Halloween Sushi

Many of you enjoyed my post on "sushi".   Don't worry these are fish free and everything is made out of sugar.... Need I say more.

 I saw an advertisement from World Market for body part sushi made entirely out of gummies.  That gave me an idea!!  It took a few stores to find body part gummies but I found them at the Dollar Store.  (I was not even going there for that reason)!  I also only found red and green foot wrap but it worked out great.

 These make a fun and gross snack for your school parties or to serve for a Halloween party.  My daughter's response to just the gummies was this is going to be disgusting!!

 Add some gummy spiders or worms for an even grosser affect!!  

A great peanut free snack to take to the allergy class.  (just be sure to check your labels)

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween.

For more detailed directions view the Sushi post.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

When the pumpkins get placed on the front porch I know it is time to pull out the canned pumpkin and get baking.  I do not have a go to pumpkin bread recipe and as you know I usually am looking for new recipes to try and share with my readers.  Today's choice comes from Jane Dorion's book Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms.

After making it I am not sure I would describe it as coffee cake so much as Pumpkin Bread baked in a Bundt pan.  The flavors blend in well, the ginger actually calmed down the second day.  I loved the streusel topping as well.  I think next time I make it I might try it in loaf pans and freeze or give away the extra loaves.  Another option might be to add the streusel topping into the batter for a little surprise when you cut into it.  Just maybe roast the nuts to maintain that robust flavor of them.

Super easy and the kids like it, except one did not care for the nuts.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar

1/4 c. light brown sugar packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped.

Preheat the oven to 350. spray the inside of a Bundt pan with nonstick spray.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended.  Add the pumpkin and eggs and mix thoroughly .  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger nutmeg cloves and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.  mix on medium speed until combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Prepare the streusel topping in a small bow..  Sprinkle the streusel over the cake batter and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 mins.  Slide a knife around the pan so that the cake does not stick when removing it.  Invert the cake onto a plate.  Serve with streusel on the top.

It's a Girl...Ok I am a little distracted

The school year has gone of without a glitch with all three children gone all day.  I had started updating my blog on a regular basis and getting back involved with Blog hops after a hectic summer with the kids.  Stepped up my volunteering at the school.  All that is changed...

I'm Home

Look what we brought home...Baby #4.  Chloe  or is it Baby #5 with our outdoor cat?

The kids really wanted a dog but we all know that the dog becomes the mom's dog.  My only experience with a dog was when I was in elementary school and Dad brought home a dog without my mother's knowledge.  Well of course we begged and begged to keep it.  Not sure how long it took for the novelty wore off but it turned into Mom's responsibility.

Meet the family

As much as the kids have asked for this dog, I really wanted one too.  Many of you probably think I am crazy, just gained my independence during the day, but I knew I did not want any more children and I am hopeful a dog will bring some extra joy to our family.

She is being crated and really only had one bad night, her first night.  I don't want to jinx us but she is sleeping  9 hrs without an accident.  But I know this is just the beginning of a long training ride.

After a long walk

WHAT advice can you dog lovers provide so after the honeymoon period ends I still want to keep her...

Love at First Bark--Book Review

This book from BLOGHER Bookclub could not have come at a better time.  We have just decided to add a dog to our family.  Nothing like having baby #4 after getting all of the kids in school all day.  What was I thinking.  Well, felling a little guilty about not getting a rescue dog after reading LOVE AT FIRST BARK, How saving a dog can sometimes save yourself, by Julie Klam.

How intriguing to read about how people put their life on hold to save these poor animals that have been abandoned for various reasons.  This book provides humor as well as a tug at your heart strings especially when she discusses her trip to New Orleans after Katrina to visit a Dog Rescue Group.

Julie allows the readers into her life and even into her intimate relationship with her husband when she realizes that the time they spent in the car getting  a dog to a shelter was some of the only "alone" time they have had in years.    I have already promised this book to my many generous friends who have shelter dogs.   I hope that even I can do something positive for the dog world with my new pup, once we get used to having this four legged creature in our house, it should be looked at as a blessing!
You can connect with Julie Klam via Twitter or Facebook.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594488282/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=clotohomblo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594488282Read more from Blogher Book Club HERE

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own." Just an example, I know many of you already have your own standard disclosure statements. 

