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Homemade Halloween Sweets

Homemade Halloween Sweets

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Homemade Halloween Sweets

Posted on 1 November 2019 by Wendy
If you’re having a Halloween party this weekend, sweets will definitely be on your shopping list! I prefer to not buy those and make my own sweets. A bit healthier and also a lot more fun to do with the kids! I made 4 easy recipes and included them below.  Have fun making them and let us know what Halloween sweets you make.

Candy Apples

This is a classic and this blog would not be complete without it.
It’s easy as long as you have the right tools. So I will list those together with the ingredients.
What you need:
  • heavy base saucepan
  • cooking thermometer
  • candy sticks (I used chopsticks)
  • 12 green apples
  • 3 cups of sugar
  • 1/2 of golden syrup
  • 1 cup of water
  • red food colouring
What you do:
Put the sugar, syrup, and water in the saucepan and heat it up (while stirring or it will burn) to a temperature of 150 degrees Celcius. This makes it ‘crack’ when dried. This is the only part that is crucial, it needs to be the right temperature.  Wash and dry the apples and put the sticks in, leave them on a greaseproof paper of cooking mat. When the sugar mix is done take it off the heat and mix in 3 to 6 drops of food colouring.
Dip and coat the apples in the mixture to cover them fully and leave to dry. I use cupcake cases to help with drips.
When cooled they are ready to eat!
The leftover syrup can be spread out over some baking paper and used as decoration on things like cupcakes and cakes. I will be using it for my Halloween glass shard cupcakes.

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Teeth apples

Super simple and quick to make and you only need 3 things.
What you need:
  • 6 red or green mini apples
  • peanut butter
  • mini marshmallows
What to do:
Wash and dry the apples, then using an apple cutter or a knife make 8 partitions from 1 apple (do not peel them!)
Put a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of every part.
Add up to 6 marshmallows on one part and stick a second one on top of it.
And that’s it, easy, tasty and fun

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Bloody chocolate cups

These easy and fun but very tasty sweets are not just easy to make, it looks really cool.
What you need:
  • 600 grams of milk chocolate (makes 9)
  • raspberry or strawberry jam (your preference)
What you do:
Break the chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat up the chocolate in 30-second increments (or it will burn) and mix in between each time.
It should take no more than 2-3 minutes for all the chocolate to be melted, careful the bowl can get hot!
In a muffin tin put some cupcake cases and fill them half with chocolate.
Put in the fridge and leave to cool until its solid to the touch.
Add a teaspoon of jam to the middle of the chocolate and fill the rest up with the melted chocolate.
Leave to cool in the fridge again, and when cooled pull off the paper and they are ready to eat!

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Spooky rice krispie cakes

These easy to make sweets can be made in any shape and size, making them very versatile and fun for children.
What you need:
  • 170 gram of marshmallows
  • 170 gram of rice krispies
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 200-gram white chocolate
  • multiple food colourings to fit with your choice of decoration
What you do:
Add the marshmallows and the butter to a microwavable bowl, and put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, mixing in between until melted.
When melted, mix in the rice krispies and let cool until it’s safe to touch.
Make into any shape you want, like balls, bats, pumpkins, ghosts, and mummies (I made ghosts and pumpkins) – you can do this by hand, use cookie cutters or cake shapes.
Put in the fridge for about 1 hour to let cool, then they will be ready to decorate.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwavable bowl.
Heat up the chocolate in 30-second increments (or it will burn), mixing in between until melted.
Divide over several bowls and add food colouring.
Decorate however you like, let cool and they are ready to eat!

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Enjoy and Happy Halloween!
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Job Opportunity: Energy Advisor (Female)

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Job Opportunity: Energy Advisor (Female)

Posted on 5 November 2019 by Lauren Brook

Energy Advisor (Female) – 25 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9.30am – 2.30pm, plus occasional Saturday and evening work; permanent after completion of probationary period; salary in the range of £23,480 to £24,480 + 6% contribution to pension scheme (pro rata).

Greener Kirkcaldy is a community-led charity, working on a local scale to benefit people and our environment. We are concerned about climate change, social justice and community development.  We would like to see a future where everyone is able to heat their home affordably, eat well, and tread more lightly on our planet.

We lead the ‘Cosy Kingdom’ partnership of organisations who deliver energy and fuel poverty advice services for householders across Fife – including community engagement on energy efficiency and micro-renewables, and advice on tariffs and switching. The service helps people stay warm while spending a lower proportion of their income on fuel, and develops skills and confidence for participants to take more control of their energy use and bills.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced female energy advisor to join our team. Our team of Energy Advisors deliver energy advice work in Mid and West Fife, making home energy advice visits, delivering talks and workshops on saving energy, and attending events to raise the profile of the service. We are looking to appoint a female candidate based on exemption under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9 – Occupational Requirements. The successful candidate will work with a wide range of people including some vulnerable women whose circumstances require us to provide a female advisor.

