Last Minute Family Fun Halloween Ideas

Here are a few of the Family Fun Halloween ideas I presented on WNBC's LX TV this week. My designer Sisi Soestrisno created the delicious brain gelatin and place cards shown here.

Napkin ghosts with googly eyes
Mini pumpkin candle
Personalized bat place cards
Brain Jell-o with pomegranate blood
Bloody finger painted doilies

Serve up Monster Sandwiches, Scary Pizza and, cut down on sugar by serving Graveyard Cupcakes made with Splenda.

Chocolate-Chocolate Graveyard Cupcakes Serves: 18
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 37 Minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine cocoa and boiling water, whisking until blended. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or a pastry blender until crumbly. (This procedure may be done with a mixer at the lowest speed. Cover mixing bowl with a clean tea towel to prevent spattering).
4. Combine eggs, milk, cocoa mixture and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; add 1/3 of the egg mixture to flour mixture. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until blended. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Repeat procedure 2 times.
5. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins.
6. Bake 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or frost with Rich Chocolate Frosting.
Submitted by: Maker of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories 180 | Calories from Fat 80 | Fat 9g (sat 5g) | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 160mg | Carbohydrate 21g | Fiber 1g | Sugar 11g | Protein 2g
Note
Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Nutrition information does not include frosting.


Happy Halloween everyone!

Just In Time For The Holidays... An Apron We Can All LOVE!

Finally, someone has created aprons worthy of a modern 2010 woman with a retro feel. Sophisticated, Flirty, Fun and Fabulous! Check out www.SusanandVeronica.com. Their slogan, "Style Begins at Home", is so true. When I wear the Sugar Bomb apron, my personal favorite, it makes me happy to be in the kitchen. Bring on the holiday dinner parties. In fact Riley, my two-year-old, and I had a little fun mixing up some winter recipes together in our aprons. You can view below. This is the PERFECT holiday gift for any woman who has a zest for life, both in and out of the kitchen!

Family Fun with a Mouse!

This weekend we were in San Francisco for my cousin's wonderful wedding. My two-year-old was a rock star! She enjoyed both flights-to and from. She adjusted to the time difference and approached all of our scheduled activities with joy. Our last day, we went out for brunch to a wonderful diner in Sausalito, Lighthouse Cafe, we ordered the Mickey Mouse pancake for Rye as a treat. I love this photo because her expression. She had no idea what to think about the pancake, was it a toy or was it food? It was just one of many great family moments we had this weekend that I wanted to share. You'll be seeing this pancake concoction made soon on www.celebrateeveryday.tv !

Many thanks to my husband who played an equal part in making this a wonderful family weekend.

Next, I'll blog about travelling tips with Riley on an airplane! I'd love to hear your special tricks to entertain your children on long trips too! Please send your comments.

David Stark's Inventive Event Idea...Post-Its

Tonight I had the honor of accompanying my friend and colleague Selda Bensusan, of DeBeers, to the New Yorkers for Children benefit in NYC. The cause raises money to support and educate the 17,000+ foster children living in New York. David Stark was again the event designer. He is famous for his inventive ideas and creative masterpieces disguised as events. Tonight he and his team did a spectacular job. The slogan of the evening was MAKE IT HAPPEN. and as you can see by the photos. The New Yorkers for Children's event did just that. David Stark re purposed Post-Its as event decor. He created a MAKE IT HAPPEN tree in Cipriani's famous Bellini Bar and adorned walls with the slogan, all made out of Post-Its. Bravo. I've been inspired to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Thank you Selda for including me in the festivities.

Today Show Labor Day Party Ideas

Click on the title to be directed to my last minute Labor Day party tips as shown on the Today Show. I want to send a special thanks to my husband Marc for taking these photos and my team of talented, hard working staff, especially Sisi! Happy Labor Day!

The Last Hurrah of the Summer! Here is a Great "Oh Wow" Factor to Add to Your Labor Day Party.

Kick this Labor Day off with a BBQ to end all BBQ's. If you are looking for an "oh wow" factor -I have it... or if you need a gift to bring to a Labor Day bash...look no further...

I just discovered this amazing "Pickle Guy". Horman's Pickles make every kind of pickle you can imagine, southern cajun, the new dill, honey mustard, horseradish, red flannel...well you get the pickle (I mean picture).

My favorite is the southern cajun and the kids will love the pickle on a stick (see video). These slices will surely spice up any burger you'll serve! I'm sure if you ask nicely Nick can ship you some before your sizzle hits the grill. nick@hormansbestpickles.com

Stroller Traffic: Me, Me, Me

Stroller Traffic: Me, Me, Me

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Summer Birthday Card/Gift Idea

You don't have to spend a lot of money to make your parents proud! In fact, for a recent birthday gift to my mother-in-law, my daughter and I created a fun family card that doubles as a gift she can display. We designed a homemade accordion card using 5x7 photos. We chose a photo of my husband and his mom when they were toddlers and I added photos of my daughter who is two. We used double stick tape and poster board, which I just folded accordion style at the edge of each 5x7 photo. My husband came up with the clever sayings that matched the photos. For the front; the line reads "You are one cool birthday girl" and the back card reads "Setting the bar high for generations to follow". We developed the photos at CVS and you can add type on the photos in the store. It cost about $9.00 for the 5- 5x7 pictures. Voila we made a thoughtful gift and it can be displayed in her office for all of her friends to see. I hope this can inspire you to create something meaningful as a gift for someone you love.