Spider Cupcakes & Halloween Tidbits

These spiders may look intimidating, but they will win you over with their sweet chocolate frosting and hearts of pumpkin. I'm still tweaking the pumpkin cupcake recipe, but the decoration is too delicious not to share.

To make them you will need:

• cupcakes of your choice
• chocolate frosting
• Cake Mate Chocolate Decors
• Wonka Runts
• Twizzlers Pull 'N Peel
• a chopstick
  

Peel off two strands of a Twizzler and cut both into quarters. Frost a cupcake, then immediately dip the frosted top into a small bowl of Chocolate Decors. Insert two of the banana Runts as the spider's mandibles, then use the chopstick to make deep, evenly spaced holes for each of the spiders legs about a quarter inch from the edge of the cupcake. Insert Twizzler legs and place two more Runts as eyes. Grab another cupcake and repeat.

Halloween, the holiday that inspires well meaning individuals to offer potentially deadly candy to food allergic children, is looming, and I am overdue in sharing my own strategy for taking candy from a child, plus I've got some good links. We do go trick-or-treating, but only after doing the prep work. Before the big event, I put together a basket of safe candy and non food treats, such as stickers. Then I use the basket as a not so subtle visual aide when we have our final talk about not eating any candy before going out. Once we get home, we ceremoniously read the ingredients on each piece of candy that has them, and for each one that gets surrendered, The Kid gets to select an item from the safe basket. (It's a little tedious, since I know perfectly well that they're all going bye bye, but it's a valuable reinforcement, and my child enjoys the ritual for some perverse reason.)

The last Food Allergy Blog Carnival, hosted by Alisa of Sure Foods Living, was Halloween themed and has lots of good stuff. There's a good new site called Allergy Free Halloween, and FAAN and Allergy Moms both have good guides for surviving Halloween.

Don't forget to take pictures of your little darlings in costume and submit them to Enjoy Life's online Halloween Party. If you submit a photo before Nov. 5th, they will send you $5 in coupons. Here's the details:

How to Participate:
1. Take a photo of your child dressed up in a costume.
2. Email the photo and your name & address to enjoylifenf@gmail.com (printed coupons will be snail mailed)
3. Enjoy the Party!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!