The Brass Paperclip Project

Handmade Halloween: Lollipop Head Candy Display

Last week I showed you how to make a Cauliflower Head centerpiece for your Halloween veggie platter using an upcycled styrofoam head. Today, I'm going to show you how to use the same head to display your trick-or-treat candy.

But first, the back story...

A few years ago, I bought organic lollipops to pass out to trick-or-treaters.  It's not that I have issues with sweets or treats...in fact, it's quite the contrary.  I have a serious sweet tooth.  It's more about the quality of what I buy and knowing where it comes from. (I'll save that rant for another day.)  Suffice to say, I ended up with these Yummy Earth organic lollipops.

No offense to Yummy Earth, but I didn't feel they were the most exciting treats ever.  They were flat and lacked the flash of all the candy bars from the drug store.  I felt good about my choice, but was still feeling conflicted about whether or not I was being a candy scrooge.  I wanted to stay true to my values but still offer the kids something fun.

So this is where the head comes in.  Wanting to prove to myself and the neighborhood that a healthy, ethical, green Halloween doesn't have to be lame, I came up with this lollipop head display....to shock and amaze my trick-or-treaters.  It worked.  Everyone loved it.

The head came from the thrift store and was already painted this weird green.  After a quick rinse, all I had to do was poke holes in the head with a BBQ skewer and stick in the pops.  The kids all thought it was hilarious when I held out a head full of candy instead of the usual bowl or tray.

I guess the moral of this story is that you should always stick to your morals and...presentation is everything. LOL. In the end, I also realized I was projecting my own perceptions of what is cool and fun onto the poor lollipops.  I have never met a kid that didn't like a lollipop, so who am I to judge? 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found some inspiration here.  Please feel free to share your comments.  I'll have a few more Halloween posts coming up before the 31st, so I hope you'll check back often.  You can follow along at any of the links below so you don't miss a thing. 

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Until then...  XOXO, Cindi

 

Handmade Halloween: Cauliflower Head

This project really cracks me up...I laughed the whole time I was putting it together. 

Next week I will back track and fill you in on how I arrived at the idea for Cauliflower Head, but for now, all you need to know is that I had this ugly green styrofoam head in my possession that needed a refashion and this is what I came up with.  Cauliflower Head was the star attraction in my veggie platter for last year's Halloween party.  :)

First, I decided the head needed a fresh coat of paint, so I painted it black and let it sit for a few weeks to off-gas.  The paint is not food safe, but since the food didn't touch the paint I just wanted to make sure there wouldn't be stinky fumes all over my food.

The next step was a simple assembly of sticking toothpicks into cauliflower florets and then sticking the picks into the head to create a "brain-like" appearance.  I originally wanted to use purple cauliflower, but all I could find at the time was yellow.  Bright green Romanesco broccoli would have been fun too.  If all you can find is white, maybe try painting the head a more funky color instead.

Once I had my brain assembled, I needed to keep it fresh until the party, which is how she ended up wearing this little "shower cap" to keep the cauliflower fresh.  This really cracked me up!  (I know, I'm so simple.)

For the final presentation, I put the head on a cake plate in the center of my veggie platter and gave it a necklace of pepper rings.  It definitely added a weird vibe to my buffet!  In the bottom right corner, you can also see the Jack-o-lantern 7-layer dip that I shared last week.  And, yes, I am aware that my dip only has 6 layers...total title fail!  LOL

If you are curious about what all this food is, here are the little labels I made for the party from frames I found on Cathe Holden's website, Just Something I Made.  FYI: I highly recommend Cathe's website...it is pure crafty gold.

If anyone is interested in two no-fail appetizers that never disappoint, let me know and I'll post my Spinach Dip and Meatballs.  Later this month, I'll also share some fun decorating details that are easy peasy and look really cute!

As always, thanks for stopping by!  Shoot me pics if you make this weird little food item...I'd love to see your versions! 

Check back next Friday for more Halloween food fun!  You can follow along at any of the links below to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

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XOXO, Cindi

 

Handmade Halloween: 7-Layer Taco Dip

 

Years ago, one of my girlfriends was married to a chef who used to make this dip for all their parties.  They used to throw a lot of parties, too, so it was great!  Sadly, the marriage did not survive, but we still like to joke about how lucky she was to get custody of the 7-layer dip recipe!  It's so good!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can refried beans

1/2 packet of taco mix

2 ripe avocados, cubed

1/2 lime, juiced

1 small container of sour cream

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1 onion, chopped

1 small can chopped green chilies

5 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 bar jalapeno jack cheese, grated

1 small can chopped black olives

 

STEP 1: Mix refried beans and taco seasoning, then spread in the bottom of a pie plate.

STEP 2: Mash avocado with lime juice, then spread on top of beans.

STEP 3: Spread sour cream over avocado.

STEP 4: Mix chopped jalapeno, onion, tomatoes and green chilies, then spread on top of sour cream.

STEP 5: Spread shredded cheese over tomato mixture.

STEP 6: Carefully arrange chopped black olives to look like a jack-o-lantern face.

That's all there is to it...just chill and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.  You can make it a day ahead, but wait to put the olives on, so the cheese doesn't get soggy. 

Hope you like...let me know what you think!  And be sure to check back for more fun Halloween food each Friday in October.  :)