Easy Halloween Recipes & Food Ideas

We're less than a week away from one of the most fun holidays for kids - HALLOWEEN! And, what's the most important thing about Halloween?  The yummy treats, of course!  If you're looking for one special Halloween recipe to make for your family or ideas for an entire Halloween party menu, I've got lots of super easy ideas from this Halloween party I threw for some of my little friends.
 

Spooky S'Mores

These just make me smile!  Break a graham cracker in half, and slide it in a clear treat bag with Ghost Peeps and a couple mini Hershey's Chocolate Bars.  If you want to jazz it up even further, add tag from my Halloween Printable Collection. If you want to eat them warm, you can pop them in a microwave for 10-second intervals.  Of course, I found the kids had a great time just eating all the parts individually.

Candy Corn Popcorn Balls

Candy Corn Popcorn Balls are a tradition at our house. Year after year, I get special requests for these, so you know they're good! This recipe from Cooking Light is super easy and, if you can believe it, LOW CAL! (Just 212 calories each...okay, not super low cal, but pretty good for a homemade dessert.)  I added a little extra cute to them this year by pushing in a wooden candy apple stick and tying a little ribbon to the top of the stick.  I also slid some into clear treat bags and tied them shut with twine around the base of the stick for some cute take-home party favors. To complete the look of this platter, I added a tent card from my Halloween Printable Collection.  This is one of the pre-formatted menu labels, but you can also type right in the PDF to create your own custom food tags and treat label tent cards.

Halloween Cupcakes

As busy moms and working gals, we can't do it all, but we can come pretty close.  That's why I love taking store-bought treats and adding a little of my own flair.  These Little Debbie Chocolate Cupcakes are perfect for Halloween with their deep black chocolate color and swirly white frosting detail. I auditioned the more famous brand of these cupcakes, but they didn't win the taste test...there was a clear difference.  To make these even cuter, I just added Halloween Cupcake Toppers from my Halloween Printable Collection and tied a little "Cupcakes" tag onto my glass dome. Easy, quick, and done!

Witch's Potion Punch

Sometimes, an easy name change is all it takes to go from ordinary to extraordinary.  Take some orange soda, call it "Witch's Potion Punch", and voila!  You could use sugar-free Kool-Aid, too, if you wanted to reduce some of the sugar intake at your party.  To make my soda look even more fun, I poured it into some recycled Target latte bottles and added Halloween paper straws from Hey Yo Yo.

Monster Mix

Halloween can be sweets overload, so it's good to have a little salty on hand, too.  Going with an easy, store-bought approach + name change again, I created Monster Mix by pouring Chex Mix into adorable orange candy cups from Hey Yo Yo. The tent-card label is from (you guessed it!), my Halloween Printables Collection. I also saw a fun Halloween recipe on Pinterest by In Katrina's Kitchen that would be fun to use, as well.

Halloween Cookies

At any party, it's really nice to have one special sweet.  Lindsey at Tickled Pink Cookie Boutique definitely knows how to make a party special.  Her cookies are so gorgeous in person with a light shimmery lustre...absolutely stunning and super delicious with a hint of almond extract. Bewitching!  I love how she was able to perfectly match the designs in my Halloween Printables Collection.  Of course, she can match any party theme, so be sure to like or bookmark her Facebook page.  She ships, too!

Halloween Mini Candy Bars

Details, details, details!  Here's another easy trick for personalizing your Halloween Party.  Wrap Hershey's Miniatures in festive orange and black paper (3 x 1.5" strips work well).  Or better yet, use the Halloween Mini Candy Bar Wrappers that come in my Halloween Printable Collection.  

Cutie Clementine Oranges

Looking for a healthy Halloween snack?  Load up on some Cutie Clementines.  These are the perfect shade of orange for Halloween, are easy to peel, and oh so delicious!  Don't they look super cute all piled up in the bottom of this basket stand?!

Halloween Candy

And, finally, what Halloween Party would be complete without candy?!  I love to make a bold visual impression, and this big jar of orange gumballs from Party City does just that. To save money when filling big candy jars like this, I always stack clear plastic cups upside down inside the jar to make a hallow center. Every little bit counts! I also used some of Party City's black-and-white striped candy sticks that have a great grape flavor that won't stain your mouth all up. Since I love candy corn, a jar of this is a must for me, too!

All of the amazing photos in this post were captured by Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer, a fantastic event and family photographer in Huntsville, AL.

Eerie & Cheery Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. I get so excited every Halloween to see all of the little trick-or-treaters knocking on my door and what costumes they've chosen that year.  Because of this, I really prefer to decorate with a cheery, kid-friendly Halloween style. That's why I was so thrilled to collaborate with Party City on an Eery and Cheery Halloween Party for some little friends this year.

Party City has a fabulous selection of kids costumes from the latest cartoon and superheros characters to updated classics, like the adorable Frankenstein, Skeleton, Candy Corn Witch, Black Cat, and Vampire costumes you see in these fantastic shots captured by Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer. If you ever need family photos or a special event photographed in the North Alabama area, Sarah is the best.

