Candy Spelling's Blog, page 8

3 Spooky Halloween Desserts

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen around Halloween preparing spooky treats. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween Party, bringing treats to your kids school or just want to get in the Halloween spirit, I found some frightfully fun desserts to try this Halloween season! These desserts are sure to be spooktacular!

Image via Melanie Makes

Mini Monster Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Orange Filling

Recipe via Melanie Makes

Serves 5.5 Dozen

What You’ll Need:

Mini Monster Chocolate Whoopie Pies

4 cups flour
1-1/3 cups cocoa
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons coffee, prepared
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups Tru Moo Chocolate Milk

Orange Cream

1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup Tru Moo Orange Scream milk
2-3 drops orange food coloring, optional
Candy Eyes
Icing Bag

Let’s Make Mini Monster Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
In mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, coffee and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
Mix in flour mixture and chocolate milk alternating between the two and beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop batter onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheet, leaving 2″ around each cake. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cakes spring back to the touch. Cool halves completely before assembling.

Orange Cream

Cream butter and half of the powdered sugar together with mixer. When combined, mix in remaining powdered sugar.
Add milk and mix together until combined.
Stir in food coloring, if desired.

To Assemble Whoopie Pies

Fill large pastry bag with orange cream. Pipe cream to bottom of one cake halve and top with another cake halve.
Add a dot of frosting to the back of candy eye and adhere to top of whoopie pie as desired. 

Image Via Smart School House

Ghost Meringues

Recipe via Smart School House

What You’ll Need:

Electric Mixer
Icing Bag


4 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp of Cream of Tartar
1 cup of Sugar
Black Decorating Icing Gel

Let’s Make Ghost Meringues:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites for a few minutes on high speed until they become frothy. Note: you will see lots of little bubbles
Add your sugar in small amounts
Mix in the cream of tartar.
Continue to whip the mixture until it gets stiff (meaning that it holds a shape when stopped).
Prepare your baking sheet with a layer of foil covered with non-stick spray.
Place the meringue mixture into an icing bag.
Using your icing bag and a large round icing tip, continually press the meringue mixture directly down onto the foil. Press down and lift up to create layered stacks for each ghost (release the pressure just a tiny bit, pulling up on your frosting bag at the same time in between each layer).
Bake them for about 45 minutes or until the tops become a little brown.
Once they are completely cooled, they will harden and be ready to decorate with black gel frosting.
Add eyes and mouths to your ghost.
Store in an airtight container.

Image via Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Melted Witch Cookies

Recipe via Chelsea’s Messy Apron

What You’ll Need:

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose white flour

Frosting

1 recipe of Royal Icing or your favorite frosting recipe
Green Food Coloring

Decorations

24 Bugles
12 Oreo sandwich cookies
1 cup milk or dark chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Crispy Chow Mein Noodles
24 Pretzel Sticks

Let’s Make Melted Witch Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the VERY cold butter with a knife into 1-inch cubes. Place in the stand mixer with the sugar. Beat until completely creamy and “light + fluffy”.
Add in the egg, Mexican vanilla extract, almond extract, and orange extract. Beat until completely combined.
Add in the cornstarch, baking powder, and 1 cup of flour. Beat until completely combined scraping the edges as needed. Add in the next cup and beat until a dough forms. Add in the final 3/4 cup adding an additional 1/4 cup as needed for a dough that is firm enough to be cut out into shapes (or a circle).
If the dough looks crumbly, keep beating until a dough does form (it will form even though it looks like straight crumbles!!) and if needed knead it with your hands. Just be careful to not overwork the dough as that leads to tough cookies.
In between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper, roll out the dough to about 1/2″ thickness. Cut out the cookies and place on a parchment or silicone lined tray.
Bake for 12-14 minutes watching carefully for when they slightly brown at the edges/bottom. Be careful to not overbake – the center should still look soft and not be brown at all. Under-baking slightly is huge for the flavor and texture of these cookies.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 2 minutes. Then place the cookies in a single layer (or separated with wax paper) in a large re-sealable bag. Seal the bag to keep the moisture in and the cookies ultra soft. Remove when cooled and ready to frost.