Halloween Favorites...come add your own too.

Only two weeks and counting until Halloween.  Do you have your costumes yet?  My kids are set but my hubby and I have to figure out ours.  Of course he says I will pick and he will chose the "boy" version....Not too much pressure to come up with something.

I thought I would provide some links to the Halloween treats of the past as many of us will be brining in treats to school or having our own parties to attend to.    Make sure and comment and leave a link to some of your favorite Halloween Treats for others to see.

Love new ideas for this year.

Oreo Truffles

Pretzel Treats

Party Games

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Snack Mix

Pretzel Monsters

Healthy Halloween Snacks

Nutter Butter Cookies

Halloween Pops

Halloween Quiche

Halloween Smiley Cookie Review

Although I love to bake and create my own goodies for the Holidays and gifts, it is also nice to take the day off and enjoy something premade.  This must have been my kids' favorite review yet, Halloween Smiley Cookies.

The Box in itself makes you happy and smile.  Love the packaging.  Then when you open it a well displayed sleeve of a dozen cookies smiling at you.

How cute with the addition of candy corn to accent the theme.

Now for the taste.  Wow, so tasty for a premade cookie.  They tasted fresh and flavorful.  You don't often get that from a packaged cookie.  It had that crunchy icing that went well with the moist cookie bottom.

Here are some pics of my family enjoying them.  Check out that smile, almost as big as the cookie.

After looking on their website for the same price you can create your own cookies.  Choose the cookie shape, frosting and smiley face colors.  What a great gift for a college student to have them in the school colors.  Surprise your guests at a baby shower with Pink or Blue cookies letting everyone know the sex of your child.  Reasonably priced at $14.99 for a dozen large size and for 18 mini size.  They offer larger gift boxes as well.

You know they will come fresh as they ship out the next day.

To order your own Smiley Cookies Visit HERE


You can also visit their Facebook Page for a discount.  If my followers Like Smiley Cookies on Facebook they will receive a 20% off Coupon good on our  Halloween Cookies




I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

One Store bought Cookie--SO many Halloween designs

After seeing the SPooky Claws in this month's  Family Fun Magazine I wanted to give them a try.  We never buy Nutter Butters so this was a fun excuse to have them in the house.  This is a great treat for a party, as long as peanuts are not a problem.

I purchased the bright green Wilton Chocolate Wafers since I thought they would be more Halloween like.  If you already have the dark green wafers from another project you could just add some white chocolate to lighten it up.

#1 Claws

We started by dipping the entire cookie but it was getting a little messy.  The majoirty of the cookies were just dipped to cover the top and sides.
Before they can dry add cashew pieces for the claws.  I did not have whole cashews but had some cashew pieces in my freezer so I just had to sift through them to find the right looking ones.

#2 Ghosts

I also thought Nutter butters were perfect for ghosts too.  I just dipped the cookies into melted white chocolate and added some eyes with wilton cookie icers.  I also tried some with chocolate chips to see how they turn out.   Think they work but love the other ones.

#3 Tombstones

Next my daughter suggested we make tombstones.   Made some with white but had some black food paste so I added it to the melted chocolate and came out with the grey tombstones.

Had some leftover eyes from the Scaredy Cat Brownies so I made an alien.  These would have been cute in the green if I had any left over.

Aliens/monsters

Who would have thought so many cookies could have come out of just one store bought cookie.  Have fun with it, let the kids get creative too.

Push a lollipop stick into the cookies before the chocolate melts and make them into an edible centerpiece!!  Did not think of that until I started writing this post.  A platter of them will be just as pleasing to your goblins this Halloween.

MyClyns Food Wash Review

MyClyns Food Wash could not have come at a more appropriate time, the outbreak of the cantalope scare.  I try to buy organic as much as possible but they are not always very economical or available.  I try to stick to the dirty dozen list.  However, just because something is organic does not mean it is safely handled.

Washing your produce is something you can not do enough of.  I cringe when I see my children reach into the fruit bin and start eating an apple.  I wish it was not like that.

