Halloween Reviews on Review This Reviews!

Treasures from the Archives of Review This Reviews!

Halloween is fun and sometimes a bit scary.  The contributors of Review This Reviews enjoy reviewing the fun parts of Halloween.  Plus, we review some of the scary parts of Halloween, but even that is meant for fun and entertainment.

Our contributors have reviewed Halloween recipes, some are adorably cute for children.  Others are more macabre and are intended for adult Halloween parties.  You will even find a few Halloween cookbooks reviewed.  If they are featured here, it is because we believe they are exceptional cookbooks full of fabulous Halloween treats.

We also review Halloween decor for decorating inside and out for Halloween.  Our reviews often include extra tips to make parties more fun.

Plus, what would Halloween be without movies and books?  As you would expect. the contributors of Review This Reviews review Halloween movies and books, both for children and/or adults.  

Costume reviews are also included on Review This Reviews!  You can find some truly awesome costume ideas here for both adults and kids.

Several of our contributors write for Halloween websites.  Links to some of those articles are included on the Pinterest board below.  We want to make sure all of your Halloween needs are covered here.

Welcome to Our Special Halloween Library of Reviews!

A Preview of the Pinterest Board - Halloween Reviews 

This small board features the most recent 50 Halloween Reviews
Click through to Pinterest to see all of the articles that our Contributors have published on Review This Reviews!
as well as other sites 

Halloween Reviewed on Review This Reviews!

For a written list of all Halloween related articles reviewed on Review This Reviews, please visit our Site Directory and select "Holidays" from the "Fast Click" category tabs at the top of the page.   As you would expect by the category title, there are many additional holidays articles under that category along with the Halloween reviews.

To see all of our Halloween articles on Review This Reviews!, simply click the Halloween tab in the sidebar menu in the right sidebar.  

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Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Cookbook Review

Halloween is the perfect time to great really creative in the kitchen. 

One of my favorite Halloween cookbooks is Ghoulish Goodies because it is chock full of fabulously frightful Halloween recipes and decorating ideas. From spooky yet cute, to ghoulishly grotesque, there is something for every Halloween party or gathering featured in the cookbook. 

The front cover of the cookbook gives a very accurate description of what you can expect to find within the book.  However, there is so much more than just what you see there.  The back cover gives you a bit more insight, but honestly, until you look inside the book, you will not appreciate how truly fantastic this cookbook really is for Halloween. 

Let me show you some of my favorite recipes in the book.  Keep in mind, there are a lot more in the book though.  The features in the collage below just happen to be my personal choices.

This Collage was Created with Scanned Images from the Actual Cookbook

Ghoulish Goodies Cookbook

Ghoulish Goodies Cookbook
Paperback or Kindle Version Available!Check PriceThis really is a fantastic Halloween cookbook and one that every Halloween hostess should own.  Each recipe gives the exact ingredients required, along with easy to follow instructions for creating these Halloween fun food masterpieces.

It also includes lots of decorating tips alongside the individual recipes.  For instance, it tells you exactly how to make the "super grass" used on the Ghost Graveyard cake (upper right corner of the collage above).  

There are extra recipes included for dipping sauces, plus tips for decorative tray presentation.  The presentation suggestions could easily be incorporated with other Halloween food.  

Believe it or not, the author didn't stop there.  She has also included a section for Halloween supper.  Some of dinner recipes feature Candy Corn Pizza, Orange Rice, or Ghost Mashed Potatoes.  This would be a really fun supper to serve.  Although I must admit, the meatloaf with an unblinking eyeball might me just a little too grotesque for even this Halloween Hostess.

Do I sound excited to review this book?  You bet I am!  But, I am more excited about getting into the kitchen and making my own Ghoulish Goodies from this cookbook. 

 

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Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Cookbook Review Written by:

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The Best Halloween Treats for Trick-or-Treaters & Halloween Parties

Bethany Lowe Trick or Treat Time Figurine

Trick or Treat, then Trade 

When I was a little child trick or treating with my siblings, there was a wide variety of Halloween treats that we would receive.  Some were coveted by almost everyone in our home and others seemed to be rejected by almost everyone.  If you happened to be the one who loved the unpopular treat, you really had it made.  Other kids would just hand it over to you.  No trade necessary.  They didn't want it and you were the happy recipient of their "trash."  To my fortune, I was the only one in our family who loved "Smarties".  Do you remember those? 

