Hostess Candy Corn Cupcakes

Remember when Hostess temporarily went out of business and brought Twinkies with them in their untimely demise?  In their wake, Hostess left behind a slew of products that would seemingly become nothing more than memories.  Along with their most popular items, we saw the end of their seasonal collection.  Gone were the days of Munster Packs, Scary Cakes, and Glo Balls.  Resting in pieces, Halloween cake would never be the same.  Remember that?  It was only a few years ago, but it's hard to believe it ever happened at all.  When Hostess returned, they bounced back stronger than ever.  Not only were their classics back on shelves, but so were new Halloween editions like Orange S'Creme Twinkies!  With a reignited flame, Hostess resurrected and took back Halloween with a vengeance.  This year, they're doing it again with not one, but two brand new varieties of CupCakes!

Hostess Scary Cakes

Two days ago, I talked about the return of Orange S'Cream Twinkies and the return of Hostess Halloween products.  Well, with those beautifully filled sponge cakes comes another spooky legend - Scary Cakes!!  Now, we've talked about these Halloween-themed cupcakes in the past, but long before we ever thought they'd disappear.  In 2012, I reviewed Scary Cakes and compared them to what they used to be.  Sure, the cupcake itself has stayed relatively the same, but the box art and package design has changed almost every single year.  Then, I talked about the old-school Munster Pack and change to Monster Cakes.  Those were monumental times in my life because I was literally drawn in by these works of art and inspired to illustrate, animate, color and design myself.  There were something about those pieces that infatuated me and filled my heart with Halloween spirit.  To this day, I can remember where I was and who I was with whenever those boxes were bought, put on the table, or opened.  It was a happy time, now a nostalgic period, and I payed homage to that in 2012.  Then, as I mentioned two-days ago, Hostess closed up shop and Scary Cakes were gone... forever?  So it seemed, but in 2014, Scary Cakes are back!!  This time, I'm not comparing them to the past.  I'm just happy they're once again a part of the present.

Happy Late Patrick's Day

I know I'm three days late and promised that there would be more than one Holidaze post dedicated to St. Patrick's Day but, once again, work got in my way and cut into the fun.  It happens, I accept it, but that doesn't mean we can't be a little bit tardy on the site, right?  I mean, it's always better late than never, especially when it comes to St. Patty's Day!  I don't know about you, but St. Patrick's Day has become one of my favorite days of the year.  Despite what my last name may incline, I'm actually about 95% Irish and come from a very traditional Irish family.  As a kid, I couldn't stand it.  I hated the Irish music, I hated the fact that everybody was drinking, and I would have much rathered spend my Sunday morning watching cartoons than up the block watching the Jersey City St. Patrick's Day parade.  I just wasn't feeling the culture or fun that came with it.  But once I turned 21??  Oh boy, everything changed.  St. Patrick's Day became St. Patrick's Month and I began to embrace and enjoy my time with family and friends.  I guess I can thank beer for the happy transition, but it went beyond that.  For whatever reason, I flipped the switch and welcomed it all and made it my own.  I started listening to The Dropkick Murphy's and Flogging Molly instead of the classics my Mom always played.  I went out to Hoboken for Leprecon and dressed like an idiot.  I dyed beer green and wore the same from head to toe.  It's an absolute blast, but it needs to be embraced.  It doesn't matter what nationality you are, we can all celebrate March 17th in a variety of ways.

Because of work, I didn't celebrate this year nearly as much or as hard as I have in the past.  I missed out on the Jersey City parade, Leprecon, and the weekends building up to the big day.  But, in an attempt to salvage something from it all, Eileen and I kept true to certain traditions throughout last week.  To kick things off, you have to bring home a few green bagels.  It's the perfect way to start the festivities and change your morning's theme.  It's amazing how a simple change in color can also change one's mindset, but I don't ask questions, I just butter it up and consider myself lucky.  This particular bagel was purchased at Wonder Bagels in NJ.  If you're ever in my area, make sure you find one and stop by.  They're delicious.

