Halloween 2015

Only three more days until Halloween, so today I got out my Debbie Mumm Halloween dishes that I purchased several years ago.  I love holiday dishes, and have them for most holidays.  

There are four plates in the Debbie Mumm set, which are salad plate size.

The glasses aren't Debbie Mumm but they go with the dishes perfectly, and are enjoyed with apple cider.

I got to thinking, if tea and lemonade make a good combination [called an Arnold Palmer], then why not tea and apple cider [a Johnny Appleseed drink? ;-)]. So I did some experimenting...  I brewed some black tea flavored with ginger, and poured half tea and half cider together.  The cider I purchased was more tart than sweet, so a little sugar was necessary. Hmmm... now I'm wondering about the combination of pumpkin tea and cider, or hot cinnamon spice tea and cider. More experimenting is in my future.

Here's some trivia about Halloween's most popular candy in the United States and Canada. Candy Corn was created in the 1880's by George Renniger of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wunderle Candy Company [renamed Jelly Belly Candy Company in 2001]. 

The Goelitz Confectionery Company began production of the candy in 1898 and called their candy "Chicken Feed."

Today, Brach's is the number one seller of candy corn.

The three colors of the candy - a broad yellow end, a tapered orange center, and a pointed white tip - imitate the appearance of corn kernels.  Each piece is about three times the size of a real kernel of corn.

The National Confectioners Assoc. estimates that 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually.  Originally the candy was made by hand.  Sugar, corn syrup, and carnauba wax were combined and cooked.   Then fondant was added for texture, and marshmallows for a soft bite. The final mixture was then heated and poured into shaped molds.  Three passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.  Today, however, the process is automated.

There is even a National Candy Corn Day designated for October 30th by the National Confectioners Association.

It is said you either love candy corn or you hate it.   Which one are you?

Yahoo conducted a survey today for the top five favorite candies: #1 Reese's, #2 Snickers, #3 M & M's, #4 Chocolate Bars, and #5 Kit Kat.   What is your favorite candy?