I had a brother who wanted all the jaw breakers. That was pretty cool for me because I certainly did not want them and he didn't like the "girly" candies.  Even as an adult, he would still give me candy corn, even though he had developed a bit of a sweet tooth himself and enjoyed his fair share of the little morsels. 

Everyone has a favorite treat and I hope you will each take a moment to tell us about your preferred Halloween "treat." 
 

Rice Krispie Treats

In our neighborhood, we always had the "June Cleaver" types who must have spent days baking the treats to hand out on Halloween.  One of my favorite Mrs. Cleaver treats were the Rice Krispie Treats.  Oh how I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I found the "Mother of Halloween" home.  I often considered running back to my home, changing costumes and returning for seconds.  I never did that though because my siblings would have gotten way ahead of me and who knew what other treats were waiting just around the corner. 

The Original Rice Krispie Treat Recipe 

 

Candy Apples

Another Mrs. Cleaver treats were the Candied Apples. 

No one ever gave those away!  We might only be able to eat 3 or 4 bits of it before we were either sick or full, but they would not be open for barter.  Thinking back now, I honestly don't know why we liked them so well because they would stick to our teeth and fingers.  Perhaps it was because they really were such a rare treat.  

If I made them now, I would cut them up into bite-size pieces, but I have no doubt, they would still stick to my teeth.

How To Make Candy Apples

Caramel Popcorn Balls 

To this day, I love Caramel Popcorn.  When I would see that Saran Wrapped Ball of Heaven about to be dropped in my bag, I would reach out and tenderly receive it in my hand.  I couldn't possibly risk having my glorious gift battered in that bag of less desired, envious pieces of tooth rotting contraband. 

Oh, the howl that would have ensued if the wrapping had come off and it had to be thrown away.  I can just imagine how we would have sounded like a pack of wolves moaning to the moon about our lost treasure. 

Recipe for Caramel Popcorn Balls

Halloween Cupcakes 

The mother who made cupcakes would have to receive my "Mother of All Holidays" Award.  I cannot even begin to imagine having the time or the temperament to create such delicacies to hand out to children on Halloween. 

I don't know, maybe they only gave them to their favorite neighborhood goblins or maybe we received them because our Mother was the PTA president for so many years.  Whatever the reason, we all loved the payoff.

Okay, full disclosure.  I confess that I do make Halloween Cupcakes for my favorite trick-or-treaters.  Even the big kids (adults) who won't dress up and go door to door for Halloween are recipients of my Halloween cupcakes.

How to Stencil Halloween Cupcakes Tutorial 

 

Dubble Bubble Tub, Original Flavor, 380-Count, 60.3 Oz(3.7 lb)Check PriceBubble Gum 

Bubble Gum was fun for the whole family.  We had the Biggest Bubble Contests and there was always someone (usually the sweet, timid one of the group) who would try to pop the bubbles by jabbing their fingers toward your mouth.  Half of the time, they would pull their finger away with your whole ball of gum.  

It was always interesting when we returned to school after Halloween to discover who had the new hair bob.  Everyone knew she was the one who had not listened when her parents said "Don't fall asleep with that Bubble Gum in your mouth."

 

Candy Sucker Lollipop Assortment (144 pc)Check PriceSuckers 

Now I ask you, what child doesn't like a sucker? 

The green ones were especially popular.  For some reason, my brothers always associated the green suckers with flatulence.  I swear they ate those suckers just so they could have an excuse to do what they wanted to do.  Around our house, if you saw a green sucker, you knew what was about to happen. 

My parents wore stern faces while the rest of us roared with laughter.
 

Taffy wrapped in Black and Orange Wrappers

5 LB. Halloween Mix (Assorted) Salt Water Taffy - Gourmet Taffy by Taffy TownCheck Price
This was the candy I grew to hate.  For days after Halloween, you didn't know when you would have a taffy torpedo aimed at your head.  The harder they got, the more dangerous they became. 

I truly believe we had a few neighbors in cahoots with my brothers.  It seemed like every year they received a ton of these diabolical disks.