For me, Dunkin Donuts are synonymous with the holidays and I always appreciate when they release limited-edition flavors or change their icing to match the season.  I wasn't expecting much for St. Patrick's Day, but I stop in every morning for Iced Coffee and was happy to find this green beauty staring back at me.  As soon as I saw the icing, I had to have it.  I didn't care what flavor it was, it just needed to be eaten.  It turned out it's "Green Oreo Mint" and I was actually the first one to buy one at that specific store.  That didn't surprise me, but it's cool enough to brag about on a blog!  The taste?  Nothing amazing, but the look makes up for it's lackluster flavor.  It's certainly Oreo-y, and a bit mint, but overall it's pretty bland and boring.  I only tried it once, but once is all I need.  I just gotta say I tried it!

There's also a "Green Mint Oreo Creme" donut available (at least I think it still is), but I was never a fan of the Boston Creme variety so I stuck with the Strawberry Frosted.  That will always be my favorite Dunkin Donut and the inclusion of Shamrock shaped sprinkles was a nice addition.  If not for those green bits of sugar, there would have been nothing new with the Strawberry Frosted.  Although the flavor and icing color didn't change, a simple sprinkle is all it takes for me to drop a few bucks.  Big spender, right?

This year, for the first time ever, I tried a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's!  I know, I know, it's kinda hard to believe, right?  A guy who devotes his free time to a site that focuses on holidays and nostalgia has never tried a Shamrock Shake?  I'm with you.. I hear you.  This was long overdue!  I grew up looking at these, I vaguely remember Uncle O'Grimacey or at least Internet remnants of his appearance, and should have picked one of these up a long time ago.  It's basically Mint ice cream melted down into a refreshingly cool shake, whipped with a cherry on top.  It's delicious and the only thing I'm mad at is the fact that it took my this long to try one.  Again, the theme of today's post is better late than never and it once again applies to this shake.  One thing I can tell you for sure?  This will now be an annual tradition that I add to the March collection.

I had a box of St. Patrick's Day Lucky Charms last year and knew I'd talk about them if they were released again in 2014.  I didn't branch out as much in 2013, but The Holidaze is attempting to take on all holidays in one way or another.  So, I looked everywhere for the "50 Magical Years" edition.  Shop Rite, Pathmark, Stop & Shop, Wal-Mart, Target - I looked everywhere - but came up short each and every time.  I knew it was available thanks to social media, but I couldn't locate a box, so I gave up.  Then, as I stopped for gas and went into the Exxon for a drink, I looked behind me and saw Lucky jumping out at me as if HE found ME!  It was one of those awesome moments that you never expect, but are more than happy to accept.  Who woulda thought I'd find a box of overpriced cereal at a sketchy Exxon in Jersey City and not at the major retailers?

In terms of flavor, there's nothing new in this box of Lucky Charms.  They taste just as great as they always have.  But the biggest and most important difference?  Those four-leaf clover marshmallows!!  They're perfect for St. Patrick's Day and make for a great limited-edition.  I always feel like Lucky Charms and cereals as a whole can do more to celebrate St. Patty's Day, but the ball is never even picked up let alone dropped.  For the last two years, Lucky Charms has hit a home run and I'm happy they brought these back for another run.  They're hard to find, but the search is complete and the hunt is over.

TruMoo has become one of my favorite brands because they go all out for the holidays.  Remember when they released orange milk for Halloween?  Well, now they're back with GREEN milk for St. Patrick's Day!!  Of course, it doesn't taste like real milk and that's the worst part.  I'd love to pour this into a bowl of cereal or cup of coffee to enhance yet another experience, but this "Lucky Green" milk is Vanilla flavored and is better off on its own.  But besides the colored milk, take a look at the sticker label!  The leprechaun hat, the rainbow, and pot of gold scream St. Patty's Day and stand out just as much as anything else I've seen on store shelves.  It's attractive and lures you in.  Once that happens, I'm pulling out my own green and dropping dollaz!

What's the best way to drink green milk?  Well, out of an oversized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beer mug, of course.  Yeah, you'd think I'd reserve that for green beer, but I've done that in the past and this was a welcomed change.  The milk is good, it's very tasty, but it's not something I'd drink on regular basis.  It's a shake in itself and heavy going down.  But when we're talking about appearance, I love the way the green pops off of the different shades of green against other shades of green.  It's a good thing that's my favorite color, otherwise I might have already had enough of this post. 

