Halloween Cagey Ghosts

My sister claims she is not crafty. Ironically, I posted this picture of her house-o-lantern last year:



I posted the directions she followed here.

Last week, she sent me another picture of her house, decorated all cutely for Halloween.  She made Cagey Ghosts out of tomato cages.  I hadn't even begun to decorate for fall yet and she already had made a craft for Halloween.  Yeah... not crafty my glue gun.

So, instead of posting a picture of her cute Cagey Ghosts, I'll post the ones that I made today.  After all, I threw out the picture she sent me of her house in retaliation. 

These were pretty easy to make with things most people have at home.  (okay, who am I kidding--- I had to go buy tomato cages AND white sheets.  But seriously, most people probably do have that stuff at home.)  Don't use heavy duty tomato cages-- the thinner and cheaper, the better!  They are much easier to bend!  

Here are the instructions from Family Fun magazine:

1. To make one, set up the cage as shown. To form the head, use duct tape to secure the rounded prongs of the cage. Thread the lights through the cage, and secure them with twist ties. 
2. For each arm, ball up two socks and duct-tape them to a stick, placed in the ground.
3. Add marker or pinned-on craft foam facial features to a white twin sheet, then drape it over the structure.

September Daring Bakers- Sugar Cookies

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Sugar Cookies?  I got this challenge covered.  My mom and sisters and I devote an entire DAY to sugar cookies every year around Christmas time.  I can make and frost sugar cookies blindfolded.  With one hand behind my back.  In the dark.  (Oh wait, I'm blindfolded... the lights may be on)
 
So why am I finally completing September's challenge on October 2?  I guess the same reason I haven't blogged any fun food things since August 27th, ironically last month's DB challenge. 
 
I've been saying it for months (a year?)  I've become a blogging loser.  School has taken priority for me... and now...sadly.... I have to say that work will be taking priority.  After 12 years of being a stay-at-home mom, I'm going back to work next week.
 
Will I continue with the Daring Bakers?  Maybe.  I hope to.... especially after reading what the October challenge entails..... I can't leak any hints, but it will be delish.
 
So onto last months challenge that I've made this month.  Sugar Cookies.  I refuse to use any sugar cookie recipe other than this one, so when this challenge came up, I knew I'd have a problem.  I still used my recipe, because I have never found another sugar cookie that melts in your mouth like that one does.  Using confectioner sugar as opposed to granulated is the key to a perfect sugar cookie. 

For this challenge, we were allowed to use any theme we'd like for our cookies, so long as it related to "September".  Mine is sort of September/October (Septober?) since I just did a basic fall leaf theme.   I made enough to share with several neighbors, as well!   Oh, and I had a great helper.... everyone must get one of these! 

Here is the basic sugar cookie recipe that was provided for this challenge, as well as the Royal Icing recipe.  (I did use the Royal Icing recipe, although I omitted the lemon juice and used Almond extract)

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions

• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.

• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.

• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid flour flying everywhere.

• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.

• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)

• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.

• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.

• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.

• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.

• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.

• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.

• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.

• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in some cookies being baked before others are done.


• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.

• Leave to cool on cooling racks.

• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.


Royal Icing:


 2½ - 3 cups Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions

• Beat egg whites with flavoring until combined.

• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and
grease free.

• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.

• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.

• Beat on low until combined and smooth.

• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.

• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

Decorating Your Cookies: Flooding


“Flooding” a cookie is a technique used when covering a cookie with Royal Icing.

1. You outline the area you want to flood which helps create a dam.

2. Then fill or flood inside the area you’ve outlined.

The most important thing when it comes to decorating with Royal Icing is the consistency.

There are two ways of flooding your cookies. Some like to do the outline with a thicker icing and then flood with a thinner icing. Some like to use the same icing to do both which saves time and you don’t have to have two different piping bags for each colour you’re using.

Use different colors to add polka-dots around the edge of a cookie

Drag a toothpick through the center of the polka-dots, without lifting up in between the dots.

The Same Consistency Method

• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions

• Drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing and count to 10

• If the surface becomes smooth between 5 & 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, do the 10 second test, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.

Two Different Consistencies Method

• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions.

• Separate into 2 different bowls, one lot of icing for outlining, the other for flooding.

• For the outlining icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.

• If the surface becomes smooth at around 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 10 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.

• For the flooding/filling icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.

• If the surface becomes smooth at around 3-4 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.

• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 3-4 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.


• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 3-4 second test.

