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text and photos by Kristen Bonardi Rapp
I like to consider myself a fairly reasonable parent – no breakfast cereals where the first three ingredients are sugar, no processed foods with a dozen cryptic ingredients, et cetera – but when it comes to Halloween, all bets are off.
Halloween is the one time of year where I throw my hands up in parental surrender and tell Trixie, my seven-year-old daughter, “Go for it, kid. Halloween only comes once a year, so knock yourself out.”
I suspect this does not win me the respect and admiration of the other parents at Halloween parties, but, to the best of my knowledge, there are relatively few adults lamenting the fact their parents let them eat too much junk at Halloween.
Here are two snacks for Halloween this year that are as easy to make as they are disgusting: Spider Eggs and Snot Sticks.
Spider Eggs are an easy variation on a traditional Rice Krispie Treat, with two small changes. First, you have to use Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch cereal. The cereal is perfectly round and, frankly, a pretty unappetizing shade of tan. (You could use Kix cereal instead, which is similar in shape and color but less sugary, but I prefer the peanut butter and marshmallow combination.) Secondly, because the pieces of cereal are bigger than Rice Krispies, the marshmallow is more visible and looks like stringy cobwebs.
You’ll need the following:
1 14 oz. box of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch cereal
1 10 oz. bag of marshmallows
1 stick of butter (4 oz.) plus 2-3 TB extra for greasing the pan
Line a 13” x 9” pan with foil, grease the bottom and sides generously with butter and set aside.
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir to coat in the melted butter. Continue to stir the marshmallows as they melt to ensure they don’t stick and burn to the bottom of the pan.
Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add the cereal a little at a time (you won’t use the entire box), stirring the marshmallow goo up from the bottom of the pot to coat the cereal. A silicone spatula will help keep the marshmallow from sticking. Stir gently until all of the pieces of cereal are covered with the marshmallow and begin to look stringy.
Place the completed mixture in the pan and press into the shape of the pan; be gentle, though, or you’ll press the marshmallow “cobwebs” down. Let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cut into squares – or, for an extra gross twist, pull off small pieces and fashion into uneven, egg-cluster shapes.
Snot Sticks will delight those kids (okay, and some adults) who love to gross out their friends. You can make these ahead of time, if you would prefer the cheese to be less gooey, but I found eating these while still warm and slightly runny, both tasted better and were that much more horrible to look at.
You’ll need:
8 oz. jar Cheez Whiz
3-4 drops green food coloring
3 dozen pretzel rods
Melt Cheez Whiz in the microwave according to directions listed on the jar. Add the food coloring, a drop or two at a time, until the cheese turns snot-colored. Let the cheese cool slightly.
Dip a pretzel rod into the cheese and twist slightly to ensure it’s thoroughly covered. Hold the pretzel for at least 30 seconds, until the cheese cools slightly. You can either place the pretzels on a plate or wax paper immediately, which will cause the cheese to pool and spread in a very unappealing way, or you can hold the pretzel a little longer until the cheese solidifies completely.
Hungry for some less disgusting recipes? Visit my blog at http://gezellig-girl.com.
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