 t. vanilla, 3 T brown sugar, 4 1/2 T flour, 5 T sugar, 3/4 t. cinnamon, 3 T butter, 3 T chopped pecans (toast them quickly on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 10 minutes), 2 1/2 c. flour, 2 c. sugar, 2 t. baking powder, 2 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. salt, 2 eggs, 1 1/3 c canned pumpkin, 1/3 c. olive oil, 2 t. vanilla
Instructions: 
1.  Heat oven to 375.
2.  Grease and flour, or line 18 muffin cups.
3.  FILLING:  Beat the cream cheese (leave it at room temp for at least an hour beforehand) until soft), add one egg, 1 t. vanilla, and 3 T brown sugar.  Beat until smooth. Set Aside.
4.  STREUSEL TOPPING:  Mix 4 1/2 T flour, 5 T sugar, 3/4 t cinnamon, and pecans.  Add 3 T butter (at room temp).  Cut in the butter with a fork until crumbly.  Set aside.
5.  MUFFIN BATTER:  In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/2 c. flour, 2 c. sugar, 2 t. baking powder, 2 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. salt.
6.  Make a well in your flour mix and add egg, pumpkin, olive oil, and vanilla.  Gradually mix together and then beat until smooth.
7.  Fill muffin cups 1/2 way full.  Add a T of cream cheese mix right in the middle of the batter.
 8.  Spring streusel topping on top.
9.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Halloween Trail Mix

Monday, October 27, 2014 1 comment
 I'm sorry is there any perfect combination than candy corn and peanuts?  No.
M&M's, Pumpkin Candy Corn, Nuts, Pretzels, Cheese Its, Kettle Corn.  A bucket 'o goodness I'm happy to try to work off the rest of the year.  Somethings are just worth the time at the elliptical.

June in October

Friday, October 24, 2014 No comments
I have tons of projects I need to type up and post....in the meantime....I'm thinking about taking up puppy training.  I am, clearly, a pro. June (6 months now) and I are going to teach the dog trainer everything we know starting on Tuesday.  

Ghost Floats

Thursday, October 23, 2014 1 comment
Here's a super simple ghost float.  I grabbed some straws at the dollar store and these licorice pinwheels in candy bins at a candy store.  I adapted the idea from some site like Martha Stewart....I don't know why rootbear floats with a little whipped topping seem like a spooktacular treat for Halloween....but I also don't think I have to explain myself on my blog.sooooo....swing by my house for Halloween and this is what you will be drinking.....

Caldron Cupcake

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 1 comment
 I saw the idea for making little caldrons using these little salsa bowls you can get at the dollar store (2 for a buck) at dawnypoo and I decided to give it a go.  I put a cupcake I dyed green at the bottom of the bowl and added a second one with crumbs around the side to fill the bowl a little further.
 I squiggled icing and then just added a bunch of gum eyeballs and gummy 'stuff' I got in candy bins at the store.
Gummy worms and I go way back.  Easy cupcake.  No icing technique required, just put some in a ziplock and let it flow.

Graveyard Pudding

Monday, October 20, 2014 1 comment
Last year I was looking for some last minute dessert ideas for Halloween and behold-the graveyard pudding!  I found it at party pinching and quickly made a few up.  She left her's in the original jello cups, which works too...I found some pudding cups with the oreos already crushed up for me....even better.  
 I grabbed some ghost peeps and marshmallow pumpkins...never a hardship to have around...and....Boo!

Spooky 2x4 Projects

Friday, October 17, 2014 No comments
 I bought a 2x4 in August...and much like Pinocchio's nose...I'm pretty sure it keeps growing b/c four projects later...I've still got wood to use.  It was money well spent.  I posted about the 2x4 cats and 2x4 pumpkins over the last few weeks.  The ghost round out this group.
To make the ghost I still cut them all different sizes and then chopped off each side  I painted them white and used a dabber to make the eyes.  I sanded the edges again so they would match their friends.  It would have been fun to glitter them up or even use glow in the dark paint, but....I wanted this particular set to look like their family.  I'm mixing and matching these so it's a three pack of spooky friends.  I don't do too much with wood, but if you are starting out-the only tools I've needed are a jig saw, piece of sanding paper, and a cheap drill.  2x4 is a little tougher to cut b/c it's so thick, but I decided to use this because it sits up better.

