Holiday Baking Tips

!±8± Holiday Baking Tips

Baking for the holidays can sometimes seem like a stressful chore. It doesn't have to be!

The first thing to keep in mind when baking is to make simple treats. Family and friends are not going to care if it took you three hours to decorate a dozen cupcakes with the handmade roses; all they want to do is eat them. They will perhaps comment how nice they look - just before they inhale them.

The second thing to keep in mind is to have a variety available. Be aware of any family or guest allergies and have treats available for everyone. Rice Krispie squares are a good treat for anyone with gluten, nut or egg allergies, as they contain neither of these (although one wouldn't know it by the TV commercial where the woman dusts herself with flour prior to taking the tray out to her family).

The third thing to do is to get the family involved in the baking. This not only takes some of the pressure off of you, it also makes for some fun memories. Taking pictures of the children as they decorate gingerbread men or sugar cookies will lead to some fun Scrapbooking later. The pictures will bring back fond memories for years to come, long after the treats have been eaten.

Trick number four is to co-ordinate a cookie/square exchange. This can be done with friends and family members not living in your immediate household. Each person can bake one type of cookie or square (cookies usually work best for this) and divide it to be distributed amongst others. The others who are participating in the exchange will do the same and walla, everyone has a variety of treats. Cookie exchanges are also a nice way to give something to others. (Author's note: our 4H group did a cookie exchange and the trays of assorted cookies were dropped off at Senior's residences.)

The fifth thing to do is to start your baking early. Do not leave it all for the day or two before Christmas. The invention of the freezer lends itself to everything but the meringues to be made well ahead of time. For those who have family members who like to sample the baking, leave some out for them and hide the rest. Threaten them with their lives if they touch anything in the freezer before the big day. (All said in fun of course.)

Holiday baking can become a fun tradition as opposed to a chore if approached the right way. Get family involved, make a variety, start early and you will have a much happier Christmas. Make memories as well as cookies; your family will remember little Joey putting candy bits on the gingerbread man long after they remember what the gingerbread man tasted like.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Holiday Baking Tips

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The Rice Krispie Opera - how to accomplish rice krispie treats

!±8± The Rice Krispie Opera - how to accomplish rice krispie treats

For the recipe and measurements go to: cookingfordads.blogspot.com Thanks to all my friends who made this possible. I am honored to call you friends. Thanks especially to Josiah Austin Gulden for being such a good sport and having an elastic face and amazing voice. Thanks to Tim Oberg and Oberg Digital for the boom and the great camera work. www.obergdigital.com Thanks to New Hope Church and Kyle Biggar for use of the room. Kyle, I owe you one. Thanks to everyone who helped, i couldn't have done it without you. Hair by George Walters, thanks Cook well, Rob Barrett Cooking for Dads

The Rice Krispie Opera - how to accomplish rice krispie treats

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Rice Krispies Cars

!±8± Rice Krispies Cars

Rice Krispies* Cars - Who says you can't play with your food? Here's a tasty and easy activity that's perfect for both boys and girls on a rainy day. Find more delicious recipe ideas at www.ricekrispies.ca * © 2011, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.

Rice Krispies Cars

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Great Snack Ideas For the Classroom

!±8± Great Snack Ideas For the Classroom

Pre-schoolers and elementary students alike need a little pick-me-up now and then. Whether you need to send in treats on a regular schedule, or you have volunteered to help out with a special event, a special snack from this list is sure to please. Depending on how festive you want the occasion to be, you can package snacks in plain zip top bags, decorate your own bags, or purchase special treat bags that are designed to suit the occasion and then tie them up with pieces of ribbon when you have them filled.

Make sure you check with your school or teacher to see if there are any foods they don't allow at snack time. There are many restrictions in schools that don't allow you to serve certain types of foods to children, which can make it difficult to plan for snacks that are fun for kids. Many schools don't allow you to serve any peanuts or peanut butter due to allergy severity, and you may not have the option of giving kids foods that contain added sugar. If you are restricted to those foods that are deemed "safe and healthy", then you will need to add even more imagination to the presentation of the food to make it appealing to small children.

