This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.
I'm enlisting once again the aid of my co-reviewers for this post. Tessa and Reed were charged with helping me to evaluate a special Halloween treat, Pop-Tarts® Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Fudge.Moreover, they were to come up with an original recipe using said Pop-Tarts. I gave them free reign and they went to town.
They came up with these Pop-Tarts Haunted Houses, which we created by assembling Pop-Tarts like you would a deck of cards. We topped it off with chocolate disc chimneys and bushes. Had we not been planning to eat the house immediately afterward, we might have cemented the walls with icing mortar, which you are certainly welcome to do.
Voila!
(When choosing foods, I refer to the nutrition label to make sure that I am aware what my children are consuming. Here is the official Choco-Lantern site.)
Now we begin getting out the non-edibles to decorate our home. Tessa's into the cottony spiderwebs, and Reed is into swords and gravestones. We'll put rubber blooooooody handprints on our front door and we'll carve jack-o-lanterns for our front porch. On the day we decorate and carve, I'll simmer some spiced cider and put out more Pop-Tarts® Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Fudge to snack on.
Here's hoping my kids have happy memories of Halloween.
But what about your memories? Readers who answer the question below, or the one that will appear on our next Pop-Tarts post, will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer.com. The contest runs today through Halloween, There are 9 other chances to win, so visit theBlogHer.com exclusive offers page for other participating review blogs to up your chances. See official rules.
The winner will be selected via random drawing and will notified by e-mail. After the close of the contest, you'll have 48 hours to get back to me (if I am unable to reach you); otherwise a new winner will be selected.
What do I require of you here? Tell me one Halloween memory from your childhood. Me? I refused to wear a coat over my princess costume when I was 6 and was thus not allowed to Trick or Treat without it. My sister sneaked me some of her candy, though.
Random.org selected Scott (#65) as the winner. Congrats to Scott and thanks to everyone who entered.
***
Want easy access to products recommended by Lori and Tami? Help support us by visiting the All Thumbs Store, which has no added markup. Just easy shopping, good prices, Amazon security and thumbs up ratings.
68 chiming in:
We used to go to a big thing at our church on a day close to Halloween and play TONS of fun games and we got a ton of candy, but then we got to go out on Halloween, too! I loved it!!!
My parents would let us hop on the front hood of the station wagon as they drove us from house to house down the streets - the houses were very spread out. NOT recommending this, but you have to remember, this was at a time before seat belt laws and seeing 20 kids piled in the back of a pick-up truck on the way to a baseball game was normal!
For some reason, I remember mom and dad installing fluorescent lights in the kitchen one Halloween night, answering the door for trick-or-treaters between curse words. I ALSO remember an UNNAMED SISTER, hoarding her candy EVERY YEAR, dangling it in my face (read "neener, neener, neener," then telling me that The Headless Horseman would strike me down if I ate any of her candy. Then when UNNAMED SISTER ran out of candy, she would con me out of my own candy. Can you imagine?
Jingle and Chris, what great stories!
Tami, no WAY you were so mistreated as a kid. Who WAS that masked sister!?
All of my favorite Halloween memories revolve around going trick or treating with all of my cousins.
I grew up in Texas and Halloween was still quite warm. So our costumes were short sleeved and even wearing a wig was too warm.
Which was what I did, three years in a row as Little orphan Annie. I was the only hispanic orphan Annie in the whole neighborhood. :)
BTW, it was the reason I don't ever dye my hair red/orange!!!
My memories of Halloween are what confuse me today! We used to start trick or treating as soon as we got home from school, snarfed down some dinner, and ran out the door...and we stayed out as long as mom would let us. And if it were a weekend - we'd be gone all day! Now, there are set hours for trick or treating, and it's always after dark. Weird.
We also used to get our haul home and separate the good stuff (chocolate, change, gum, etc) from the stuff my dad could eat (hard candies, those orange/black wrapped peanut butter candies). Then we'd steal each other's candy as often as we could.
I remember being absolutely terrified and bawling my eyes out when I went to a haunted house at age 10.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
My most vivid memory of Halloween is when I was 7 years old. I was a princess and had a very long dress on. As we were out trick-or-treating, I tripped over my dress and broke my arm :( Spent the rest of Halloween night trick-or-treating in the ER.
cheer_doll@hotmail.com
i know this only has a little to do with Halloween but one year while out trick or treating the whole gang was trying to teach me to whistle. i never learned.
The memory is of eating a lot of candy when got home. I loved it.
MCantu1019@aol.com
I was so excited to dress up as a princess for Halloween one year. But two weeks before the big day, I fell off my bicycle and broke my leg. How was I supposed to be a beautiful princess when I was hobbling around on crutches. No matter how much my mother coaxed me, I refused to go trick or treating that year.
