Category: Graphics And Food

The Art of Eating Halloween Candy; Part 7 in the Art of Halloween Series

10/30/2014

Now I know I promised in the next Art Of Halloween series a project and I will share it as it will be just as great for Thanksgiving too; but I came across an article of what I thought had some vital information. You see if you are anything like me you miss going Trick Or Treating as a kid. So you may be tempted to dress up and hunch down and brave the door to door faking the "I swear I'm a teen"..."really"...or settle for second best and eat the left over bowl of candy you doled out to the kiddies. Maybe you are one of those who sneaks into your kids treat bag and say...well maybe just one. Well this post comes just in time for you. Being a big kid means that the treats you choose out of the bag goes straight to the hips, belly and god knows that booty train following behind on low steam. I swear I have a caboose on top of that.

Consider these numbers: Three miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups fill your belly with more sugar than a glazed doughnut "Get in my Belly!"; half a pack of Skittles has more sugar than a scoop of Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream Ice Cream; nine Twizzlers carry as many calories as a Wendy’s Double Stack Burger. That’s scary! Here are some after Hallows eve tips; tit for tat which treats to choose that wont go straight to fat. Just swap outlined here just once and you’ll see, nearly 400 calories saved would be better for thee.

Tit Column "Don't Eat"

WORST “FUN SIZE” CANDY BAR: Butterfinger 100 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN TWO BREYERS PURE FRUIT BERRY SWIRL POPSICLES!

Many candy bars are high in sugar. Many are high in fat. But Butterfinger has magical ability to be high in both. Adding even one “fun size” Butterfinger to your food intake every day is enough to add more than 10 pounds to your body in the next year. There’s nothing fun about that.

Tat Column " If you Must..."

Eat This Instead: 3 Musketeers (that's the name btw do not actually eat 3...)

63 calories, 2 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

WORST CLASSIC FRUIT CANDY: Brach’s Airheads (3) 140 calories, 1.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 19 g sugar

MORE SUGAR AND CALORIES THAN ½ CUP OF EDY’S SLOW CHURNED MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP!

Here’s the basic formula for an Airhead: Sugar and filler carbohydrates, artificial colors and flavors, and partially hydrogenated oils—the source of trans fat. Dum Dums might not be nutritional paragons, but they do have two noteworthy advantages over Airheads: 1. No heart-wrecking oils, and 2. They’re made from hard candy. That means they dissolve slowly on your tongue, letting you enjoy the sweetness over time and preventing you from feverishly tearing through Airheads. Cool Dum Dum Halloween trick: Wrap each in a white tissue, secure with a small rubber band, and have the kids draw faces on these “ghosts” to hand out to the neighborhood trick or treaters.

WORST MINIATURE CANDY BARS: Twix Miniatures (3)

150 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated, 15 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN TWO FUDGSICLE ORIGINAL FUDGE POPS!

Twix has the worst saturated fat profile of any candy in your kid’s trick-or-treat bag. Think about it like this: Each serving of these bite-sized candies carries 20 percent of the saturated fat you should consume in an entire day. Switch to Tootsie Rolls and you’ll cut your calories by more than half and trim your total fat intake by a whopping 79 percent. (Better yet, treat yourself to some quality dark chocolate. It’s one of 8 Fatty Foods That Actually Make You Skinny and the intense flavor will give you your chocolate fix in fewer calories.)

WORST CHEWY CANDY: Brach’s Milk Maid Caramels (4)

160 calories, 4.5 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 16 g sugar

MORE CALORIES THAN ½ CUP OF HAAGEN-DAZS CHOCOLATE SORBET!

Doesn’t Milk “Maid” sound a lot like Milk “Made”? But rest assured—they’re not the same. This candy contains a couple milk derivatives (whey and “lipolyzed butter fat”), but it hardly constitutes a dairy product. Plus, 90 percent of the fat is saturated. That’s bad news for your heart. If you enjoy the challenge of fighting chewy candy out of your teeth, switch over to Now and Laters and save more than 100 calories per serving.