Great snack ideas:

Rice Krispie Treats are a favorite of children and adults alike. If you want to give them something besides the typical Rice Krispie square, mix up a big batch of the treats and add colored Krispies or food coloring. You do not need to be restricted to rice cereal-try a variety of different cereals for a different look, or go whole grain for a healthy, energy packed choice. Use cookie cutters in fun shapes or for the holiday to cut out the treats and you can add a popsicle stick to make eating them easier and neater!

Popcorn balls are a favorite treat, especially in the fall. Try mixing in a few M&M's and putting the ball on a stick. You can find many recipes online for caramel, cinnamon, and other flavored popcorn balls to give kids something a little less traditional. Popcorn may not be suitable for kids under the age of five, so be sure to check with your child's teacher if needed.

Veggies with Dip is a great snack for kids. One of the things that increases children's taste for vegetables is ranch dressing. If you can afford to get them the individual dipping cups with the dressing then have the carrot and celery sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. already prepared, then it's just a matter of having the veggies divided and ready to eat. If this takes too much out of your budget, then get some little paper cups or holiday treat holders that won't easily spill and spoon out from the jar.

Fruit and Yogurt is another great snack time combo. Cut the fruit into small pieces for dipping, and serve with vanilla yogurt "dip. Home made trail mix is another great idea. You can easily make it in bulk, use the ingredients you want, and then package it in a variety of fun containers. This is a treat that is healthy, delicious, and approved by most schools! Ingredients can include any dry, bite sized morsels, like cereals, raisins, crackers, or seeds. Adding a small amount of a "fun" item like M&Ms can make your snack mix more appealing-just watch out for poachers!

You can also mix up a batch of "Chex" party mix. The recipe should be right on the box of cereal and is usually made in bulk. Kids will love helping to make their own snack right in the classroom and all you need are fun containers to scoop it into!

Whatever you choose as a snack for the classroom, keep in mind that packaging is a big part of the fun. Look for inexpensive and creative ways to serve great classroom snacks!

Great Snack Ideas For the Classroom

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The Sweet Temptations of Chocolate Covered Snacks

!±8± The Sweet Temptations of Chocolate Covered Snacks

The sweet temptations of chocolate covered snacks are very hard to resist. Many individuals can enjoy savoring various types of snacks to help satisfy their inner chocoholic. Just image the wonderful and tasty combinations of some of your very favorite snack items being covered in chocolate. Think about that for just a minute.

Share the Love

You, your family, friends and other associates can enjoy many different types of chocolaty flavors combined with various types of snacks you already enjoy eating. When you would like to try dipped or covered chips, pretzels, nuts and so many more, you can only make a really great choice.

A Chocoholic Dream come True

Whether you are shopping for personal treats or delicious snacks to share with others, the sweet temptations of chocolate covered snacks are very hard to resist. They make one of the most impressive, eye-appealing and mouthwatering presentation. In fact, these types of treats are ideal for any special occasion, holiday celebration, social gathering or corporate event. They also make the most marvelous choice as a special thank you gift to let others know that you appreciate their efforts as well as an every day snack. You may even choose to customize your selection to suit any occasion or event.

Delicious Choices of Chocolates

While you are shopping for various treats and snacks for you or others, you have a wide assortment from which you can choose. For instance, you may want to try various flavors that include:
- Cashew Turtles
- Chocolate Pecan Pralines
- Covered Almond Clusters
- Covered Cashew Clusters
- Covered Carmel Clusters
- Covered Coconut
- Covered Coconut Clusters
- Covered Graham Crackers
- Covered Marshmallows
- Covered Peanut Clusters
- Covered Pecan Clusters
- Covered Pretzel Bits and Caramel
- Covered Raisin Clusters
- Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dipped Glaceed Oranges
- Dipped Marshmallows
- Dipped Rice Krispies Treats
- Gourmet Caramel Clusters
- Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
- Dark Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

Anyone who loves eating and enjoying the smooth, creamy richness of chocolaty snacks and treats will surely be able to find something to satisfy his or her sweet-tooth with such a tempting assortment. When you are planning a gift idea, you should consider choosing gift baskets or gift boxes and gift tin boxes as well as various selections of novelty snacks and treats.

Sweet Alternatives

Of course, you may also choose various types of kosher, sugar-free and vegan chocolate covered snacks for anyone who may be on any type of restricted diet or is an observer of Jewish laws and traditions. This can be a very special snack or treat for those who love the delicious and creamy tastes of chocolate. Imagine that you really do love such treats and never being able to ever eat them again. Those who are on a restricted diet or is an observer of Jewish laws and traditions can stay safely within the boundaries of his or her necessary nutritional requirements without the worry or hassle of eating regular and gourmet snacks.