Plus, Party City really has everything you need to get a party going from big decorations to little details like this small ornate picture frame featuring one of my mini "Happy Halloween" candy bar wrappers. And, you know me...I love details! Plus, they've got a great selection of candy for any type of celebration, especially if you love to color coordinate your treats like I do. Party City even has lots of elegant, shimmery plastic serving pieces that would be lovely enough to use for Thanksgiving.

I love creating a fun focal point for my parties with a touch of unexpected. I used five black tissue paper fans from Party City to create a dramatic backdrop for my Printable "Trick or Treat" party banner.  In front of that, I used two coordinating 12 ft tissue paper garland to create a unique up-side-down pumpkin chandelier for the party. These tissue paper fans and garland give you a lot of bang for your buck and are super easy to work with!

What's a spooky Halloween party without some sweets? Party City has all of the candy you need for Halloween, too. You've probably seen me use Party City's solid gumballs for parties in the past.  They are such a fabulous way to add a pop of color, and you should see how excited the kids get to reach inside a candy jar of these.  That's why these gumballs are a must-have for any of my kids' parties.  I also got some candy corn, ghost Peeps, and cute black candy sticks there, too. Even though the candy sticks are black, they have a super yummy grape flavor and don't leave your mouth dyed black, which I love for keeping the kids cute and clean in their costumes.

The main attraction of the menu were definitely the fabulous cookies designed by Lindsey Agree of Tickled Pink Cookie Boutique.  They were so stunning in person with a sparkly finish and intricate details. Not only did they perfectly coordinate with the eerie and cheery Halloween Printables, but they also tasted AMAZING with a hint of almond extract that made them absolutely irresistible. Lindsey was fantastic to work with, too.  I sent her some inspiration images, and she came up with these coordinating cookies that couldn't have been more perfect on this shimmery plastic tray from Party City.  Lindsey books up fast, so if you'd like to get some holiday cookies, place your order now.  Sarah Brewer and I have already booked her for our Christmas cookies...yes, they are that good!  Lindsey ships, too.

We had lots of easy Halloween snacks at the party, too, such as Ghost S'Mores, Candy Corn Popcorn Balls, Mini Chocolate Bars, Little Debbie Cupcakes, Witch's Potion Punch, and Cutie Clementines for a healthy treat.

And, what's a Belly Feathers Party without a party favor? I couldn't resist sending the kids home with a little something cute from a party. These adorable chevron bags came from Hey Yo Yo, and I added a little Halloween flair by attaching the mini candy bar wrappers from my Halloween Printables collection to the front.  You can have so much fun with printables by using the items in unexpected ways like this.  Inside the bag, I added a fun little trumpet flute whistle from Party City that was STEAL at only 35 cents, along with a package of Little Debbie Orange Peanut Butter crackers that perfectly coordinated with the party's color scheme.  Plus, the kids got to load up their bags with as many Halloween sweets as they wanted...there were a lot of questions about those gumballs and candy sticks, let me tell you!

This party has too many details to share in just one post, so stay tuned all month long to learn more about the Party City costumes, Halloween treats, decorations, easy craft how-tos, and more. For a larger list of my favorite Halloween party items from Party City, check out this Halloween - Party City Favorites board on Pinterest.

Sources:
Party City - candy, costumes, frame, paper fans, streamers, orange serving platter, favor whitsles
Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer - photography
Tickeled Pink Cookie Boutique - cookies
Hey Yo Yo - Straws, monster mix cups, treat bags
Belly Feathers - Halloween Party Printables and event styling

Free Summer Printable Files for Memorial Day, 4th of July & Labor Day

In case you missed them earlier this summer, here are some free Summer Holiday Printables I designed just for fun.  Included in the summer printable file are two sizes of graphics and ideas for how to use them on all the major summer holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

Hope you enjoy! Download the Summer Printable PDF file now.

The Best Freezer-to-Table No Bake Dessert for Summer Delizza Cream Puffs & Mini Eclairs

Memorial Day starts the summer cookout season. From here until the fall, most of our weekends will be spent around the grill with good food and great friends. This time of year, it's especially nice to have some extra yummy treats stashed away for spontaneous gatherings and last-minute barbeques. That's why I absolutely love Delizza Desserts. I can keep a couple boxes of their cream puffs and mini eclairs in the freezer, and just pop them out 30 minutes before I need them...so easy and so super yummy. They really are the Best Summer No-Bake Dessert!

In the summer, I also love to keep a stack of bandanas around for fun napkins. They really brighten up the table at a cook out and give it a little extra panache. The cloth bandanas are super casual and little fancy at the same time...kind of like Delizza Desserts - easy and elegant. That's why it seemed perfect to decorate my Delizza Desserts boxes with a bandanas, so they're always barbeque ready whenever I need them.  Of course, I couldn't stop there, I had to design some cute printables for the extra special summer cookout holidays - Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

Freezer-to-Table No Bake Dessert for Summer 
Supplies: 

• Delizza Desserts Cream Puffs or Mini Eclairs, two boxes for a bountiful display 
• One bandana
• Elastic, 2 feet
• Safety pin

Create a 2-3 inch overlapping fold in the center of your your bandana.

