Happy Haunting!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

The most wonderful time of the year is only a day away. No, not Christmas – Halloween! Halloween  is a wondrous time of the year and also comes with a few safety precautions. Here are some tips to help you on your night of tricks and treats.

1. Take Care of Animals

Hallow’s Eve is known as Mischief Night and a form of unforgivable mischief that people might perform is harming animals. With this being said, if you have a pet keep them inside for Hallow’s Eve. On Halloween, be sure to keep an eye out for them if you happen to be walking them through trick or treating hours or keep them away from the door when trick or treaters arrive. If you don’t have a pet, but you do notice some strays roaming around your neighborhood, either take them in or call the animal shelter. A safe animal is a happy animal, especially on Mischief Night and Halloween.

2. Watch Children

When a person has a child, it is their responsibility. Not yours, not your pets’, not anyone’s responsibility, but that parent. However, there are times when parents’ eyes tend to roam (to their cell phones or their environment) which gives way to their children breaking loose and running about. Children on Halloween are excited puppies – it’s a night of fun, treats, and costumes so naturally they’ll be running around.

If you happen to be driving on Halloween night, keep a careful eye out for children crossing the street or walking around your vehicle. If you happen to have any steps or ledges leading up to your home, watch the children come and go so that they don’t trip, fall, or jump off.  If you want to prevent children from jumping off the ledges of your home, Walmart, Party City, and even Spirit Halloween sell Halloween fences to block off the area so they cannot leap from the ledge.

Trust me, as a woman whose house has a ledge that kids like to jump off of especially during Halloween, those fences are incredibly useful.

3. Beware of Loose Candy

Seriously, why is there loose candy to begin with? By loose candy I mean candy that is unwrapped, bitten into, and/or tampered with. If you see someone handing out candy like this, refuse it or throw it away. Also, don’t be the house that gives out fruit (unless it’s coated in chocolate or caramel). It’s Halloween, children don’t want apples or pears they want Almond Joys and Pixie Sticks. Let them have their sugar rush and return to the healthy foods another day.

4. Don’t Rush

Remember how I said children run around on Halloween? Sometimes they may trip over their costumes or even their own feet. This being said, approach trick or treating like life and take it slow and easy. There is no need to rush. In the end, you will receive a gratuitous amount of candy and no markings from falling or tripping.

5. Use a Flashlight

While it’s not completely pitch dark during trick or treating hours, a source of light is still good to have. Most houses usually leave their lights on or have illuminated their yards with lights for the spirit of the season and trick or treating, but you can’t linger around those houses forever. Carry a flashlight with you to light the way, especially on pavements that are old and have unexpected rises and drops.  Plus you get to see everyone’s costumes and other people that are coming your way so you can avoid bumping into them.


6. Have Fun

Trick or treating is a momentous occasion in both a parent’s life and a child’s. For a parent, to see their child dressed up in a costume is adorable and heartwarming. For children, trick or treating is their mecca; it’s their one night of paradise that they always look forward to. So let them dress up in whatever they want, take photographs, form traditions, let them stay up a little later than normal, and let them have fun.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, subscare – I mean, subscribe, and share.

So tell me, what are your plans for Halloween?

Sweet Treats Are Made of This

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Browsing the Internet for simple recipes has never been more fun. What’s even better is discovering recipes that could be altered to fit special occasions and holidays. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, here is a recipe that can be used for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, or any time of the year. The beauty of this recipe in particular is that it allows you to create many different flavored treats all the while using the same exact measurements.

Cream Cheese Candy (20 min prep)

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese softened

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract (this could easily be substituted with other extracts like almond extract, strawberry extract, pumpkin spice extract, blueberry extract, the list goes on)

1. Beat the cream cheese and extract in a small bowl, then toss in half the confectioners’ sugar until it’s smooth.
   
   
2. Proceed to knead in the remaining confectioners’ sugar until it’s fully incorporated.
   
   
3. Shape the dough into 1/2 balls (or hearts or stars or any shape you can think of; yes even the Adipose) and place them on baking sheets. You can roll them around or sprinkle them with colored sugar; it’s not required, but it’s optional. Besides, it’ll give these little treats a bit of flare.
   
   
4. Flatten them with a fork.
   
   
5. Allow them to stand for an hour so they can harden.
   
   
6. Eat.
   
   
7. When you’re done, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
   

Thanks for reading today’s entry and if you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog. As always, feedback is welcomed.

So tell me, what shapes would you make with this simple recipe?

It's a New Year for Eating

Greetings everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Ah yes, the day after Christmas. It’s time to shake off that hang over (until next week), celebrate Boxing Day and Kwanzaa, delve deeper into the functions of your Christmas presents, and snap yourself out of that food coma.

With just five days away until the new year, here are some recipes to lift your spirits regardless if you’re alone in welcoming 2015 or with friends and family.

5. Kahlu-hoo

Chocolate milk is a classic childhood staple. As an adult, a glass of Yoo-hoo is good every now and then, but why not shake it up for New Years? Simply fill your glass with Kahlua and Yoo-hoo. The best thing about this beverage is you can regulate how much you want of both ingredients. If you’re a featherweight, you can have a little Kahlua and a lot of Yoo-hoo. Or if you want an even balance, you can go half and half.

