Too much Halloween candy? After each scary holiday I am always wondering how I am going to get rid of all that candy that my kids brought home. Some of it will be eaten, sure, but just one look at the number of calories in an average Halloween haul and you'll want to make sure the bulk of it goes anywhere besides your family members' stomachs.

There are a number of creative ways to get rid of Halloween candy, like using it for crafts or science experiments or having the dentist take it in exchange for a small toy. But perhaps the best thing to do with Halloween candy is donate it. That way your kids can enjoy a truly special treat: the feeling of helping others. Here are a few ideas for donating unopened candy:

Operation Gratitude - www.operationgraditude.com
Operation Gratitude sends more than 100,000 care packages annually to U.S. troops stationed overseas and to their children left behind, as well as veterans. The organization's mission is simple: to put a smile on soldiers' faces. The website contains other important shipping info, and kids are encouraged to include letters and pictures, too.

Ronald McDonald House Charities - www.rmhc.org
The Ronald McDonald House helps keep severely ill kids and their parents together during treatment. After Halloween, most locations accept donations of unopened candy for the families being served. You can search for your local chapter on the website but call ahead to find out the rules for dropping off candy.

Operation Shoebox - www.operationshoebox.com
Another organization that collects and sends care packages to troops overseas is Operation Shoebox. What is unique about this charity is that it accepts individually wrapped candies all year long.

Local Options
Throughout each city there are soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food pantries and retirement/nursing homes that would welcome the donations. Many take donations of unopened candy for residents and guests. It's worth calling to find out if they accept treats, which your kids can deliver with a note.

Source: Mommypoppins.com

It’s that time of year again. You know—the one filled with pumpkins, ghosts, and Hillary and Donald costumes. At least this year.

Americans are expected to shell out for Halloween as usual, with the cost of candy, costumes, and decorations expected to total $6.9 billion as the average American spends $74. Halloween kicks off the nation’s end-of-year holiday spending spree (only 74 shopping days ‘til Christmas), so before you go trick-or-treating or pop in your favorite scary flick, check out how Americans rate their candy choices with this by-the-numbers look at Halloween sweets. See how your favorites (or least favorites) stack up.

While it’s not a great idea to give out or accept homemade treats from strangers (as the graphic below reminds us), make your own tasty popcorn for your friends and families’ Halloween get-togethers with one of our recent recipes. Check out some simple savory and sweet ideas here or try the unique Saigon Street popcorn made with Bellisari’s Saigon Street sauce!

Sources: http://www.bonappetit.com/, http://www.seriouseats.com/ and http://fortune.com/

Spicy Popcorn

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
3 cups popped popcorn

Directions:
In a small bowl combine all the spices. In a large bowl, combine the 3 cups of popped popcorn, add the spices and mix until everything is well combined. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Parmesan

Ingredients:
½ cup parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 cups hot popped popcorn

Directions:
Combine the popped popcorn with all other ingredients. Serve and enjoy!

Blue Cheese Almond

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup toasted almond slices
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Drizzle the melted butter over the hot popcorn and toss with crumbled blue cheese, toasted almond slices and kosher salt. Serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Bacon Popcorn

Ingredients:
½ cup dry roasted peanuts
4 pieces chopped bacon pieces
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 cups popped popcorn

Directions:
Heat oven to 250ºF. In a large bowl, combine the popped popcorn, dry roasted peanuts, chopped bacon pieces; toss lightly to combine. In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the sticks of unsalted butter and stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, then boil another 3 minutes without stirring. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Immediately pour mixture over popcorn; toss lightly to combine. Spread mixture in two shallow baking sheets. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer popcorn to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to cool.

Who doesn’t love fall and hanging out in the backyard around a fire pit? A fire pit is anything from a simple campfire such as a portable cast iron or copper fire pit to an elaborate permanent brick or stone barbecue pit. With a few accessories and some creativity, you can have quite a set-up without spending a lot of money and the kids and friends will love it!

One advantage to a fire pit is that you can burn either wood or charcoal as your fuel for heat. Most standard grills do not have the capability or size to accommodate a wood fire. Fire pits are also great because they are large and several people can stand or sit around the fire pit and enjoy the warmth and great aromas. 

One great accessory is a pie iron or cooking iron. REI has a nice selection of irons to choose from. You want to get one that will withstand extreme heat over and over so invest in a good one-read reviews.

Growing up we would cook a variety of items in our pie iron or what we would call a “camper pie maker.” There are so many great recipes you can put into a pie iron-everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to desserts that can be used when camping, sleeping in the backyard with the kids or having friends over to hang out around the fire. 

Here are a few recipes with Bellisari’s Gourmet Convenience products that can easily be used when creating pie iron recipes for friends and family.

Balsamic Grilled Cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 (6-inch) diagonal baguette slices
1 1/2 T unsalted butter, softened
1/2 jar Bellisari's Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread
6 oz firm-ripe brie, cut into thin wedges
1/2 Gala apple, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into thin slices

Directions:
Put the locked pie iron in the fire to warm briefly for about 1 minute. Open the pie iron and lay flat on the ground and carefully spread each side with butter. Place the baguette slices on each side, making sure they are cut larger than the pie iron to cut down the excess when closed at end.  Divide cheese and apple among them. Season apple with salt and pepper, add 1 tablespoon of Bellisari's Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread and top with the other slice of bread and lock the pie iron. Cut off excess bread and put in fire for 4 minutes each side or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Calabrian BLT

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup of mayo
1/2 jar of Bellisari's Calabrian & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
12 thick-sliced pre-cooked bacon strips 
12 1/2-inch thick slices fresh country-style white bread
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:
Mix basil and mayonnaise in processor until basil is finely chopped and mixture is well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Put the locked pie iron in the fire to warm briefly for about 1 minute. Open the pie iron and lay flat on the ground and carefully spread each side with butter. Place the bread slices on each side, spread half of mayo mixture over 1 side of bread. Top each with a tablespoon of Bellisari's Calabrian & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread. Top with avocado slices, bacon, onion and lettuce. Top with other slice of bread and lock pie iron. Cut off excess bread and put in fire for 4 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Fall is here, and the season not only delivers crisp autumn air but also crisp autumn treats. Just in time for the change of seasons, here are a few fun facts about the nutritious and delicious fall staple.

Apple Facts

• The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
• Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.
• 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
• 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.
• 100 varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States.
• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.
• A medium apple is about 80 calories.
• Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
• The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• The science of apple growing is called pomology.
• Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
• Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
• The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspian and the Black Sea.
• Apples were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• Charred apples have been found in prehistoric dwellings in Switzerland.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
• Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.
• In 1730, the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.
• One of George Washington's hobbies was pruning his apple trees.
• Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.
• Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.
• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
• Apples account for 50 percent of the world's deciduous fruit tree production.
• Don't peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel. Antioxidants help to reduce damage to cells, which can trigger some diseases.
• The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan,Pennsylvania, California and Virginia.
• Almost one out of every four apples harvested in the United States is exported.
• The apple variety ‘Red Delicious' is the most widely grown in the United States with 62 million bushels harvested in 2005.
• Many apples after harvesting and cleaning have commercial grade wax applied. Waxes are made from natural ingredients.

Source: University of Illinois Apple Facts.

Choosing the Best Apple

Thanks to recipetips.com we have a chart below that can be used as a quick reference when deciding which apple will be best for your particular needs. You can find the full post here: http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1299/all-about-apples.asp