Halloween Candy Buy Back

This is such a neat-o idea! I swear, people amaze me with how smart they can be sometimes. Makes me a little sad I don't come up with cool ideas like this. What is "this"?

This is a Halloween Candy Buy Back!! Here is the link with all the information:
http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/index.html

Here is how it works (taken from the website to give you a quick idea)

How does the program work?

• Participating dentists "buy" back kids' Halloween candy at a scheduled event
• "Buy" with cash, coupons, toothbrushes, creative exchanges - They can partner with local businesses to give away coupons for food, services, goods, etc. They can give away the Hygiene Kits, they can set up an Opportunity Prize--each kid gets a ticket per pound of candy for an opportunity drawing to win special prizes, etc.
• Dentists send the candy to Operation Gratitude or other Military support groups
• Operation Gratitude sends the candy to U.S. Military deployed in harm's way
• To find a dental practice in your area, use the zip code "look-up" feature to see if there is a dental office participating close by. SUGGESTION: Call the practice before driving over with your Halloween candy as many have concluded their buyback event and are no longer accepting candy.

If you don't want your kids having a massive amount of candy and cavities, this may be the program for you.

If you support our troops, have a deployed service member, this may be for you.

If you are a dentist, this may be for you.

I heard about this program from a Facebook group I am apart of and I am not getting anything out of posting this from Halloween Candy Buy Back. I just thought it was a cool thing to check out. Some parents are letting their kids trade in their candy for a toy, for example. I know I don't want my son eating buckets of candy and it gives you a chance to teach about dental hygiene, as well as, giving back.

 

Pregnancy Rant: Read at Own Risk!

Not going to lie...I feel like I've been a fairly easy pregnant person to deal with. I haven't made Jason go out at 2am for a random craving , demand foot massages every night, or become a huge slob doing nothing but eat ice cream and watch T.V. At least I think...Jason? I've been easy, right!?

Getting to the rant...there are just a couple things I would like back in my life. Or just have the option to have them in my life. Being pregnant is getting very uncomfortable to say the least and I am ready for this little ninja kicking, yoga-stretching, pumpkin to come out of my stomach.

Things I want (in no particular order):
1. 64oz of Dr. Pepper with crushed ice
2. Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte, extra hot, extra caffeine. Make that 2.
3. Abs
4. Ability to breath
5. Ability to workout and actually sweat
6. Sleep
7. My belly button
8. No more heartburn
9. A "mom-car" to appear at my house without me doing anything
10. Friends from GA and CA here with me.

These don't seem like high-demands if you ask me.

The most annoying part as of the last week...people telling me these top 3 comments:
"Almost there!"
"Get sleep while you can!"
"It will all be worth it!"

I know I'm almost there, if I could sleep I would, and I know it will be worth it. I appreciate the comments and positivity, but at this very second they don't mean S*#t! It doesn't help and it almost makes me more angry at the situation. What I would like to hear instead:
"I feel ya, girl..."
"Hell yeah it's uncomfortable, just you wait..."
"Sucks to be you, been there and know what you mean."
"Here is a car!"
"I'm coming to visit you!"

Honest for the moment or something on my want list. I don't want to hear about what's to come. I got it, I'm ready. But right now I feel like craptastic and need that to go away before anything else. I am also willing to take a back and/or foot massage.

Thank you and my rant is over. Sorry my "pregnancy glow" is turning into "pregnancy devil"...maybe it's because Halloween is just around the corner.

Wishing I could have some wine with my whine, but I can't do that either. BOO! :(

Rant officially over and on with the day.

Pumpkin Rice Krispies

On to the next pumpkin treat! This time...Pumpkin Rice Krispie treats. I had pinned this recipe awhile ago and since I was going to a get together I figured these would be perfect to bring. Here is the link to the original recipe...
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pumpkin-2-159672

I changed it up a bit because the reviews stated they came out soggy. I also wanted them to look like pumpkins.

What you need:
1. Pumpkin puree- 1/4 cup
2. Pumpkin pie spice- 1TBSP
3. Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
4. Cinnamon- 1/2 TBSP
5. Marshmallows- 40 large or one bag of minis
6. Rice Krispie cereal- 6 cups
7. Butter- 3 TBSP
8. Candy corn or tootsie rolls (for stem)
9. Paper towels

First things first...YOU NEED TO GET THE MOISTURE OUT OF THE PUMPKIN PUREE!!

