Maybe it’s because the oldest “kid” on our block left us for college this year…

Or that my son no longer wants to dress up for Halloween…

Or that our group of “kids” at our annual Halloween “Boo in the Bubble” neighborhood party is dwindling more and more each year…

But I’m feeling so wistful lately.

The neighborhood is growing up.

I see our neighborhood changing form…

In the lower voices that emit from our basement where the kids hangout.

In the increase in number of cars in the driveways, because those babies we once knew are driving now!

In the homecoming dresses, the dates being had, in the fewer bubbles being blown and driveways being covered with chalk, replaced by makeup, sports and cell phones….

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Friends… if you know me at all you know I am not cutesy or crafty or “kid food” creative at all. In fact I used to be the food editor for a kid’s food magazine and every time I was assigned to do something cutesy with food, I cringed. I just don’t have that talent like some people do! I love to throw a good Halloween Party but my food is typically pretty standard. Soup, bread, salad… nothing cutesy.

So when my friends at California Avocados challenged us to make a fun halloween party recipe using their fresh, California Avocados, I cringed. Ugh! What was I going to make? …

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Hey all! Before I get into my #ThisIs40 Week 4 in Photos, I wanted to tell you about a new project I’ve started. So many people contact me each week for advice on writing, so I thought I’d share my free “writing workouts” with those interested. Head over to the new inspiredPrompts page on Dine & Dish to learn more! If you want to improve your writing skills, I promise this will help.

OK, now on to my #ThisIs40 week 4 in photos!

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Can you believe Halloween is right around the corner? It is just a few weeks away, which means it’s almost time for our annual Halloween party we host in our neighborhood!

Every year before the kids get down to business with Trick-or-Treating, we invite all of our neighbors over for a big soup supper. Everyone puts a sign on their door that the candy is at our house, and we all hang out by the fire pit in our driveway and pass out Halloween candy. It’s a really fun time to hang out with our friends! This year will be no exception, I’m sure. …

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Happy November! I feel like I say this with each passing month, but November already? Really? Raise your hand if you think that seems impossible!

My heart has been heavy this week as I think of you all on the East Coast who have gone through so much. The pictures, stories, accounts… they all seem so surreal observing from Kansas. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Everything else seems kind of irrelevant, but I always think there is time to focus on what’s making us happy, so I decided to share a Happiness Report. Also, as the month of being intently thankful is upon us, seems like a good time, don’t you think?…

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I’m going to blame it on Pinterest…

You know the feeling that what you are doing just isn’t adequate? That feeling. This Halloween, that feeling is thanks to Pinterest.

I volunteered to make the snack for my son’s 4th grade Halloween party. I’m a simple gal when it comes to baking and treats. I have no talent when it comes to decorating fancy cookies. I’m not a creative crafter. And I sure as heck can’t turn a blob of fondant into something fancy like a pumpkin patch.

So, last night, after fretting all week about what to make, and wishing I lived back in the days when a sucker wrapped in tissue with eyes marked on it with pen was fancy, I decided to just do something simple and make cupcakes. Not even cupcakes that look like jack-o-lanterns… simple, plain, white cupcakes with orange butter cream frosting.

Oh, and I sampled them to make sure… you know… they were decent enough to feed 4th graders. They were delicious. I bet that’s more than can be said for some of those fancy Pinterest treats. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I like to say I’m setting the bar low to make other mom’s feel good about themselves. That’s why I do what I do and go the simple route. I’d hate to be responsible for the over achieving behavior caused by creating elaborate treats no one can replicate. Sounds like a good enough reason to go simple to me!

If you too want to go plain and simple, you can find the recipe for Millie’s White Wedding Cake on my past blog post. Also, Amanda has a pretty darn good buttercream recipe that really can’t be beat.

The post Blame It On Pinterest {Recipe: Millie’s White Cupcakes} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner of the $100 gift card is Laura from the blog Trains and Tutus. Congrats to Laura and thank you to all who entered!

October is here, which means it’s time for another post about Team Kansas City’s Rice Krispies® Treats Making Memory Challenge! This months challenge was to highlight Halloween with a Rice Krispies treat and craft.