I remember my absolute favorite halloween costume was Raggedy Annie, when I was like 6. The wig was made of real red yarn, and I loved it!
wow we go way back on my memories to the early 60's & back then costumes were not as fancy/pleantyful as now so we made ours because I hated those face mask that did not breath. So my memorie was of my mom letting us decide what we wanted to be of three girls and she tried her best to make them & once I wanted to be a western cowgirl so my mom made me a suede fringed vest and skirt with I matched up with a red gingham shirt & boots and she even made me a fringed saddle bag purse which I used for the candy & I remember I liked it so good that I wore it as an outfit to school, it was that nicely made.
sewitupjulie at gmail dot com
i remember seeing kids from school dressed up but didn't know it was halloween, i thought it was a play or something lol i handed out candy to kids who come by, it was cute to hear the little thank yous.
songyueyu at gmail
When I was younger, we often went to a school party for Halloween as it was considered safer than going house to house. Once I won a best costume prize for the pilgrim costume my mother had spent weeks sewing for me.
chainmail(at) iwon(dot)com
I tweeted about this
http://twitter.com/The_Sunshyn/status/27885464107
I remember my best friend dressing as a trashbag/can & be so embarrassed when she explained why she had a black garbage bag pulled over her head
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet
http://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/27897598473
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I remember dressing up as a witch with one of those cheap, cheap masks that you really couldn't see through and going to a neighbor's Halloween party. Also, I remember the last time I went trick or treating I dressed in my pep squad uniform with an ugly fly mask.
I remember my mom (a single mother) tried to make Halloween fun and special for me.
She always handmade my costumes. One year we were pretty poor and she transformed me into a bum.
I loved it!
It turned out to be my favorite Halloween!
I remember trick-or-treating and a truck of loud high school boys (in the back of the truck) riding down the road yelling - I got scared and ran and hid behind a house - the house was decorated and spookier than the boys - I just kept running in circles, not sure where I was going until my aunt caught me and stopped me - haha! :)
jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net
My mother said the other day that she had never gone trick or treating! This was a shock to me as I had pictured her in my mind following us cute little kids every year around the neighborhood, trick or treating. But apparently it was just us cute little kids! Life was different I guess forty years ago..
I remember coming home and dumping out my big bag of candy so my parents could check it all and make sure it was all safe to eat. Once it was safe - we all dug in!
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net
tweeted: http://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/27970912437
nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net
I remember me and my sisters bravely went to the haunted house of the neighborhood asking for candies.
My memories go back to the 60s too. I remember my mom thought it was rude to ask for something at the door without giving them something in return, so she made peanut butter cookies and we gave a little bag of cookies to each of the 8 or so houses we were allowed to trick or treat at.
My best friend lived across town, so every year we would alternate which neighborhood we would trick or treat in--it was a special time because we did not live near each other at that time--later on her family moved close by and we chaperoned our little brothers on Halloween and snatched the good candy!!
http://twitter.com/#!/fostertam/status/28061033410
I remember eating caramel apples! :-) Thanks!
kmassman gmail
I remember wearing a princess costume under my coat, it was cold and Michigan weather. scg00387 at yahoo dot com
I remember being so mad I had to trick or treat with my baby sister when I was 12. I was embarassed to be seen with her.
ajolly1456 at gmail dot com
I remember going to the spook house!
debbiebellows[at]gmail[dot]com
i tweeted
http://twitter.com/bellows22/status/28370169534
debbiebellows[at]gmail[dot]com
Our church always had a big party with all the old fashioned games (like bobbing for apples) and that was fun.
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh, you mean the time I peed in my pants at the haunted house because it was terrifying. That memory?
The sad part is, some of the people working in the haunted house were my friends. I should have recognize them. LOL!
Keonte' @ Mommy 2K
luvdamall at aol dot com
My mom made me the most beautiful bride costume. I can still remember the smell of getting to put on her 'real' makeup! Many years later, my daughter wore the same costume. It is still in our costume box. LOVE IT!!!
I remember a nice lady that lived next door went to a halloween party and that night when she came back she brought over tons of tasty treats because so much was left over from the party and we had lots of yummy sweets for days!
jacksoncrisman@yahoo.com
best memory was going trick or treating with my dad.We only convinced him to take us just one year,usually mom would but that one year we got him to take us.I don't think he enjoyed it like us boys did
truthhole@gmail.com
Growing up we lived on a main road, so I wasn't allowed to go trick or treating, so my favorite Halloween memory was taking my son trick or treating for the first time when he was 2. I lived vicariously through him!
