For Halloween, as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®, I made these delicious chocolate cupcakes with a Butterfinger frosting and some spooky eyeballs, using Nestle Crunch bars for dessert to go along with a spooky Tombstone pizza.

One of our favorite times of year is Halloween. Yes, I said times, not holiday. Because the whole entire month of October is dedicated to Halloween in our home. From making lots of Halloween treats to the Halloween decorations and Halloween parties to the culmination of actually going trick or treating on October 31st… the month is full of spooky, scary fun.

I do make a lot of Halloween treats during the month of October. A lot. Like, really, a LOT.

Recently I did a trial run with a delicious Butterfinger cupcakes recipe. I wanted to make sure they would be good before making them for a Halloween party. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Right? And I’m always looking for Halloween ideas.

So I dropped by Walmart and picked up some Tombstone pizzas and ingredients for some Halloween treats and for giving out on Halloween, like, Nestle Butterfinger, Crunch, and Nerds candy.

My family loved them, so I guess they passed the test. Check out the recipe below:

Butterfinger Cupcakes for Halloween

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Serves	18
Prep time	1 hour
Cook time	18 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 18 minutes
Meal type	Dessert
Occasion	Halloween
Website	Make Bake Celebrate

These Butterfinger Icing cupcakes are perfect for Halloween or anytime.

Ingredients

• 12 Fun-Size Bars Butterfinger (You can also use 6 full-sized bars.)
• 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines, but use your favorite cake mix, or make from scratch.)
• 1 stick Butter (Softened.)
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons Milk
• 1 tube Orange Gel Food Coloring (Optional.)

Note

Tip: You can also use the Family Fun-Sized Butterfinger bars to stick in the top of your cupcakes.

Directions

Bake Cupcakes

Step 1

Bake cupcakes per box instructions. Cool completely. While cupcakes are baking/cooling, prepare/make icing.

Scrape Chocolate

Step 2

Using a vegetable peeler scrape off the chocolate from the Butterfinger bars into a bowl and set aside for

Finely Crush Butterfinger

Step 3

Using an Oscar (food processor or blender) finely chop the Butterfinger bars. You can put them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them, too. Set aside.

Mix Butter & Peanut Butter

Step 4

Using an electric mixer beat softened butter until creamy. Add peanut butter and mix until combined well.

Mix Butterfinger Crumbs

Step 5

Mix in the finely chopped Butterfinger crumbs until combined.

Add Powdered Sugar

Step 6

Slowly mix in the powdered sugar.

Add Orange Food Coloring Gel (optional)

Step 7

Because of the other ingredients mixed in, the Butterfingers lost some of their Butterfinger color. So you can add in orange good coloring gel to get that beautiful orange Butterfinger color back.

Add Milk

Step 8

Start adding 1 TBS of milk at a time to get the desired consistency. I added 2 TBS to mine. It was firm/thick enough to pipe on the cupcakes.

Ice The Cupcakes

Step 9

I just used a freezer bag filled with my icing and snipped off the corner to pipe on my Butterfinger icing.

My husband said he could eat just the Butterfinger icing all by itself. It’s THAT good.

I also made these spooky eyeballs using Nestle Crunch Bars adapted from a Nestle Crunch Snowball cookie recipe I found. I just covered mine with white chocolate, so I could make them look like eyeballs, by decorating them with red gel food coloring and candies on top for the iris.

After having a spooky but delicious Tombstone pizza, we enjoyed eating our cupcakes and eyeballs. Speaking of Tombstone pizza, if you and your family are anything like mine, pizza is an easy and well-received meal. I can’t go wrong serving pizza, anytime, anywhere, as far as my husband and son goes, though.

Our trial run (like I said, we do this all month long) went smoothly. Here’s how our Halloween night should go….

After I pass out some family fun-sized bars of Nestle Butterfinger, Crunch, and Nerds to our neighborhood kids, we’ll take our son out trick-or-treating, then meet up with his cousins at my mother-in-law’s house. Then it’s time to come home for our Halloween tradition of Tombstone pizza.

Tombstone pizza makes a quick, easy, and tasty meal after an evening out trick-or-treating. By the time I preheat the oven, get the pizza in and out, we have sorted through our son’s candy stash and ready to dive into the pizza. Then it will be time to eat those yummy Butterfinger cupcakes and spooky eyeballs. Bwahahahahaha!