WORST SEASONALLY THEMED CANDY: Reese’s Pumpkin (There goes my favorite...)

170 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 16 g sugar

MORE CALORIES AND SUGAR THAN FIVE NABISCO GINGER SNAPS!

This one should send your gimmick radar into the red zone. If it were flavored with pumpkin puree that would be one thing, but it’s not. It’s an oversized peanut butter cup shaped in a pumpkin-like mold. And what price do you pay for such fanciful novelty? Nearly two-thirds more calories than a regular Reese’s peanut butter cup. If you want to create a festive atmosphere, stick with Candy Corn and you’ll save yourself the calorie hangover.

WORST MINT CANDY: Junior Mints (1 fun size box)

76.5 calories, 1.35 g fat, 1.13 g saturated fat, 14.4 g sugar

AS MUCH SUGAR AS 3 CHIPS AHOY! CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

Junior Mints are hard to resist because they’re poppable; you feel like you’re getting a lot because you get to enjoy them over and over until the box is gone. What you’re actually getting more of, though, is calories and sugar. Stick with Charlie Brown’s ambiguously gendered girlfriend, Peppermint Pattie, and cut your calories by a third. (Thirty calories may not seem like a lot, but that’s enough to add more than 3 pounds of flab every year to your fine frame.)

WORST CRUNCHY CANDY: M&Ms Peanut (1 fun size bag)

90 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 9 g sugar

MORE SUGAR AND CALORIES THAN A CUP OF HONEYCOMB CEREAL!

Wait a minute, you might be saying—aren’t peanuts good for me? Not when they’re wearing a spooky costume of fat and sugar. You can satisfy your desire for chocolately crunch, and save sugar, fat and calories, with the pretzel version. The salty-sweet combo will also make them more satisfying. (If you’re genuinely hungry, turn to one of the 50 Best Snack Foods in America rather than filling up on candy.)

WORST LOLLIPOP: Blow Pop (1 regular)

70 calories, 0 g fat, 13 g sugar

AS MUCH SUGAR AS 5 CUPS OF KIX CEREAL!

Blow Pops are a pure rush, but not the good kind. If you’re looking for a great seasonal option to handout on Halloween, grab a box of Caramel Apple pops. The combination celebrates the season at less of a caloric cost than a Blow Pop. Plus, we all know the gum is a throw away since the flavor is gone in minutes. The caramel on the outside of these pops make them last longer, keeping you from diving into the rest of your candy stash.

WORST CHEWY FRUITY CANDY: Skittles (fun size package) 60 calories, 0.6 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 11.3 g sugar

MORE SUGAR THAN 3 KEEBLER SANDIES SIMPLY SHORTBREAD COOKIES!

Repeat after me: If it’s your waist you want to whittle, keep your fingers off the Skittles. Sugar, corn syrup and food dye—that’s all you’re getting from a package of Skittles. Starburst cuts the sugar nearly in half by using apple juice concentrate to add extra sweetness and cut down on the corn. (Don’t get us started on food dyes. Red dye comes from one of the 9 Bugs You Don’t Know You’re Eating.)

WORST PEANUT BUTTER CANDY: Reese’s miniatures (5)

220 calories, 13 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 23 g sugar

AS MANY CALORIES AS TWO CANS OF RED BULL—AND NEARLY SIX SUGAR PACKETS WORTH OF SUGAR!

The American Heart Association says an adult woman should have no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day. Reese’s manages to pack almost that much into one serving of these miniatures. Maybe they should be called “maxiatures”? (Why not ditch the candy altogether and treat yourself to a dessert you’ll actually savor from our list of 10 Restaurant Desserts Under 400 Calories?)

