I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that this Halloween is going to look different this year. But to be honest with you, I’m kind of excited about it. Which is why I couldn’t wait to share my Tricks & Treats For The Best Halloween At Home.

Now, some of you might be thinking woah woah woah, Halloween hasn’t even been cancelled yet, (unless of course you’re in L.A. and then this post is super timely for you) but I’m just going to go ahead and say that it probably will be and even if it isn’t, my kids won’t be participating. The whole idea of trick or treating at peoples houses with covid lurking around just freaks me out. That’s not to say we won’t be having THE BEST HALLOWEEN EVER though! Because we will be. And I am SUPER excited about it. Can’t you tell?

Halloween will look different this year, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun!

If you know me than you know I do Halloween right. We almost always have a massive party and order Jack-O-Lantern shaped pizzas, we drink copious amounts of hot chocolate with 40 creek liquor (adults only) and then hit the streets trying to keep track of the 30 plus kids in tow. It’s amazing and we love every bit of it. Okay, there was one year we set the driveway on fire with a faulty smoke machine and that wasn’t the greatest but everything else is fantastic. Just because Covid sucks and everything is different doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. We’re not about to let it ruin our fun and you shouldn’t either. Halloween is on a Saturday this year which means we can start the celebrations early and make an entire day out of it! I can’t wait!!

Alright, here are my tricks and treats (that’s good isn’t it!) for having the best Halloween at home. Heck we’re going to have so much fun my kids may never trick or treat again. Don’t forget to  dress up! 

Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Have a campfire cookout

We recently converted our backyard gas fire pit to a wood burning firepit and we have been loving it! It’s been so much fun sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate, and I couldn’t think of a funner (yes I make up words) night than Halloween to have a campfire cookout. Y’all already know I’m all about the food and no Halloween campfire would be complete without roasting some mummy dogs over the fire, followed by a delicious Reese’s peanut butter or even better CARAMILK smore.

To make mummy dogs you need the following;

• campfire skewers
• hot dogs
• Pillsbury crescent rolls
• candy eyes

Place  hot dogs onto campfire skewer and unroll the crescent rolls and press the perforated edges together. Cut the dough into 14 inch strips

Wrap the dough around the hotdogs and roast over the fire until cooked. Add candy eyes (if you can wait that long!) ENJOY!

Can’t have a campfire cookout? There are still lots of fun foods you can make at home like my JACK-O-LANTERN cheese burgers and my MONSTER KRISPIES for dessert! The point is, have fun with your food! You can check out lots of great Halloween Food options here!

2. Have a  Halloween Candy Hunt

Another plus about having Halloween at home? You get to pick your own candy. No more nasty toffee’s at the bottom of the loot bag or licorice and lollipops. I’m talking bags of chocolate and chips. Pure joy. This year I will be buying a few boxes of my (yes my) favorite candy and hiding it around the house and yard. Who doesn’t love running around the house for chocolate? To be honest not having to spend the night outside in the freezing cold and almost always rain is sounding better and better. You know I’m right. If I am feeling really awesome, I may even do a little Halloween scavenger hunt too.

3. Play Some Fun Games

After stuffing your face with way to much chocolate there’s no doubt the kids will have some energy to burn off.  Why not play some fun games. I’ve got my 7 year old here to help me with this one and here are some of his suggestions.

Bobbing For Apples

This is a classic fall game and kids absolutely love it. It requires nothing but a bucket of water, enough apples to fill the top and a bunch of kids (and adults) willing to get there face soaking wet. The object of the game is to try to get the apples using only your teeth. No hands aloud!

Mummy Wrap

All you need for this one is some toilet paper. Which may be hard to find… But if you have some to spare, this one is a big hit with the kids.

Break up into teams of two or more (you can also play individually) set a timer and whoever can wrap themselves in the most toilet paper before time runs out (and look like the best mummy) wins!

Halloween Balloon Stomp 

This one might just be my favorite! Before inflating your balloons, fill them with some candy or other treats. Once inflated, have the kids draw spooky faces on them and put them all in the backyard. When ready, release the kids to run and stomp all the balloons in the backyard to claim the candy inside! It’s a lot of fun and you’ll have a hard time sitting this one out.

