2008 October

October 17, 2008 No Comments

picking pumpkins

There is nothing quite like a pumpkin farm in the fall. The trees are beautiful and the kids are in heaven, always looking for the largest one in the bunch to see if they can move it. For those of you lucky enough to visit a farm this year, here are a few things to look for when you want to be creative:

Gnarly stems – a good crooked stem is great when placed on its side to portray a witch
Tall and thin – these are great for large stencils and ghost faces
Small and squat – these are perfect for the typical jack-o-lantern

No matter what you choose, and whether from a patch or a grocery store, enjoy the moments with your families.

mummy treat cups

As I continue to search for fun crafts for our block Halloween party, I came across these mummy treat cups and thought I would share. (If you’re looking for something a bit more spooky, the orange bow and bow tie can be replaced with a thin mouth out of black craft paper.)

Here’s what you’ll need:

Plastic or paper cups, bathroom sized
White cotton fabric, an old white t-shirt could work great
Medium wiggle eyes
Black sheet of construction paper (or orange felt)
Scissors
Glue stick
White craft glue

Here’s how:

Cut a small section from the t-shirt, depending on how many treat cups you will be making. Start with a section about 6″ x 6″. Cut that section into strips ½ inch strips.
Use the glue stick to line one side of a t-shirt strip, then starting at the bottom of the cup, wrap around and press in place. Repeat until entire cup is covered.
Use white craft glue to attach wiggle eyes.
Cut bows out of felt or cut a thin line from the black construction paper. Apply with craft glue.
Fill your cups with fun treats: gummy worms, chocolate candies or candy corn!

Bundt cake a la pumpkin

Keeping with our theme from last week, there are lots of fun baking ideas for the fall season. This is a wonderful idea and really very easy. This cake is simply two cakes cooked in the traditional bunt cake pan. Bake according to the box directions and allow both cakes to cook completely. Once cool, turn one cake upside down on your cake plate and ice the bottom of the cake with caramel icing (almost one container for the full effect). Next, place the second cake on top. The icing will bulge out a little. If necessary scrape off any excess. Now melt (microwave for 15 to 20 seconds) the remaining icing (three to four tbsp) and pour it over the top of the cake allowing it to drip down the edges. For the finishing touches, insert a ice cream cone, upside down, in the top of your cake for the pumpkins stem and dress the outside of the cake plate with faux fall leaves. The cake is very tasty and a great centerpiece for any fall gathering. Enjoy!

acorn cake

acorn-cake

This season isn’t all about Halloween; there are beautiful fall colors and shapes we can celebrate too. I came across this acorn cake from Bright Ideas and just had to share it. It’s actually pretty easy. The recipe makes two cakes and each serves about eight people. Here’s what you need:

Snickers and Twix fun size candy bars (1 bag KID’S FAVORITE MIX FUN SIZE® 48 count Variety Bag)
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
2 (18.5 oz.) boxes Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can vanilla or cream cheese frosting
brown food coloring (or green and red to make brown)
1 1/2 quart oven safe glass bowl
1 (9″x13″) cake pan
wax paper

steps:

Prepare both cake mixes according to the box directions and divide the batter between a buttered oven safe glass bowl and a buttered and waxed paper lined oblong cake pan.
Bake both cakes in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 40 to 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then remove them and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
Cut both cakes in half using a serrated knife and using the photo as guide, cut the flat cake into the bottom portion of the acorn. Use the half moon shaped cake as acorn top. Push the half moon shape cake against the straight edge of flat cake to form the acorn.
Tint the frosting beige with several drops of brown food coloring and apply a thin crumb coat to the bottom of the acorn. Let it dry for a 5-10 minutes and then apply a generous coat with a cake spatula (or butter knife) pulling the icing to you in straight lines.
Cover the acorn tops with chocolate frosting, arrange Snickers Bars around the acorn using a Twix Bar for the stem and place M&Ms as seen in the photo.

Enjoy fall!

pumpkin crispy treats

You’ll likely notice that I use a lot of crispy cereal to make goodies (e.g., Pirate Pops). Since my youngest son has severe food allergies, they have proven to be a fun way to include him in all the fun party treats and the guests don’t even realize (or care) that the treats are egg and dairy free. I’ve outlined the easy steps on how to make these fun goodies for your Halloween bash.

picking pumpkins

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mummy treat cups

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Bundt cake a la pumpkin

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acorn cake

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pumpkin crispy treats

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