WORST JELLY CANDY: Mike & Ike (1 small box)

Eat This Instead: Spangler Dum Dum Pops (3) (Yes you can eat 3 this time...Yea!)

60 calories, 0 g fat, 11 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Tootsie Rolls (3) Yep 3 of them. And sorry I know that isn't a "Real" Tootsie roll, but dang how cute is that kid ...and...yeaaaah don't eat your kid either.

70 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 9.5 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Now and Later (4) 4 pieces...nod.

53 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 10 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Brach’s Candy Corn (11)

81 calories, 0 g fat, 16 g sugar

Ok guess I skip both of these...Candy corn...Blech.

Eat This Instead: York Peppermint Pattie (1 snack size piece)

60 calories, 1 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 11 g sugar

Seriously this is almost the same thing and they taste better! This one is an easy swap!

Eat This Instead: M&Ms Pretzel (1 fun size bag)

60 calories, 2 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 7 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Caramel Apple Pop (1 regular)

60 calories, 0.5 g fat, 10 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Starburst (fun size w/ 2 pieces)

40 calories, 0.8 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 6.7 g sugar

Eat This Instead:

M&Ms Peanut Butter (2 packages). Ok I am all over this one. I love these and it will cure that crave for the peanut butter cup plus you will feel like you are eating more.

190 calories, 11 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 17 g sugar

Eat This Instead: Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (mini pack)

35 calories, 0 g fat, 7 g sugar

These are all of course just suggestions but you will be able to see the above and recognize them at a glance. Staying healthy is hard when you have so many health issues like me. Look at your body and mind and understand what a creative piece of fragile artwork you are. Try to make wise choices and most important of all: Be safe on Halloween. Wear reflective gear. Take flashlights. Use reflective tape on treat bags. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Have fun!

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The Art of Halloween Preparation Part3

10/3/2014

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As promised here is the delicious Witches Candy Corn brew recipe. Kid safe and fun for everyone. Get on your brooms and lets go for a ride and some fun!

First off depending on the event you plan on throwing will determine how many you make. The great thing about this recipe is that you pretty much make it by the glass so easy peasy! Lets start with the Black sugar rimmed glasses then the brew and last the cute little witches broom added for flair.

First deciding how many glasses is important. The best and most fun thing to do for the brew is to use mason jars or mason jars with handles as you want to be able to see your brew. The foam on top is very special!

So after decided on what clear glasses you will use lets move on to the black sugar you will rim your glasses with. Now just a heads up we are going to make our own because people out there are charging an arm and a leg for it and guess what? Its easy to make!

Lets make a trip to the Craft store and while there you will pick up the following items in the baking aisle: Sanding Sugar and black powdered food coloring. You want to use the powdered kind because its less messy and its ready to go right away. No drying time. You will also need a plastic baggie that zip seals.

- Fill the sandwich baggie with 1/2 cup of sanding sugar. Sanding sugar is a large-grain sugar that sparkles like crystal, holds color well, and won't melt in hot conditions. You can find sanding sugar in the baking section of craft stores.
- 2 Add a pinch of black powdered food color. Powdered food coloring works best for coloring sugar because it spreads evenly and is ready to use right away. You can find powdered food coloring in the baking section of craft stores.
- 3 Shake the bag until the color is evenly distributed. You can use the sugar right away because powdered food coloring doesn't require any time to dry or set. Add more color if you want a deeper black

That's it and you sugar is ready to go.   Now how do you add it to the glasses? Well that's easy too. You will need some corn syrup or equally sticky sweet stuff like Agave. But since you really can't be watching your weight around Halloween we are going to use the real stuff Buahaha.   Now grab a glass and pour a little corn syrup into a bowl.   Dip your glass rim in the bowl to lightly coat it with the corn syrup, lift and let it run off till its not dripping.   Next you will dip it into your black sugar and walla!   Black sugar coated rims. (Insert witches cackle here).