You may choose from various types of delicious and tasty treats that can impress anyone with the wonderful sweet temptations of chocolate covered snacks, you can find such treats when you Indulge In Chocolate.

The Sweet Temptations of Chocolate Covered Snacks

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Rice Krispies Easter Eggs

!±8± Rice Krispies Easter Eggs

Rice Krispies* Easter Eggs - Engaging your children with edible arts and crafts is a fun way to celebrate the season. These are fantastic Easter eggs that you can make as a family and even give as a gift. Find more delicious recipe ideas at www.ricekrispies.ca *© 2011, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.

Rice Krispies Easter Eggs

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Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents, Oh My! Understanding Intellectual Property

!±8± Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents, Oh My! Understanding Intellectual Property

You are a business owner with a web presence. During a routine Google search for your page ranking, you discover something disturbing. There is another company out there with a name very similar to yours and almost identical content on their website. What do you do? Is your company name and website content automatically protected by copyright law? Should you have registered your company name as a trademark? Can you demand that they change their name and dismantle their website immediately?

Intellectual Property can be a confusing topic, and one that all business owners should know about. Sadly however, many entrepreneurs simply don't. Intellectual property is in very simple terms an idea that legally belongs to somebody, be they a company or an individual. Only the owner of that idea, or somebody the owner has a legal agreement with can use the idea. Generally, the owner of the idea is usually its creator unless someone paid them to create the idea, in which case the idea's owner is the person who paid for the idea. There are different kinds of intellectual property, but for the purpose of this article, we will focus on copyright, patent and trademark.

Patent - A patent protects the creators of new inventions. An invention can include anything from a new product or business method to a recipe. If you decide to patent your invention, there a few things you should know. First, you will need to apply for a patent in every country where you would like your invention to be protected. Secondly, getting a patent is going to cost you a pretty penny. You will have to pay thousands of dollars to patent your idea and it will take a minimum of 2 years (probably more) before you are granted a patent. Also, your precious invention will no longer remain a secret since your patent application will be made public once your application is submitted. If all of this wasn't enough bad news, patent protection generally only lasts for twenty years from the date of your application. Phew! On the up side, once your patent is accepted, you can sue anyone who tries to manufacture or sell your invention.

It's worth mentioning here that another method to keep your invention protected is to keep the method of manufacturing it a 'trade secret'. If you choose this process, of course, in order to manufacture your product, you will have to tell somebody. You would have to have anyone who would learn your secret sign a confidentiality agreement. Consult a lawyer if you plan to use this method.

Trademark - Trademarks are the marks used to distinguish one company's products or services from another's. They can include a product name, a slogan, and any other mark that is deemed to be unique to a company such as a logo or unique packaging. As a rule, you can't trademark descriptive words, geographical names or a person's name. You also cannot register a business' name. You can however, register part of a name used to identify a product or service. For example "Kellogg's Company" is the owner of the "Kellogg's" trademark and the "Rice Krispies" trademark. You cannot register a trademark similar to one that is already in use by another company. Beware; a trademark does not have to be registered in order to prevent others from using it. If a company is using an unregistered trademark in your geographical area, they can still prevent you from using it. You could perform a search in a trademark database and find later that you are using another company's unregistered trademark. If you find another company in a completely different industry using your unregistered trademark, you probably won't be able to do anything about it if they are not your competitors or if they are not in your geographical vicinity. Protection of a registered trademark however, is much stronger than an unregistered one, and once you have a registered trademark, you can prevent competitors from using it, or confusingly similar ones anywhere in the country in which your trademark is registered.

Copyright - Any written text, artistic work, or computer program is automatically protected by copyright. Anything you or I write, be it published, online text or unpublished, handwritten text, is copyrighted. Also anything we draw, paint, photograph, film, or compose is also protected by copyright. Copyright can be registered, but it doesn't have to be in order for it to be illegal for individuals to copy someone else's work. Copyright also lasts for an extremely long time. Usually it lasts the duration of the author's life plus fifty years at which point it becomes a part of the public domain and can be used by anyone.