To do this, place a bunch of paper towels on a plate. Put your 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree onto paper towels and start patting it. This takes awhile and it takes a lot of paper towels to drain it all. I started with 3 paper towels each time and transferred it to new ones once soaked.

This is when I first put it on the paper towel.

 

 

These are after I was done...you will be able to pick it up after it was all drained. Looks a little like play-doh.

 

After all the moisture is out, melt the butter in a large pot.

Add the pumpkin to melted butter.

Stir until heated. It will be a little chunky.

Add marshmallows and stir until melted.

 

Once all marshmallows are melted, add the spices and vanilla extract. Stir until mixed well .







 

Time to add the cereal! I add 2 cups at a time because mixing dry cereal to sticky marshmallows takes some elbow grease.

 



After all the cereal and marshmallows are mixed, spray a cookie sheet with PAM. This is where is gets super sticky...and kind of fun. :)

*If you want traditional bars: spray a 9X13 pan, put treats in and you are done. The next steps are how to make them into pumpkin shapes.

 

For pumpkin shapes: spray your hands with PAM so they don't stick to you. Roll into balls. You can make them whatever size you want. Mine were a little bigger than golf ball size. After you roll, stick your finger on the top to make a little hole for the stem.

 

Add the stem using candy corn or a tootsie roll.

 

 

Put them on the cookie sheet to settle. then you can transfer on a cute plate, cupcake holders, baggies, etc.

 

Done! The whole process took about an hour and they look so cute.

 

 

 

 



 

 



PA: Pumpkin Anonymous

Hi, my name is Jennifer, and I am addicted to pumpkin. Seriously. So serious I googled if there was a PA group: Pumpkin Anonymous. Nothing I found was a legit group, except a Pumpkin Lovers Anonymous Facebook page (yes, of course, I "liked" them). I don't think the goal is to stop the addiction in this group...it is to fuel it. Did you know there were pumpkin spice Hershey kisses!? NEED them!
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/PumpkinLoversAnonymous

As I drink my pumpkin spice coffee this morning, I am thinking about my mid-day snack...Pumpkin Pie Roasted almonds, which I made yesterday (recipe will come later, calm down my fellow pumpkin addicts) and I am thinking about dinner tonight. The hubster is making pumpkin chili. I know, just blew your mind, right!? I'll let you know if it is worth the time, effort, and taste in another post.

Some may be thinking, oh you're just pregnant and craving it...no big deal. But to be honest, I loved pumpkin flavored items before, so scratch that idea you theorists out there. I wait until Starbucks has pumpkin spice lattes and I can eat a whole pumpkin pie. By myself. In one sitting. And now that I really think about when my addiction started, I think my mom working at CoCo's is when it aaalllll began. CoCo's is a restaurant and bakery for those not knowing. Well at Thanksgiving/Fall/Halloween/Christmas time they make pumpkin pies and a Harvest Pie. OMG...I LOVE Harvest pie. It is pumpkin pie with a pumpkin chiffon layer on top.

My mom is coming the day after Thanksgiving to help out with lil' Nate Dogg so maybe she can bring me one, hmmm....

Anyhoo...yesterday, Sunday football was on, of course, and I wanted a snack. And yes you guessed it, a pumpkin snack. I searched on my other addiction (Pinterest) to see what I could make happen. As soon as I saw the title and that you only needed about 5 ingredients it was meant to be. Here is the link to the original recipe...
http://kneadtocook.com/?p=2151

She used 2lbs of almonds and I only had 1 on hand, so I just halved the recipe.

 

The ingredients: almonds (1 lb), pumpkin pie spice (2 tsp), cinnamon (2 tsp), vanilla extract (1/2 tsp), and honey (3 TBSP). It's a little more than half, but it needed more spice than called for, in my opinion and the hubsters. She also called for sea salt, but I didn't have any.

 

Preheat oven to 325' and line cookie sheet with wax paper.

Next, mix all ingredients in a bowl and make sure all almonds are coated. After coated, spread evenly on cookie sheet.

 

 

 

Bake for 18-20 minutes, then let cool. Easy peasy, pumpkin pleasy. Eh, my made up saying doesn't quite work as well as lemon squeezy. Just go with it.

 

 

This was only about half, I just wanted a cute presentation for the picture. After they cooled, I put them in a mason jar. They are a pretty good snack and healthy! They would make great gifts for people this holiday season and you could also try to make it with pecans, walnuts, or make a mixture.

 

Time to finish my pumpkin coffee and search for the next pumpkin recipe! Have a wonderful Columbus Day and in honor of good of Christopher...go out and discover something! :)