The taffy is no longer wrapped in the plain black or orange wrappers, but I bet the pieces still pack a punch when hurled through the air. 

 

Halloween Candy Bars 

MARS Halloween Candy Bars Variety Mix 96.2-Ounce 250-Piece BagCheck PriceIf you can't have homemade treats, this was the next best thing.  It was obvious which neighbor was handing out candy bars by the huge gathering of ghosts, witches and goblins at their door.  Back in the 60's, it just wasn't as common for people to splurge on store bought treats as it is today.  No, they were few and far between.

Candy Bars were definitely the best bargaining chip.  Amazingly, I could get my brothers to trade at least 3 or 4 Smarties for one candy bar!  Well, at the time I thought it was a great deal.  We were all happy with the trade so what did it really matter.
 

Trick-or-Treating Fun

I would be the first to admit that I was blessed to grow up in a large family.  It had, and still has, many advantages.  The Halloween candy in-house traders market always made trick-or-treating more fun.  It is wonderful to look back on those memories and laugh.  Just remember, in a large family like ours, anything bad that ever happened was the dog's fault and I had 5 built-in witnesses to testify to that fact!

You don't have to have 5 siblings to start your own Halloween candy trader's market.  Simply grab a few friends to trick-or-treat with and meet up at someone's home afterwards.  Then, let the candy trading begin! For those of you trick-or-treating with me this year, I have dibs on the Smarties!

 House-Mouse Designs® - Jumbo ToteCheck Price

 

Check Out More Halloween Fun Reviews at
Halloween on Review This!

 

 The Best Halloween Treats for Trick-or-Treaters & Halloween Parties Written by:

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Instructions for Easy Stenciled Cupcakes for Halloween

Decorate Halloween Cupcakes with Stencils Reviewed

Stenciling cupcakes is a fun way to decorate cupcakes. Using stencils is a pretty easy way to decorate beautiful Halloween cupcakes that are certain to be a frightening fantastic addition to your party table.

By simply using stencils, confectioners sugar or sanding sugar, you too will be able to create tasty treats that double as great Halloween decorations.

If you can't find the cupcake stencil you want, why not use a small cookie cutter?

Let me show you exactly what I am talking about and what your guests will be talking about at your Halloween party when you make these creepy cupcakes!

Choose the Right Cupcake Recipe

For convenience, I used boxed cake mixes to make my cupcakes. I baked 12 large Triple Chocolate Fudge with a Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix and 12 large Lemon Supreme cupcakes with Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe cake mix. 

I selected these flavors because I knew I would not be icing all of them and I wanted cupcakes that would taste good without icing.

Delicious filled cupcakes would be ideal for these stenciled cupcakes for Halloween since they will not be frosted.

Here are a few recipes you might like for your frost-less cupcakes.

Recipes for Cupcakes that are Delicious Without Icing

• Devil's Food Cupcakes
  Cupcake Filling Recipe included
• Lemon Cupcakes
  Made with Pudding

Supplies You Will Need to Get Started Stenciling

• Baked Cupcakes ~ I baked Triple Chocolate Fudge and Lemon cupcakes
• Stencils or Cookie Cutters
• Confectioners Sugar
• Sanding Sugar ~ your choice of colors

Decorators note:  An essential tool for decorating with Confectioner's sugar is a cup with a mesh top.

Recommended Powdered Sugar Shaker

With Stainless Steel Mesh Dome Lid 

This cup will allow you to literally sprinkle confectioners sugar onto your cupcake once the stencil is in place. It will cut down on the mess often associated with decorating with confectioner's sugar.

Flour/Sugar ShakerCheck Price

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& 

Directions for Stenciling Cupcakes

1. Using Cupcake Stencils - Place the stencil on the cupcake
2. Sprinkle Cupcake with Confectioners Sugar then Slowly
3. Gently Lift Stencil Off of Cupcake

  

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Easy Stenciled Cupcakes for Halloween

    

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Use A Cookie Cutter to Stencil

If you don't have stencils on hand, you could also use a small cookie cutter.  Owls and ghosts were not included in my stencil pack, but I wanted cupcakes decorated with them.  Since I love owls and ghosts at Halloween, I used my cookie cutters.  It is the same process, you simply have to make sure you have a good hold on the cookie cutter and have it firmly pressed against the cupcake top so the powdered sugar doesn't escape the sides. 