Factual information cannot be copyrighted. For example, this article is based on fact. Although you cannot copy my article and claim to have authored it yourself, you can take the facts included in the article and use them in your own written material. If you would like to use a very small portion of someone else's written work, this is usually acceptable as long as you credit the author.

Finally, what do you do if someone uses your work without your permission? Your first step should be to contact the individual. You can usually either go to the contact page on the offender's web site or go to http://www.whois.com and enter the offender's domain to find contact information. If your initial communication doesn't get results, you should then send a 'cease and desist order'. For sample orders, just perform a search on 'cease and desist orders'. Finally if still no action is taken by the offending party, contact their web host and advise them of the situation and finally, contact search engines and make them aware of the situation. These actions should render the offender's website useless or in the very least give them enough trouble to convince them to remove the copied material.

For more information on intellectual property in Canada, visit the Canadian Intellectual Property Office at http://www.cipo.ca, for the U.S., visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office at http://www.uspto.gov and for Europe please visit the European Patent Office at http://www.european-patent-office.org

Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents, Oh My! Understanding Intellectual Property

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How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

!±8± How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

Finding the right balance of healthy food that kids will eat at parties can be quite a challenge, particularly with the popularity and brand recognition of fast foods. However, with a bit of creativity and effort you can make healthy food look appetizing and fun to eat and here are a few tips.

Instead of serving bread with hundreds and thousands/sprinkles on it, make a variety of sandwiches with different fillings, for example cheese, ham, tuna, egg, cheese and tomato or tuna and sweet corn. Small, quality sausages, such as chipolatas are also an excellent addition to any party and popular with children. The children are more likely to eat these if you present them in a fun way.

Instead of lots of chocolate, place dried fruit on toothpicks, ensuring that you use a variety off different colors to make it look fun. You can also have muesli bars and you can buy carob coated rice cakes. You could also make carob coated chocolate rice krispies treats. You can use cornflakes as a wheat free alternative but please ensure that you check the package in case of children with allergies.

If you want to offer vegetarian, dairy free or wheat/gluten free party food, then here are a few different ideas for you to try:-

o If you are able to locate them, Scottish oatcakes (some oatcakes may contain wheat or gluten - check the packages for further details) are an excellent choice served with tuna and sweet corn.

o For a sweet idea, rice cakes with a carob chocolate topping or for a savory idea, you could add some cheese, pineapple, aubergine (eggplant) or a variety of pureed vegetables. Make sure that these are colorful to attract the children's eye.

o You can add cheese to muffins (you can make these gluten free) and place them under the grill. Try placing some fruit and shredded zucchini (courgette) inside them also. You can also make them into little pizzas and get the party boy/girl to help you make them.

o Waffles are also another good idea (these may not be gluten free though) and you can add all sorts of things, for example pureed fruits as a sweet alternative or freshly cooked beans as a savory topping.

o Tofu (bean curd) can also be used, although to make this attractive to children, you will need to ensure that you serve it in an interesting way. One way to do this is to slice the tofu finely and then dip it into some beaten up egg. Then add some sesame seeds and shallow fry it, serving it hot. The adults may prefer this but nothing ventured nothing gained!

o Home made pizzas cut into small rectangles, so that the children can eat them easily. You can add all sorts of different flavors and pineapple and cheese, tomato and cheese, or grated vegetables and cheese are excellent vegetarian choices. If you have someone at the party who cannot eat wheat or is a strict vegan, you can then add soya cheese and use wheat free dough. You can ask the party girl/boy to help you make them into funny faces. Getting the children involved with what you are doing is always a great idea, since they will then enjoy their party more as they have participated in the food preparation.

o You can also offer a variety of foods on a stick, for example cheese or fruit cubes.

o Falafels (a Lebanese delicacy made with chick peas).

o Rice crackers or pitta bread served with hummous and avocado dip, with carrot, zucchini and celery.

How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

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How Does Your Amish Family Celebrate Christmas?

!±8± How Does Your Amish Family Celebrate Christmas?

We were taught that Christmas is Jesus's Birthday and that day is to be celebrated as such. However, in our actions to me it was just another Sunday. Many Christmas's as a young child we never had company or went visiting on Christmas. We spend the day at home like any other in-between (since the Amish only have church every two weeks we had in-between Sundays) Sunday. My mother would read (silently) the bible or the Budget (Amish newspaper) and we usually played games. The only present we sometimes got was one board game for the whole family.