We’ve been chatting about doing a snack mix for quite some time and I am so glad we decided to go this route. I have to say, our Cinnamonster Rice Krispies Treat Snack Mix is my favorite tasting treat yet. Who doesn’t love a good snack mix? How about a snack mix with crunchy cinnamon sugar Rice Krispies treat bites, popcorn, cashews, and M&M’s? So delicious!

There are so many fun ways to serve Cinnamonster Rice Krispies Treat Snack Mix. We loved these Monster Cans so much and felt like it was the perfect combination of spooky and tasty! Imagine how fun this would be to bring to your next classroom party. The kids will go crazy for this fun treat.

Before the recipe, like all of our Rice Krispies Memory Making Challenge posts, my friends at The Motherhood and Rice Krispies want to give you the opportunity to win a $100 gift card! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Halloween treat is! For an additional entry, tweet the following:

“Check out the fun Cinnamonster Rice Krispies Treat Snack Mix on @dineanddish & enter to win a $100 Gift Card! http://su.pr/5HmKdh”

Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you tweeted the giveaway! All entries must be received by midnight on Tuesday, October 25th. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified via email. All three of my teammates, Kelly from Kansas City Mamas, Jenn from Super Jenn and Julie from My Kansas City Mommy are each giving away their own $100 Visa Gift Card, too.  Visit them for even more chances to win!

For details on how to make our spooky snack mix containers or how to make a chocolate version of our delicious Rice Krispies Snack Mix, visit this post on my teammate Jenn’s blog!

Now for the recipe:

• 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 4oz.  cinnamon flavored marshmallows (1/2 bag)
• 2 1/2c. Traditional Rice Krispies®
• Cinnamon Sugar (Mix to your personal cinnamon/sugar preference)

Melt 3Tbsp. Butter in a heavy saucepan over med-high heat.
Add marshmallows, stirring constantly until melted and mixture is smooth.
Add RiceKrispies® to hot mixture in saucepan (this keeps them warm, and thus easier to manipulate, longer)
Mix thoroughly.

Spray cooking spray on a cookie sheet and pull out small chunks of RiceKrispies mixture one at a time to work with.  Pull apart enough to make small balls of krispies treats, slightly smaller than “bite sized”.
You will need to work quickly.  The cooler the mixture gets, the more difficult it is to shape.

Roll each ball in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.  Set aside on waxed paper.
If not using immediately, cover tightly to store.

Tip **If you want a more crunchy texture to your cinnamon balls, set your marshmallows out the night before so that they dry out.  They will melt as normal but when the final mixture cools it will be more crunchy and less chewy.**

Mix Cinnamon balls with 1 1/2c. popped popcorn, 1/2c. salted cashews and 1/2c. chocolate candy pieces.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of The Motherhood and Kelloggs Rice Krispies. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Cinnamonster Rice Krispies Treat Snack Mix & $100 Gift Card Giveaway appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Big Fork Little Fork is a new Apple iPad application by Kraft Foods designed to get kids engaged and excited about food and spending time in the kitchen. Since I have a couple of growing foodies in my home, I was excited when Kraft contacted me to see if I’d have an interest in being part of a group of bloggers chosen to try out their new app. The problem? I don’t have an iPad (although I really want one… hint hint hubby, my birthday is in one month!). Not to fear, Kraft said they would let me borrow an iPad as well to really give their app a thorough test run.

The Big Fork Little Fork iPad app by Kraft Foods ended up being a huge hit with my kids and I. Filled with fun games, instructional videos, cooking tips, recipes and a really impressive user interface, this beautiful application is well worth the $1.99 charge to download it.

I decided to do a little video of two of my girls, Kelly and Ella, using this Apple iPad application where it fits most… in the kitchen. We ended up going the non-healthy route and created a fun ghostly dessert for Halloween: Boo Cups. We had a ball! I hope you enjoy the video.

Dine & Dish and the Kraft Big Fork Little Fork App from Kristen Doyle on Vimeo.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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