What to do, what to do ...

... with all the Halloween candy in your house?

[it is calling my name as I type ... "eat me, eat me" ... I WILL resist ...]

Well, I for one do not want to gain 15 lbs. from eating it, especially BEFORE Christmas even arrives, because it is a given that I will probably gain a few over the holidays.

Luckily, I have a few ideas about how to rid the house of the excess.

First - take all the little non-chocolate pieces (lollipops, pixy stix, starburst, etc.) and stash them away. (A few at a time so the kids don't notice, ha!) Then ... if you are hosting a birthday party or something in the next 6 months ... use them in the pinata or goodie bags. Not that I have EVER done this. Ahem.

Second - take the chocolatey pieces, put them in a big old ziploc bag and stash them in the freezer. As before, a few at a time. This way it is hard to give into temptation, and you can dole it out a few pieces at a time over the next few months. Not that I have ever battled this temptation myself. Ahem.

Third - use them up in your Christmas baking. This is my favorite idea. 'Cause I love to bake... and especially for Christmas!

Got Hershey bars? Melt them up and drizzle them over almost anything and you look like a gourmet. Or dip pretzels, oreos, etc. in them and roll in sprinkles.

Got Snickers bars? There is an awesome cookie recipe I call Santa Surprises that uses them (and you could substitute Milky Ways and 3 Musketeers easily as well. And you don't really need the minis, you could always cut the fun size in half too.) Drizzle aforementioned Hershey bars and some Christmas sprinkles over top of these babies and you have one delicious Christmas cookie. Just a note - for the recipe, click on the word Santa Surprises above. For some reason the link will not highlight itself! AARGH!

Got Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? (Nah, me either. Already gone ... but some of you might not have a weakness for them like we do here...) Here is another great cookie recipe that uses them. Or here's another. Make them, put some red and green sprinkles on top, and voila! Christmas cookies. Give them as gifts. Or eat them yourself!

Got M&M's? Pick out the red and green ones and then you have Christmas M&M's! (Just kidding - who has time or is crazy enough to do THAT??)

We also have lots of Kit Kat's around and I'm not sure what to do with those ... other than just eat them. Or give them away!

Okay seriously now. If you have candy that you just don't want - many shelters will take them and use them for their residents. Both Audrey's & Carter's schools have sent home notices that we could send candy in if we wished. So don't throw it out ... someone can surely use it, even if that isn't you!

Enjoy!!