Fortnight of Fright – Guest Post from Danielle Shipley: Scary-Good Times as a Scaredy-Cat

October 18, 2013 by Alyssa

Welcome, welcome!! It is day two of Fortnight of Fright! For those of you wondering what Fortnight of Fright consists of, head on over to the intro post and take a gander! I am so excited to have so much excellent blogger and author participation this year, we are going to be bursting at the seams with Halloween happenings! Today I have a lovely lady featured on the blog, Ms. Danielle Shipley! Danielle is a pretty fabulous person, and author so go check out her blog or twitter after reading her post on Halloween from the views of a “scaredy-cat!” Take it away, Danielle!

As a general rule, I dislike being spooked, and anyone who goes out of their way to startle a scream of fear out of me is likely to end up on my black list for quite some time. But every so often, over the course of my life, I’ll come across something that inspires my fear… and my happy fascination.

Sometimes, it’s a song. As a youngster, I got a pleasant tingle up and down my spine every time I heard the ghost story set to music, “No Such Thing”. (Anyone of my generation out there who remembers that little number from the Olsen twins? Talk about ‘90s nostalgia.) And there was something about Men At Work’s “Who Can It Be Now?” that reminded me of my one (and in the foreseeable future, only) viewing of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” – but in a good way! If I’d owned something as futuristic as a CD back then, I would have had these tracks on replay, shivers and all.

Then there are the movies. For someone who lacks the nerve for horror films, I was shocked at how much I loved the moonlight reveal of the zombie-like crew of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”. And even though its vampires and werewolves made me physically sick with terror, “Van Helsing” made it onto my list of all-time favorite movies. (Leave to a quirky Dracula to suck me in. …pun only realized after the fact.) I’ve lost count of how many times I put these DVDs in just for the heck of it; just for a few scenes, even; just for the chills.

Have I ever enjoyed a reading scare? There was that time I found myself entranced against my will by the “Haunting of Derek Stone” books by Tony Abbot. It was “evil dead people”-palooza, up in there, and I still read it all the way through to the end. No other series can boast that. And I once managed to thoroughly creep myself out in the writing of a short story. Even knowing from the start how it would end, I hadn’t expected experiencing it to shake me up that badly. So you know what I did with the creepy antagonist? Wrote that bad boy his own novel, that’s what! (Complete with yet another scene that made me shudder.)

All of which just goes to show, even us scaredy-cats can have fun with a fright, from time to time.

And no, that is not an invitation for you to try to scare the cookies out of me. I am serious. I will end you.

We asked a few or our participants to answer some questions about Halloween…

Why do you love Halloween? Because it’s one holiday closer to Christmas!

Any fun Halloween memories? One year my birthday (October 30th) coincided with the Halloween Costume Day held by the elementary school at which I was then a librarian. I got offered sweets all day while dressed up as Ralphie from “The Magic School Bus”. It was pretty awesome.

What was the best costume you ever had? (Or if you don’t have one, someone else’s) I’d say the Ralphie outfit made me happiest. Green jeans, green T-shirt with a big red “R” pinned to the front, red baseball cap worn backwards. That’s how little it takes to make me feel like a boss.

Do you prefer mild scares or hair raising horror? Mild, please!

Favorites:

Halloween Candy? I’ve always been a Snickers fan.

Paranormal creature? (ghouls, gobilins, vampires, witches, etc) Gotta give this one to the vampires. The fangs have a certain charisma.

Halloween Movie: Going back to the Olsen twins, my childhood Halloween favorite was “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble”.

Halloween TV episodes or TV Shows: Can I say “Scooby-Doo” as an overall premise? The Mystery Inc. gang pretty much had to deal with a dash of Halloween every day!

As always, head over to Brittany’s blog to see what she has featured and check back Monday for a scary book review from a fellow blogger!

Fortnight of Fright: Hallow’s Reads

October 17, 2013 by Alyssa

Welcome, welcome!! It is day one of Fortnight of Fright! For those of you wondering what Fortnight of Fright consists of, head on over to the intro post and take a gander! I am so excited to have so many excellent blogger and author participation this year, we are going to be bursting at the seams with Halloween happenings! To kick off the event, Brittany and I thought that we would compile a list of some great Halloween recommendations from our fellow bloggers. So here we go, best Halloween reads!!