You will have excellent communication skills, an ability to communicate with a broad range of people, and a genuine desire to tackle fuel poverty and help our community go greener. You will be motivated, have excellent organisational skills, work well on your own initiative and as part of a team, and be flexible to adapt to the needs of the project.

Download the full job descriptions, person specifications and application form here:

Energy Advisor (Female) – Job Description (PDF)

Energy Advisor (Female) – Person Specification (PDF)

Greener Kirkcaldy Application Form (Word Document)

Applications must be submitted using the application form – we will not accept CVs.

Applications should be submitted to jobs@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 15th November 2019. Interviews will be held on Monday 25th November 2019. For any informal enquiries about this post, please contact Bruce McCall, Project Manager, on 01592 858458 or bruce@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk.

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New Chair for Greener Kirkcaldy

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New Chair for Greener Kirkcaldy

Posted on 11 November 2019 by Suzy Goodsir

Following Greener Kirkcaldy’s recent Annual General Meeting, our board of trustees has appointed a new Chair, Christine May. Christine brings a wealth of experience and contacts to the post and is a passionate advocate for the organisations’s values. We are delighted that she has agreed to lead our board.

Our outgoing Chair, Andrew McDaniel, remains on the board. Andrew served as our Chair for five years and has been a key part of our success and growth over the last 5 years. He brought us closer links to the Fife Housing Association Alliance and to many other local organisations, and helped us to develop a more enterprising approach. We greatly value his contribution as Chair and are pleased that he is staying on as a board member.

Ian Stirton remains as our Treasurer and Pat Crosbie remains as Vice-Chair.

There is a full list of our board members on the Governance page.

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Sarah’s Story

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Sarah’s Story

Posted on 15 November 2019 by Lauren Brook

Last year, we visited Sarah. Sarah had learning difficulties and some physical health issues. She received various benefits, and was on a relatively low income. She was finding it difficult to keep her home warm over the winter, and this was causing her additional stress. As well as helping Sarah manage her energy use and understand her bills, we provided her with some warm thermal curtains to keep out the draughts and keep the heat in. We also installed radiator panels to help reflect some heat back into her rooms.

With our help, Sarah’s home was much warmer, and this relieved a lot of her stress.

You can help people vulnerable people like Sarah stay warm this winter by donating to our Help Fuel Fife Folk campaign.

 

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European Week for Waste Reduction

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European Week for Waste Reduction

Posted on 19 November 2019 by Bryan Duncan

It’s easier said than done when it comes to tackling waste reduction, but how do you encourage people to take action?

The European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is an annual event which raises awareness about sustainable resource and waste management and offers a comprehensive guide on everyone can get involved.

It encourages public authorities, private companies, civil society and citizens to take part and has been a successful initiative over the past several years.

This year’s theme is ‘Waste education and communication for behaviour change’ and revolves around the ‘3Rs’;  Reduce waste, Reuse products, Recycle Material.

Reduce Waste

The high increase in waste has produced a European emergency. Household waste has doubled in weight since 1970 and contributes to nearly half of emissions resulting in climate change. This is down to the non-sustainable methods we use to produce and consume products.

The EWWR aims to show that natural resources are limited, and various projects have been successful in highlighting this plight.

One example is from a Catalan town which created a campaign to reduce the waste produced during breakfast time in primary school while also promoting healthy habits. There were workshops and social media hashtags which made the experience fun for children and overall saw reduction in waste and positive feedback.

Meanwhile, businesses such as the Glasgow Film Theatre ran competitions and engaged with the public about waste prevention measures. This level of awareness encourages everyone to act – the main supermarkets are currently taking steps to reduce waste.

Reuse Products

It’s been mentioned in previous blogs that disposing more material to landfill creates environmental problems in the long-run. Twenty to fifty million metric tonnes of waste and electronic equipment (WEEE) is disposed of each year, while the UK alone chucks away 2 million functioning PCs into landfill. It may be good scenery for a dystopian sci-fi landscape, but it ain’t helping the planet.

By reusing products it not only eliminates the need to keep producing new appliances, but it also offers socio-economic benefits.

Reselling and collecting material is labour intensive, therefore it offers employment opportunities, and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that re-use of a selection of waste streams brings benefits of £720m to the economy.

EWWR has shown how communities getting together to promote the practice of reusing can produce positive results. In Spain, a town implemented a ‘Bikes for Life’ campaign which employed disabled people and distributed repair bicycles to disadvantaged groups.

Recycle Material

Reducing waste should be on top of people’s priorities, followed by reusing products.

Failing that, recycling is the next best option. It reduces the need to consume natural resources, cuts carbon emissions and reduces landfill.

EWWR encourages communities to think of ways to increase awareness such as movie competitions and games. A local primary school in England made a short film encouraging recycling good practice.

Let’s Clean Up Europe!