4. Halloween Candy Cupcake Decorating

Just in case you didn’t get enough sugar today I’m throwing in this super fun activity. Why? Because 1. It’s super fun. And 2, who doesn’t love cupcakes. Besides, it’s still way less candy then they would get trick or treating and it’s a holiday so calories don’t count. You’re Welcome.

I would bake the cupcakes the night before and then let let the kids do the icing and decorating the next day. Some fun toppings include;

• green, orange, red, black icing (get white and use food coloring
• Halloween sprinkles
• candy eyeballs
• candy corn
• Halloween candy

You get the idea. This will be a deliciously (messy) but super fun activity. Could Halloween at home get any better?

5. Watch scary movies in your P.J.’s

Just when you thought Halloween at home couldn’t get any better it does! After a full day of family fun, unwind with a big bowl of popcorn (don’t forget to add the M&M’s) and watch some scary movies. Pj’s are a must. Now when I say scary movies what I really mean is not scary movies because I can’t actually handle scary movies. But you get the idea. My kids will tell you that EVERY year I make them watch Hocus Pocus with me. It’s my all time FAVORITE Halloween movie and if you haven’t seen it then a. where have you been living and b.  you need to go and order it right now.

Here’s a few classic family Halloween movies you might enjoy

1. Hocus Pocus (obviously)
2. Casper
3. The Addams Family
4. Beetlejuice 
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. Monster House
7. The Haunted Mansion
8. Goosebumps 
9. Are You Afraid Of The Dark
10. Double Double Toil and Trouble

In case you can’t tell I grew up in the 90’s but I promise you, kids will love every movie on this list. If you’re ever wondering if a movie is appropriate you can always visit Focus On The Families, Plugged In Movie Review. It’s a really great resource for movies and tv and our family uses it often!

Alright, if you weren’t excited for Halloween before, you definitely are now. These Tricks & Treats for the best Halloween at home are sure to bring you a fun filled day and a Halloween you’re kids will never forget.

Happy Halloween!

Laila

I’ve connected with some amazing Bloggers to share some blogs featuring Halloween At Home. Traditions, ideas, decor, recipes and so much more! Head to each of their blogs to check out what they are sharing.

| CHEYENNE

https://www.babybumpsandmombuns.com

| JESSICA

https://www.mamabearwooten.com

| KARI

https://www.raisingwilliams.com

| TAYLOR

https://aikensadventures.com/

| LATIFAH

https://gypsyatheart.blog

| KIMMY

https://www.kimmymanzo.home.blog

| LATIFAH

https://gypsyatheart.blog

This post contains affiliate links. For more information please visit our privacy policy.

The post Tricks & Treats For The Best Halloween At Home appeared first on The Good Wives Blog.

These leftover Halloween M&M Cookies are the SO EASY and SO GOOD. I call them leftover Halloween cookies because I always make them with Halloween candy (gotta use it up in one quick sweep or I’ll eat for days and weeks to come) but you can make them all year round!

So long Halloween. Hello November. Halloween is over and the kids and I are in a post Halloween candy coma. There’s sticky everything on the floors and candy wrappers for days. I could barely wake them up this morning. Barely. No way I am keeping them home today all hopped up on sugar. God bless those teachers. If your like me than you have already raided their stash while the kids are at school, and have told yourself you won’t eat any more today. Hahahaha keep telling yourself that! Don’t worry we won’t judge you. Besides if you’re like me and trenched through the rain last night then I say you deserve it.

I love all the candy but after a few days I’ve had enough and want it gone. Which is why I love these leftover Halloween M&M cookies. It’s a great way to use a bunch of it up at once, and let’s be honest. Who doesn’t love soft and chewy cookies, fresh out of the oven? You can substitute the M&M’s for any left over chocolate morsels and the reeses pieces bites are great too!

I know I am repeating myself but I seriously LOVE these cookies. They are are so chewy and chocolaty and I think all the bright colors make me happy. Or maybe its the chocolate…. Anyway I really love making them and the kids do too. I l know it’s annoying to wait 30 minutes for the dough to chill but trust me it’s worth it. Chilling the dough prevents the cookie from spreading and allows the moisture to stay locked in. Don’t skip this step  (believe me) as my Dad always says “patience is a virtue”.