First up we have April from The Steadfast Reader recommended some of her favorite Halloween reads…and quick side note: I am PETRIFIED of IT (and all clowns, really) so there won’t be any images of him over here!!

– It by Stephen King (blog review): Why I love it: First line: “The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years–if it ever did end–began, so far as I can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.”

It’s a deep and intricately woven tale about childhood, love, loss, and imagination. At it’s core it’s about the loss of innocence and the power children and imagination have. King does a masterful job of putting the reader in the shoes of his characters. The Loser’s Club, in all their glory, both as children and adults are what make this novel the fantastic piece of horror literature it is.

Why it’s great for Halloween? It’s the penultimate horror story. Every creepy, scary archetype ever rained down upon mankind is found in this book. What scares you? Clowns? Check. Sewers? Check. Spiders? Check. Dead children? Okay, that’s less of an archetype and more of a tragedy — but that’s in there too. It should be noted depending on your reading speed, if you start on Halloween, this one might take you until Christmas, but that doesn’t mean that the journey isn’t completely worth it.

– Demon Theory by Stephen Graham Jones: Why I like it: It’s a unique piece of work in that it’s written as a treatment for a screenplay. It’s packed with footnotes and so full of pop-culture that it’s practically bursting at the seams! I honestly can’t say that I’ve ever read anything else like it. Between that and the emotions that it pulled from me, I classify it as art.

Why it’s great for Halloween? Well, the screenplay treatment is for three movies that take place on Halloween. This piece pulled some visceral emotional response from me. There’s both camp-horror and really scary horror. This makes it an ideal spooky Halloween read.

Secondly we have Celine from Nyx Book Reviews and as you can see Celine ALSO recommends IT as one of the scariest books out there…I TOLD YOU!!

– It by Stephen King (Goodreads)

It is by far the scariest book I have ever read. Not only does it deal with the evil inside humans, it also features a monster that is evil itself and that turns into your greatest fears. While reading this Stephen King classic you will find yourself turning on all of your lights and hiding underneath a blanket. It’s even more terrifying if you’re afraid of clowns.

– The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (Goodreads – my review)

With such a creepy cover, it’s almost impossible to go wrong. The Replacement is a lovely scary young-adult book, which has one of the most unique story lines and setting I have encountered so far. Deliciously weird, The Replacement is a great read for people that love their books atmospheric, but that value getting some nightmare-free sleep at night.

– The Trial by Kafka (Goodreads – my review)

Never has a book made me as uncomfortable as The Trial has. At first glance it sounds like your average thriller – a man gets accused of a crime. Kafka manages to turn this simple premise into an absurd surreal experience that gets under your skin. Reading this book is uncomfortable and confronting, and ultimately scarier than most books about monsters are.

Thanks so much for sharing your recommendations with us, girls!! I will definitely be adding a few of these to the TBR – and steering clear of a certain CLOWN..ahem..Make sure to head over to Brittany’s blog for some other Halloween recommendations!! Happy reading, my friends!

Fortnight of Fright (2)

October 3, 2013 by Alyssa

Hello my friends!

Two awesome things coming your way…

First, you may remember that last year Brittany from The Book Addict’s Guide and I hosted a two week event called Fortnight of Fright, where we shared different posts on ALL OF THE HALLOWEEN THINGS. This year we are working together again to showcase different creepy books, movies, author interviews, and other excellent autumn and Halloween related goodies! The best part is that we get to work together with some awesome bloggers to make this happen, and the more the merrier, so if you think that you want to assist in ANY way, even if it is just telling us your favorite thing about Halloween, sign up via the Google Doc down at the end, below part two of this post!

Some fun posts from last year included:

The Scary-Funny Sweet Spot by Heidi at Bunbury in the Stacks

Favorite Villains

Favorite Halloween Shows

…and so many more!!