To decorate

Follow directions to make royal icing or make your favorite frosting and dye it green. (I use an icing bag fitted with a #2 tip to pipe the outline of the puddle and to attach the broom + witch hat. Then I use a small bottle to flood the inside of my puddle outline. If you’ve never used royal icing, here’s a tutorial I love.)
Either pipe and flood (using royal icing) or frost (using regular frosting) a “puddle” shape onto each cookie and let it dry completely.
Using leftover royal icing or frosting, attach a pretzel stick to one side of the cookie. Carefully piece each chow mein noodle to the bottom end of the pretzel to look like the base of the broom. Again, use the royal icing to attach the chow mein noodles.
While waiting for the puddle on the cookies to dry (if you did royal icing), make the witch hats.
In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and the vegetable oil. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring for 15 seconds in between each burst until the chocolate is melted.
Using dipping tools or a fork to help you, dip the bugle in the chocolate and shake off the excess chocolate. Separate an oreo cookie and remove the frosting. Dip one of the cookie sides in the chocolate and attach the chocolate-covered bugle to the now chocolate covered cookie.
Set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to allow to set up. Attach using leftover frosting or royal icing.

These desserts are perfect for your sweet fang! I hope that these desserts are a great addition to your Halloween traditions. Happy Baking!

Xoxo,

Candy

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3 Tips for Booking Holiday Travel

Can you believe the holiday travel season is approaching so fast? It’s almost time to visit loved ones, eat far too many sweets and make memories that will last a lifetime. Before you do, make sure you know these travel tips (that the airlines don’t want you to know!) before planning your holiday getaway.

Photos: Refinery 29

 

Compare Airfares

Set up flight alerts for upcoming travel. If I know exactly where I’m heading for the holidays, I input the dates into travel sites like Kayak and apps like Hopper, so I’ll be alerted of upcoming deals months or weeks in advance of booking. Typically, you should allow yourself between 30 days and 3 months before booking domestic tickets and 1 ½ months to 5 1/2 months before booking international tickets. During peak seasons like the holidays and the summer months, start browsing 2 months in advance. Set up those alerts, jetsetters!

Pro Tip: Clear you browser’s cache and cookies on your devices. Airlines track your activity on their site, which often leads to higher fares. By clearing you virtual trail, they can’t track your activity and you can see fresh fares.

Photos: Refinery 29

 

Book Your Flight on a Tuesday

You can save hundreds of dollars by simply booking your flight on a Tuesday. Research shows that Tuesday at 12:00 PM PDT is the cheapest day to book your flight in the US. By this time, airlines have released their sales and the competition has matched the lower prices and you have more deals to choose from. The most expensive days to book travel is Friday and Sunday. Booking connecting flights separately can save you hundreds of dollars, especially when you are traveling internationally. Budget airlines are common internationally and offer low fares. It can get tricky, but with a little bit of research, you can find great travel deals by booking this way. Plus, you’ll have a little extra spending money at your destination!

Photos: Refinery29

 

Be Flexible

 

If you are really looking for a steal, be flexible with your dates and times.  Most people do not like to travel overnight and between meal times. Take advantage of people’s preferences and you’ll often find cheaper fares. You can save about 20% by leaving on Thursday rather than Friday and returning on Monday instead of Saturday.  During the holidays, the busiest travel days are the days leading up to the holiday. You can save a little money by booking travel on the actual holiday, not to mention the airports will be less hectic and you’ll avoid crazy lines!

 

Safe travels! I hope these tips keep

 

XOXO,

 

Candy

 

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3 DIY Halloween Decorations

Don’t let Halloween sneak up on you this year! It’s one of my favorite holidays, and I’ve been guilty of planning Halloween decor in the sweltering heat of the summer. These 3 DIY Halloween projects are fun and a great opportunity to get the family together to decorate your house. Be sure to stay tuned to my blog as later this month, I’ll share some great ideas to inspire you for pumpkin carving!

