What To Do With Leftover Halloween Candy?
By
Patti Hemes
There are plenty of ways
to make use of the Halloween candy stash, if you just get creative.
It's the day after
Halloween, and your dining room table is covered by a mountain of candy.
There's no way you want your kids to eat all that sugar, and you
certainly don't want it lying around, tempting you. But you feel
guilty just dumping it all into the trash (I know you don't really,
but let's pretend you do). There are plenty of other ways to make
use of the candy stash, if you just get
creative.
First, if you have ever decorated a ginger bread house
for Christmas, then you know how expensive it can be collecting all the
candy needed to make it look just right. Get out your list and shop the
kids' stash, now, before all the good stuff disappears. Tell them
they'll get to eat it all when you're done with it (they
don't have to know it's
for Christmas). And speaking of Christmas, have you ever
admired the stained-glass ornaments on a friend's tree? Well make
some for your own tree this year, starting with the hard candies that
nobody eats anyway, and the directions here.
They're so easy you can even let the kids take over
the project while you supervise the oven.
But maybe crafts just aren't
your thing. No problem. How about science experiments? You know how much
your kids would love to put stuff into the microwave just to see what
would happen. Well, either you can let them make up their own
experiments, or try out the activities at Candy Experiments, with
instructions, videos and some real science to boot. Can you think of a
better way to dispose of excess candy?
How about eating it? In a salad? Or a cake? Yes, you can
improve it, so check out the Leftover Halloween
Candy Recipes and get cooking. If you time it right, you can serve
up a new family favorite just in time for Thanksgiving. You could have
the kids try the Butterfinger Cake recipe, while you see what kinds of
homemade flavored liqueur you can come up with. My favorite suggestion
comes from Wise Bread, where I found that “Werther's
Originals dissolved in vodka might make for some tasty shots.”
Sounds like a new holiday tradition to me.
If you absolutely must get the
candy out of the house immediately, then donation is the way to go.
Check with your local dentists to see if they participate in a Halloween
Candy Buy-Back program. The candy gets shipped to US troops stationed
overseas, and the kids can make a few dollars (some dentists are paying
up to $2 a pound). Other opportunities to donate would be local shelters
or food pantries. Already overloaded with more clients than they
normally serve, the holidays are the perfect time to add some sweets to
cheer up families going through rough times.
So what's it going to be?
Crafts, cooking, drinking, experimenting (without blowing up the
microwave) or sharing? And you thought Halloween candy was just for
eating.
Patti Hermes
Patti Hermes is a writer and columnist, specializing in family and parenting subjects and works for children. More about Patti Hermes
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