Be sure to click on the Daring Bakers icon in my sidebar so you can select other Daring Bakers blogs and take a peek at their creations this month!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte

I was not able to be with my family this year on Thanksgiving and wouldn't you know that THIS was the year that my dad made a new pumpkin dessert to go with all of my mom's wonderful pies. He was kind enough to save some for me (I'm thankful for that!) and it was so delicious, that I just had to snap a picture of it and share the recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cooking spray
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
9 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream (about 1 1/2 cartons), divided
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided
1/4 cup jarred caramel topping
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients (mixture will be crumbly). Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

3. Combine pumpkin and the next 4 ingredients (through cloves) in a bowl. Soften 6 cups ice cream; add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to blend. Spoon half of mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze 1 hour or until firm. Cover and freeze remaining pumpkin ice cream.

4. Soften remaining 3 cups vanilla ice cream; stir in 3 tablespoons pecans. Spread over pumpkin ice cream layer; freeze 1 hour or until firm. Soften remaining 3 cups pumpkin ice cream; spread over vanilla ice cream mixture. Cover; freeze 8 hours or until firm. Cut torte into 12 wedges. Place 1 wedge on each of 12 plates. Place topping in microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 45 seconds. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon topping; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pecans.

Halloween Mummy Candy Pot

My daughter is going to a Halloween Costume Party tonight and this Mummy Head will be holding the yummy Halloween treats that she will be bringing with her. Here is how you can make the cute container:

What You Need:



Glue gun
12 1-x-36-inch strips of muslin
Terracotta pot (6 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 1/2 inches tall)
2 round black beads
Paint brush brush
Fluorescent acrylic paint: hot green or orange
Paper towel
Candy or treat (my recipe below)


Instructions:

Spot-glue the end of a muslin strip to the rim of the terracotta pot. Wrap the strip around the pot, spot-gluing in place as needed.

Continue covering the pot with muslin strips, gluing the beginning of each new strip to the end of the previous one. Occasionally twist the muslin during the wrapping process to add dimension, and spot-glue the twist to the pot.

When the pot is completely covered (leave the bottom unwrapped), make a brow by wrapping more strips around the top of the pot. Wrap additional strips around the bottom of the face to give the mummy the appearance of a concealed nose and mouth. Add back beads for eyes.

Dip a paint brush into the fluorescent paint. Dab the brush on a paper towel to remove any excess paint, and lightly brush back and forth on the muslin until the pot is covered. Allow paint to dry.

Fill the finished mummy pot with candy.


I filled my mummy head with these treats (click here for recipe)



using these simple ingredients:

House O Lantern

How cute is this idea from Family Fun Magazine? My sister just sent me an email with this picture of her house; she and my 11 year old niece, Lauren, and 8 year old niece, Delaney, made this tonight!

In the words of my sister, when asked how they made it, "it's a huge piece of cardboard - we cut it down to fit the window - cut out the face - taped some orange tissue paper to the face "pieces" - stuck a lamp in the window and voila!!!!!"

I think it turned out really cute!

Here are the actual instructions from Family Fun magazine:

What you need:

Corrugated cardboard
Pencils or markers
Craft knife
Glue stick
Orange tissue paper
Painter's or masking tape
Lamp

Instructions

Measure the inside of an appropriate window and cut corrugated cardboard to fit tightly. Draw a face on the cardboard, then cut out the pieces with a craft knife (a parent's job).

On the interior side of the cardboard, use a glue stick to cover the openings with orange tissue paper.

Set the cardboard in the window and use painter's or masking tape to hold it in place. Place a lamp near the window to light your house-o'-lantern.

Fall and Halloween Ideas- take 2

Because I feel like I'll never get a chance to make anything fun again and because I don't have the time to blog about anything fun that I do get a chance to do, I thought I'd repost some of the Fall/Halloween stuff I did last year. I have some blog followers that are new this year, so perhaps these ideas won't be repeats for them! Just click on the title of the photo and it will bring you to the original posting.

Candy Corn Clay Pot




Pumpkin Jar Candle




Salty Bones Breadsticks




Crispy Ghosts




Spirit Jugs




Pop Up Pumpkin Card




Witches Hats




Mummy Dogs




Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting




Decorative Plates




Fall Centerpiece




Fall Placemats




Fall Sun Catchers




Pumpkin Cookies




Candleyebra




Pumpkin Bread

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I don't think a centerpiece could be any easier than this-- spray paint some gourds with metallic gold paint and arrange on a cake stand. That's it. Done. Nothing else to it! I had the paint at home, and purchased two bags of gourds for 25¢ each. My entire centerpiece cost 50¢. Not bad!

