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Halloween is just as much fun for the kids as it is for the adults. Kids’ parties for Halloween can be a blast and full of fun and cheer when done right. For fun Halloween parties at home or school, you’ll need some great ideas. Here are some smashing ideas for creating an easy and fun Halloween party.

Try a pumpkin patch or scarecrow theme for a party. Use bales of hay or beautiful fall autumn leaves to bring your theme to life. You can use mini versions of pumpkins if you don’t have enough space. Place your pumpkins on a buffet table. For the pumpkin patch, use pumpkins to make your own pumpkin patch in the front yard or the backyard. Take leaves and scatter them all over the house or the yard! Go ahead and go wild with the fall fun and leaves. The kids will love it.

Make funny and cute signs like “scarecrow crossing” and make your own scarecrow to stand next to it. Find some crates for your yard. Cover them with burlap or rustic fabric. When decorating, keep fall colors and the colors of the leaves and look in mind for fabric with those colors.

Take unfinished Halloween theme crafts from the craft store and get paint for the kids to paint them and take home as their own unique souvenirs. The kids will treasure them for years to come.

Everyone wants to be a master of his or her own gas grill. By following these few tips, you soon can be. Check out these tips on how to become the master of your own grilling domain, while cooking better food and keeping your gas grill in good shape for longer.

Keep the lid raised when lighting your gas grill! If you keep it closed, there is a chance for the gas to accumulate, opening up the chance for an explosion. So, the first thing you need to do is to raise your lid, then turn on the gas, then turn on the gas burners, then press the auto light button (or, if there is not such button, stick a match up from the bottom, or use a long match from the top).

When the lid is closed, your food is going to cook faster than when the lid is open. You can cook your food either with it open or closed, but realize that it is easier to grill your food perfectly when you can watch it being grilled. Also, by keeping the lid open, you can prevent your food from being cooked too fast and too hot. Do keep the lid closed when you are cooking large cuts of meet.

Preheat your grill, for at least 5 to 10 minutes (but you certainly do not need to heat it as long as you would have to wait for a charcoal grill!)

Let your meat rest a moment before you put it on the grill. Let the juices to come up to the surface so that you will get a juicier meat.

Check your gas levels before you start cooking! You do not want to be left with a half-cooked steak, just because you have run out of gas. Make sure your tank is at least 1/3 full.

Many people say that the food that comes off of a gas grill does not have the same woodsy flavor of the food that comes off of a charcoal grill - if this is something that you miss, then you should try adding some natural wood chips to your gas grill. Soak them in water, wrap them in aluminum foil, and place them under the grate or on it.

Cleaning a gas grill is easy. Just turn your burners on high and allow them to burn the food off of the grates. Then take a wire brush to the steel grates until they are clean. If you have ceramic grates, be sure to check out the manufacturer’s recommendations - you may just want to wipe them clean with a damp cloth.

Do not throw out your old grill! It is quite possible to completely revamp your grill and have it working and looking like new again. Nearly every part on your grill can be replaced or restored. So, give your grill a new life - don’t turn it in to the dump before it needs to go.

One of the benefits of owning a gas grill rather than a charcoal grill is how easy it is to get started. Be sure to take advantage of this! Do not just use your gas grill during the summer - fire it up during the spring, fall, and even the winter.

These tips are sure to help you with your gas grilling adventures, regardless of whether you have been grilling for years, or if you are brand new to the “sport.” Remember, being able to cook outside is a luxury not to be messed with. Be sure that you are doing your utmost to be the best barbequer in the neighborhood!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, cooking, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on gas grills, please visit Gas Grill Experts.

Here’s a slight twist on the traditional taco casserole recipe.
The cheesy potatoes add another level of flavor to the tasty
beef and seasoned cheese. Run for the border indeed!

pound ground beef 1 package au gratin potatoes 2 cups
boiling water 2/3 cup milk 1 cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese 1
cup coarsely broken tortilla chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes,
stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.

Mix uncooked potatoes, sauce mix, boiling water and milk in
ungreased 2-quart round casserole. Stir in beef and cup of
cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until top is light golden brown.
Sprinkle chips over casserole; sprinkle remaining cheese over
chips.

Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand
2 minutes before serving.

Are my breads, cookies, or cakes baked and ready to come out of the oven yet?

The ability to tell when products are baked seems to cause more consternation than almost any other phase of baking. And of course, it is important. Over baked cookies are dry and hard; under baked bread is soggy. But you can get it right. In this article, we will give you the techniques and pointers for baking your goods to perfection.

Yeast breads

The tendency is to under bake yeast breads. The internal temperature of yeast breads should be 210 degrees and must be at least 185 degrees. The only way to reliably tell what is going on inside that loaf is with a probe type thermometer. Remove the bread from the pan and insert the thermometer through the bottom crust into the center of the loaf.

(If you are going to bake bread and you don’t have a thermometer, we strongly recommend that you purchase one. You will need it to test the temperature of the water, the dough, and the finished bread. You can buy one on our site.)

When the bread is done, the crust color will range from a golden brown to a deep brown for artisan breads baked in a hot oven. Breads with a higher sugar content or in a hot oven will tend to brown more rapidly as the sugar caramelizes. If the bread is browning too rapidly, make a tent of aluminum foil and cover the top of the loaf.

In light colored pans, the bottom crust is the last to brown. With a done loaf, the bottom will color even in a light-colored pan.

My mother was a bread baker. She tested doneness by tapping the loaf with her finger–a done loaf will sound hollow when tapped. I don’t remember her ever making a mistake. Though she taught me to do the same, I’m not as good as she was. Out of habit, I still tap the loaf but I nearly always follow with a thermometer probe and sometimes the thermometer proves me wrong.

Cookies

If the tendency is to under bake breads, the tendency is to over bake cookies. Take them out just before you think they are done; you won’t be wrong often.

My father is a consummate cookie baker. If you ask him what his secret is, he’ll tell you: “I don’t over bake cookies.” The difference between a just right cookie and an over baked one is dramatic.

Make cookies uniform in size. Not only are they more attractive but different sizes of cookies take different times to bake.

Most recipe writers tell you to leave the cookies on the sheet for a minute or two. Cookies continue to bake on a hot baking sheet. Sometimes that’s necessary for an easy release but for most recipes, we remove them as quickly as we can.

If the cookies look a little soggy in the middle, then leave them on the sheet for a few minutes and they will firm up.

Most cookies should be gold in color, not brown. Both the amount of sugar and soda in the recipe will affect how fast a cookie browns.

Chocolate cookies represent another challenge: you can’t tell if they are browning. If you are baking with a new recipe, bake a few cookies and check them for doneness before baking the entire batch. Chocolate cookies will tend to lose their “wet” look when done.

Many bar cookies will have a dry, shiny crust when done.

Cakes

For most baked goods–but especially cakes–it is best to set the timer for a few minutes less than directed in the recipedifferent ovens or even different positions in the oven bake differently. A dark pan bakes more quickly than a light pan. When you find your cake not quite done and continue baking, set the timer for three or four minutes and check again.

A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake will come out clean when done. “Clean” means a few crumbs. If there is wet looking batter clinging to the toothpick, it’s not done.

If you don’t want to poke a whole in the center of the cake, check for doneness with your finger. There should be some resiliency to the touch and the cake should spring back. When done, the cake will usually have a golden brown color to the top though different recipes will brown more or less quickly. When done, the cake will tend to pull away form the edges.

Quick Breads

Quick breads are basically cakes in a loaf pan. The same tests that you use on cakes can be used with quick breads. Stick the toothpick or skewer right in the open crack in the center of the bread. The area under that crack seems to be the last area in the loaf to set up.

Incidentally, quick breads release from the pan easier if left to cool for few minutes before removing. Because of the larger mass, a loaf does not continue cooking as quickly as cookies do.

Custard Pies

Custard piesincluding pumpkin piesare a special problem. It takes quite a while for the protein in the eggs to set and make the pie firm. Often, the crust is becoming too brown before the eggs set. If so, cover the crust with strips of aluminum foil to retard further browning.

When a custard pie is done, a knife inserted in the center of the pie will come out clean. If you don’t want a cut mark in the center of your pie, use the jiggle test. Pick the pie up with two hot pads or mitts and gently shake the pie back and forth. If done, all but the center should be firmthere will be a little jiggle in the center. The center will continue to cook and firm up after you remove the pie from the oven.

