Halloween Dress-Up & A Giveaway

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

A couple of years ago, I decided to re-embrace my childhood. Halloween had become about the kids, as it should be - finding the perfect costumes, hosting Halloween parties, carving pumpkins, and toasting pumpkin seeds. I decided it would be even more fun for them if my husband and I surprised them on Halloween night with costumes of our own. Yes, it was a completely selfless act, done purely for the kids' entertainment. Right.

My boys were practicing their light saber skills in the family room, decked out in their Obi-Wan and Anakin costumes, when my husband and I appeared as Darth Vader and Queen Amidala. Yes indeed, we were ready for any Star Wars convention that might come to town. My parents were in town for the holiday and decided to get into the act in their clown and Mrs. Doubtfire costumes.



This year, the kids are turning to the dark side of Halloween. They decided it might be fun to be the ones doing the scaring, rather than the other way around. My youngest will be a ninja and my older son is going for the classic Dracula look. My husband and I are still deciding on our costumes, but Herman Munster and Elvira come to mind. I'm going to have to plaster the lot of us with reflectors and flashing lights so we can find each other on Halloween.

Whatever costumes we decide to wear, we will be certain to have plenty of treats on hand. Caramel apples and popcorn will adorn the table, alongside the mini chocolate bars and my kids' new favorite treat, Pop-Tarts® Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Fudge toaster pastries. For their own health and welfare, I will have to take some of that candy of their hands and eat it myself. That is what dedicated parenting is all about - taking one for the team.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, please answer the following question in the comments section:

"How will you and your kids be dressing up on Halloween?"

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page for 9 additional chances to win a $100 Visa gift card.

This giveaway will run from 10/18 - 10/31/2010.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

Click here for more information on Pop-Tarts.
Read more!

Pop-Tarts Halloween Sour Cream Coffee Cake & A Giveaway

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. When I was a kid, the excitement started with dreaming up a costume. It is the one time of year when you can turn into anything you want to be. The sweetest girl can dress up as an ugly, cackling witch or her favorite Disney princess. Little boys can turn into their sports heroes. Anything goes. And then comes the treats...oh, the treats! While I coveted the little candy bars that filled my plastic pumpkin, what I really looked forward to were homemade popcorn balls and caramel apples.

When the box of Pop-Tarts Limited Edition flavor, Choc-o-Lantern arrived on my doorstep, I started to think about what new Halloween treat I could make with them. My boys and I brainstormed some ideas, and finally came up with a Pop-Tarts coffee cake. My kids simply cannot let any good piece of cake go to waste. They enjoy everything about them - the moist texture, the icing, and the surprise layer of flavor inside. We decided to make a Bundt cake, drizzled with an orange glaze, in the hopes of making it look like the top of a pumpkin. The Pop-Tarts became the surprise filling and provided a welcome hit of chocolate amidst the tender coffee cake.



What the kids think? Well, I got two big thumb-ups and they requested that we make the cake every year at Halloween.

Pop-Tarts Halloween Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Basic coffee cake recipe adapted from Cooking Light

3 Choc-o-Lantern (Frosted Chocolate Fudge) Pop-Tarts

Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (4 oz.) block-style cream cheese
2 large egg white
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Orange gel icing color or food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Cake:
Roughly chop the Pop-Tarts and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), beat granulated sugar, softened butter, and cream cheese at medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg whites and whole egg, one a time, mixing after each addition.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer set to low, spoon in the flour mixture and sour cream, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix in pure vanilla extract.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle the chopped Pop-Tarts evenly over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the Pop-Tarts and spread evenly to cover the Pop-Tarts.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, sitting on a wire rack. Invert the pan onto the wire rack and cool cake completely.

Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Add orange food coloring or gel icing color.

Place cake on serving platter and evenly pour the glaze over the cake. Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve.

Serves 16.

Printable recipe



For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer, please answer the following question in the comments section:

"What treats do you and your kids like to make for Halloween?"

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.

This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page for 9 additional chances to win a $100 Visa gift card.

This giveaway will run from 10/18 - 10/31/2010.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

Click here for more information on Pop-Tarts.
Read more!