Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Blog With Friends: The Boo Crew

Last month a group of friends and I collaborated to publish Tailgating posts. We all featured pictures and links to each others’ projects, making it easy for our readers to jump the links from one of our projects to another.

What I loved about the partnership is that it was not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group, coming up with a variety of projects. We had a recipe and a canning recipe, sewing and crafts projects, a book review and a technology post, all related to the theme of tailgating.

I’m happy to announce that this collaboration was so successful that we’ve decided to continue it monthly. Again, a number of different types of projects, all associated with a theme. 
 
Blog With Friends projects | www.BakingInATornado.com | #blogging


This month our theme is Halloween. You’re shocked, I know. Here’s a compilation of what we have to offer. Individual pictures of each project and links to them all are at the end of my post.

Blog With Friends projects | www.BakingInATornado.com | #blogging

I’ve come up with a Halloween recipe. And before you start laughing, let me just admit the truth. Although these guys were not meant to be scary, they weren’t supposed to look like Mr. Potato Head either. Often I have these projects in my head and they just don’t seem to come out looking the same when I actually execute them. I have to admit, Mr. Potato Head lookalikes or not, I think they’re great for a kids’ party. AND they were yummy. So I’m going with it and calling it a win. Introducing my Bloody Buddies:


Halloween Bloody Buddies | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Halloween
Halloween Bloody Buddies

Please be careful when making these, you’ll be working with very hot caramel.

This project works best if you get all of your ingredients ready and together before you start:


Halloween Bloody Buddies | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Halloween
all of the ingredients together and ready to go

After giving these buddies a hot caramel bath, the only humane thing to do would be to let them chillax a bit in the fridge:


Halloween Bloody Buddies | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Halloween
Bloody Buddies chillaxing in the fridge

And once they’re all set, take them to a party:



Halloween Bloody Buddies | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #Halloween
Bloody Buddies



As promised, here are links to some other really fun Halloween projects:

Robin of Someone Else’s Genius demonstrates how to make a Nevermore Wreath, a wreath based on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.

Stacy of Stacy Sews and Schools shows us a sewing tutorial for a Halloween costume, Anna's Cape (from Frozen).

 Shellybean of Follow me home shows us how to make Mini Halloween Gates, an eerie art project you can do with kids.


Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares how to decorate on the cheap in her Spooky Kooky Halloween post.



Melissa of Home on Deranged shares a fun (but not too scary) Halloween for little ones in her post Not So Spooky Halloween for Little Ghouls and Boos!

 
Happy Haunting!
 Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics



Bloody Buddies (Caramel Pears for Halloween)
                                                                            ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
5 pears
1 pkg (11 ounces) soft caramels, unwrapped
2 TBSP water
¼ cup finely chopped pistachios
¼ cup red hots candies
OPT: red food coloring
10 Mike and Ike candies threaded onto the ends of toothpicks
10 mini nonpareils
OPT: licorice strips cut into small pieces or white chocolate covered raisins for the mouth
 
Directions:
*Wash and completely dry the pears. Spray a sheet of parchment paper with non-stick spray. Place the pistachios onto a piece of wax paper.
*Place the caramels and water in a pot and cook over medium low until the caramels are completely melted. Remove from heat.
*One at a time, put a pear into the pot and use a spoon to pour caramel all over the pear except the stem. Lift by the stem, allow some of the excess caramel to drip off, then scrape the bottom of the pear with a spoon. Immediately dip the bottom into the pistachios and place on the parchment paper. Repeat with all of the pears.
*Place the red hots into the pan with the rest of the caramel and return to medium low heat. Heat and stir until the red hots melt. If you want the “blood” a deeper color, add some red food coloring.
*Using a spoon, drizzle the melted red hots onto the very top of the pear and allow to drip down the sides.
*Press the toothpicks into the sides.
*Move to the fridge and allow to just start to harden. After about ½ hour, while the caramel is still “gummy”, press 2 nonpareils onto the pear as eyes. 
OPT: If you want a mouth, press either a piece of licorice strip or a white chocolate covered raisin onto the pear below the “eyes”.   Check a few times as the caramel is hardening, if the “eyes” and/or “mouth” drop, you can gently push them back up before the caramel fully hardens.


26 comments:

  1. LOVE those SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    AWESOME!!!!!!!

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  2. Can I tell you how cute those are? Can't wait to make them. Also, I love that the buddies are chillaxin' next to a Mike's Hard. Hahahha.

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  3. I'm always looking for pear recipes! I have two granddaughters who will flip over this one!

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    Replies
    1. Hope you try them, they were fun to make. Let me know if you do!

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  4. I swear I already left one comment. If you see 2, I just love you that much. I think these are adorable, and my kids would love decorating. Super happy you let them chillax after their bath. :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it only seemed fair to let them hang out in the fridge a bit. That caramel is REALLY hot.

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  5. Even cuter than Mr. Potato Head, in my opinion! I like the twist on the classic caramel apples. :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I liked the shape better than apples and the addition of the hot cinnamon is great too!

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  6. Ohhhh carmel pears?!

    And cute carmel pears on top of that!

    This looks tasty and perfect for the.season :-)

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  7. Wow every one did a terrific job on this one once again!

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  8. Really fun - and I love that you did it with pears. Will check the other projects out as well!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Hope you enjoy all the other posts too, I have such creative friends!

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  9. Isn't it great like one idea leads to a slightly different, but equally cool project?
    Your bloody buddies look so yummy, and it's still 1.5 hours till lunch... Do you think I can snatch one from your fridge?

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  10. Awwww! Look at the cute, little zombie-pears, bleeding from the head. Wait... They are zombies, right? Somewhere along the way I started seeing them as zombies & now I can't shake the image.

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    Replies
    1. I like "zombies" better than "Mr. Potato Head" so yeah, lets go with that!

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  11. oh gosh, these bloody buddies made me laugh. Too much walking dead is my thought. LOL you go girl, get your spook on!

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha, Walking Dead, I didn't think of that. Now I want to rename them!

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  12. I love your bloody Buddies! I really love the name, I don't think you should change it.

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  13. I want a bloody buddy! Those look so cool!

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