Ghost Meringues

Tuesday, October 14, 2014 No comments
 I made my own monster eyes last year....and went a little crazy.  Here is the tutorial for that process. You can buy these eyes as well, but if you make your own, it's much more affordable, and it makes enough...I should be able to will these to my imaginary kids.  I can imagine there therapy bill now, "My Mom willed me meringue eyes..."  It'll build character.  As I hunted down treats to paste those edible eyeballs to....I saw these popping up around throughout the net....but I was feeling lazy and discovered I didn't need to make my own meringues.  I bought them.
I took a little bit of white chocolate to adhere my eyes and melted it in a ziplock and snipped the edge off.
 I piped on two little dots and stuck the eyes on...
 Cute in a creepy way....this just might be the only time of the year it's OK to say that...

Pumpkin Streusel Pudding Cookies

Monday, October 13, 2014 No comments
 I saw the recipe for these cookies at chefintraining a few years back.  I thought it sounded good and went on the hunt for pumpkin flavored pudding.  I couldn't find it.  Gave up.  Found it.  Tried it.  Loved it.  So the only thing difficult about the recipe is locating the pudding-I found it in the season food section at my local Walmart...and once I finally saw it (sold around Halloween)...I then proceeded to see it everywhere.  These are yummy!  Soft.  Moist.  I proceeded to buy all the boxes I could find.
Pumpkin Streusel Recipe
makes 2 dozen+
Cookie Ingredients:  3/4 c. butter (softened), 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 small box of pumpkin spice instanct pudding), 2 eggs, 1 t. vanilla, 1 t. baking soda, 2 1/4 c. flour
Topping Ingredients:  1/4 c. butter (cold), 1/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. flour, 1/2 t. cinnamon
Instructions:  
1.  Sift together all the dry topping ingredients, cut in the cold butter with a fork until it forms small crumbs.  Set aside.
2.  Cream butter, brown sugar, sugar.
3.  Add dry pudding mix, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking soda.
4.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls.  Place on tray and press some of the streusel topping onto each cookie.
 Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

2x4 Black Cats

Friday, October 10, 2014 2 comments
 I saw these little guys over the summer via cloverhouse and decided to give it a go.  I made on change....google eyes were replaced with painted eyes.
I took a 2x4 and cut a bunch of rectangles, and then I sliced them into a via with a saw.  You can use a hand saw....but it may take awhile, or you can use a jig saw.  And when I say 'you'....I mean...my brother.  I've used a jigsaw many times....but it's so much easier to dictate than to 'do.'
 OK...here is something else-save that pokey piece....I've got another craft planned for that in a few weeks....no waste on these guys!
I bought some cheap 50 cent paint and painted my cat shape (I (had my brother) cut out all different sizes).
I sanded the edges to give them a little bit more of a vintage look.  Then I used these little round brushes to dab eyes.  I let the white dry and then went black with the smaller size for the pupil.  I'm keeping these simple....b/c they have some friends joining them soon.  


Bat Shirt

Thursday, October 09, 2014 1 comment
 I saw the idea for making bat shirts using simply a black shirt and some bleach via Chaosser and I had to try it out for some of the little ones in my life.
I cut some bat shapes out of freezer paper.  You can freehand it, or search for free bat shapes-there are about a million varieties.
Take the shiny side of the paper, face that down towards the shirt, and iron of it, somehow this makes the paper stick to fabric
I put a plastic bag between the top and bottom of the shirt so the bleach wouldn't bleed through.
I also placed a section of the newspaper I had cut a big oval out of over the bats so it was a moon shape (per the instructions).
I took a bottle of bleach and squirt it over the bats.  It turned orange almost instantly, so as soon as I was done, I took it inside and rinsed out the bleach in my sink.  So easy!