My girlfriend is one hell of a baker and I wanted to put her culinary skills to good use.  Much like what we did with the General Mills' Monster Cereals, I had the idea of doing the same with our limited-edition Lucky Charms.  I thought long and hard, about 15 seconds, and came up with rainbow cupcakes, topped with green icing and Lucky Charms.  I'm no genius, but I'm even less of a baker, so I went to Eileen with the idea and asked her to make the magic happen.  Before I knew it, she was in the kitchen baking.

Before decorating them, she showed me the rainbow cake and it blew me away.  If I was a kid and had rainbow cake like this, I might have passed out due to brightness.  I honestly never expected these to look so good on the inside.  I figured it would be a mix of rainbow that made some type of dirty brown.  Instead, we have a beautiful butterfly that was ready to be topped with green icing and shamrocks!

I couldn't be happier with how they and the photos came out!!  My girlfriend did one hell of a job and they came out amazing!  We topped a few with the limited Lucky Charms, but others with traditional Lucky Charms because, hey, they're Irish, too!  Especially those rainbows - they were a must!  So overall, I'm thrilled with these cupcakes and think they make for great images and even better snacks to satisfy our tastebuds!

Traditionally, I like to rock green from head to toe when I go out for St. Patrick's Day and I was excited to whip out my new sneakers and take my girl out to Hoboken.  Unfortunately, going out on Monday night is just as boring on St. Patrick's Day as it is on every other week of the year.  We were expecting a lot of people roaming the streets and bar crawling without any Tuesday care.  Work?  Screw that, It's St. Patrick's Day!  But nope.. like that #Selfie song says, "Who goes out on Mondays?"  Apparently we're the uncool ones!  But, still, we made the most of it and had a great time in each others' company.  That's all that matters!

It's a shame that I didn't take each of these topics and spread them out across March.  It would have made my post-count look like I actually have more than enough time to dedicate to The Holidaze, but work sucks, man.  I'd love to sit back and do nothing but talk about food, junk, candy, and toys all day, but the real world always has something to say about that!  Luckily, I found time today to share my St. Patty's week experience with all of you and, again, I hope it's better late than never.  As for those two pics above, they're from our personal Instagram and Twitter accounts that you're more than welcome to follow.  I'm @CKCash30 and Eileen is @Leeni219.  If you're already following @HolidazeBlog, you might like the differences on the others :)

Even though we're 3 days out, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as - or even more than - I did!  It's always a great time of year and if you haven't embraced March 17th yet, make sure you do in 2015!  You'll thank me later :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Where did the time go? It feels like only yesterday that we were scouring the aisles of Target and Walgreens in search of the resurrected Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy cereals.  Now, I have 14 boxes in my kitchen (seriously!) For a season that seemed to never get here fast enough, it sure came and went in a hurry.  Believe me, It was an awesome Halloween season, but I just can't believe that the day is almost over.  Halloween and Christmas battle to become my favorite day of the year, but Christmas 2013 will have to do a lot to top this Halloween.  Granted, the last half of my holiday was spent working a new job, but that didn't really keep me from celebrating this amazing time of year.  Unfortunately, it did take a major toll on this blog that I love so much, but I literally had no time to both personally partake in the festivities and write about it.  Well, that's until now as I attempt to pack in the last few weeks in a one-off post.

Because I'm currently working in Upstate NY, I've been put up at the Holiday Inn courtesy of my employer.  It has it's pros and cons, one being that I'm away from home without any Internet, but there is a nearby Target and that was enough for me.  Most people would stock up on food to survive.  You know, food that is actually nourishing and healthy for your life.  Me?  No.  I picked up Frankenberry, Count Chocula, Halloween Oreo Cookies, a bag of Doritos, Goober Peanut Butter and Jelly, and a case of Cranberry Splash Sierra Mist.  Where are the bananas?  Where are the apples and strawberries?  I'm sure they're somewhere in the artificial ingredients and that's enough for me to justify my actions.