  

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Stenciling Iced Cupcakes

Stenciling cupcakes that have icing is a little messier and a bit more tricky, but can certainly be done!  

To stencil an image on icing or frosting, you would want to use sanding sugar instead of powdered sugar.  The sanding sugar does have an added "sparkle" benefit.

You do need to be extremely careful when you lift the stencil or cookie cutter off the icing to keep from dropping excess sugar outside of the image lines.  The icing tends to try to hold on to your stencil.  I recommend lifting it straight up and off the cupcake  without tilting the stencil.

Directions for Stenciling Cupcakes with Sanding Sugar

1. Using Cupcake Stencils - Place the stencil or cookie cutter on the frosted cupcake
2. Sprinkle Sanding Sugar on the Cupcake,  then Slowly
3. Gently Lift the Stencil Straight Up & Off of Cupcake 

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Cupcakes for Halloween Stenciled with Sanding Sugar

 These Cupcakes were Decorated with
Lemon Frosting and Brown Sanding Sugar

   

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Using Cookie Cutters & Stencils to Decorate Cupcakes

Black Cat Cupcake
Lemon Cupcake & Black Sanding Sugar

When you decorate your Halloween cupcakes with stencils or cookie cutters, your variety is limited only by your cookie cutters, stencils and supplies.   I have dozens of cookie cutters and several packs of Halloween stencils.  I enjoy playing around with them and seeing what unique cupcakes I can create.  Now, everybody knows you can't celebrate Halloween without the black cat.  Isn't he spectacular on his golden moon cupcake!

They are also great for cakes! 


You can see my directions on how to stencil a Halloween cake by clicking this link to Cooking for the Holidays. 

Supplies Used in This Article

Confectioners Sugar is available in most grocery stores.  A variety of sanding sugar colors is not as easily obtained.  I purchase mine online.  

I also purchase my cookie cutters and stencils online. 

 Halloween Cookie Cutters, Owl, Bat, Pumpkin, Cat, Broom, Witch, 6-Piece SetCheck Price CK Products 4 Ounce Sanding Sugar Bottle, WhiteCheck Price

The Stencils

The stencils used in this article are an older pack of Martha Stewart Halloween stencils - M230600 (UPC #015586743364). The pack includes the bat, 2 jack o' lantern faces, the witch, the spider, the web, the skull & crossbones and the raven. (Neither the raven nor the web are shown on the front of the package.)  The only place I could find them at the time of writing this article was on eBay.

Since eBay inventory changes constantly, I recommend checking here again soon if you don't see exactly what you want right now.

You may wish to check Ebay by Clicking Here for these hard to find items.

See More Recipes On ReviewThisRecipes.com

More Recipes by Sylvestermouse

Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe
My mother's peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts.  Actually, it is my favorite breakfast too. I have even been known to eat it for lunch.

Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
This is my mother's recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge.  I have never seen it published anywhere else, but it is the best I have ever tasted.

"This Tutorial for Easy Stenciled Cupcakes for Halloween" Written by:

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Halloween Sandwiches: Part IV of Halloween Recipes on Review This!

This year's Halloween celebration will be just a bit different than I normally have. I'm doing a sandwich spread for some of my family. Therefore I needed some good options for great Halloween sandwiches. And did I find some. Children and adults will be included in this event which means recipes appropriate for both.

Finger sandwiches from Pillsbury

Halloween Finger Sandwiches, Literally

Finger sandwiches are always worth doing and at Halloween we have sandwiches that look like fingers. I love this recipe, it's easy and adjustable for any variety of ingredients. Pillsbury came up with idea and uses meats, but I want to do a vegetarian version.

That turned out to be easy, by just replacing the meats with cheeses and vegetables in the sandwich and using triangles of red pepper instead of the pepperoni for the fingernails. Yep, simple.

Coffin Sandwiches

Coffin Sandwiches from Kraft

Kraft Foods came up with a cute idea as well. Coffin sandwiches are prefect for a fun Halloween treat. The easy part is cutting the shapes. Kraft even gives a template for the coffin shape. A sharp bread knife is a must for this. Getting the shape to come out makes a big difference.

