Creepy, Yucky Halloween Foods for a Party

Halloween: time to serve foods that look gross, disgusting and freaky yet are still edible. With a few simple ingredients and instructions, you can make foods that look like actual brains, fingers, insects and even kitty litter. Whether you purchase or make them, edible inedibles will be the hit at your next Halloween party. Does this Spark an idea?

 

 Stuffed Roaches

The stuffed roaches recipe, found on the Divine Dinner Party website, is easy to prepare with only a few ingredients, such as walnuts, dates and cream cheese. They look eerily real and will freak out anyone who has a fear of insects. These are excellent to make as last-minute appetizers.
 

Kitty Litter Cake

The kitty litter cake recipe on the She Knows website looks just like a used litter box. All you do is combine white and chocolate cake mix, pudding, cookies, candy and food coloring, and serve it in an actual, brand new litter box. A litter scoop acts as a serving spoon. Freak out your guests by picking out one of the "poop" candies and eating it in front of them.
 

Chocolate-Covered Insects

Yes, there really is such a thing as chocolate-covered bugs. Give your party guests a chance to sample a truly yucky food that, chances are, many of them have never tried before. You can buy ants, worms and crickets smothered in white or milk chocolate.
 

Cookie Fingers

How about a cookie that looks like a severed finger? The recipe on the Free Webs website uses simple ingredients, such as raspberry jelly, almond extract and flour, and transforms them into disgusting looking cookies.

Panna Cotta Brains

Also available on the Free Webs website is a recipe for a lifelike brain, complete with bloody mess. The recipe calls for milk, unflavored gelatin, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and a brain mold. Cornstarch and pomegranate juice create the fax blood. Dare party-goers to be the first to dig in!

Candy Body Parts

Candy body parts make excellent party favors since they typically come in large packages. You can buy either gummy or chocolate brains, feet, eyes, ears and fingers.

5 Tips on How to Grill For Kids... Without the Yucky Black Marks

 

I wouldn't consider my boys picky eaters, however, when I serve up grilled meat or vegetables striped with black lines, they won't touch it... even if I scrape it off.
Some of us avid grillers take pride in those nice grill marks. They scream "I have mastered the art of cooking over a (semi) open flame and I do it well"... but to our children, they signify dirty, burnt food. Someday they will learn to appreciate those well placed marks of a master grill-woman, but until then, here are some tips to skip the ‘yucky black stuff' on your food.

1. Clean your grill thoroughly before cooking. A lot of those black marks are from charred food left from your previous grilling experience, however, it won't leave your food completely mark free. If you have very sensitive grill-mark spotters, this may not be enough to do the trick.
2. Cook your child's food further from the flame like on the outer edges of the grill. His or her food will take a bit longer to cook thoroughly, but the farther away from the flame the less likely you'll get grill marks and little burnt bits.
3. If you are making chicken, you can grill it with the skin on and then remove the marked skin before you serve.
4. Cook it without sauces or herbs. If you cook it plain then there's less stuff to turn black. You can always add spices or sauce just before you serve the meat.
5. Cook the food wrapped in foil. This will protect it from the harsh effects of the grill fire. Be sure to cook over low heat.

Hopefully these tips will help alleviate any summer dinner-time issues and save you from having to cook something different for your little grill-mark-phobes in your family.

 

Getting Medicine Into Your Baby

If your baby is of the human variety you have probably noticed that getting them to take medicine is quite the challenge. This is especially true if the medicine in question is Zantac or some other drug that tastes like gasoline, licorice, or feet. Newborn babies who have not yet mastered the ability to get their hands INTO their mouths are remarkably good at getting yucky medicine OUT of their mouth.
I’ve been effectively shoveling yucky medicine into babies for so long I suppose it’s time to put it on my resume under “skills.” This is my super secret technique to do so. Of course I’m only sharing this with you so don’t tell anybody else.

Giving Your Baby Medicine

• Get a small syringe from your doctor/pharmacist (take off the needle obviously).
• Put the appropriate dose into the needle-free syringe.
• Hold baby flat-ish on their backs.
• Put the syringe into their mouths pointed to the back corner. Note: if you point it directly down their throats they will choke and likely throw the medicine back up on you. However if you put the syringe into the front of their mouth they’ll simply push the medicine back out with their tongue.
• Give medicine (depress the stopper in the syringe).