After a long day of work, there's really nothing better than coming back to a lonely hotel room where you find your old friend Frank waiting to cheer you up.  Monster Cereals are truly the kings of Halloween 2013 and, really, it was only right that I enjoyed the Frankenberry flavor on a cold, gloomy night in Middletown, NY.  It really made my night and, until I could get home for the weekend, kept the Halloween spirit alive.

While walking the aisles of Target, I found this Pillsbury Caramel Apple icing and immediately texted my Girlfriend.  In all seriousness, nobody makes cupcakes like Eileen.  I've been to the best bakeries in NYC and, honestly, they don't even come close.  Whatever she does to the batter makes all the difference and I knew these were a must-try.  I said "Hey, if you wanna make cupcakes this weekend, I mean, these would be great.. Just saying."  Or something like that.  Then, when I got home on Friday night...

Caramel Apple Cupcakes!  She not only used the icing, but the batter shared the same flavor.  It was such an awesome surprise and the best way to keep the season flowing.  When you're alone, about an hour away, you tend to forget about what's fun or what makes you happy and tend to just eat and go to sleep.  Every weekend, I tried to create a memory with my Girlfriend and family.  I knew it wouldn't be much, but if I could do something fun and enhance the "Holidaze," that was enough.  Caramel Apple Cupcakes with a can of Jones Candy Corn soda screamed Halloween enough for my enthusiasm to stay awake.

Continuing the weekend of 10/19, we went on a Haunted Hayride with Eileen's family in Marlboro, NJ.  To be exact, it was at C. Casola Farms and it was a great time.  We'd been there before, about 3-years ago, when we took her brother, who was 9 at the time, on his first Hayride.  This time, the acting and presentation wasn't as good, but the amount of people we had there made up for it.  Her siblings and cousins all range from 11-17 years-old, so they either lied and said they weren't scared or said they were too old to admit it.  At the end of the day, they were all screaming, shrieking, and sighing.  It was hilarious.  Yet, still, Eileen was the one who reacted most.  To the point that the actors figured out her name and truly entered the psyche.  That was pretty cool.  Since I'm not easily startled and go more for the environment, I get a huge kick out of others in terrifying fear :)

After another week of work, it was back home this past weekend for the annual Halloween party in Hoboken, NJ.  Usually, I like to make my own costume or do something original that not many take the time to do.  But, this year, I'm one of those who didn't have time and Eileen suggested that we go as zombies.  My love for The Walking Dead made me think yes, but her ideas for make-up made me SAY yes!  She did an amazing job through the use of liquid latex, tissue paper, oatmeal, zombie dirt, and fake blood.  Of course, the contacts were a must for it to all work out!

I'm so so happy that we decided to go as zombies because they were a HUGE hit!  To my surprise, there weren't any other zombies walking the streets which helped us really stand out.  We were getting shout-outs from drunks, scared a few black women who loved the AMC hit, and even won $50 from the DJ at Bahama Mamas.  Overall, it was an amazing night with even better friends and I'm happy it all worked out.

Hanging with this guy, my friend James, has become a Halloween tradition.  While I try to stand out for being something original and cool, he tries to do the same with something so outlandish that nobody would actually dress up in that costume.  Last year, he went as George Washington.  This year, he went as King Tut.  No, he's not a history buff, he's just crazy.  He received just as much attention as I did, with a few more laughs, for being a wild pharaoh.  Thanks for the shots, @Jamesapalooza!

Thankfully, the hangover on 10/27 wasn't bad and we were able to hop on the PATH train for a little bit of Halloween fun in NYC.  4-days before the big day, but everybody was already decked out in Halloween costumes.  We saw kids everywhere and their parents were so proud to show them off.  Some people might think, uh, wait for the 31st, but screw that!  Start Halloween as early as possible and make it last even longer.  These families had it right and it set us up for and even better day at Jekyll and Hyde!

I won't bore you with the details, but this is an amazing restaurant that I've overlooked for far too long.  It's filled with animatronics and props that express the true emotion of Halloween and Horror perfectly.  Each display tells a story and brings you right into their world.  Not to mention, the food was delicious.  We had an amazing time and loved interacting with the costumed characters.  Like I said, I won't get into every tiny detail, but if you're interested in reading more, check out Veggie Macabre's review and really dive into Jekyll and Hyde.

