easy Halloween fun

I am finally letting my subscription to Family Fun magazine run out. I’ve been in denial for …oh, let’s say the past 8 years, that my family status (meaning the ages of my two remarkable and incredibly talented children) has long passed the prime target audience of this great magazine. Kinda like a 25 year old still subscribing to Seventeen Magazine… it’s just sad!

But, if YOU happen to have young kids or grandkids, you NEED to get this magazine! There are SO many great ideas for crafts, vacations, recipes, backyard fun, parties, and on and on and on! But since my “kids” are 20 and nearly 24 – it is seriously time for me to let it go. Well, now we celebrate everything in normal adult ways. Like, for Halloween, we could throw a party for friends and family or have a quiet night with a horror movie marathon (choose movies through hellhorror.com or equivalent websites). However, I still miss the magazine since it provided great fun ideas.

As a matter of fact, Family Fun was born the same year as Connor – founded in 1991 by Disney and it is the country’s number one magazine for families with children ages 3-12, with more than 2 million subscribers. Now, if one of my two were to get married and have a child (BIG HEADS UP…that is the “right” order – BTW!) then, I will immediately re-subscribe! Until then, I shall reminisce with a couple of my favorite Halloween ideas taken directly from the pages of my beloved Family Fun… Oh yeah, and here are my truly awful photos from when I could not remember how my own camera worked at 4 AM… yeah, good times!

Yummy Melted Wicked Witches

1 teaspoon water
4 drops yellow food coloring
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons shortening, divided
36 chocolate creme-filled chocolate or orange-colored sandwich cookies (you know, like Oreos) or fudge-striped cookies
36 Bugles
3 to 4 cups white chocolate chips
36 pretzel sticks

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine water and food coloring; add coconut. Seal bag and shake to tint coconut; set aside.

In a microwave melt chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of shortening; stir until smooth.

For witches’ hats, place about 1/3 cup of chocolate mixture in a resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in corner of the bag. Pipe a small amount of chocolate on a cookie. Dip a Bugle in some of the remaining chocolate; allow excess to drip off.

Position over chocolate on cookie, forming a witch’s hat. Set on waxed paper to dry. Repeat with remaining chocolate, Bugles, and cookies.

For melted witch puddles, melt white chocolate chips and the remaining shortening; stir until smooth. Place mixture in a large resealable heavy-duty plastic bag; cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe mixture into the shape of a puddle onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Use a spoon to spread out the puddle.

Immediately place a witch’s hat on the puddle. Place a pretzel stick alongside the hat; sprinkle reserved tinted coconut at the end of the pretzel stick. Repeat with remaining puddles, hats, and brooms. Chill for 15 minutes or until set. Store in an air-tight container.

Makes about 3 dozen

Sweet Mini Acorns

Hershey’s Kisses
Semisweet or white chocolate chips, melted
Mini Vanilla Wafers
Peanut Butter chips

Unwrap a Kiss, then attach it to a mini wafer with a bit of melted chocolate. (I mistakenly used peanut butter – once again, this was at 4 AM – do as I say, not as I do.) Allow to firm up and set. Use a bit more melted chocolate to attach a peanut butter chip as the “top knot”. Allow to firm and set up. Place on a platter and enjoy. It’s really that easy!

Makes as many as you want to make

OH, and BTW… it is going to be 98 degrees today. Happy Halloween. Whatever! … sigh.