We hope these guidelines help. With practice and observation, you’ll soon become very proficient at judging when your bread or cookies are baked to perfection. Your baked goods will then be irresistible.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com) with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers’ Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.

There is a difference between “cheap wine racks” and ones that are made cheaply. A made cheap wine rack is of poor quality. Often these cheap wine racks are made with sub-grade materials, and packaged with incomplete or hard to understand instructions. In short, they display shoddy workmanship.

This is not the case with a “cheap wine rack” in the financial sense. By this, we mean a high quality wine rack that is priced to be a deal for those on a limited budget. Rather than calling these cheap wine racks, we prefer to call them low cost wine racks.

These wine racks come with complete easy to understand directions, and are made of quality materials. Some, in fact, are very striking to look at as well….almost works of art in their own right.

On the other hand, cheap made wine racks will need to be replaced in a few years due to poor construction. Moreover, it could fail under the weight of even a small wine collection….and the result could be the breakage of your budding wine collection and a huge mess. It might seem like a money conserving purchase to buy a cheap made wine rack, but in the end, you might lose that special wine you intend to collect and store for years before enjoyment.

A low cost wine rack, by contast, can often be a rack of good steady construction. It is easy to assemble, and functional. However, unlike a more expensive cedar or fir wood wine rack, most low cost wine racks should reside in the basement or out of view. Cheap wine racks will generally not have the attention to detail that makes wine racks esthetically pleasing. In addition, it might have mismatched wood grains, which would show if stained. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

By adding only a few dollars to your total cost, however, you would be able to purchase a strong durable wood wine rack or small stylish metal one and have it around for many years. For pennies on the dollar, you could purchase a better quality item.

If you want to buy a small wine rack that only holds a few bottles, you can get some stunning ones for a very inexpensive price. Some of these will sit atop a table in your kitchen or can be easily mounted on the wall.

In short, there are many quality low cost wine racks available for every budget, so don’t make the mistake of buying a poorly designed one one just to save a few dollars. Start with a small cedar or fir wine rack, for example, and add to it each year. They are completely stackable, and very durable. Or buy a small metal one that is pleasing to the eye, holds a few bottles, and costs in the range of only 50 dollars or so….and will last for years.

View the best cheap wine racks we have discovered at http://www.wine-racks-selection-guide.com.

HEART-SHAPED STRAWBERRY MINI-CAKES.

Say “I love you” to your kids this Valentine’s Day by helping them make this delicious dessert. You will have to supervise your children, while they mix the batter and use the oven. But of course, you’ll want to help decorate the cakes. After all, that’s half the fun.

Here’s What You Will Need:

1 heart-shaped mini-cake tin (makes 6 mini-cakes at a time - you can find these pans an fine cookware and craft stores)

1 (18 oz.) box strawberry cake mix

1 (15 oz.) can strawberry pie filling

1 (8 oz.) tub nondairy whipped dessert topping

1 bag Valentine candy hearts

1 (3 oz.) jar heart-shaped candy sprinkles

Directions:

Help children prepare cake mix according to package directions. Have children fill each section of the heart-shaped mini-cake tin 1/3 full with batter (Note: a regular size box of cake mix will make about 24 mini-cakes, so there will be enough batter for several batches of mini-cakes). Bake mini-cakes according to package directions.

Let cakes cool, then wrap the cakes in plastic wrap so they will stay moist.

When ready to serve, layer the top of one mini-cake with strawberry pie filling, then top it with another mini-cake to make a heart-shaped sandwich. Put a few dollops of whipped cream on top of the sandwich, then decorate with candy hearts and/or heart-shaped candy sprinkles.

Decorate only as many cakes as you plan to serve immediately. Save the others to decorate and serve later.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Carol Boles has a master’s degree in Special Reading and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has over ten years experience teaching K-12 reading in public schools. She now manages her own business and is a member of The Lieurance Group, a freelance writers cooperative. Find out more about her writing services at http://www.lieurancegroup.blogspot.com or email her at Cwrites-56@hotmail.com