One year when I was in 3rd grade I think we got a Monopoly game so then we played that all day. My Father loved Monopoly and he was able to win most of the time. Other board games we had were Aggrivation, Chinese Checker, The Game of Life, and Upwords. The only card game we were allowed to play was Old Maid, Go Fish, and Uno. Many Amish do play cards for a pass time but my parents did not like playing cards. In our young folks group we played Rook quite a lot.

For the most part I know that many families got together on Christmas and exchanged gifts but we lived far away from any immediate family and my grandparents had all passed so we never had any place to go on the Holidays. The only other difference from everyday life is that my sisters and I would make some special treats (recipes that were too expensive in everyday life) like: rice krispie bars, chocolate covered pretzels and coconut bon bons. I also remember baking extra pies and breads so we could give some to the neighbors. I really enjoyed that because I knew the neighbors loved my baking.

In school we celebrated Christmas a little different. We colored Christmas pictures to hang in the windows or on the wall, we made paper chains to hang from corner to corner with a colored bell in the middle. I don't know why decorating was allowed in school but not at home. However, I also know that the extent of the decorating at school depended on who the teacher was. Sometimes the parents would complain on how much decorating was done at school.

At school we also exchanged names for gifts. The gifts were supposed to be fairly inexpensive because like my family, at one point there were 7 children going to school. A couple of days prior to Christmas we had our program. For that day we invited all the parents who brought food for the potluck. Once everyone got to school then we performed our program which consisted of singing Christmas songs and reciting poems. Then lunch was served and after that one of the dad's would play Santa (no costume) and hand out all the gifts to the students. When everyone had opened their gifts the children would go home with their parents and Christmas vacation began and lasted until the 2nd day after when normal school would resume.

I hope this helps you to understand how the Amish celebrated Christmas.

How Does Your Amish Family Celebrate Christmas?

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Traditional Birthday Cakes and Their Alternatives

!±8± Traditional Birthday Cakes and Their Alternatives

One of the first things that comes to mind when you think of a birthday celebration is the cake. It is often the focal point of the table. When planning a celebration, you have more cake design options than you would ever imagine. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed when choosing a cake. You can simplify the process by following a few simple suggestions.

First, you need to decide the theme of your party. If you are buying the cake from a bakery or ordering it from a professional baker, you need to know how large you want the cake to be, how many people you plan to serve, and the price range you want to stay within. Ask them what designs are available related to the party theme you chose. You definitely need to plan ahead and order your cake in an appropriate time frame.

If you plan to bake the cake yourself, you can find recipes and decorating ideas online and in almost any cookbook. Some designs will require special pans while others can be made in the standard round, square, or 9 X 13 cake pan. If decorating a cake is a new experience for you, staying with a simple design will make the process less stressful. As an alternative to decorating a large or multi-layer cake, you might opt for decorating cupcakes instead.

Some children do not actually like cake and would prefer some other option. An ice cream cake is a popular alternative to the traditional decorated cake with lots of icing and candles. You can special order ice cream cakes just as you would a standard cake. Or, you can mold the ice cream yourself into various shapes that match the theme of the party.

A large sugar cookie can be decorated to take the place of a standard cake. You can add candy pieces, icing, sprinkles, or numerous other toppings to create a uniquely personal cookie. You can also make smaller cookies to serve the guests. You could decorate the small cookies in a more simple manner, but in a design that matches the large cookie.

Some children prefer pies such as strawberry, chocolate, or lemon to cake. Their favorite pie decorated with candles would surely make them smile. Brownies, ice cream sundaes, pudding cups, a cheesecake, or decorated rice Krispie treats are all possible cake alternatives to consider. Another uniquely creative birthday cake alternative would be a popcorn cake as the centerpiece for the table with smaller popcorn balls for individual guests.

Traditional Birthday Cakes and Their Alternatives

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Ten Fun and Creepy Halloween Party Snacks

!±8± Ten Fun and Creepy Halloween Party Snacks

It doesn't matter if you have a big family or if you're on your own... Halloween is one of the most fun holidays ever invented. But if you are a busy mom (and your house is the one house on the block where everyone goes for Halloween parties) you may be looking for some quick and easy Halloween party snacks to have ready for kids, visitors, guests, and freeloading adult friends during the Halloween season.