Second, you may also remember that I told you all about All Hallow’s Read, which is a lovely new tradition started by Neil Gaiman where people give each other BOOKS instead of CANDY. Doesn’t that sound AMAZING?! Brittany, Amy and I are all participating and we are gifting each other Halloween-y books for us to read and review during the month of October. I can’t tell you how excited we have all been to choose books for each other (and um we are obviously psyched to receive those books as well!!) and you have time before Halloween so I suggest that you get together with some friends, and give each other books, because WE ALL LOVE BOOKS. For more information on All Hallow’s Read, head on over to their website, and I will keep you all in the know as well because last year Neil Gaiman gave away a free short story via Audible and it was PHENOMENAL.

Happy reading, my friends!!

Fortnight of Fright: Halloween Facts

October 31, 2012 by Alyssa

Welcome friends! Thanks for joining me for A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places! Fortnight of Fright is an event hosted over two weeks, by myself and Brittany from The Book Addicts Guide, we will be featuring some fabulous posts on all things Halloween!

Today I am going to share some “true” facts about Halloween!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to enjoy some more Halloween fun!!

Before we get started I wanted to share that today is the LAST day to download Neil Gaiman’s FREE audiobook, Click Clack the Rattlebag over on audible.com. For every download, audible will donate $1 up to $100,000 to charity. It’s part of All Hallow’s Read and take it from me, the story is awesome. It was scary and intriguing and just…Gaiman. So I highly suggest that you go HERE to download the audiobook TODAY before it goes away and if you want to read more about Neil’s story or All Hallow’s read I provided some info at the bottom of this post! Happy listening!

Halloween has always fascinated me, it is my mother’s favorite holiday and therefore we always went all out on decorating and celebrating the holiday. Additionally, many of my family members on my father’s side loathe the holiday. They believe it to be a “day of evil” and being the precocious gal that I am I spent ample time educating myself on the origin of the holiday so that I could argue with them at every chance! I’m not going to bore you with lectures or paragraphs but I thought it would be fun to share some quick info on what Halloween really represents, past the candy and costumes.

Halloween is believed to have originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain, the last day of harvest before the “dark days,” more commonly known as “winter.” It was believed that on Samhain (and Beltane) the door to the Otherworld was open and therefore spirits were able to roam the Earth.

It was believed that some were fearful of the spirits so they carved faces into things such as turnips and placed them in their windows to ward off evil spirits. This is of course, why we carve Jack o’ lanterns today. This is also why some wore costumes, the people believed that this would trick the walking spirits so that they would not possess the living.

There is much contemplation on the origin of trick or treating. It is believed that it comes from the celebration of All Souls Day in England. On this day, the poor would go door to door asking for food and once received would pray for the souls of the givers dead relatives. This was called going “a-souling” and replaced the practice of leaving wine and cakes out for the spirits of their dead. Additionally, the term “Trick or Treat” can be translated to “give me a treat or I will cause some mischief,” there was a time that those requesting treats would perform some “trick” also known as a song and dance as “payment” for their treat.

Other traditions, such as certain foods that were eaten, bonfires and bobbing for apples goes along with the Samhain tradition of (the end of) harvest. These things are all symbolic to the culture and it was believed that peeling apples assisted in telling the future or answering questions asked while peeling.

That’s it for me for today, do you have any traditions for Halloween? Anything I may have missed?

Thanks for reading, friends. I really hoped you all enjoyed A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places!

While you’re all here, have you heard of All Hallow’s Read? Basically, Neil Gaiman is behind it and the gist is that during the week of Halloween, or on the night itself, you give someone a scary book. Skip the candy and GIVE OUT BOOKS, PEOPLE!! Want more info (you shouldn’t because, did you see about NEIL GAIMAN?!) go to the website and READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Happy Halloween!

Fortnight of Fright: Haunted Places

October 28, 2012 by Alyssa

Today I am going to share some creepy places around New England and we have a guest post from a fellow blogger!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to enjoy some more Halloween fun!!

I am going to stick to New England haunts since that is where I live so first let’s take a look at some of the most haunted places in Connecticut:

Dudleytown: I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard of Dudleytown, Ed and Lorraine Warren have dubbed this one of the most haunted places in Connecticut and growing up around here it seems that everyone has a story of what goes on in this forest. The story starts off as many do, settlers came to the area and slowly, things started to happen. Things such as suicides and murders!