Image via Made Everyday

DIY Bats: Spooky but understated and a little more fun than store-bought rubber bats. It is also a great way to get rid of all that excess construction paper and cardstock that you’ve been storing away, especially if you have little ones. There are lots of options for decorating: I love the configuration of all the bats flying together, but you can also place them sparsely throughout your house.. All you need is a printer, construction paper, and scissors. Follow along here.

Image via Country Living

Paranormal Portraits: This is a fun way to personalize decorations for family and party guests using their images. Use a black and white or sepia filter on the images you’d like to display and print them out. These are great to display on an entry table or throughout a haunted house à la the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Add cobwebs and plastic spiders to achieve a more antiquated look. This could be a really funny party favor to give away at a Halloween party. Follow along here.  

Image via Country Living

Phantom Presence: Look it’s a GHOST!  Surprise your guests when they look in the mirror with this spooky reflection. It’s another inexpensive DIY. All you need to do is draw a friendly ghost on some frosted window film and carefully cut it out. Stick it on mirrors throughout your home! Follow along here.  

Hope these decorating ideas will get you in the Halloween spirit! The results will be BOO-tiuful!

XOXO,

Candy

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5 Timeless Fall Staples

The first signs of fall can often be hard to find in LA but one clear signal of the transition is the merchandise in our favorite stores. The leaves might not be changing, but the knits, leathers, and layers are HERE. Since Fall fashion has arrived (even though it’s still a little warm here) I’ve looked around and found my 5 favorite fall staples to that I want to have ready to go.

Trench via Banana Republic

Trench Coat 

Nothing feels more chic than a timeless trench coat. I love it over a silk dress before dinner, or on top of a more casual look of jeans and a t-shirt. If you don’t already own this piece, invest in a neutral tan trench with minimal finishings. 

Jeans via Mother Denim

The Perfect Fitting Jeans

I am not going to advise you to snag the latest silhouette of denim. Whether you love a wide leg jean or ankle length denim, choose the jean that fits you the best. You might not need to make a purchase but rather want to revitalize your favorite jeans with pieces from your wardrobe.. For fall denim, I suggest classic dark wash denim with no distressing. Then  pair these beautifully with blouses in the evening or sweaters and tees during the day!

Cashmere Pullover Sweater via JCrew

Cashmere Pullover Sweater 

This piece can be the foundation of so many fall looks. Left bare or layered with statement accessories, you’ll always look refined and elegant in quality cashmere. When you are buying cashmere, look for a tight knit and always beware of pilling. A quality cashmere will not feel slippery to the touch. There are lots of options and you can find great sweaters at department stores and favorites like J.Crew 

Blazer Via Veronica Beard

Tailored Blazer 

You don’t have to designate your blazer as office attire.  A fitted blazer can nicely complete a casual daytime look or elevate your evening looks. Even when you are just running out of your house, throwing a blazer on over your casual jeans and t-shirt will give you a refined and put together aesthetic. I’m mildly obsessed with the blazers from Veronica Beard. They have an amazing selection of dickey’s that can transform the look of your blazer and are easily zipped in and out.

Ballet Flats via Repetto

Ballet Flats

Audrey Hepburn, a fashion icon to so many women, made the ballet flat a staple in so many wardrobes.   They are perfect for Fall and it doesn’t matter if they are colorful, black, suede or leather — just make sure that you find a pair that is good quality and comfortable. These two things typically go hand in hand.

The beauty of off all of these staples is that you can find them at various price points, from high to low.  Even better, these pieces are not only timeless, but also ageless. You can find them in the wardrobes of a 20-year old and an 80-year old!

Happy fall and happy shopping!

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Must Know Airport Tips & Tricks

You’ve booked your holiday travel, you’re packed and ready to head to the airport… the heavy lifting of your trip is almost over!  The last major obstacle before departing on your well-deserved vacation is the airport. Airports can be dreaded just as much as the DMV. However, we can make sure your airport experience goes off without a hitch. Follow these airport tips & tricks so you can leave your stress at security and start enjoying your vacation from your terminal!

Check-in Online: Most airlines offer check-in to their flights 24 hours before take off. Take advantage of this technology. If you don’t have a printer at home, simply save the barcode on your smartphone or print it at a self service kiosk at the airport. You’ll get to skip the long line and head straight to security.