4. Bacon Jalapeño Cornbread

Not too long ago, I was given Fleischmann’s Cornbread Mix because I love baking. I also love bacon. Put those two together and you have a match made in the kitchen. You start off by making the cornbread mix (instructions are found on the back of the box) and throw in chopped up bacon and chopped up jalapenos. Make sure the seeds are out of them and proceed to bake as the instructions inform.

If you feel like adding a little cheese (whichever one you prefer, in this recipe I usually use cheddar) to your cornbread, there are two methods you can use. The first method is to allow your cornbread finish baking and remove it from the open. While it’s still hot, spray cheese wiz all over the top. The second method is to add cheddar cheese (bagged or sliced (I usually use the bagged one)) to the top layer of your cornbread while it’s almost done baking. If you add cheese to this recipe, sour cream would be a great for spreading onto the finished cornbread or dipping.

3. Pesto Dip

Pesto is what bacon is to chocolate: amazing; just like this recipe. Mix together 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream, 7 ounces of pesto sauce, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ black salt in a bowl. Chill it until you’re ready to serve or eat it no sooner you’re done making it.

2. Cream Cheese Candy

I think this is by far the easiest candy recipe I’ve ever seen in my life. It could be made by children, procrastinators, adults, dragons, anyone.  All you need to do is mix 1 (3 ounce) package of cream cheese, 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract in a bowl until smooth. If you have any confectioner’s sugar left over, proceed to knead it into the dough. Afterwards, take the dough and shape it into ½ inch balls. Place them onto baking sheets, flatten them with a fork, and allow them to set up for an hour and twenty minutes. Proceed to eat them up when they’re nice and firm. For storing them, use an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator.

1. Snow Punch

Winter is the magical season where half the world freezes and is sometimes enchanted by the white wonder that is snow. Snow is a curse and a blessing for driving, school, and shoveling.  So who would want to drink this wintry weather? You do, of course!

Simply take 6 chopped up bananas, 2 cups of half and half cream, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of white sugar and blend until smooth. Proceed to pour this concoction into a punch bowl and slowly stir in two liters of lemon-lime flavored soda. Top it all off with a scoop of Dumbeldore’s password (aka lemon sherbet) and serve it up.

If there is anything you like to read about on this blog, feel free to comment or PM me. Feedback is always welcome and I am always open to writing about new topics and ideas. Happy Holidays and here is tonight’s question:

What do you enjoy baking for the holiday season? 

The Origin of Zombie Jesus

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Sunday houses a day where people celebrate the rising of zombie Jesus with bunnies, chocolate, and eggs. Easter is a holiday that, like Christmas, has many stories of how it all started. Some say it was the Pagans, others say it was the Christians, and then there are a few lunatics who believe it was all a part of some strange alien ritual.

Below are a few origin stories circulating around this particular holiday:

-The One We All Know

Easter has been taught to us with the Catholic/Christian belief that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and buried in a stone chamber. Easter is the day we celebrate His resurrection and that He’s a zombie, a biblical Houdini, or really, the son of God.  With this religious lesson, we are able to incorporate the Easter symbols (the egg and the rabbit) as signs of fertility and new life.

-The Pagan Way

In Paganism, Easter has a similar origin to that of the Catholic/Christian belief. The Sumerian Goddess Inanna (aka Ishtar) was crucified on a stake and rose and ascended from the Underworld. Sound familiar? Ishtar was the Goddess of fertility and sex, which fits in nicely with the traditional Easter symbols as previously mentioned. Another Pagan reason for celebrating Easter is the rise of the Spring Equinox.

-Eostre

Eostre is a Goddess from Teutonic lore who is associated with Spring and fertility. Originally, April was called Eosturmonath obviously named for Eostre, but it also translated to ‘Paschal month’. Eostre was to be celebrated with feasts and she was offered hot cross buns as a ritual. The cross symbol on the pastry was to represent the four quarters of the year or the moon.  Eostre even had a totem/familiar which was a hare that she could transform into. As for eggs, they were forbidden during Lent, but placed on the table to show the Lent days had concluded, and were painted crimson to celebrate Easter joy.

-Latin, Much?

‘Easter’ in Latin was translated to ‘hebdomada alba’ also known as white week. This was an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. It appears that Easter was celebrated for a week and only served the ideas of baptism and celebrating the Lord.

Happy Easter to you all. Enjoy your day doing whatever makes you feel good, celebratory, and awesome. Instead of a question, tonight I leave you with something that will warm anyone’s heart and make them smile: an adorable little bunny.

acuteaday.com

Regretfully this little bun bun is not mine. But I wish it was.