Halloween is so much fun! We’ve already gone to one Halloween party at KCT (Knoxville Children’s Theatre). My son the Grim Reaper and I dressed as a Vampiress (minus the fangs – those things were not comfortable and kept me from talking – that just wasn’t happening).

Are you a Halloween enthusiast like me? What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?

The post Halloween Treats – Spooky, Easy, and Delicious Recipe #TrickUrTreat #shop appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Camping is one of the most fun activities you can do during the cool fall months and more people head out into the woods during this time of year than any other. Everyone knows, however, that your camping fun will be largely determined by who you bring along. While your spouse is always fun… ahem… I prefer a really good zombie to camp alongside me.

Zombies, while a bit smelly and dangerous, make wonderful camping buddies in the great outdoors. This is, of course, assuming you have them on some type of restraint system. You can’t have them running around eating your brains, right?

Anyway, assuming you can get past the whole, “I want your flesh”, thing… zombies make great camping buddies.

Don’t believe me?

Well consider the following reasons zombies make fantastic camping buddies:

Zombies never get tired on a hike

Every camper has been out on that long hike where your partner simply can’t go any further. You end up stopping and starting and eventually setting up camp in the middle of nowhere because your husband (or wife) just can’t go anymore.

Not with zombies…

Zombies will go on and on forever. You look over your shoulder, and there it will be. Pushing you on to new heights and never weighing you down. You never have to worry about zombies giving out because they are already dead. The only want to eat you. Avoid that and you have a great hiking buddy.

Zombies will love your campfire songs and music

When you sit down and start blowing that harmonica to the tune of Old Glory, your zombie will only sit there and moan. It won’t complain or nag you to find a new song. It won’t remind you that you are totally tone deaf. It will just sit there and reach out for your musical genius.

Zombies are great listeners

Do you ever sit in front of the campfire and suddenly realize the meaning of life? Nothing is worse than sharing your incredible intellect with someone that keeps talking over you. Your zombie won’t do that. He will simply groan and occasionally reach down to pick up his eyeball that fell out.

Zombies are wonderful listeners because they can’t talk back… they can’t tell you how wrong you are, and they always agree with you.

Predators will always go for the zombies first

Another huge fear of mine when I go camping is mountain lions and bears, oh my. The thought of one of these predators getting a hold of me and eating me is horrifying. Not with a zombie in camp.

Zombies are dead and have rotting flesh. The predators are going to want them first and give you time to get away. There is also a better than even chance that the zombie will eat the bear or mountain lion.

Of course….

Then the bear or mountain lion would be a zombie. Hmmm, maybe I didn’t think that one through.

Zombies draw all the bugs to them

Even if all the above fall through and your zombie is the worst camping buddy ever, it would still pull through in the end. You know why?

No mosquitoes! What bug is coming after you when rotting flesh is right there also?

Zombies rule.

The post Why Zombies Make Fantastic Camping Buddies appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Guest Post

Halloween is a favorite holiday for children because they get to dress as their heroes and go door-to-door in search of candy. While safety may not be at the forefront of their minds, adults need to ensure that their children are careful and out of harm’s way with the following tips.

Image Source

Choosing The Right Costume

Whether your child chooses to dress up as their favorite cartoon character or go as a scary ghost, you want your child to be safe on this special day. Reflective strips or material that glows in the dark can protect them as they cross dark streets while trick-or-treating. With bonfires, luminaries and lit pumpkins, your child can be exposed to open flames.

Your child’s costume should be flame retardant and resistant to flames and other fire hazards. If you make your child’s costume, there are flame retardant sprays you can purchase and apply.

If your child’s costume consists of a mask, you may want to opt for makeup instead. However, if they insist on the decorative facial garb, you should choose something with sufficient openings for both the eyes and nose. You can also redesign the mask so only the top or bottom portion is used to give enough sight and air for your child.

Community Halloween Party

If you’re unsure whether you want your children to go trick-or-treating, you can enlist the help of your fellow neighbors to host a community Halloween party. A room at the local Park District or neighborhood backyards can serve as your backdrop. Assign treats, games, beverages and prizes for each household within the community for a bigger extravaganza. You can also have your children parade the sidewalks in search of the best costume.