Now just a tip on the Black food coloring. Trying to mix powdered food colors like red, green etc... to make black will often produce a dark gray color. Pre-made black food coloring is the best choice for this. So buy yours early before they run out. The closer to Halloween the shorter on the supplies.

Next on to the Candy Corn brew. The brew is actually made of a couple of layers. Here are the ingredients:
2 Liters of Ginger ale
1 Liter Mango Nectar (you can get this in cans in the Hispanic section of grocery or in the health section in the refrigerated drink area).
1 Bottle Grenadine
1 Long Eyedropper
Scissors
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp Of Sugar
2 Tsp of unflavored gelatin (careful on this one in case you are serving a vegan)
Enough Long Cinnamon sticks to supply each glass with one
Black paper cupcake liners
Corn Syrup bowl from dipping sugar above

Lets go ahead and make our brooms so they have time to set up.   Taking a black cup cake liner make a cut into it to the center.   Insert your cinnamon stick, leaving about a half inch, into the back side of the liner. Dipping your finger in the corn-syrup bowl paste some around the 1/2" end of the cinnamon stick to "glue" down your cup cake liner. Use the photo above for reference. Pinch and twist your liner around the end of the cinnamon stick to achieve a triangular appearance. Use syrup as needed to paste your ends to meet. Then taking your scissor cut fringe on the end of the cup cake liner to emulate broom bristles. Set your completed brooms aside to dry.

The foam on top of the brew is as follows. Whip together 1/2 cup of whipping cream with sugar and gelatin.   Whip until it starts to get fluffy then add the other half of the whipping cream. Whip until it is foamy and stiff/fluffy. Set aside.

Now the brew. Fill your mason jars with 1/3 ginger ale. Slowly layer in about 1/5 mango juice. The idea is to not let it mix completely with the ginger ale. Next take an eyedropper with grenadine and insert it into the center all the way to the bottom of the drink and squeeze out. You should see layers like the photo above. Take the foam you set aside and spoon some onto the top of your brew enough to cover the top with a layer. Insert your broom!   Walla a tasty Witches Candy Corn Brew. You can even add a little candy corn on top of the foam if you like but not necessary.

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The Art of Halloween Preparation Part1

9/22/2014

With Halloween nearly a month away, How do you keep the spooks at bay?

You start very early and what can I say
but work on projects, prep and play.

Think of your kids and trick or treaters alike,
snacks for home and the traveling tyke.

What is good for your kids should not be the same
as what you give at the door you don't want the blame.

Exposed treats like apples and such
are not appreciated by strangers much.

All the trouble you go through today
will just be taken and thrown away.

You protect your kids more than any other
and so will that little trick or treaters mother.

So throughout the next week and month or so,
I will show you samples of whats good to go.

Using vintage freebies from my freebie page
we will create treats that will be all the rage.

So stay tuned my friend for Halloween fun
there's so much more in the days to come.

One more thing before I go,
I must tell you I appreciate you more than you know!

Colonel Sprocket in the Kitchen

8/11/2014

Today the Colonel is in the Southern Kitchen makin buttery Toffee. For those of you who do not know the Colonel, he is the Entrepreneur of all things Vintage, Time Travel, inventor and the delightful host of www.etsy.com/shop/ColonelSprocket

You see the Colonel aided by his lovely wife Charlotte develop all kind of wonderful things for your pleasure. Perpetual Vanilla, Soaps, jewelry, vintage design and the list grows. And as I said today the Colonel felt like Toffee. You see there's a very quaint business that makes toffee in California. However they do not ship toffee in the summer. Why? It melts in the delivery truck.

So what is the Colonel to do when he has a yen for Toffee? Well make it himself of course! Using his very own Lovely Perpetual Madagascar Vanilla in it.

"We set up a test kitchen today to develop our own toffee heah in Georgia using of course the finest Southern pecans. " Drawls the Colonel.

