DIY Cooking at Home

Did you know Halloween is the third most popular holiday in America, topped only by Thanksgiving and Christmas? If you have kids, this probably comes as no surprise. Children anticipate Halloween almost as wildly as Christmas morning, mostly because of the candy, but also because of the fun class parties and costume parades that happen each year at school. I often volunteer for our kids' class parties because it's so fun to see all of the cuties in their costumes. Here's a Halloween class treat idea for you: Pumpkin Patch Pudding Cups Steps Tear the foil lids off of the pudding cups and line them up on a rimmed cookie sheet or tray to make them easier to carry. Sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbs (you can use finely-crushed Oreos if you can't find the boxed kind) on top of the pudding. Put four waffle-style pretzels around the perimeter of each pudding cup to look like a fence. Put a candy-corn pumpkin in the center of each "pumpkin patch." Remember to brin...

Halloween is almost here! Our kiddos are so excited for the big night, and I have to say, I'm kinda looking forward to it, too. It's a pretty low-key, stress-free, fun evening around here. So, do you need a quick idea for the class treat this year? Or maybe you're just in the mood to whip up something Halloween-ish to make your kids smile when they get home from school. Try these super-easy and cute monster sugar cookies! Just prepare your favorite sugar cookie recipe (or use a mix! Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookie Mix works great), then shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll them in colored sugar--as you can see, we used orange, green and purple--then place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8- 10 minutes and allow to cool slightly before placing the candy eyes in the center. Voila! These would be great for a Monsters, Inc. party, too. Halloween is just fun, don't ya think? You May Also Like: Snickers Salad 8 Simple Halloween Snacks Blac...

Are you ready for Halloween? The girls had a day off from school Friday so we spent the day figuring out their Halloween costumes. We'll have the cutest ballerina and devil in the universe on October 31! We typically put a pot of chili on the stove and get the girls fed early on trick-or-treat night, then come back here with whichever friends we've picked up along the way for a fire, more chili, and snacks while the kiddos sort and trade their candy. I love it! Here's an easy non-alcoholic Halloween punch to stir up, just to add to the fun. Black Widow Brew 1 package grape Kool-Aid 1 package orange Kool Aid 2 c. sugar 3 qt. water 1 liter ginger ale Mix the Kool-Aid packets with the sugar and water until dissolved. Chill. Add ginger ale just before serving. For extra fun, I rimmed some fancy martini glasses with orange sugar and used an ice-cube mold from the dollar store to make spider-shaped ice cubes. Hope your Halloween is spook-tacular! You may also like: 8 Simp...

Helloooo! Can you believe it's October? I love this time of year, and I enjoy Halloween although it's not normally a holiday I pull out all the stops for. But I think it's fun for our kiddos when I decorate the house a little, so I put together this spooky Halloween centerpiece using items I found at the dollar store and on sale at Jo-Anns. They love it! And I have to admit, it's kinda fun. First, I had the tray and the dollar store vases already, as well as the pumpkin actually. It's always good to use what you have, right? I bought some spiderweb tights and cut them to length, then just slid them over the vases. Then I put a "disguise" on the pumpkin (just a masquerade mask that I found at Jo-Anns, but you could totally make one out of construction paper or craft foam), and propped Mr. Crow on one of the vases. That's pretty much it. Here's the cost breakdown: Of course, you could just go with one of these elements and it would make a g...