You know how I feel about long recipe posts so here you go!

Now it’s your turn! Whip up a batch (or five) of this Southern Baked Beans Recipe and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you and I LOVE seeing your photo’s even more. Upload your pictures on social media using #thegoodwivesblog and invite me into your kitchen. Don’t forget to tag @thegoodwife22  

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Leftover Halloween M&M Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies filled with lots of M&M's. A great way to use up your leftover Halloween candy. Feel free to substitute the M&M's for reese pieces or any other chocolate.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolaty cookies, cookies, easy cookies, Halloween Cookies, M&M cookies

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk chocolate M&M's

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 ° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
• Next, beat in your eggs one at a time and then vanilla.
• In a separate bowl gently mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while gently stirring to mix all the ingredients together.
• Fold in your M&M's and then REFRIGERATE FOR 30 MIN (don't skip it).
• Drop tablespoon sized amounts of cookie dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You can kinda roll them with your hands and then flatten them. You don't want them to be to thick.
• Bake in oven for 10-11 minutes. You will want them to be slightly underbaked and golden brown around the edges. If you  start to smell them, they are probably ready to come out! Let sit for 5 minutes then transfer to cool.

Need a little inspiration?

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The post Leftover Halloween M&M Cookies appeared first on The Good Wives Blog.

I’ve said it before, I love Halloween and these Monster Krispies are just one of the reasons why. How FUN are these rice krispies treats? And stupid cute too. I made these for Rivera’s class party and I cannot tell you how excited he is. I love that you don’t have to be an amazing baker (because I am definitely not!) to make yourself look all professional. And I also love how it doesn’t really matter if the chocolate comes out smooth because they are monsters so anything really goes. If your looking for a cheap and easy school snack that will bring joy to those kiddos this Halloween then look no more. These Monster Krispies will be a hit.

I often get asked why I do things like this. Why not just grab a box of pre made rice krispies and send them on their way? And the answer is, because. My kids only get one childhood. They only get one shot and before they blink they will be grown and stressed and busy doing all the grown up crap we do.  I want them to look back and have had every chance at love and joy that they can possibly have. Life is hard and if a batch of colorful monster krispies will bring them joy than I say make the darn rice krispies!

TRY THESE HALLOWEEN JACK-O-LANTERN BURGERS TOO!

Now that being said you can totally substitute homemade rice krispies in this recipe for the store bought ones. It really wouldn’t make a difference and no one would judge you. I just personally like the taste of homemade ones better.

When it comes to melting the chocolate I usually have a pot of water on the stove with  a Pyrex bowl on top. I use a spatula and melt the chocolate over low -medium heat and I strongly suggest having your rice krispies ready to go before hand. I lay mine out on wax paper so that once the chocolate is melted I can move quickly. You don’t want the chocolate to over heat but you also don’t want it to harden up. Also you will want to have your candy eyes opened and easily accessible so that you can get them on the melted chocolate before it hardens. Can you tell I learned the hard way a few times!

I get all my melting chocolate at the bulk barn but you can also get it on Amazon.

As always, Enjoy!!

The post Monster Krispies appeared first on The Good Wives Blog.

I LOVE Halloween. Okay, I love all holidays, but I especially love Halloween. Not because I like all that scary, gory, gross stuff (I don’t even watch horror movies). But because I love how much fun the kids have! All those deliciously spooky treats, fun Halloween recipes, and lets just be real, free chocolate. I cannot wait for my kids to go to sleep that night so I can raid their bags for my favorite bars. Oh and those Lays regular chips are worth every minute spent outside in the cold. You know you’re adulting when you all of a sudden you dig the regular chips.  If you are silently judging me then stop. Y’all know you do it too and if you don’t, you really should. You’ve earned it. If you’re tired of waiting hours for pizza this Halloween and want a quick and delicious meal before the kids head out this October 31st than these Halloween Jack -O- Lantern burgers are for you.

Jack-O-Lantern cheeseburgers are SO FUN!