Image Via Daame

Easy Access To Your Electronics: Here’s an excuse to snag that adorable laptop case you’ve been coveting. It is always a good idea to have your electronics (especially your laptop) in an easily accessible part of your bag since you’ll have to place it in a separate bin at security. Don’t be the person holding up the line struggling through all the compartments of your bag.

How to Clean Your Rings

Whether it’s your wedding ring or a pretty little stack of rings, your bling deserves to sparkle. If your ring is just dirtied by everyday cosmetics, you’ll be able to follow these simple steps for a sparkly clean ring!

What you’ll need:

A cup of hot water
Soft bristled toothbrush
Paper towel or jewelry cloth

P.S. No soap necessary!

Steps

Let your ring soak in a cup of hot water for approximately 5-7 minutes.
Remove the ring from the cup of water. Take a toothbrush to the back of the stone. This is where the grime usually builds up. Avoid scrubbing hard. Brush in small circular motions on the underside of the stone.
Softly pat the ring dry with the jewelry cloth or paper towel. Once it’s dry, slip that sparkling beauty on your ring finger and show it off.

Your ring will now sparkle like the day you took it home from the store!

I think that these bling wipes are a great alternative to this DIY process. They make a lovely party favor for brides-to-be!

Note:  If the above methods don’t work, I recommend that you take your piece to a trusted local jeweler to use their professional grade equipment to restore your piece. It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry when you are dealing with your precious heirlooms!

XOXO,

Candy

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Finding The Perfect Rug

Area rugs can really pull a room together and set the tone for your design – whether as an accent or the focal point of your room. It’s worthy mentioning all the practical reasons we love rugs – they protect your flooring, cushion you and your loved ones, and are simply comfortable to entertain on!

I think that rug selection is a monumental decision to designing a room, second only to choosing your aesthetic for your space. It can set the tone for the rest of your room: paint, furniture, pillows, and art can be coordinated with the design of your rug. No pressure.

Iconic Hollywood Looks

With the Emmys around the corner, it brings back fond memories of the shows I attended with Aaron The awards, the parties, and getting to see so many friends — it was always magical!, I also loved seeing all the fashions. and believe that old Hollywood glam never goes out of style. Here are some of my favorite iconic Hollywood looks from awards ceremonies long gone by!

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Slow Cooker Recipes

There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are starting to change and fall will be here before you know it. One thing I love about the days getting cooler is having a hot meal at dinner to warm you up. A slow-cooked meal is a fantastic way to feed the entire family with minimal effort. Plan it out right and you’ll even have leftovers for the week!

I thought you might enjoy some of my favorite slow-cooker recipes!

Pumpkin Beef Chili

Yes — you read that right! One of my favorites is pumpkin beef chili. If this dish doesn’t say fall, I don’t know what does. Remember, you can always substitute beef for ground turkey if (like me) you try to avoid red meat. Just mix the ingredients, stir and pour into a crockpot and you’ll have a filling warm meal in no time.. Get the full recipe from PopSugar here. http://www.popsugar.com/food/Easy-Slow-Cooker-Chili-Recipe-744861

French Onion Soup

An absolute classic! French onion soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods. It gives you the “warm fuzzies” and you can even make it as healthy as you choose (a very difficult choice!). This recipe from The Kitchn will send you on a mental vacation right to France. Don’t forget to have a great baguette & cheese for serving!

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-french-onion-soup-in-the-slow-cooker-start-to-finish-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-215696

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Say goodbye to time consuming lasagna! The slow cooker (yet again) comes to the rescue for this fantastic dish that is ideal for leftovers. This one requires a bit of pre-cooking for the meat, unless you choose to go vegetarian or use soy grounds to make it a bit healthier. Unlike the other recipes, items are layered into the crock-pot rather than the usual “toss it all in” method. Check out this recipe that also features  a how-to video!

http://crockingirls.com/recipes/crockin-lasagna/

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Best Budget Decor Hacks

It is a common misconception that you have to spend a lot of money to have a stylish space. A room on a budget is a creative challenge and can be incredibly rewarding. Home decor does not have to be expensive to elevate your home’s style, you only need a good eye.