The hard part is deciding on the sandwich fillers. Many, many options can work. With the kids involved, peanut butter and jelly will one of the choices, but I also like the idea of fillers such as egg salad and cream cheese spreads (www.whimsicalteapotsandcups.com/recipes/cucumber-dill-spread).

Personally, I love the idea of adding the R. I. P. onto the top of the sandwiches. Kraft suggests using decorating gel, mustard, even ketchup. Be careful about stacking coffin sandwiches with the message. You need to keep those with a message from sitting under another sandwich.

Halloween Cookie Cutters

Halloween Sandwich Cutters

When you want to make interesting shaped Halloween sandwiches, you can easily use a cookie cutter. Wilton has a fun set that includes that coffin shape for finger sandwiches. But, I also love the idea of the bat for some fun food additions.

Mummy Pizzas

Let us not forget pizza, one of those family food staples. Mummy pizzas are crazy easy to do. And you can add any and all pizza ingredients that you want. The trick is to layer thin slices of white cheese on top to create the mummy wrappings. Then add two slices of pitted black olives to make the eyes.

Food.com gives us a fun option using English Muffins for the pizza dough. Any crust style that you like will work out perfect for mummy pizzas. This is the time for you to use your favorite crust and your favorite ingredients.

Getting ready for Halloween, whether a big party, or a fun family dinner like mine, Halloween sandwiches make an easy menu option. There's plenty of choices for both kids and grown-ups alike. Review This has more Halloween recipes, too. See our appetizers, desserts and beverages to round out your Halloween menu.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Halloween Desserts - Part II of Halloween Recipes on Review This!

Halloween party planning is in full swing. As part of our series for Halloween Recipes on Review This Reviews, I now feature dessert recipes for the fun of Halloween. And I found some for those amazingly creepy and ghoulish parties, as well as for those charming fun parties.

A Creepy Looking Snake Cake

This one, I just couldn't resist. Snakes are the one animal that really creep me out. That means a snake cake is perfect for a Halloween party dessert. Not only does this look incredibly real, but it will delight you guests with how good it is when you can actually break down and cut the cake.

The snake cake tutorial is from Sylvestermouse, so we know the instructions are easy to follow and the tips are perfect to make sure we can duplicate the look. She is always so careful about that. But, she did more than just this scary and perfect-for-Halloween-desserts snake cake.

 Halloween Ghost Castle Cake

Sylvestermouse has a great talent for creating unique and interesting cakes. Her Halloween Ghost Castle Cake is ideal for those parties that feature the fun side of Halloween. Charming, sweet and completely edible, this ghostly castle makes a wonderful centerpiece for your party table.

This Ghost Castle Cake would also make a perfect addition to the kids' school parties. Can't you just picture the children's faces of delight when you bring that cake into their party? 

And believe me, you can make this cake yourself! I know because I've done it. I followed Sylvestermouse's instructions carefully and it turned out perfect. So enjoy a little of the fun side of Halloween, too.

Ghoulish Chocolate Candy Molds 

As long as you are preparing fun stuff for your Halloween buffet, try adding in some brain candies, skull and cross bones shapes or even a few chocolate spiders. Halloween candy molds are easy to use to create some extra little desserts for your party guests. 

My favorite trick is to tuck some of these chocolate candies around and under the dessert platters and cake stands on my buffet table. Yes, I can creep out my guests with the spiders, but that's part of the fun of a Halloween party. 

(www.web-surfing-with-susan.com/halloween-candy-molds)

Spooky Spider Cupcake

No Halloween dessert review would be complete without cupcakes. Thanks to CherylFay, we have some spooky spider cupcakes for you. Of course, she makes it easy to follow her great tutorial. And these are easy to do. Using both Oreo cookies and M & M candies you end up with a perfect treat for just about anyone.

These cupcakes would make a great addition to your Halloween buffet table. Set them up on a cake plate stand so they add visual appeal to your table. Then stand back and watch your guests enjoy themselves. 

More Halloween Recipe Reviews

Be sure to check out more of the Halloween Recipe Review series. We started with Appetizers that will delight your guests. Some truly creepy and some just for fun. Keep a watch as we prepare you for the best Halloween party!

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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