Jennifer Reynolds of Canadian Family offers up these Halloween recipes and costume ideas.
No-Bake Oreo Balls
Ingredients:
- 1 package Oreo cookies (350 g)
- 2/3 cup brick-style cream cheese, room temperature
- Coating chocolate in various colours
Directions:
Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper; set aside.
In a food processor or blender, process all of the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Add cream cheese and process until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).
Chill mixture 30 minutes. Using your hands, roll into walnut-sized balls, approximately �-inch in diameter.
Place balls on the lined sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 45 to 60 minutes or freeze on baking sheets 30 minutes if you are planning to decorate right away.
Decorating:
In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt the coating chocolate, stirring until smooth. (If you don't have a double boiler you can improvise one by placing a glass or stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water.) Remove from heat.
Using a small fork or toothpicks, dip each chilled ball into the melted chocolate, allowing the excess to drip back into the pot. Place the balls onto the parchment paper
Add decorations or sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.
If you want to add another layer of chocolate, allow the first layer to harden first. Store balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Plan Ahead
Undecorated balls can be frozen for up to one month, just remember to freeze on a sheet pan first before transferring to a freezer bag.
Chewy-Gooey Popcorn Pops
Ingredients:
- 5 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 size regular size microwave bag)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup orange and brown sprinkles
- 2 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 18 4-inch sucker sticks (optional)
Directions:
1. Place popcorn in a bowl; remove un-popped kernels and set aside. Place sprinkles and coconut in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds. Add marshmallows and continue cooking another 30 seconds. The marshmallows should be melted and fluffy. Stir well and pour over popcorn.
3. Mix in chocolate chips. Stir to thoroughly coat popcorn with mixture. Form popcorn into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Make sure you get chocolate chips in each ball, as they tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl.
4. Toss balls in coloured sprinkles, ensuring they are thoroughly coated. Press balls into cups of a mini muffin pan. Place a sucker stick into top of each ball.
DIY costumes
Sandwich:
Think of sandwich boards in the literal sense. To make: purchase three pieces of foam, about three square feet. Cut two pieces into the shape of bread and the third into a circle. With brown felt, add crust to your bread and cover the circle piece in red felt for a tomato. Cut pink felt into a circle for bologna and create jagged leafy-green felt lettuce. Attach the bologna, lettuce and tomato to one piece of bread. Create and attach felt suspenders to both pieces of bread so that the costume hangs comfortably over your child's shoulders. Top it off with an olive: cover a Styrofoam half circle in green felt, add a red pompom and use string to make it a hat. Brown clothes underneath work best.
Approx. cost: $25.
Mother Nature:
Attach a mosaic of fake leaves to a white shirt. Create a crown by braiding bunches of raffia, attach the ends together with glue or string and insert more leaves at the front. For the skirt, cut a piece of green felt to size and make points at the bottom. Attach string to the waist of the skirt to fasten on.
Approx. cost: $20.
Robot:
Pick up spray paint to cover two boxes and some flexible dryer vent hoses for the arms and legs. In the cycling section, find some mirrors and reflectors to make robot gadgets. Cut out arm, leg and face holes in the head and body boxes and decorate. Use pipe cleaners for antennas and sparkles and paint for pizzazz.
Approx. cost: $20.