Turn and create another 2-3 inch overlapping fold in the center of your bandana on the opposite side to create a smaller square.

Place your box of Delizza Desserts in the center of the folded bandana, so that the flat sides of the box are centered on the points of the bandana.

Tightly wrap your length of elastic around the top center of the box, creating an inch of overlap. Secure elastic with a safety pin.  Make sure the elastic band is tight around the box and remove.

Gather the points of the bandana to the center of the Delizza Desserts box lid.

While carefully holding in place, lift the box up and place on top of your elastic band. The safety pin should be centered on one of the sides of the box.

Slowly slide the elastic band up around all four sides of the box to hold the bandana in place.  (This is how I store my box in the freezer until I need it.)

Fold the sides of the bandana down to completely cover the elastic band.  Pop the lid off and enjoy! 

For a really full box, I like to add the contents of a second Delizza Desserts box.  It's fun to mix in two different types like the cream puffs and mini eclairs for extra variety like I did in my photos. Plus, that gives a little something for everyone.

Isn't this so super cute?!  For the the big summer holidays like Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, you can use these summer printables to create a fun sign to pop into the box.

A couple months ago when Delizza Desserts approached me about trying their products and blogging about them.  I was super excited because I love serving their cream puffs at baby showers and parties all winter long.  They're a really easy way to expand a menu and add an elegant touch.  I had never even thought about how perfect they'd be for summer parties, though. They're cool and refreshing (at least they are if you can't wait for them to completely thaw like me...so yummy!), and they keep you from having to cook in a hot kitchen.

I'm really excited to have Delizza Desserts as a new no-bake dessert in my entertaining arsenal for the summer, and I hope you will, too.  In fact, I've got two chances for you to win a Delizza Dessert item of your choice.

How to Enter to Win:

1. Head over to Delizza's website at www.delizza.us, and check out all their yummy flavors.  
2. Then stop by my Facebook page, and post a comment to tell me which Delizza Dessert is your favorite or the one you plan to try if you win.  Leave your comment on my Facebook page by midnight central on June 7th.

I'll draw two winners on June 8th to receive a coupon by mail redeemable for a free Delizza Dessert.  If you win, I'll message you to get your mailing address.  Good luck and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Mini Cake Bunting: Oh So Cute!

Yesterday was my sweet husband's birthday, and he wanted oatmeal cookies as his birthday treat instead of cake. It's a little hard to make cookies festive in the same way as birthday cake or cupcakes, but I think a found a fun way with this Birthday Mini Cake Bunting.

I just don't think it gets any cuter!   It couldn't be simpler to create this mini cake bunting either.

How to Make Cake Bunting
I used two medium-sized bamboo skewers (available at Publix) for the posts.  I cut 2 x 0.75" strips of paper out of patterned paper and folded them in half.  Then I cut the edges of the folded paper at a diagonal on each side.  All of the triangles were slightly different and definitely not perfect, but I think that suits the homey style of the cake bunting just right.  Then I glued them to some baker's twine. Finally, I stuck the posts into the pile of cookies on my favorite cake pedestal and tied the cake bunting to the posts.

I wish I knew who started the trend of cake bunting.  I've been seeing it on all sorts of blogs for quite some time, and I'm so glad the opportunity presented itself for me to try it out.  It looked precious as the backdrop to three lit birthday candles, too!

What do you think of cake bunting?  I'd love to see your photos if you try it out!

Here's another fun birthday cookie idea from my mother-in-law.

Chunky Cherry Cupcakes Recipe

These Chunky Cherry Cupcakes make me think of warm weather and fun times outdoors with family and friends. With summer right around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to share this recipe with you.

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My husband immediately gave these chunky cherry cupcakes an A+ on his first bite.  Honestly, we were both shocked at how good they were because the mix of ingredients sounded a little crazy at first glance, but I needed something that would go with my Cheery Cherry Birthday Party theme. Since the frosting is so busy, I decided just to use a box of Betty Crocker white cake mix for the cupcake base to keep it simple.

When I made the frosting, I chopped the cherries by hand, which was little messy, slippery, and hard because the cherries' skins were a little tough or rubbery to slice through.  Next time, I will use my food processor and let it do the work for me.

Chunky Cherry Frosting

    8     oz cream cheese
    ½    cup butter, softened
    6     cups powdered sugar
    1     cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
    1     cup chopped pecans, toasted
    1     cup sweeteened flaked coconut
           maraschino cherries with stems for garnish (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, beating until blended.

Stir in chopped maraschino cherries, chopped pecans, and coconut. Frosts 18-24 cupcakes.
   
(Source Southern Living magazine)

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