Looking for some new ideas for festive snacks that don't take a hundred years (or work your fingers to the bone) to put together? The ten Halloween party snack ideas below are lots of fun, simple to make... and some of them are even healthy!

1. Rotting Eyes and Severed Fingers

This is a very healthy but rather creepy Halloween party snack that makes good use of black olives and baby carrots. Arrange the black olives and baby carrots on a party tray with a bowl of your favorite dip (I like a cream cheese veggie dip). Inform your party guests that the tray is filled with rotting black eyes and severed fingers. And then watch this snack disappear. A good way to get your kids excited about veggies!

2. Jack o' Lantern Oranges

This healthy treat is so easy to make, and looks so pretty! Carve jack-o'-lantern faces into oranges and place on a platter. The kids will love it. And they can help, too, without ever having to pick up a knife. Have them simply draw the faces on with a black marker, and carve them yourself. Or don't worry about carving them-- they look just as good with faces drawn on.

As a variation of this fun Halloween party snack, I like to hollow out an orange with a Jack o' Lantern face and fill it with fruit salad. Healthy, easy and quick!

3. Easy Bugs in the Bone Yard

This is such a fun Halloween snack for the kiddos. All you have to do? Sprinkle raisins into a bowl full of white-chocolate covered pretzels. (You could also use chocolate covered raisins.) Kids will eat them up once they learn the name of this snack. Or they'd eat it up anyway, since this mix tastes divine.

4. Slimy Halloween Jigglers

You know those Jello jiggler molds? They work great for Halloween! Either use whatever you have lying around the house, or go out and pick up a brain or a heart-shaped Jello mold. Make up a batch of orange, black, purple, or flesh-colored Jello and pour into your mold(s). Or make a flat pan of Jello and cut out shapes with Halloween cookie cutters instead.

5. Ghost Cereal Bars

Prepare a batch of the Rice Krispies marshmallow treats recipe on the back of the cereal box. When the mixture has set up, cut out shapes with ghost shaped cookie cutter. Pour warm white frosting or melted white chocolate over the shapes to cover. Add M&M eyes and mouth. A delicious and easy Halloween party snack.

6. Green Gelatin Intestines

This is one of the grosser looking Halloween party snacks. Make lime gelatin and add pineapple bits, chopped marshmallows, sliced bananas and mandarin oranges. Pour gelatin mixture into an angel food cake pan and let set up. Invert pan to remove gelatin mold. Slice the mold horizontally into about 5 layers. Slice the layers in half and arrange on a platter in semi-circles to look like intestines. Gross!

7. Spooky Healthy Eyeballs

This Halloween party snack is both easy and healthy. Wash a bunch of green grapes. Insert a raisin into the stem end of the grapes and freeze them all until ready to serve.

8. Monster Crackers

Color some white vegetable spread or cream cheese with green food coloring and spread on your favorite crackers. Arrange small bits of green and red bell peppers to make a green-eyed, red-mouthed cracker monster. Use small amounts of broccoli sprouts to make the monster hair. A sneaky way to get kids eating their veggies.

9. Wormy Halloween Punch Recipe

No respectable Halloween party snack list would do with out having this squeamish punch. Just make green Kool-Aid and put in a clear glass punch bowl. Set the punch bowl on top of a glow necklace so the light shines through the punch bowl. Add some gummy worms and watch the kids squirm when they see it.

10. Vampire Blood

You use V8 juice for this one so it is healthier than the wormy punch above. Pour the V8 juice in a clear picture that you have labeled as "Vampire Blood." For an adult party, add the ingredients for a bloody Mary, if you like. For a kids' party, well... good luck getting them to try it. It is V8, after all!

Ten Fun and Creepy Halloween Party Snacks

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Jungle Baby Shower Favors

!±8± Jungle Baby Shower Favors

If you are having a jungle baby shower, give guests favors that they will either eat or use. Here are some ideas:

Cookies - Everyone loves cookies, especially if they are in fun, jungle animal shapes. Bake your own by using a recipe specifically designed for decorated cookies. Then whip up a big batch of frosting, and divide it into about four or five bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to the bowls, making sure that you use a different color in each. Homemade frosting is so easy and significantly better (and cheaper) than frosting in a can. Most recipes use only five ingredients including: confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla, and food coloring. Decorate with M&M's and other small candy for eyes, ears, and noses. You can also make some black frosting, place it in a plastic bag, cut a tiny hole in one of the corners, and make animal stripes for tigers and zebras.