As we walked through the Village, I told Eileen "I'm having a Halloween sensory overload."  She laughed, but I was dead serious - no pun intended.  These people know how to decorate in a way that is too small for a suburban town, but just enough for a major city.  Skeletons hanging from buildings, tiny pumpkin clings on windows, monsters in store displays, and the smell of fall in the air.  We couldn't walk a single block without seeing a decoration and it made me want to visit them tonight for the Halloween Parade in the Village.  Had I gotten out of work just a few hours earlier, I would have ended my season with a bang.  But hey, a long over due Holidaze post doesn't hurt, either!

The famous Magnolia bakery went all out for Halloween, too!  But, by the time we got there, they were all sold out and we settled for regular flavors.  Eh, it was good enough.  They had these oldies in the window, but they were still cool enough for me to photograph and share with you.  While I had to go back to my hotel in NY, it gave me an idea and I knew I'd be home on the 30th and 31s, no matter how tired I'd be, to share those days with my number one Ghoul and family!

On my way home, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a mixture of Halloween donuts.  For me, it's a tradition.  If I don't have an orange donut during October, then it wasn't really Halloween.  I had these 6 last night and I picked one up this morning before going into work.  It's mandatory and, if they're still available tomorrow, I'll extend the season into November and get another one.  They're just so much better when they're black and orange!

I got out early yesterday and was back home by 4pm.  That was a blessing because we were able to take our cupcake idea and put it into action.  Okay, it was my idea and I did nothing else after that, but Eileen did wonders with Monster Cereals, Halloween Crunch, and some icing!  Above, you see vanilla cupcake batter mixed with Count Chocula, Halloween Crunch, Yummy Mummy, and Frankenberry!

We've done this in the past, but we didn't have Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute and that meant it had to be done again!  So, to up the ante, we threw the cereal into the batter and dyed the YM and FB cupcakes orange and red, respectively!

They are absolutely delicious and, in my opinion, look just as good as they taste!!  Our only mistake was forgetting to pick up chocolate icing for Count Chocula.  So, in anybody asks, the vanilla icing is milk and the chocolate cereal represents Count Chocula in the bowl.  Yeah, we're going to get technical on Halloween!

Yeah, lots of pics...  But, let's face it, Halloween 2013 belongs to cereal and it's what truly made the season what it was!  It had to be part of my conclusion because it was the only fitting ending to what was the greatest Halloween season in a very long time!

Sure, I have a few regrets.  I wish I would have gone to more Haunted Houses, especially Terror Behind the Walls in Philly, and I wish I spent more time on The Holidaze, but I have to remember why I was held back a bit this year.  I've been blessed with a new job that will allow me to create even better memories in the future and that's enough for me to sacrifice a bit more this year for later.

To all my readers, old and new, THANK YOU!  I had more hits than ever but, more importantly, had great interaction with so many of you!  Before I started the countdown, and even back in May, I purposely deleted a bunch of fake Twitter followers and accounts in order to create better communication with people actually interested in The Holidaze.  That was the best decision I made this year because I've been able to make so many "Internet Friends" who share so many of the same interests and made this blog worth putting time and effort into.  Hey, together, we got Wes Craven to tweet about a fake box of Hi-C.  How crazy is the power of the Internet?  I couldn't have had such a wonderful Halloween experience without all of you and I really do appreciate your time, support, and friendship.  Unless I'm being Catfished, you're all amazing people.

As I write this, the commercial for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is playing, so I guess Halloween really is over, but I hate to say goodbye.  I love this day, I love this season, and I don't want to see it end.  Does it really have to?  That's up to us..  Personally, I keep things going for another week or so.  Besides Thanksgiving, November doesn't offer much to start so, hey, let's keep watching Horror movies, eat a bunch of sugary cereal, throw back some candy corn and seasonal drinks, and enjoy what's left of the spooky season!  Tonight, I'll be watching Trick R Treat with my lady and, out of tradition, we'll be going to Pizza Hut for dinner.  That goes back to a Universal Monsters promotion that stuck with me since the 90s.  It's all about creating memories and sharing experiences.  That's what we've done here, together, and will continue to do as we celebrate The Holidaze!