My dad took us trick-or-treating every year, and we would always stop at the donut shop where they were handing out free donuts. I could have thrown all the candy away, those donuts were so good!
cbeargie at yahoo dot com
We always dressed up and went around "the loop" and everyone in the neighboorhood gave us candy...Full size candy bars and homemade cookies....so yummy
leahforlove(at)aol(dot)com
We would go "trick or treating" on October 30 and 31, and also November 1. We'd get enough candy to last until Easter!
I remember going to a house while trick or treating and seeing the scarecrow sitting on a chair. I walked up to it and he jumped up! It was a real person and it scare me so much.
s2s2 at comcast dot net
http://twitter.com/susan1215/status/28598333342
Biggest memory of halloween was just all the candy we got, is was soooo exciting!
gmissycat@yahoo.com
Tweeted here!
http://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/28615209794
gmissycat@yahoo.com
I lived in the city and we would use pillow cases to trick and treat so we could get loads of candy, and then eat till you got sick. lololo
msrybug2@yahoo.com
I tweeted your giveaway
http://reviews.jennyonthespot.com/2010/10/18/getting-creative-with-haloween-pop-tarts/
marybug2@yahoo.com
My favorite memory was the time my mother took me to my first haunted house. I begged and begged to go and once I got inside, I kept my head buried in my mom's side the entire time we were inside. I don't think I saw 1 scary monster the whole time...I had my face buried and refused to look. My mother had to almost drag me through to get to the end. Of course, I wanted to go again when we got out!
shel704 at aol dot com
One year, my sister made me a robot costume out of an old cardboard box covered with tin foil. It was so long, though, that I couldn't lift my knees or climb stairs! :)
I was a trick or treater during the cusp between trusting people's homemade sweets and OMG THEY ARE GOING TO KILL YOU. I remember getting a popcorn ball from a lady who, to get parents to trust that her food wasn't poisoned, attached address labels.
When I was very small maybe 4 years old, the first Halloween I can remember, we trick or treated at an old house, three stories tall, that was dark with lots of willow trees. It was windy and I remember the willow branches blowing and the wind whistling. I was very scared and nervous going up the steep stairs to the house.A very nice lady answered the door with dinner clothes on and bearing a silver tray of homemade fudge wrapped in plastic, twisted closed at the top. She was so sweet and polite and was going on and on about how I looked just like an angel in my tin foil wings. She emptied the entire contents of the tray into my bag. As I walked away with my mother I turned and told her, "She must be a good witch." My mother laughed so hard and had to explain to me that we weren't going to witches houses, just trick or treating the neighbors. :)
I went trick-or-treating in the snow once - it was freezing but I really, really wanted my candy!
urchiken at gmail dot com
one year we went so far we actually counted houses and hit 100..my poor mom!
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
one of our neighbors dropped a sheeted bust from his window as we walked up to his house. it has haunted me since!
I remember entering a costume contest as a kid and knowing that I definitely wasn't going to win with a store bought costume! LOL!
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com
I just remember being scared of the dark and all the scary costumes!
I used to love carving pumpkins with my brother and roasting the seeds.
dgoodridge84@yahoo.com
I remember the costume making. We'd get to rumage through the adults closets for accessories. So much fun.
Christine
dazed1821@AOL.COM
As Jerry Seinfeld would say, having to wear my d*m* winter coat over my costume!
barelytogether@yahoo.com
I have lots of Halloween memories, but mainly it was all about freezing, over eating and tired feet.
ape2016(at)aol(dot)com
While its not necessarily a favorite memory, it is very memorable to me! LOL I remember the ONE time I got a really nice costume. It was a huge fluffy baby chicken costume that someone my mom knew rented for their kid. I got to use it after their kid did as they had trick or treat on a different night. I loved it…huge fluffy body and orange tights and big feet. uh yeah…those big feet tripped me up going down a hill and I fell and tore the you know what out of the tights. LOL My mom was SO mad as she had to pay her friend for the damages.
Angie
one 4 earth at aol dot com
I tweeted per the official rules for an extra entry here: http://twitter.com/#!/FotoMacro/status/29207708824
Angie
one 4 earth at aol dot com
fav memory is easy for me…making haunted houses on my front porch as a kid. I did the trick or treat thing too, but always enclosed the porch and made it all crazy. so much fun!
Scott
nynekats at aol dot com
tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/RePurrPussed/status/29208406386
Scott
nynekats at aol dot com
Well, this is a little bit uncomfortable for me...a memory of mine from childhood (I guess I was around 12 or 13) is that it was the first time I was kissed by a boy. We were at a Halloween party at the Grange. This isn't a great memory for me--I'd rather be eating candy.
aleq13@gmail.com
My favorite halloween memory was going trick or treating with my older brother, who is now deceased.
pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Post a Comment