That lingering Halloween candy ..

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

So it”s been a few days since the big event. You”re dreading your next trip to the dentist and that big ol” bowl of sugary treats is starting to get a little low. It”s at the point where you”re sifting through all the crappy candy to get to the good stuff — Kit Kats, Reeses, Snickers, M&Ms, Twix .. the list goes on and on. But what are these unloved sweets that always seem to end up in our trick-or-treat scavenges each year? Here are a few offenders:

INDIVIDUALLY-WRAPPED BUBBLE GUM

Seriously. I enjoy the idea of these individually wrapped pieces of gum, but my teeth seem to think otherwise. And if you can actually get a bite into them, they stick to your molars and practically perform an extraction when you attempt to chew it. Who needs a dentist? Just pick yourself up a tub of these bad boys next time you need to pull a tooth.

LOOSE JELLYBEANS

Why? These just weird me out. Maybe it would be a different thing if they were Jelly Belly brand (because those are DELICIOUS) but these generic jellybeans just don”t fit the bill for me. Not to mention — why aren”t they in little baggies? Loose jellybeans are GROSS. Please do yourself a favor and don”t even try. I did once, and I regret to inform you that it was the stalest piece of candy I have ever encountered. Never again!

M&M KNOCKOFFS

Okay, honestly. There are so many types of M&M knockoffs, but I just don”t understand these Sixlets candies. And they don”t taste anything like real chocolate. I try being optimistic, but every year I am let down. I think even a color change would help this poor candy out! They”re one of those chocolates that seem to linger around until next July ..

WAX BOTTLES

The idea of these are GREAT. But the reality? Ehhh .. not so much. If you”re into getting wax all up in your teeth, be my guest — but I had enough of the wax:teeth ratio when I had braces back in middle school. Not to mention, the liquid is so .. odd. It”s almost like water but a little thicker, and just loaded with sugar and strange flavoring. Not my cup of tea.

What other trick-or-treat candies never seem to get eaten at your house?

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My Halloween Diet

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Nichole Magoon

Happy Halloween from all of us here at Social Grocery!

And let”s be honest, this is what our diet REALLY looks like today:

Happy Halloween!

Sweet, Sweet Halloween Candy [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Nichole Magoon

Move over skeletons, ghosts, and ghouls–we all know what Halloween is REALLY about–candy! We love it all, Tootsie Rolls, Snickers, M& Ms, chocolate, gummies, gum, all of it! We hope you have a spooktacular and sweet Halloween from all of us at Social Grocery!

Click the image (or here) for a larger version.

Last chance for Halloween recipes!

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

With Halloween weekend looming, the clock”s a”tickin” to make your favorite Halloween desserts and treats in time for parties and get-togethers. Luckily, The Stir at CafeMom.com has put together a slideshow of 20 Favorite Halloween Recipes — from cookies, cakes, to big people drinks — to help us get a head start on the brainstorming.

Here are 4 of my favorites from the bunch:

PUMPKIN-CREAM CHEESE TRUFFLES

If the title isn”t enough, they”re covered in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed gingersnaps. My work is done here. (Originally from Whole Foods Market)

MINI PUMPKIN CAKES

These cakes from BusyMommy are absolutely adorable, and they”re actually made with little bundt cakes! The stem is a hand-molded Tootsie Roll. These would be delicious as little carrot cakes, don”t you think?

PEANUT BUTTER CANDY BAR SQUARES

This recipe from Bake or Break is a perfect way to utilize your leftover Halloween candy (if you even have leftover Halloween candy, that is). Maybe I”ll buy some extra candy this year just so I can make these bars.

THE GREAT PUMPKIN MARTINI

Who says Halloween isn”t for adults? This martini from The Stir contains OJ and pumpkin puree. Sounds interesting to say the least — definitely in spirit of the season!

What Halloween treats will you be whipping up this weekend?

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Am I really too old to trick-or-treat?

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

Last night at the drug store I found a childhood favorite of mine just sitting on the shelf. And of course I had to buy them –

Yep, that”s right. WARHEADS. You can only imagine my excitement today in my cubicle as I popped these into my mouth — only to realize that my taste buds are not what they used to, and apparently the inside of my mouth isn”t either. But who cares — I”m a WARHEAD lover at heart and that means PERSISTENCE AND DEDICATION, no matter how many wounded tongues and cheeks it takes.

