Jennifer Sommer
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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 21 - Haunted Castle Cake

10/21/2015

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This is a cake for the adventurous. If you start to break in down into components, though, it turns out that it's not as complicated as it seems. Don't believe me? Walk through the steps with me and you'll see that you can adapt it to make your own wonderful haunted creation. This isn't just a one-design cake. At the end I'll show you a second version I made. Same basic design, different party. ​

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31 Days of Halloween                                      Day 20 - Spooky Fingers

10/20/2015

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I love these for a couple reasons. One, they look cool. Two, the combination of salty pretzels with sweet candy coating is the best, three, they are fairly easy to make, and four, they are easy to carry around and eat during your Halloween party. There may be more reasons I think of later, but let's start with those.

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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 19 - Mummy Bars

10/19/2015

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These are super easy to make, especially if you use pre-packaged Nutty Bars like I am. If you have peanut allergies to contend with, try brownies (homemade or prepackaged) or any other type of bar dessert you like.

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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 18 - Ghosts & Ghouls

10/18/2015

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Here's a quick treat the kids can help with that are perfect to share. Underneath that sheet of fondant is a marshmallow. Doesn't it remind you of one of those Peanuts kids dressed up for Halloween? The size of the ghost is varied depending on if you use one marshmallow or two, or even cut in half for the one-and-a-half size. Or try one of those jumbo sized marshmallows for a mega-sized fist full of ghoul.

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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 17 - Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

10/17/2015

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PictureAll gone! Good while it lasted...
I wanted to make some stuffed peppers and saw an easy way to dress them up for Halloween by simply carving your peppers like a Jack-O-Lanterns. Cute, huh? (He's a messy eater, this one!)


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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 16 - Spider Cake

10/16/2015

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I wanted to show another cake option that is really easy to make. Yesterday I demonstrated how to make the Ghost Cake using a store bought bundt cake. This one is a traditional two-layer cake using a cake mix. It happened to be a yellow cake, but obviously any flavor will work. As you can see from the photo I used chocolate frosting with a white frosting to make the spider web.  I think a white cake with a black web would show up well. Or even an orange web. 

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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 15 - Ghost Cake

10/15/2015

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​This is a super easy cake to make and would  be a great one for the kids to help with. They can prepare all the pairs of eyes using Oreo's and mini Oreo's, and baking chocolate candies.


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"31 Days of Halloween"                                  Update on Day 13 - the Ugly Day

10/15/2015

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PictureJennifer at reception
I am happy to report that the Halloween Blondies were delivered this morning to LJB, Inc. I was finally able to bag them up so anyone taking one wouldn't get all sticky. These really are a very sticky, gooey concoction. The waxed paper is still stuck to the bottom of each piece since I didn't want to get my hands all over the snacks by trying to peel it off.
These were going fast. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all gone by the time I reached the front door. Just sayin'.


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LJB staff take treats "for their kids"
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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 14 - Skeleton Cookies

10/14/2015

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I'm trying to recover from yesterday's fiasco. I finally managed to package the Halloween Blondies (which are still extremely gooey and sticky) and decided to drop them off tomorrow at my husband's office. So today I am posting something I made a few years ago for a Day of the Dead library program. Actually, I believe I made these for more than one program. They are truly easy. Really.


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31 Days of Halloween                                     Day 13 - Halloween Blondies

10/13/2015

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Why is it that the snacks we think will be easy turn out to be the biggest flops? I thought this would be so easy. Brownies. No problem. Quick and easy. A great option for my ultra busy day that included one repairman, Sibert nominations, three critiques, one critique group meeting, and one SCBWI meeting. Both of those meetings down in Cincinnati. No time for a complicated treat, I said. Something that will feed a crowd, I said. Yup, this will be the perfect thing, I said.


Epic Fail.

Oh, I know what you're saying. They look great. Yup. Now they do. Now that I've returned home from Cincinnati without being able to share said snack.


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    I am a writer of Children's and Young Adult books. I received my MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, and am an active member of SCBWI. I also have my MLS in Library Science with an emphasis on children and happily worked as a Children's Librarian for nearly 20 years. One of my favorite activities was reading books aloud to kids, especially to school-aged kids. Like the kids, I enjoy having stories read to me, so I listen to many of my books on audio and serve on audio judging committees.
    Another favorite activity is creating fun snacks for library programs, friends, and family. I do that a lot and continually search for more ideas.
    I have a very large Russian Blue mix cat named Bosley from the shelter, and a rescue dog named Prince Albert. He's a Cavapoo, which means he's part Cavalier King Charles and part poodle, and adorable. I am married and live in Dayton, Ohio with my husband Rod.
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    You can find more detailed information about me by clicking the link below:
    View my profile on LinkedIn
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