Norwich State Hospital in Preston, CT: I am slightly obsessed with abandoned asylums and hospitals. They are beyond creepy and it isn’t hard to imagine all of the ways they are haunted. Lucky for me, Connecticut has quite a few of them Unfortunately, patients at Norwich State Hospital were severely mistreated and at times, even tortured. Therefore, it is no question that this is a hotbed for paranormal activity. I have a few friends who snuck in here while we were in college and WOW did they have some stories to tell. These places are of course patrolled by A LOT of police but every time we head toward the casino I make sure to drive by slower than usual speed. You can really feel a difference in atmosphere even from the road.

Salem, MA: How can I not mention Salem? The terrible witch trials took place hundreds of years ago and it’s no wonder why people believe spirits haunt this town. I was lucky enough to take a trip to Salem with Heidi from Bunbury in the Stacks yesterday and I’ll be recapping it for you all tomorrow!

This really is a small percentage of the amazing “haunted” places all over New England. Any place with history is bound to contain some memories, and sometimes these moments lead to paranormal experiences.

If you’re interested in this kind of thing, you should check out The Top Haunted Places in Connecticut.

Let’s hear what Vyki from On the Shelf has to say!

Spooky Local Lore

Every county has some kind of spooky local lore. One of the places in my county is an old cemetery behind one of our local colleges called “Hell’s Gates,” and it has been called this for so long that I can’t even remember what its actual name is. This is one of the creepiest cemeteries I have ever been in!

One a trip to Hell’s Gates one night on a rather cold November night, me and a friend of mine decided to take the camera out and see what we could catch on film (that’s right, film). As soon as we entered into the cemetery, the car heated up and we had to roll the windows down to let the cold air in to cool us off, and it definitely wasn’t the car’s heating system since it didn’t work. When we got the film developed, every picture was full of orbs. For those of you who don’t follow ghostie things, orbs are a way that ghosts show up in pictures. Are they really ghosts? Maybe, maybe not, all I know is that the pictures were FULL of them!

The most known story about Hell’s Gates is the myth about going in and out the same way when you visit the cemetery. It is said that you need to make sure you come in and leave from the exact same entrance; otherwise, one of the cemetery’s ghosts will follow you home. About a year after my sister and her husband moved in to their new house, she decided she was going to go with some friend to Hell’s Gates. When leaving, she went through a different gateway than she came in, not paying any mind to Hell’s Gates’ lore. The whole way home she felt as if someone was following her. Went she walked into the house, she still felt as if there was a presence, and she tried to ignore it. What she couldn’t ignore was the footstep sounds coming from the back room and hallway. She checked around the house and never found anything. Her husband also double checked, but still found nothing at all. From the night she visited the cemetery until they moved out a few years later, there were constant thumps and bumps, footsteps and sometimes even door opening and closing sounds that came from that back bedroom and hallway. Apparently, the ghost became a new house resident and claimed that bedroom!

I want to go back out some night to take some pictures with my digital camera and see what I can catch, but I will definitely be making sure I come out the same way I went in.

Sounds pretty creepy to me! What do you guys think? Do you have any local lore or ghostly stories to share?

Fortnight of Fright: Halloween Treats

October 27, 2012 by Alyssa

Welcome to A Fortnight of Fright over here on Books Take You Places! Fortnight of Fright is an event hosted over two weeks, by myself and Brittany from The Book Addicts Guide, we will be featuring some fabulous posts on all things Halloween!

Another delicious autumn related treat over here on the blog today! I have heard these called a few different things but I like the name Hocus Pocus Rolls the best because first, Hocus Pocus is awesome and second, once you bake these delicious treats the marshmallows disappear..LIKE MAGIC!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to enjoy some other Halloween related fun!

For this recipe you will need:

One can of crescent roll dough
Enough large marshmallows to go inside every crescent roll
Melted butter
Cinnamon and sugar

Unfortunately I only have pictures of the finished product – I didn’t anticipate featuring this one on the blog at the time! Nonetheless they are still extremely easy and delicious, so go make them!

Not the best picture but you get the idea!