Pilgrim Napkin Rings

My good friend Candy made these napkin rings for her Thanksgiving table. I couldn't help but copy the idea! Hers turned out so much cuter (I wish she had a blog that I could link to so you could see for yourself) because she had "heads" that were a bit larger than what I have.

What you need:

Black paper or card stock
White paper
Glue
White paper doilies
Tape
Photos

What you do:

1. For each ring, first cut a 2- by 7-inch strip of black paper or card stock. Cut a white paper collar, as shown, and glue it in place. For womenfolk, glue a section of white paper doily over the collar, then glue the collar in place.

2. Create a hat from black and white paper, or a bonnet from a strip of white paper cut and formed as shown.



3. Glue or tape a photo of a guest to the hat or bonnet and then to a strip. Wrap the strip around a napkin and secure it with tape.

Candy said I could put a picture of hers on here... yay! Here is how hers turned out... so much better with bigger heads! (isn't her son cute?)

I saw this idea from BHG.com. The picture is from their website. I plan on doing this for my kiddo's on the Thanksgiving table but wanted to post the picture now so that the idea is out there for anyone else that may want to dress up a glass for their child.

My kids love drinking from stemware-- they feel so grown up! Allow your kids to drink cider from a stemmed glass. Use pretty ribbon or velvet to attach a little reminder to it so that they know what to say when it's their turn to give thanks.

Pilgrims Hats

Just in time for Thanksgiving! A treat your little pilgrims will just love to make and gobble up! You can make them with either Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Mini's or with chocolate dipped marshmallows.

What you need:
Keebler Fudge Striped cookies
Orange Tic Tacs
Frosting (tinted yellow)
Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Mini's
or
Marshmallows
Chocolate candy melts

What you do:

1. Lay your fudge striped cookies so that the bottoms are faced up.

2. Place a dollop of yellow frosting on the top of an unwrapped peanut butter cup and turn the cup to be face down on the cookie, sandwiching the frosting between the cookie and the peanut butter cup. You want to be sure you put enough frosting on so that the frosting smooshes out when pressed to the cookie.

3. Place an orange Tic Tac on the cookie to represent a buckle on the hat.

If you prefer to make them with marshmallows, follow the same instructions but instead of using a peanut butter cup, use a marshmallow that has been dipped in the chocolate candy melts.

Crispy Ghosts

How cute are these ghosts? We had a blast making them! Okay, who am I kidding? Maybe not a blast... quite honestly, it was a pain in the butt trying to get the ghosts formed, but at least we enjoyed putting the faces on them!

Ingredients




1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons/1/2 stick) margarine or butter
6 cups crisp rice cereal
12 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating, melted

Black licorice candy Chocolate sprinkles Miniature semisweet chocolate pieces


Instructions:

1. In a large pot, combine marshmallows and margarine. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is melted. Gradually stir in cereal until well combined.

2. Use 1/2 to 1 cup of the cereal mixture per ghost to form into ghost shapes. Set aside to cool completely.



3. Dip each ghost shape into melted candy coating. Use pieces of licorice, chocolate sprinkles, and/or chocolate pieces for the eyes, nose, eyebrows, and mouth.

Look at that determination...

...and the pride (but not the dried treats/candy on his face!)




Makes 9 to 12 ghosts.

3D Pumpkin Card

These instructions are from Skip To My Lou-- such a creative idea! And really easy and quick to make.

What you need:



Orange tissue paper
Decorative cardstock
scissors
glue stick
pencil

What you do:

1. Draw a pumpkin shape on the tissue paper. You will need 9 layers.



2. Cut them out.



3. Glue one layer in the center of your cardstock.



4. Now, if the pumpkin were to be a clock, you need to put dabs of glue at 12:00 o'clock, 3:00 o'clock, 6:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock.



5. Place another tissue layer on top. Now you are going to glue in between:
12:00 o'clock and 3:00 o'clock
3:00 o'clock and 6:00 o'clock
6:00 o'clock and 9:00 o'clock
9:00 o'clock and 12:00 o'clock



6. Place another tissue on top and now glue as you did in step 4, at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00. Continue alternating this pattern as you add all 8 of the 9 layers.

7. When you get to the last tissue pumpkin, put the glue on the 8th layer. Then cut the ninth pumpkin in half, down the center.



8. Place the pumpkin half on the right side of the 8th layer. Fold the card in half. When you open it, you will have a honeycomb pumpkin!

9. You can add a little pumpkin stem to the top by using construction paper and glue.