Now for those of you who do not as of yet know it, Colonel Sprockets is a subsidiary of GrafXQuest. Several years ago a friend introduced us to the wonderful photos of the Colonel and his family and we haven't looked back. Going to the Colonel's Link above you can experience more around the Colonel and his family and the wonderful story based shopping experience like no other. Join him for wonderful tales of Time Travel and invention.

As for the toffee well we all think that we have developed something mighty tasty heah. And nothing motivates an artist like good Tonks Coffee and Toffee. If you would like to taste the Colonel's Toffee let us know. We would be more then happy to send you a trial sample all we request is the postage. It may be melted though now ya heah? After all it tis summer now. Mmmm Mmmm good!

Have you eaten?

8/9/2014

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My question to you is not literal. Although the pizza does look extra gooey. When I ask "Have you eaten?" I am asking you what have you done to feed not only your belly but your whole being. Your life. Your soul. You see life lived in HD "High Definition" means you have broken the molds and no longer see life in black and white. If you can achieve this. You have fed your being.

If you find in life that you follow the majority then I ask you. Isn't it time to break the mold? Do a reassessment? As Mark Twain said; and take it from a man who knew how to dress, "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, tis' time to pause and reflect."

When is it that you find you are having the most fun. Is it when you are playing a game? Think about that. I don't mean the kind of game where you have parked your rump in front of the TV and immerse yourself in your XBOX or Sony. Although we won't entirely push this example aside if you are engaged in a game where you are playing strategy against another on line player. Mark Twain

What I am talking about is the kind of game you probably played at a party or with a group of people. You were engaged with others and there was a strategy involved, you were laughing and of all things using your brain. Its' these times you are at you best because you are on your toes excited adrenaline pumping trying to win. At the end of the night when you walked away you remember wanting to do it again sometime. You fed your life and soul with laughter, camaraderie, ingenuity, and the desire to win.

So why is it we walk away and the next day return to our lives and live them exactly the way were living them yesterday. Leaving ourselves starving for more "the next time" and settling down for another day pushing that fun from last night to the back burner. Couldn't we just incorporate those feelings we felt when playing the game into today and what we are doing now? Why not? Who said you have to live your life inside four walls in two colors. As an artist I work with color everyday and it wouldn't be much fun if I were restricted to just the black and white tubes of paint. I am also sorry to break your bubble but life is not all black and white. Choose to step outside of yourself; feed the soul and be the RED tube of paint. And not just any red be blood red, magenta, cherry red, Brick red. There are so many variations pick one and wear your color on your soul.

Now that you see life differently paint a new picture and figure out a way to make each day and everything you do a game. Bring the excitement of the color you have chosen and the game that draws on your adrenaline to the surface of your pizza. Wait what? You remember the pizza above that has so many toppings on it? Yeah THAT pizza. Be the pizza envision you are the pizza. HOT, Bubbly, many faceted, lots of color, changes with heat, delicious and spicy. You want to be spicy don't you? Who wants to be a cracker. One flavor that tastes the same every-time.

Make your day competitive. Challenge yourself. Make a list if you have never made a list of things you want to accomplish. Challenge someone to do it with you by giving them the same list and see who can complete more on the list by the end of the day. Bet on it. (Not that I am promoting gambling here). But the point is to feed your life with new exciting experiences so that you can be your best everyday and capture the fun.

Remember to embrace your inner pizza with your own color of red sauce but most of all ask yourself today "Have you eaten?"

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The Art of Eating Halloween Candy; Part 7 in the Art of Halloween Series

Tit Column "Don't Eat"

Tat Column " If you Must..."

WORST JELLY CANDY: Mike & Ike (1 small box)

The Art of Halloween Preparation Part3

The Art of Halloween Preparation Part1

Colonel Sprocket in the Kitchen

Have you eaten?

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Tit Column "Don't Eat"

Tat Column " If you Must..."

WORST JELLY CANDY: Mike & Ike (1 small box)

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