I have always been a sweet tooth, so Halloween was always a favorite of mine as a kid. I loved dressing up, I mean who doesn”t — but I think we can all agree that the best part of Halloween was dumping out our huge bags of goodies at the end of our trick-or-treat run. My friends and I were so hardcore that our parents would take us to multiple neighborhoods and mooch the sugary treats out of every house we could. Yup, we were greedy — but hey, isn”t that just the spirit of the holiday?

But now that I am too old to trick-or-treat and have it be socially acceptable, I have to buy my own candy. And what fun is that? Here are a few sugary treats I”ll be grabbing myself at the store to feel like a kid again this Halloween:

SOUR PATCH KIDS

These babies are another culprit in mouth deterioration. But you just can”t help but love them — they”re sour, then sweet, right? I must say, even after watching those creepy new commercials I”m still a Sour Patch Kid fan. The watermelon slices are also great, but the lime flavor will always be my favorite. In my opinion, the lemon should really just go away — who actually eats those?

AIRHEADS

AIRHEADS! Another favorite, even if they will most likely 100% get stuck in your teeth EVERY TIME YOU EAT THEM. I was always a Blue Raspberry and Cherry fan — and the White Mystery was always a good one too (because it was usually, in my experience anyway, a Cherry flavor). Although for some reason, when these came in mini sizes I feel like they were always too hard to chew. Anyone else?

LEMONHEADS

When I was in elementary and middle school, I used to stop at the convenience store across the street from my school and when I wasn”t buying slush or Hot Fries, it was Lemonheads and Cherryheads. I love these things! I”m not a huge lemon flavored candy fan but these were always a favorite. The variety pack was a good choice, too!

POP ROCKS

Last but certainly not least — I give you Pop Rocks, one of my absolute FAVORITE candies. I”ve found that most convenience stores and dollar stores still carry these packets of crackling joy. And you will more than likely find me purchasing these with a 20oz Coca-Cola, because YES I am still one of those kids at heart. Love it!

What are your favorite childhood sweets?

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Halloween ALREADY?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Kelly Diamond

It feels like the school season has barely even started and already stores are stocking the shelves with candy corn, pumpkin Reese”s and ghost Peeps. I”m not completely against this, however, I feel like I haven”t even had time to go apple picking yet! (Can you tell I”m from New England?) But really, whether we like it or not, seasons/holidays start over a month in advance in most retail stores. So, while we”re still over a month away from Halloween, there”s only one logical thing to do — STOCK UP!

Grab your Halloween favorites now, because in only a few weeks, store shelves will be completely wiped out. You know it”s true! How many times have you waited until the day before trick-or-treating to get your goods? I once went to three different stores before I could find anything but plain old Tootsie Rolls and Whoppers (sorry for those of you into that sort of thing) the day before Halloween. Not a good plan in any means — take it from me and get your candy early this year!

In addition to stocking up for your candy pile, now is the time to be planning your festive treats! Do you usually participate in Halloween parties at work, school, or in your community? While you still have some time, do your homework NOW so that you can wow the crowd come Halloween. Here are posts from two of Social Grocery”s favorite bloggers to help you get the ball rolling:

SPIDERWEB COOKIES by Bridget at Bake at 350

How many times have you seen cookies such as these and wondered how to make the frosting webs look so flawless? Search no more, because Bridget at Bake at 350 breaks it down step by step for you. Now we can all make these adorable spiderweb cookies. If you want to see some more of Bridget”s spooky cookies, be sure to check out all of her Halloween posts. I love the tombstone ones myself — let”s face it, Halloween is the time to be morbid!

HALLOWEEN CAKE POPS by Bakerella

Bakerella has single-handedly made cake pops and cupcake pops a huge phenomenon. In this particular post, she attacks Halloween with jack-o-lanterns, mummies, Frankensteins, ghosts and more. They are cute as a button and would surely be a hit at your next Halloween get together — or even just to have at home and give out to friends and family. If you”re interested in cake pops, cupcake pops or cake balls, be sure to check out Bakerella.com for recipes and tips! (P.S. The cartoon character cake pops are TOO GREAT!)

What are some of your favorite Halloween treats? Share with us!

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Fridge Notes

Tag Archives: trick or treat