Your baby will probably be upset about this rude treatment. However if you hold them on their backs for a few seconds they’ll typically swallow the offensive medicine (due to lack of options). You’ll want to follow-up with something pleasant (nursing, rocking, warm bath) to make up for your obvious breach of baby etiquette.

Why Do Dogs Like to Roll in Yucky Stuff?       You work like a dog to get your own canine clean and smelling pretty, and how does he repay you? By running to the first pile of poop he can find and rolling in it.

Or, you're both walking along a pretty nature trail, enjoying the sweet breeze, when your dog spots a dead animal. He immediately dives his body into the unpleasant mass of decaying odors.

Why on earth do dogs enjoy this? The answer is simple: it's an instinct. If your dog could talk, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you exactly

why he does it, either. No one is sure what the attraction is, but there are three working hypotheses.

One is that dogs are attempting to mask their own scent. This would be a holdover from their origins as wolves. Masking their scent may help wolves sneak up on prey without alerting them by way of smell.

A second theory is that rolling in feces or a dead animal's remains is a way for a dog to communicate that he's found something interesting. The dog (or wolf) then transports that smell back to his family (his pack) in order to advertise his discovery.

A third theory is set forth in the book The Truth About Dogs, by Stephen Budiansky. It is possible, Budiansky writes, that we've gotten it backwards. The dog may not be trying to absorb the scent; instead he may be trying to impart his own scent onto the object of his interest, for the same reason that a dog may urinate on a tree. The purpose may be no more than to leave a calling card – to overmark a another scent.

 

These days, there are a number of ways to make yucky medicine more palatable for children. Pre-sweetened medications and flavored additives are readily available –ask your pharmacist to add flavoring to a prescription – but sometimes a bitter pill or potion still has to be swallowed. Children can also be resistant to the mere idea of medicine – as every mom knows, a sick child can be resistant to just about everything! Here are some suggestions for how to get your kids to take that sometimes yucky medicine … and soon you’ll all be feeling better!

When Giving your Kids Medicine Honesty is the Best Policy

Children know when they don’t feel well, and you should explain – in simple language that they’ll understand – what’s wrong and how the medicine will help. Tell them a little while in advance that you’re going to give them medicine, and try to put a positive spin on it. If you’re making a face while pouring it from the bottle, imagine how your child is going to feel. Let your child make some part of the decision about taking the medicine – picking out a special spoon to use, for example – to feel like they have some control over what’s going on. When your son or daughter does take the medicine, remember to offer kudos and a big hug, maybe even a reward to positively reinforce the experience.

Daily Medication

If your child is taking medicine for the first time and is old enough to understand, try playing a game – pretend to give the medicine to a doll or stuffed animal. Let your child be the “grown up”, which might make it easier when it’s time to take the medicine for real. Involving your child in the process is also helpful when a child has a chronic condition and medicine must be taken daily. As a parent, it’s up to you to present this in as upbeat a manner as possible, so your child doesn’t have a negative feeling about medicine before it’s even been tasted. If you take daily medication or even vitamins, make it a shared experience with your child – even mommy has to take her medicine!

Medication Tips & Tricks for Parents

For very young children, it’s often easiest to give liquid medication in a dropper or medicine syringe. Direct the medication into the pocket of the child’s cheek or back of the mouth, so it will be swallowed quickly and before there’s a chance to taste it (we hope!). For older children, look for medication that’s chewable, dissolvable or lollipop-like, a popular option for over-the-counter medications for children. If pharmacist-added flavoring isn’t available, try giving your child something cold to eat – a popsicle or a few sucks on an ice cube – before the medicine; the cold sensation will tone down taste buds. Conversely, give your child the medicine first, then juice or another flavored drink immediately afterwards. You can also have your child eat something sticky to coat the tongue before the medicine is taken, like a spoonful of chocolate or maple syrup. If your pharmacist is flavoring the medication, pick your child’s favorite flavor. Medicine that comes in pill or powdered form can be crushed and combined with fruit or juice to go down more easily. Before you try this, check with your pediatrician or pharmacist to make sure it’s okay to mix the medicine with food or liquids. Mix crushed pills with applesauce or pudding or peanut butter – but remember to make sure that your child eats the entire portion to ensure that all the medicine is taken.