It's Sexy to be Single

Good evening everyone and welcome to a sultry, sexy version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Valentine’s Day has come and passed. Some people love it, others hate it. People enjoy this holiday with their beloved or their friends, while others might have spent it alone. Growing up, I always spent this holiday by myself, being the last resort or the ugly duckling of the class. But now that I have a boyfriend, it’s almost expected to celebrate the holiday in a stereotypical fashion of going out, and romancing it up. This is our second Valentine’s year to date, but yet, it has also made me realize why it’s perfectly okay to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

3) It’s Just like Christmas

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas: you give gifts to show how much you love someone, but really don’t understand the purpose of the holiday. You can show your affection for someone any time or day of the year, which makes this holiday pointless. However, behind the heart shaped boxes of candy lies a bloody history to this specific day. Valentine’s Day was originally created to celebrate Saint Valentine who married young couples despite the law banning their marriage. This law was made because it was believed unmarried men would do better in battle than those who were wed. Saint Valentine was eventually caught for his crime and beaten, stoned, and decapitated. The term ‘Valentine’ derives from his name and a letter he wrote to a young lady in which he signed ‘from your Valentine’.

2) You Save Money

Chocolate is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day and in many cases, we see a heart shaped box of chocolate is the best way to show our love for another person.  While some of us buy the popular box on Valentine’s Day if not prior to, it would be best to not buy them until after the holiday has passed. That way you can purchase the same chocolates for a lower price and still have enough money to rent a heart wrenching movie.

1) You Don’t Always Need Someone

Growing up, we are exposed to tons of Valentine’s Day specials where it’s almost a requirement that you need a Valentine for this day. In life, you won’t always be with someone. You won’t always have a partner by your side to shower you with love or compliment you and that’s okay. While you might think otherwise, you will grow in time to see that being alone is fine. By being alone you get to learn more about yourself, have fun in ways only you can, and understand that being single isn’t the end of the world.

What do you think of Valentine’s Day? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

The Sweet Aftermath of Halloween

Welcome to another Friday here at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Halloween is over and most of you probably have leftover candy from handing it out or trick or treating. People have favorite candies they receive from trick or treating or happen to pick up at the store any time throughout the year. I’m a stickler for the surf ‘n turf Nerds, Milky Ways, and Three Musketeers.

People usually feast on their sweets after Halloween, no sooner they come home, or all the trick or treaters have finished their candy collecting for the night. Below are some candies you might have obtained for Halloween and what they say about you.

Licorice

What is It: Long strands of cherry flavored sticks.

What it Says About You: You’re not afraid to play with your food. Although it’s a rule your parents instilled into you as a child, you’re not scared to break it, and have a little fun. With licorice you can bend it, stretch it, peel it, and a ton of other things. As a bonus, it has a delicious flavor.


Nerds

What is It: Tiny morsels of sugar in different colors (usually pink and purple but sometimes you may receive the blue and red ones).

What it Says About You: You’re a wild and untamed thing. You’re a hyperactive person with a vibrant personality and these little bites of unadulterated sugar fuel it. You can fit tons of these into your mouth and break them all apart in one big crunch. Don't be afraid to walk on the wild side, especially with this candy.


Hershey Kisses/Bars, M&Ms, Kit Kats

What Are They: Simple forms  of chocolate that make everything right again. 

What They Say About You: You like a quick energy boost. You’re a rocket in need of fuel, a car in need of gas, and chocolate is your go to for reloading. Biting into these treats not only gives you the energy you need but the moment of pleasure you enjoy so much.

Jolly Ranchers, Skittles, Starbursts, Airheads

What Are They: Jolly Ranchers are hard candies with various flavors. Skittles are assorted treats with colors contrasting their fruit flavors. Starbursts are sweet squares with colors that also reflect their fruity flavors. Airheads are thick strands of candy with different colors to match their distinct flavors.

What They Say About You: You believe in the ideals of divide and conquer. Separate your favorites from the ones you’d never eat or give to your friends. Let them experience the pain of the lemon Starburst, the kick of the watermelon Jolly Rancher, the punch of the green Skittles, and the kick of the mysterious white Airhead. Only you can enjoy the strawberry sweetness square of Starbursts, the delicious blue raspberry Jolly Rancher, the crimson Skittle, and the wonder of the blue raspberry Airhead.

Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Reese's

What Are They:  The Milky Way is a concoction of caramel, chocolate, and nougat. Sweet, sweet nougat. Three Musketeers is nothing but nougat wrapped up in chocolate. Reese's are peanut butter cups covered in smooth chocolate.

What They Say About You: You take your time with life. The slow path is the easiest way to go and eventually you’ll get to where you need to. Until then, enjoy it. Bite into something that will slow down time and make you feel fabulous about it.

Snickers

What is It: Peanuts, chocolate, and ooey gooey caramel.

What it Says About You: You’re complex and have many layers – just like this little candy. But with many layers comes many flavors. There are more sides to you than people know and this candy isn't afraid to exploit them all.

Candy Corn

What is It: A seasonal treat of triangle shaped candy with different colors. The most common is white, orange, and yellow but there have been other colors involved.

What it Says About You: You embrace the Halloween spirit with every fiber of your soul. This candy is a delicacy for you because it only appears for two months before returning to the stock room of every store. You eat it while you can because it shows appreciation for the greatest holiday ever.

What candy describes you and why? Which one is your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.