1. Preheat your over to the temperature specified on the back of the crescent roll container.

2. Unroll the crescent rolls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter.

4. Roll the marshmallows in the cinnamon sugar – I tend to use LOTS

5. Wrap the marshmallow in the open crescent rolls; do your best to close the sides around the marshmallows.

6. Put the rolls in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

7. Remove the crescent rolls from the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle. When they aren’t hot enough to burn off your fingers, break them open and enjoy the MAGIC!

YUM!

Fortnight of Fright: Halloween Shows

October 25, 2012 by Alyssa

Today I am going to share my favorite creepy shows to get into the Halloween spirit!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to read about her favorite creepy shows!!

American Horror Story – As I said before, it takes a lot to scare me and this show has definitely succeeded. I was obsessed with this show last season and though I am a little behind, I can’t wait to catch up on season 2. American Horror story didn’t just cross lines in horror (and cable television) it left them in the dust. Jessica Lange is amazing, she haunts me. Also, I was a tiny but in love with Tate. Some may call him evil but I just like to think of him as complicated. Want to check it out? It’s on FX on Wednesdays at 10pm!

The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror: I don’t know about you guys, but I am a 90’s kid and therefore am a lover of The Simpsons. My love for The Simpsons only grew as the years went on and I was lucky enough in college to room with a gal who is in LOVE with the show so much that we spent quite a few nights falling asleep to Homer’s crazy antics. The Treehouse of Horror episodes are my FAVORITE! I have to admit, I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them all but I do have a favorite…

Treehouse of Horror V: The three segments on this episode are “The Shinning,” “Time and Punishment,” and “Nightmare Cafeteria.”

“The Shinning” is of course a parody of the movie “The Shining” based on the book by Stephen King. Basically no beer and no tv make Homer go CRAZY.

In “Nightmare Cafeteria,” the teachers all go crazy and start eating the children.

In my FAVORITE Simpsons episode EVER “Time and Punishment,” Homer attempts to fix a toaster and accidentally turns it into a time machine. When he travels to the prehistoric time he realizes the hazards of changing ANYTHING because every time he alters any part of the past, the future is changed dramatically. This episode also contains one of my favorite Simpsons quotes ever, in attempting to avoid ruining ANYTHING in the past, Homer accidentally sits down on a fish on land. He then sighs and states, “Oh I wish, I wish, I didn’t sit on that fish.” HA! Not sure why this one stuck with me so much but that was in 1994 and to this day I still laugh out loud.

Side note: I just watched Treehouse of Horror TWENTY-THREE (wow I feel old) and it was just as hilarious as the ones in 1994!

What are your favorite creepy shows or Halloween episodes? Boy Meets World? Home Improvement? You’re not alone! Head on over to Brittany’s blog and see what she has to say about those creepy shows!

Fortnight of Fright: Top Ten Tuesday Books to Get Into the Halloween Spirit

October 23, 2012 by Alyssa

Today I am going to share my top ten favorite books to get into the Halloween spirit!

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to read about her top ten favorite Halloween books!!

Top Ten Books to Get Into the Halloween Spirit

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz – Who remembers this book?! I remember reading it to my brother and freaking myself out! To this day we still talk about how this book traumatized us as children! I need to find these at the library VERY SOON.

Amber House by Kelly Moore – I reviewed this a few weeks back and it was the perfect book for this time of year. It kept me up at night and had me peering around corners before taking them.

Goosebumps series by R.L. Stein – Who didn’t read this series as a kid? Welcome to Dead House? Night of the Living Dummy? STILL SCARED OF THEM.

Carrie by Stephen King – We are reading this now for Book Club at the high school and it is FREAKING ME OUT. I can’t deal with those thrillers that get into your head ::shiver::

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – I loved this book. It read like a seriously creepy, haunted tale that really gets inside your head. Read my review, here.

Dracula by Bram Stoker – If you don’t already know that I have love for Dracula then you should read my post on my favorite villains.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion – I never loved zombies until I met R.

Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake – Both super scary and super awesome.

Grimm’s Grimmest by Maria Tatar – Haven’t you always wanted to read the real story behind Cinderella or Snow White? This book reminds you that Grimm’s Fairy Tales started off as tales fit for adults and not children.