Candles - Find some tropical scented candles and place them in an animal print bag. Wild tropical rain and coconut are just a few scents available. The store Pier One has a wide variety of small candles. You can also find some inexpensive glass candle holders. Since the jungle is made up of greens and browns, try alternating different color candles within their holders at each place setting. That will allow your favors be used as table decorations, as long as they are not lit.

Rice Krispie Treats - Just follow the recipe on the Rice Krispie cereal box. After they are one solid layer with a pan, use animal cookie cutters to create the shapes. You will want to be sure to coat the cookie cutters with non-stick spray before using them, so the treats come loose easily. Also, look for cookie cutters with simple, large shapes and not much detail. Rice Krispie Treats are a bit trickier to maintain their shape than cookies. Decorate with cookie icing on the entire treat, or just use frosting for key areas of the animal like the ears nose and mouth.

Functional Gifts - Let's face it, very few people like to decorate their homes with jungle trinkets. So give your guests practical items like measuring spoons, a packet of coffee, notebooks, magnets, magnetic grocery lists, playing cards, a calendar, or anything else that you think will get some use. Dollar stores, Office Max and Target are great places to find inexpensive items that are used every day. I recently found some pink and blue rhinestone magnets as well as colored rhinestone pens on sale at Office Depot. Simply place an item into an animal print bag.

Jungle Baby Shower Favors

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How to Make Rice Crispy Treats

!±8± How to Make Rice Crispy Treats

To view the next video in this series click: www.monkeysee.com This video will show how to make rice crispy treats.

How to Make Rice Crispy Treats

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Save Time with No-Bake Cookies

!±8± Save Time with No-Bake Cookies

Whether you don't want to heat up the kitchen or the demands of getting the kids out the door are upon you, it's nice to have a few no-bake cookie recipes on hand. We thought we would share some of our favorites with you.

Cranberry Coconut Bars

This first recipe, Cranberry Coconut Bars, is more of a big kid cookie-it has too much fruit and too many nuts in it to suit most youngsters. But it so scrumptious and easy, we had to include it. If you are making a lunch for a spouse or a teenager, we think this will be a hit. Of course, it doesn't have to go in a lunch pail.

This is a microwave cookie that can be mixed right in the baking pan. How's that for convenience?

If you are not fond of dried cranberries, consider substituting dates, raisins, or chopped apricot pieces in this recipe.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup quick rolled oats

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions

1. Place butter in an 8-inch square, microwave-safe baking dish. Microwave until the butter is melted.

2. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Press the mixture firmly into the dish.

3. Microwave for three to five minutes or until lightly browned. If your microwave does not have a rotating carousel, rotate the dish twice during cooking.

4. Let the cookies cool and then cut them into bars with a sharp knife. Wrap them individually to pack in a lunch.

This recipe will make sixteen 2 x 2-inch squares.

This next recipe makes a great kid cookie. It's almost confection-like but is so packed with energy and hearty oats that you won't mind giving your youngster a few. This cookie is best with a tall glass of milk.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops

This is a range-top cookie. Because it is a no-baker and so full of energy, it makes a great camping cookie.

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cocoa

2 1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook for two more minutes stirring constantly and then remove the pan from the heat.

2. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla, then the oats.

3. Let cool for several minutes and then drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the waxed paper.

More No-Bakers

When thinking of no-bake cookies, don't forget the perennial favorites, Rice Krispie Treats and Frosted Graham Crackers. We're assuming everyone has the recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. Consider adding chocolate chips, dried fruit pieces, or cinnamon candies for a little pizzazz.

To make Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats, melt 2/3 cup chocolate chips (for a recipe calling for six cups of cereal) with the marshmallows and butter. This is a real favorite-our kids like these more than regular Rice Krispie Treats and they are no more difficult to make.

For Frosted Graham Crackers, simply pick your favorite frosting and sandwich that between two graham cracker squares. Pick a frosting with a powdered-sugar base that will set up firm and won't be messy.

Save Time with No-Bake Cookies

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