Mommy's Mystery Meltdown

My latest brainchild falls under the category of "What was she thinking?", especially in light of my post Halloween tirade just a few days ago. Clearly I am still under the influence.

Last night I suddenly thought, what if we unwrapped all of the chocolate-related candy, cut it up a bit, and then melted it all together. What if we took that mixture and spread it into a pan and made our own original candy?

Well, that is what we did and I'm still twitching.  If there is an AA group for people like me, last night would have been a great time for an intervention. But the kids  thought it was such a cool idea, I had to execute it. Who would think that just a short month ago my kids were eating kale and doing endless photo shoots with zucchini and jalapeno peppers? 

I've Googled "what to do with leftover Halloween candy" and have not found anyone who is smart (dumb) enough to do this. So, I am hoping this is an original idea. At least it is to me!

I had a few rules for this "recipe". Only chocolate. We used Twix, Reese's, Milky Ways, Butterfingers, Snickers, Whoppers, Milk Duds, Heath Bars, M&Ms, Baby Ruth, Three Muskateers. We omitted anything with mint like Junior Mints or Peppermint Patties because we thought it would conflict with the peanut flavors.

Nicolas hard at work unwrapping

Luca happily parting with some of his candy. Ninja focus.

Getting ready for the heat

Yes, I am aware that it looks like poop but don't be fooled!

In the end, it tasted great!

We melted the chocolate over very, very low heat. We lined a baking pan with wax paper, then poured the mixture into the pan. We let this cool a bit and then topped with M&Ms and then stuck in the fridge.

Once it hardened, it was cuttable into a bark or chunks.  You could use this for the holidays too! Or, keep the mixture and then chop it up later to use as a sundae topping.

There are many combinations you could do. I'd love to try one with Mounds and Peppermint Patties or Junior Mints.

What I really liked about this candy bar was that I never knew what I would bite into next. One second I tasted a Butterfinger chunk, the next, a Whopper.  It was really a collision of all of my favorite worlds in one pan.

Of all the meltdowns I've had as a mother, this one was, by far the best! 

Post Halloween Blues

Today is the Halloween Hangover day: The day that all teachers dread  and all mothers step on the scale and say "What the F........"

I read this blog last week about alternatives to giving out candy on Halloween. It's from a well meaning mom in NYC who believes we should think outside the candy bag for once. She offers alternatives to candy like toys, bubbles, trail mix, etc.

At first glance, I thought she was off her rocker. After all, Halloween is just once a year. When else can we indulge in a little treat?

Ha! Let me count the ways. There's Valentine's Day, Easter, B-days, Christmas, New Years,  weekends, Mondays, Tuesdays, PMS Days, stressful days, and right now. I don't need a designated day to tell me when it's OK to eat candy. I do it all the time if it's in an arm lengths radius. As my motto goes, I eat chocolate in the closet, sometimes fist fulls at a time. I eat the kids' fruit snacks; also in the closet and sometimes in the bathroom. An addict will get her sugar whenever she can, even if it's sitting on the toilet with the door closed and her kids think she's doing #2.

So Halloween is not a good time for me. My 2 little boys' combined weight totals 100 lbs. The combined weight of their trick or treat candy from last night weighs (as of this writing) 6 lbs. I actually stepped on the scale with the bag and it was actually a very good inspiration when I saw the added weight on the scale.

Who is going to eat all of this candy? Even if I let the kids eat 1 piece every day for the next 2 months, there will be leftover. So what's a parent to do? Well, like most of you we just eat it. We hide some of it "for later" (like a future pinata or goodie bags) but mostly, we slowly chip away at it and the kids are oblivious. They just don't get the scope of how much they have.

Another school of thought is to throw it away. Well, that is just wasteful when there are empty candy dishes all across America! And truly, it's like throwing money away. I just can't bring myself to trash it. The only good solution is to donate to the soldiers somewhere, but where? Anyone?

So maybe the NYC mom is right? How much candy does one kid need? If the end result is that the parents are eating it for fear of wasting it, then isn't that a sin too? The added poundage which requires so much more gym time, the jittery feelings from too much sugar, and just the general feeling of overindulging are enough to make you re-evaluate Halloween.

I love the dressing up, the decorations, and the kids' excitement. What I don't like is the indigestion, the begging for more and the feelings of self-loathing (and they are palpable....just look at your FB wall today and see what your friends are saying about the "Day After".)

All this crazy talk could just be the sugar talking. If I have scared any of you, I am truly sorry. Boo!!