Halloween: Safety First

My nephew and niece as Bi-Polarism

Whether you are an adult going to a costume party, attending Light the Night or a child going from door to door trick or treating, it's Halloween: Safety First.  As parents or grandparents it's our job and responsibility to keep our children safe!

2 of my grandsons a few years back.

Common sense should tell you to purchase flame-retardant costumes that are roomy enough to allow a child to dress warmly, however, not too big as that could cause your child to trip or brush against a lit Jack-o-lantern. Also, take into consideration the color of the costume, the lighter in color the better for the visibility of the child. If the child is wearing a mask, instead of makeup, test it out before hitting the streets so you are certain the child can see in all directions well. 

Light the Night; couple of years ago

For years and years this treats inspection has been advised:

1. An adult should check all treats before they are eaten. Explain why this is important to children. 
2. Only eat treats in original, unopened wrappers. Throw away candy if wrappers are faded, have holes or tears, or if the candy has been unwrapped. 
3. Check fruit and homemade treats for punctures or contamination. Allow your child to eat such items only if from someone you know and trust. Fruit can be cut into sections to check for sharp objects. 
4. Consider giving non-edible treats such as stickers, crayons, coins etc.

 More trick-or-treating advise:

1. Feed children before trick-or-treating and give them some candy from home while trick- or-treating to avoid the temptation to eat from their bags.
2. Carry a flashlight or glow sticks, wear reflective clothing or tape, and watch for cars. Try to finish before dark.
3. An adult should accompany young children, and visits should be limited to familiar well-lit homes.
4. Avoid barking dogs or other upset animals.
   
   • Portions of this information came from Halloween Safety; MnPoison.org
     
     • Read more about Light the Night  on Seekyt

 

    

Old-Fashioned Hard Candy

Whether you call it hard tack candy, broken glass candy or old-fashioned hard candy, a recipe handed down from generation to generation is worth sharing with others.

Making homemade old-fashioned hard candy for an after dinner snack or Christmas gifts for family and friends, can be time consuming but worth every minute. Whether you call it hard tack candy, broken glass candy or old-fashioned hard candy, a recipe handed down from generation to generation is worth sharing with others.

Ingredients to make Old-Fashioned Hard Candy:

• 3 ¾-Cups white granulated sugar
• 1 ¼-Cups light corn syrup
• 1-Cup water
• Heavy-duty aluminum foil
• Cookie sheet or cake pan
• Confection (powdered) sugar
• Food color, to desired color
• 1 Tsp flavoring oil of choice
• *Examples: Peppermint, Cinnamon, Anise, Spearmint*

Instructions to make Old-Fashioned Hard Candy:

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat to dissolve the sugar.
2. Prepare your heavy-duty foil by laying it on a cookie sheet or cake pan. Liberally coat it with confection sugar.
3. Boil the sugar mixture, without stirring, until it reaches 300-310 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you do not have a candy thermometer, drip a drop in cold water to see if it gets hard and brittle.
4. Turn the burner off. However, before taking off the heat add the food color to the center of the sugar mixture. The bubbles will help distribute the color a little easier.
5. Remove from the heat and add flavor, of choice, and stir. Being extremely careful, pour hot mixture onto your prepared aluminum foil and dust lightly with confection sugar. Let the old-fashioned hard candy completely cool and break into bite-sized pieces.