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Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-Treating is a favorite activity on Halloween. Unfortunately, many parents are leery of sending their children out alone. You can make this a supervised fun activity by gathering up your friends and family members and traversing the community together with other adults. If your children are old enough to go alone, GPS tracking devices are ideal because they let you know exactly where your children are through a cellphone app.

Before you child devours their favorite treat, your local law enforcement agency can x-ray the candy for possible contaminations such as razor blades and needles. If you choose to stay home and pass out candy instead of venturing out, you can alleviate unwanted lawsuits and pet bites by putting the family pet in a safe location for the evening.

The right kind of lighting can also illuminate sidewalks, drives and walkways and help prevent children from injuries caused by trips and spills.

Child and Pre-Teen Halloween Fun

For those in search of alternative activities on Halloween, local cellphone apps have the capability to locate your areas community events. Things such as costume parties, parades, festivities at the zoo, pumpkin carving and ghost stories can all be at your fingertips by punching in your zip code.

If your child is a pre-teen or young adult, they still may like to celebrate the holiday. While it can be tempting for some teens to find illegal activities such as egging homes and toilet papering trees, you can take a proactive approach by hosting your own teen Halloween party.

This allows you the chance to keep your children and their friends safe and ensure that your celebration is alcohol and drug-free.

As a parent, it’s your job to keep your children safe no matter what their age. Holidays such as Halloween are no exception and ensuring that they maintain a happy and healthy celebration can be made easy with the above safety tips.

The post Treats, Tricks and Trauma? Safeguard Your Child for Halloween appeared first on Blog By Donna.

If you’re looking for a tasty easy Halloween drink for the kids (of any age) that will be a big hit throughout the whole month of October, this Spooky Hot Cocoa is it!

Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? I mean really… who? It’s the perfect fall and winter drink, and by adding some spooky ghosts, kids are going to flip. Flip I say! Here’s a quick and easy spooky hot cocoa recipe with some spooky ghosts:

Spooky Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 1 tbs. Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 C. Agave Nectar (or ½ C. sugar)
• 1 ¾ C. Milk + ¼ C. of Milk
• Mini Marshmallows
• Wilton black edible marker (located in the Wilton section at craft stores and major retailers)

Directions

1. Start by drawing faces on the mini marshmallows – this is the perfect fine motor activity for the kids and fun! They don’t have to be perfect.

2. In a small sauce pan, combine the cocoa powder, and sugar mixing well. Add in the ¼ cup of milk and bring to a boil. Slowly add in the rest of the milk and boil for about 30 seconds allowing the milk and chocolate mixture to meld.

Pour into mugs and serve with your spooky ghost marshmallows and enjoy!

Makes about 2 servings.

This spooky hot cocoa recipe would be a great beverage at a Halloween party or at a bonfire, too!

Do you have a favorite Halloween beverage?

The post Spooky Hot Cocoa Recipe appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Everyone that knows me knows I love horror movies. And I’m especially fond of zombie movies and shows. The Walking Dead is one of my favorites! Can’t wait for the new season to start. This got me to thinking about zombies (and I’ve written about zombies several times here on my blog) and ways living as a zombie beats normal life (and in the spirit of Halloween coming up)….

Zombie living is not like everyday life at all. The worries of how you are going to make it from day to day are lost on you as you wander through the afternoon looking for brains. In fact, the zombies have it a little bit better than we do in some ways. If living as a zombie sounds horrible to you, consider the following:

Zombies never get scared

Have you ever watched a zombie from a distance? You can throw anything at them including a bullet and they will just keep on lumbering along. Nothing makes them fearful or afraid. They simply moan and keep on chasing. That has to be a bit liberating, no?

Zombies have simple dinner plans

We all know what it is like to try and plan dinner with a large family. Asking everyone what they would like is like roulette for your nervous system. Zombies know what they are having for dinner at all times and they only worry about securing it. I wish I only ate one thing and my dinner plans were so simple. (perhaps not brains…maybe something like chocolate)

Zombies don’t have to get dressed every day

We all know how we love those days off where we get to run around our homes in our yoga pants. Zombies live their entire lives like that. No worries about embarrassing angles or things showing…. they simply let it all loose and roll with it. I can only imagine what that freedom feels like.