My kids go crazy for these Halloween Jack -O- Lantern burgers and for good reason. They are stinkin cute and they taste good too. Who doesn’t love a good burger? While I will be the first to admit this picture isn’t exactly Pinterest worthy (I’m not a food photographer) they are super cute and super fun. AND in my defense I was taking them while I was serving dinner to the family. Did I mention I accidentally set the BBQ on fire…. (it’s not the first time either) and running after 5 kids,  two of which are toddlers. So please don’t judge me or the burgers.

I love recipes that take little to no effort at all but have a big pay off. These fit perfectly on that list. So if you are looking for a way to step it up this Halloween with out all the work then these are your go to burgers.

I made these burgers from scratch mostly because ground beef was on sale and I was in the mood but you can definitely go frozen burgers for even more convenience. Especially for all you working moms trying to beat the clock. Vegetarian?  No problem! Just replace the burgers for your fav veggie burger and away you go. I should also say I hate hamburger buns and think that fresh kaiser rolls are the way to go (there’s that fresh bread obsession again). But you can use whatever you like!

If you’re making your burgers from scratch I recommend using a patty press so you can have even burgers for grilling. But if you don’t have one don’t sweat it, you can use an old sour cream or margarine container lid for shaping!

Burger Toppings

Having a good recipe is just the beginning of a good burger and the topping are literally endless. Seriously, I feel like you could put almost anything on a burger and it would taste good but here are my favorites that I make sure to have on hand especially when I am having guests

• Condiments like mustard, mayo (Hellmanns!) ketchup, relish, BBQ sauce
• Sliced Dill Pickles
• Sliced Tomatoes, White Onion, Lettuce
• French’s fried onion
• Hot Peppers
• Bacon

I usually serve these Halloween burgers with a side of fries and my famous homemade coleslaw!

PIN ME!

Print

Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Burgers

These homemade hamburgers are a fun and easy meal for your Halloween party or even Halloween night. Juicy hamburgers with jack-o-lantern cheese on a fresh kaiser bun make these burgers the star of the show.

Course lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword BBQ sauce, ground beef, Halloween dinner, Halloween food, hamburgers, mac and cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 tbsp. evaporated milk
• 2 tbsp. worchestire sauce
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. ground pepper
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• 6 Kraft Singles cheese slices
• 6 fresh kaiser buns

Instructions

• Using a kitchen knife, carefully cut out Jack -O- Lantern faces from the Kraft single cheese and set aside.
• Preheat a greased BBQ or grill to medium high. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients. I hate to say it but there's no better kitchen utensil for mixing burgers than your hands. Roll up your sleeves!
• Using a patty press (or the lid from a margarine or sour cream container for 6 patties.
• Grill patties (optional but really good idea? Baste them with my homemade BBQ sauce regularly while cooking) until an internal temp of 160 F is reached (about 5 minutes per side). If you don't have a meat thermometer I recommend this one!
• Remove from heat and top with cheese slices and let sit for a minute or two before serving.

  (Optional: Butter and lightly toast buns before serving)

I hope you love this Halloween Jack-o-lantern burger recipe as much as I do. As always I love to hear from you and I LOVE to see your creations. Upload your pictures on social media using #thegoodwivesblog and invite me into your kitchen  

Enjoy!

Laila

This post contains some affiliate links. For more information please visit our Privacy Policy

I’ve connected with some amazing Bloggers to share some blogs featuring some spooky and sweet treat! Head to each of their blogs to check out what they are sharing.

cheyenne babybumpsandmombuns,
Cheyenne
Spooktacular Sugar Cookies

https://babybumpsandmombuns.com/2020/10/16/spooktacular-sugar-cookies/

cheyenne babybumpsandmombuns,
Jessica
Fun And Spooky Pumpkin Quesadilla Treat For Kids

https://mamabearwooten.com/fun-and-edible-pumpkin-quesadilla-craft-for-kids/

Kimmy
Graveyard Smash – Halloween Treat

https://kimmymanzo.com/2020/10/14/graveyard-smash-halloween-treat/

Laura
Kids Halloween Charcuterie Board

Kids Halloween Charcuterie Board

The post Halloween Jack -O- Lantern Burgers appeared first on The Good Wives Blog.