The Witches by Roald Dahl – Ahh possibly my favorite Roald Dahl book. Not too scary but a fun way to get into Halloween nonetheless.

Fortnight of Fright: Favorite Villains

October 21, 2012 by Alyssa

Today I am going to share my favorite villains from literature and film…villains are sort of my favorite thing so this might just be me fangirling all over the place..

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to read about her favorite villains!

Dracula: Oh, Prince of Darkness how I love thee. Count Dracula is one of the most recognized characters in horror literature and film and frankly, I love him. Let’s take a look at my favorite portrayals of him and film and literature…

Bela Lugosi – Arguably the most famous actor to ever portray Dracula, Lugosi set the standard for the Dracula character we know and love today.

Pick me! Pick me!

Since we are working hard during The Fortnight of Fright to cater to the scary and comical side of Halloween we can’t forget Leslie Nielson’s portrayal of Dracula in Dracula: Dead and Loving it. Like Young Frankenstein, I watch this film too often – I enjoy me some Mel Brooks, what can I say?

Renfield: Yes, I’m schh-eduled to meet Count Dracula.
Villager #1: Dracula!
Villager #2: Dracula!
Villager #3: Dracula!
Villager #4: …Schh-eduled?

There have been so many retellings of the novel Dracula and I have read my share. My favorites by far are The Historian by Elizabeth Kostava and Dracula in Love by Karen Essex.

“TO YOU, PERCEPTIVE READER, I BEQUEATH MY HISTORY…”

Captain Hook: Yet another villain I have a crush on. I thought it was because of Dustin Hoffman, how AMAZING is that movie?! But let’s be serious, have any of you seen the new teasers for season 2 of Once Upon a Time (Admittedly I could have added Rumplestiltskin to this list because I LOVE him but that’s for another time..):

Oh, HAI Cap’n! ❤

Anywho…if you’re looking for Hook in literature besides Peter Pan, give The Child Thief by Brom or Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson a shot. They’re both pretty amazing, I promise.

The Evil Queen: True, when I think of The Evil Queen I think of her portrayal in Snow White, but I believe The Evil Stepmother, Malificent, The Queen of Hearts and Mother Gothel can fall under this title as well. This character is terrifying because she is the epitome of evil wrapped in a mother’s garb. The Evil Queen has been rewritten again and again and each time I am impressed at her beauty, grace and utter corruption.

You go girl!

How about those actors you love to hate?

Alan Rickman: You’re all like “Girllll you know you mean Severus Snape” and yes, I do but also? I mean the Sheriff of Nottingham because I am a TEENY bit obsessed with Robin Hood. SO, Severus Snape FOR LYFE due to the duality in his nature and all of that good stuff but also THE SHERIFF because he is an evil dude and Alan Rickman is AMAZING.

-Severus-Snape-severus-snape-29638391-500-356

Always ❤

and,

Tim Curry: Let’s be serious, the dude EXCELS at playing the bad guy. To name a few: Cardinal Richelieu from the Three Musketeers, Dr. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pennywise the Clown from It (throw up in my mouth), and Long John Silver from Muppet Treasure Island are some of my FAVORITE villains of all time (except IT, but we’ve covered that enough, I think) so it is no question that he be included on this fangirl list.

You rock that hat, Long John!

Notable mentions include: Bellatrix Lestrange (obviously), The Wicked Witch of the West, Nurse Ratched and…honestly..I could go on and on over here, villains are kind of my favorite. Instead, I will remind you to go visit Britt’s blog so that you can enjoy her favorite villains as well. Before you go though, let me know if you love any of these guys as much as you do and remind me of some favorites I missed!

Fortnight of Fright: Halloween Treats

October 20, 2012 by Alyssa

Today I am going to share a delicious Autumn related treat. We made these last weekend and they were surprisingly quick, easy and delicious.

After taking a peek around here, make sure you head over to Brittany’s blog to read about another delicious snack!

Baked apples topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel!

First, core the apples and hollow them out, leaving enough room to plop some ice cream in there.

Add cinnamon and sugar – as much as you like – to the inside and top edge of the apple.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until nice and soft – but not too soft!

Add vanilla ice cream and any other delicious toppings, I used caramel on mine.

DELICIOUS!