Zombies don’t have to earn a living

If you are a zombie, you don’t need currency. What are you going to buy? Better still, who is going to sell you anything? Your life is simplified a great deal when you only live for brains and flesh. You don’t even have to go to work each day.

Zombies never worry about how they age

I wish I had the self confidence of a zombie. A zombie walks around with half an eyeball, missing teeth and a really bad odor and never feels upset about it. They can ignore the name brand on their sneakers and simply be who they are. You never see a zombie putting on airs.

Zombies are actually fairly noble when you think about it. They never pretend to be someone they are not. They are too simple for that. Yes, they will eat you and turn you into one of them, but at least they are honest about it. Zombies do have some advantages, huh?

The post 5 Ways Living as a Zombie Beats Normal Life appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Can you believe Halloween is almost here? It is one of my favorite holidays. Think about it… you get to decorate your home, inside and out if you want, with fun, creepy, downright scary decorations. The kids get to go out trick-or-treating and get bags full of candy (and of course we have to help them eat it). And, the parties.

Whether you are going to one, or hosting one, Halloween parties are tons of fun and the perfect excuse to dress up in Halloween costumes.

If you want to be the life of the party, nothing beats a funny Halloween costume. You can get tons of laughs wearing any of these funny Halloween costumes… I’m fond of the Mama Kangaroo with her baby too.

Which costume would you wear this Halloween?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boombox Network . This post contains affiliate links.

The post Looking for Funny Halloween Costumes? Look No Further #BBNshops appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Halloween is a special time of year for kids. I can remember how excited I was for Halloween, it was a close second to Christmas. I spent weeks deciding what costume I wanted to wear… would I be a princess or a ghost? It was a big decision to make. Going out with my brother and sister trick-or-treating, was so much fun. And of course, the candy. Bags of candy.

The most fun, though, was helping my Mom decorate. I am passing the tradition onto my son… and he loves helping me decorate for Halloween.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, or make or buy elaborate Halloween decorations. In fact, Halloween is all about having fun, so let your kid help you decorate, whether it’s funny and whimsical or spooky, creepy, and scary, just have fun.

Check out these Halloween products to give you some ideas for easy ways to decorate for Halloween with kids:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boombox Network . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Easy Ways to Decorate for Halloween with Kids #BBNshops appeared first on Blog By Donna.

I love seeing couples dressed up on Halloween with coordinating costumes. It’s fun just trying to figure out a couples costume that fits you and your significant others personality.

I could see my husband as Popeye because he so strong and he’s my protector, but me as Olive Oyl? Maybe 15 years ago, but not today. The Olive Oyl costume would be perfect for all my slender friends, though.

Maybe a 1960’s Hippie Couple? I could so see me wearing a hippie costume. In fact, my husband calls me a hippie all the time. Yet, I don’t quite see a hippie costume fitting him, though.

Oh, Bacon and Eggs costume! Everything is better with bacon, right? I can see my husband as a delicious strip of bacon, but I’m not “egg-actly” seeing myself as an egg. At least not this year.

I’m torn between the 1920’s Gangster couple and Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. They both appeal to me for different reasons. I guess I’ll see which one my husband would prefer… and I have a feeling I know which one he will choose.

Here are some great choices for the best Halloween costumes for couples:

Which Halloween costume for couples could you see you and your significant other wearing?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boombox Network . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post The Best Halloween Costumes for Couples #BBNshops appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Halloween is for kids of all ages; from the young to the… not so young. Just because you don’t have kids or you’re empty-nesters doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Halloween.

In fact, couples can, and should enjoy Halloween. Dress up in matching Halloween costumes for couples (either to go to a party or just to open the door to pass out candy to the trick or treaters). Halloween is a good time for a “ghostly” romantic dinner and then watch scary movies and cuddle up with your loved one. And share some popcorn balls for dessert.

So forgo the messy pumpkin carving and pick up a ceramic pumpkin, some black bleeding taper candles to set the mood, and don some skull and roses underwear for later, and celebrate Halloween for grown ups.

Check out these items for ideas on how to celebrate Halloween for adults:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boombox Network . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Halloween for Grown Ups #BBNshops appeared first on Blog By Donna.

If you’re looking for a last minute Halloween craft idea, these easy DIY Halloween candlestick frames are easy and cheap. If you’re like me and don’t want to spend a lot of money on something you put out for approximately a month a year, these frames are it.

