halloween | The Daily Blarg

The Great McPumpkin @mcdonalds #giveaway

October 24, 2011 By Steph Leave a Comment

I am proud addict of McDonald’s Diet Coke. (or McDiet Coke as I like to call it) I may or may not get it several times a week… Some may call it an addiction. I just call it good taste. But when it comes to the McDonald’s Happy Meal Halloween Pail I admit to be kind of a novice. I remember seeing commercials when I was a kid of the classic pails and sitting in envy. The town I grew up with didn’t get a McDonald’s until I was into my teen years. (I know… it explains a LOT about me. Heck… I didn’t even know towns had more than one traffic light)

The classic pails are now gone… but of course never forgotten. This year McDonald’s decided to make their Halloween Pails interactive. Get your kids lunch and a fun activity. Keep them busy for HOURS decorating their own trick or treat pail with stickers. (plus… you can use the removable Halloween mask to disguise yourself on your 2nd or 3rd McDiet Coke run for the day) And because McDonald’s offers some sensible side options like apple dippers… You can feel a little less guilty about the fun lunch time indulgence.

I am so excited to stuff these pails full of goodies my cute nieces and nephew. Since apparently my kids like to use pillowcases for trick or treating now. But as long as half of that pillow case is full of Smarties for me I will allow it.

GIVEAWAY TIME:

McDonald’s is offering up a 5 pack of green monster Halloween Happy Meal Pails to one lucky reader. Plus some coupons for FREEE Apple Dippers… and dood… that is seriously one of my fave snacks.

This is a quickie (I am hoping these bad boys get to you before the big day)… Giveaway ends on 10/25 at 5pm MST. Winner will be notified via email.

Just fill out the mandatory fields below to be entered. 5 EXTRA entries for telling me your FAVORITE Halloween memory.

***Benefited giveaway

Filed Under: blarg, family, Giveaways, just for fun, stephanie hansen Tagged With: giveaway, halloween, Happy Meals, McDonald's

It’s Still Wednesday… Rad Bug Photo

October 19, 2011 By Steph 2 Comments

So I was going through a couple month’s worth of pictures and come across this awesome bug picture. I apparently really like bugs this week. Which is fitting since BUGS are 100% creepy and Halloweenish.

Filed Under: About Me, blarg, just for fun, Photography, stephanie hansen Tagged With: bugs, halloween, photo, pictures

Spooktacular Halloween Party Recipes

October 18, 2011 By Steph 8 Comments

Like I said yesterday… I LOVE the Halloween season. So I have dubbed this week “The Week of Halloween” on my blog. Today I wanted to share a couple of the creepiest, spooky, festive, and yummy Halloween party recipes I served my guests this weekend.

Zombie Punch Recipe-A delicious beverage that goblins and ghouls of all ages will enjoy!

Ingredients-

1/2 gallon limeade
2 liters lemon-lime soda
1/2 gallon lime sherbet

Directions: Add limeade and soda to large punch bowl. Add sherbet by the scoop. When the mixture starts to foam it is ready to serve to all of your ghostly guests. (Serves about 20)

Halloween Rice Krispie Treats Recipe- Snap, crackle, and pop your way into a festive Halloween treat.

Ingredients-

3 tablespoons of butter (butter works best)
1 package of mini marshmallows (melts quicker)
4 cups of Rice Krispies or applicable generic substitution
2 cups of Cocoa Krispies
12 drops of red food coloring
8 drops of yellow food coloring

Directions-Over medium-low heat melt butter. Add the marshmallows and stir frequently (I always spray the stirring spoon with some non-stick cooking spray) Coat 13×9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. When marshmallow mixture is completely melted add food coloring and mix well. (You can adjust your orange coloring by adding more red or yellow) Remove from heat and gently mix in cereal until thoroughly coated with marshmallow mixture. Scrape into greased 13×9 pan. Use a spatula (coated with non-stick spray) to spread and flatten mixture. Cool before cutting into squares. (Serves 1-20… if you want to share.)

Bulging Zombie Eyeballs aka Halloween Meatball Recipe-What says gross more than a zombie eyeball on a stick? Thankfully they taste delicious.

Ingredients-

40-50 prepared/cooked meatballs (you can make them or buy them)
1 2/3 cups of grape jam
1 bottle of chili sauce
Green olives (stuffed with pimentos work best)
Toothpicks

Directions-Mix together chili sauce and jam until smooth. Place prepared meatballs in crock-pot. Pour sauce over meatballs. Cook on low for about 2 hours. Place meatballs on platter. Use toothpick and poke through the center of an olive (You can use a half olive if you want the eyes to be less “bulgy”) and poke into meatball to secure. Repeat until done. Drizzle the extra sauce over the meatballs for an oozing effect.

Jell-o “Blood” Worms Recipe-I actually got this idea/recipe from my friend Amy. I am going to send you over to her site to get all the recipe details.

I hope you have a great time hosting your witches and zombies this Halloween.

Filed Under: blarg, blogging friends, family, holidays, just for fun, Recipes, stephanie hansen Tagged With: halloween, Ideas, Party, recipes

We Be Bugging… #HEXBUGHalloween

October 17, 2011 By Steph 4 Comments

We love Halloween around these parts. I wouldn’t say we go crazy or overboard… In fact we aren’t huge on decor. I think it is just the whole season in general. Heading to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, and going trick or treating… We LOVE it all. That is why when I was selected to host a HEXBUG Halloween party I couldn’t resist.

I was already planning on having our annual “Pumpkin Day” this last Saturday and figured tacking on a fun little Halloween party wouldn’t be a problem at all. Especially since all the fun was provided by HEXBUG. And thankfully kids don’t care about all the little details that normally go into party planning because I threw this baby together in 2.5 days. It was like a shotgun wedding… only the wedding was a Halloween party… and the future baby were robotic bugs.

And really there isn’t much entertainment planning necessary when you are supplied with all sorts of creepy crawly creatures to keep everyone entertained for hours.

But that didn’t stop us from using some of our HEXBUG Nano’s and having a “Mummy Wrap Race”. Nothing is more adorable than a couple toilet paper wrapped kids running across the lawn to capture their HEXBUG for the race. And for some, the excitement and wonder came from watching their bug try to race across the “mummy wrap” (aka toilet paper).

You would think those ghoulish creatures (oh and the HEXBUGS) would be tired out after mummying around. But fun knows no bounds or energy crisis. So it was time to head inside and build our habitats for a little more racing fun.

Of course we captured all of the HEXBUGtivities on bugavision to share with you

All that racing around did result in a major FUEL deficiency… Thankfully I had plenty of spooktacular food on hand for the creeps and ghouls.

Just of few of our ghoulalicous faves… (check back tomorrow and I will be sharing a few recipes)

No worries… I didn’t send all of our ghost and goblin friends home empty handed. We stuffed treat bags full of goodies and of course HEXBUGS!

The party didn’t end when the lights went out… The HEXBUGS and habitat glow in the dark. It was like having a bug nightclub on my table… Well without the loud music and “bug juice”.

Thanks to MomSelect, MommyParties, and HEXBUG for supplying the HEXBUG supplies for our #HEXBUGHalloween party. As usual… all thoughts, opinions, photos, and stuffs are my own.