MyClyns Food wash is 100% natural and rinses away clean.  It has no aftertaste or smell.  According to their paper work, use of this product does not affect the organic or Vegan properties of your food.

It also suggests cleaning fish and meats.  Have not tried that yet but with all the crazy things happening to our food I should try it.

The process is simple, just spray, rub for a minute and rinse off.  My 8 year old can do it.  He did not complain about any weird taste, feel or smell.  It does feel a little soapy but it washed right off.

 12oz spray retails for $6 and you can also buy refills.  Check out their product page HERE.  For a product demonstration check HERE.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Scaredy Cat Brownies

Another birthday treat to create this month.  Boy do I love my Everday Food Magazine.  I usually flip straight to the last pages where they have the treat of the month.  The October issue had Scaredy Cat Brownies.  I was not sure my 10 year old would agree to have them in class, she did say she wanted brownies but how can I just send plain ones when these looked so cute.  She agreed so that also meant I did not have to wait to try them out.

I knew I need to make more than the 16 suggested in the recipe so instead of making the brownies from scratch I used a "Box Mix" family style that is cooked in a 9x13 pan instead of a 9x9 the recipe suggests.

I adapted this recipe slightly as I was not sure about how the kids would take to the mint flavor.  I figured they could take the mint off if they did not care for it, but if I also put one into the batter the brownie would go to waste.  Instead I added about 3/4 cup of M&M's.  They were not as visible when cut but the kids enjoyed the extra candy treat..

I followed the post baking directions exactly.  However, some of the peppermint patties did not stay on so I added some frosting to those.  Using the box mix inthe 9 x 13 pan provided me with 20  brownies.  The recipe suggests mini patties, I am not sure if there are smaller ones, but I bought the ones in the bags for Halloween.

The wilton eyes were a little hard to find, they were actually sold out on the website when I looked but our Ben Franklin Store had them.  If you can not find them just use white chocolate chips and dap some black cookie icing or add a mini chocolate chip.  The eyes are pretty cute.

Caitlin said the kids really enjoyed them and I did not have the extra steps of making the brownies from scratch.

Linking Back

I believe in You...

Remember my review of the Night Night Book?  Well I was given another wonderful opportunity to review another book from Marianne Richmond.  This book is titled I Believe in You.  When it first arrived in the mail, my kids were so excited to read it that my 10 year old read it to my 5 year old.  (I think they think it is Christmas whenever I get something in the mail to review!)



When I asked her about the book later, she said "Mom you or Dad really need to read it to the kids".  So what better excuse to put down what I was doing and cuddle up with the boys and read to them.

This is yet another well illustrated children's book that is really appropriate for any child through elementary age.  How often do we think it to ourselves that our children will be fine when they grow up, but how often do we actually use the words, I believe in you.
This is one book that I will keep on our reading list to help instill confidence and courage they may be lacking or not found yet.

Marianne Richmond uses both boy and girl examples of life's happenings that we try to encourage our children to get through.  Pick this one up and your children will thank you.

Also visit Marianne's website to learn more about her and  for more great children's books she has published from potty training to grandparents.

Candy Corn Shaped Rice Treats

It is past Oct 2nd, my oldest birthday, so officially I can get into Halloween. Any sooner and I am ready to tear down the decorations.

I recently saw a blog post that linked the most adorable Candy Corn shaped Rice krispie treats. When I went back and tried to google it I could not find it. I was basically trying to find out how to make them so I could also share them with my readers. The picture only showed the final product not the method. If you are the genius behind these please let me know so I can give you credit and prefect my method.

So after about 20 minutes looking through google to find these treats I decided to try my own way.

Basically make a your traditional recipe for Rice Krispie Treats through the melting of the marshmallows and butter. Working quickly divide into 3 bowls. Descending amounts.

Die the largest bowl with Yellow food coloring, medium bowl with Orange and keep the white.

Add the cereal. I guess if you wanted a large quantity you could just make three full recipes.

Spray a 9x3 baking pan with cooking spray and begin layering the different colored mixtures, starting with the Orange.

(next time I think I will try adding them vertically)

Allow to cool completely. Take out the log and start slicing first into rectangles and then into triangles. This method caused opposite candy corns but I think they are still cute.

The kids liked them either way!!