You can use them year after year and it’s a fun DIY Halloween project to do with your kids, too.

It’s a great DIY project to use Dollar Tree or Dollar Store buys, very economical. Here’s what you will need for your easy DIY Halloween Candlestick Frames…

Materials:

2 Candlesticks (from thrift store, dollar store or from around the house)
2 Black 4×6 Photo Frames (from dollar store)
Black Spray Paint
White Acrylic Paint
Craft Paint Brush
Plastic Bats (bag of 6 from dollar store)
Hot Glue Gun
Extra Glue Sticks

Directions:

Step 1:
Spray paint candlesticks. It may take 3 or 4 coats to cover all the areas.

Step 2:
While candlesticks are drying, paint white stripes along the border of your picture frames.

Step 3:
After all paint has dried, apply a couple of decent sized drops of hot glue. Center the frame on your glue drops and hold in place for about 10 seconds until glue cools completely.

Step 4:
Apply generous amount of hot glue to the back of the bat, place in desired position on frame. Hold into place for about 10 seconds until the glue cools completely.

Step 5:
Clean up any glue strings that are visible and add your photo to frame!

Do you like to do DIY Halloween crafts?

The post Easy DIY Halloween Candlestick Frames appeared first on Blog By Donna.

If you know me, you know that I am a huge zombie fan. The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows, I love zombie movies, and October is one of my favorite months, for several reasons… one of them being, all the horror movies, which of course includes zombie movies. Oh, and the Halloween […]

The post Zombie Pasta for The Walking Dead Season 7 Premiere appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Here’s another Halloween dessert recipe that the kids will be sure to love. Adults will too, of course, because who doesn’t love sugar cookies? If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ll notice that I’ve been following a theme… zombie and/or bones type recipes that will go great for a Halloween party or for the […]

The post Bloody Bones Sugar Cookies Recipe appeared first on Blog By Donna.

If you know me or have frequented this blog much, you know that I love horror movies. One of the reasons October is my favorite month is because of all the great thrillers and horror movies that are at the movies or on TV. As I was thinking about my favorite horror movies I realized […]

The post Must See Horror Movies for the Big Screen appeared first on Blog By Donna.

I love fall. The cooler weather (although it still feels like summer here), the fall colors, using my slow cooker more, and decorating for the fall holidays – Halloween and Thanksgiving. It can sometimes be expensive to decorate, especially when you want a high-end look, like something from Pottery Barn. I love shopping Pottery Barn, […]

The post Halloween Pottery Barn Knock-Offs appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Halloween will be here in just a month. It’s one of our favorite holidays, just because it’s so much fun. Halloween costumes, parties, trick-or-treating to Halloween decorations, crafts, desserts, and food, it’s a great month for creativity… like Bloody Bones cupcakes. October is one of my favorite months of the year not just because of […]

The post Bloody Bones Cupcakes – Recipe for Halloween appeared first on Blog By Donna.

If you’re looking for a tasty easy hot cocoa recipe for Halloween for the kids (of any age) that will be a big hit throughout the whole month of October, this Spooky Hot Cocoa is it! Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? I mean really… who? It’s the perfect fall and winter drink, and by adding […]

The post Hot Cocoa Recipe for Halloween Fun appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Halloween and fall is pumpkin everything. Fall is my favorite season and Halloween is my husband’s favorite holiday. It is one of my favorites for sure, but my husband goes all out for Halloween. He hoped our son would be born on Halloween because my doctor first set my due date for November 5th. But […]

The post Pumpkin Projects: 20 Upcycle Ideas for Fall or Halloween appeared first on Blog By Donna.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s definitely my husband’s favorite holiday. He goes all out on Halloween with decorations and buying way too much Halloween candy. I really don’t mind… and now that my son is a teenager, I miss Halloween class parties, making Halloween DIY projects, and making free Halloween printables. But […]

The post FREE Halloween Printables: Witches appeared first on Blog By Donna.

For Halloween, as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®, I made these delicious chocolate cupcakes with a Butterfinger frosting and some spooky eyeballs, using Nestle Crunch bars for dessert to go along with a spooky Tombstone pizza. One of our favorite times of year is Halloween. Yes, IRead More →

The post Halloween Treats – Spooky, Easy, and Delicious Recipe appeared first on Blog By Donna.