Tackling the 3 R’s is, of course, a collective effort which a lot of the case studies during EWWR demonstrate. Let’s Clean Up Europe! is an initiative by EWWR which calls on everyone to work together and solve the littering problem.

One success story is when Javier Ruiz Rojas created the ‘Junk Hunters’ which made cleaning up a fun and educational activity. It also aimed to improve our woodlands and natural surroundings and protect the environment and wildlife from harm.

Implementing these actions in everyday life

Not only does the EWWR raise awareness but also makes the whole process fun. It encourages people to socialise and in turn builds up collective action which is needed to tackle environmental issues. The EWWR site offers a vast array of resources and links to get you prepared for the big week!

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ewwr.eu/

Twitter @2EWWR

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8 Ways to Have a Waste-Free Christmas

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Energy AdviceArchives

8 Ways to Have a Waste-Free Christmas

Posted on 3 December 2019 by Steven

Welcome to my Christmas blog! I’d like to reduce my waste this year, so I’m writing you this Christmas waste-free blog, to say it’s nice to be waste-free, I would like to write about all these things, for your eyes and mind to see, so hop aboard the turntable and step into a waste-free Christmas with me!

Looking to have a waste-free Christmas this year, but not really sure where to start? In this blog, we look at eight ways to have a waste-free Christmas.

 

1. Food Leftovers

One of the major wastages from Christmas Day is food. There are a lot of different ways you can use your leftover food. The most popular leftover in my house is turkey! Depending on the size of turkey you buy for Christmas, turkey sandwiches could be a good lunchtime meal for a good few days after.

If turkey sandwiches are not your thing, then healthier options are available. If you have leftover vegetables, you could make Turkey Noodle Soup – turkey, carrots, onions, peas and noodles would be ideal for this. Another meal that could be made is a Shepherds Pie – you can use leftover turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables.

Other meals you could make with leftover turkey are turkey quiche, turkey stir fry or turkey curry. Fried rice could also be a good meal for any leftovers you might have.

A good way to use up Brussels sprouts is to make soup out of them.

By the time you get to your Christmas pudding, you may be feeling rather full up and may not be able to eat it all! If you do come across this scenario, Christmas pudding can be put in the freezer and turned into ice cream which you can eat at a later date.

All the extra food you have leftover could also be frozen. You will be amazed at the amount of food you can freeze (including cheese!).

 

2. Christmas Wrapping Paper

You spend money buying wrapping paper and take all that time to wrap the presents for your loved ones, then on Christmas morning the paper gets ripped off like there is no tomorrow and is usually thrown in the bin. Instead of throwing your wrapping paper in the bin, you could use it to make other things such as:

  • Fashion Envelopes
  • Wrapping paper bunting
  • Paper confetti
  • Line boxes which contain something fragile
  • Line plain-looking bookshelves/drawers
  • Create bows for presents
  • Cardboard tube art
  • Christmas tree paper cone

If you don’t want to do any of these things with your wrapping paper, then make sure to put your paper in the correct recycling bin!

 

3. Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are very common to give out, but after Christmas is done it can be easy to just discard them and then do it all again next year. Instead of just throwing them away, you could use your Christmas cards to create gift cards for next year, saving you a little money in the process.

An alternative to buying Christmas cards is to donate the money you would spend on cards and stamps to help vulnerable people in Fife stay warm this winter. You can donate directly to Cosy Kingdom’s Help Fuel Fife Folk campaign or you can send a Christmas e-card and donate!

 

4. Decorations

Decorations for the tree, the window or the ceiling, all have their own life span and there will come a time when you will need to update those decorations. One idea for the old decorations is to put them up in kids rooms. The kids will love decorations in their own room and it’s a good way to save money by not getting two brand new sets of decorations.

Switch to LED Christmas lights to save on energy. LEDs use 90% less electricity than normal Christmas lights and they last longer making them a much better investment.

 

5. Christmas Tree

If you have a real Christmas tree which is growing a bit old and you are thinking about getting a new one for next year, then you can see if the council can collect your tree to chip it up. If you have a tree which has roots then you can re-plant it in your garden or keep it in a pot to reuse next year.

 

 6. Cook Smarter

When cooking your Christmas dinner, make sure you use the correct sized pan and ring for each job and also keep the lids on your pans to reduce heat loss and cooking time. Also, consider using the microwave for smaller tasks.

Also, it is a good idea to keep the oven door shut as much as you can and make large batches of food whenever possible to improve your energy efficiency.

Another way to save energy over the Christmas period is to defrost food overnight rather than microwaving it and make sure that warm food cool down before putting it in the fridge.

 

7. Use Candles

Lighting candles could be a good alternative for saving energy this Christmas. Using candles uses no energy and can provide very nice mood lighting!

 

8. Make Memories

And finally instead of buying a present that might end up in the bin, or left in a cupboard for months to gather dust, you could buy your loved one an experience. A nice meal out, gig or musical tickets, a short break or a spa day could be the perfect gift idea to give that special person in your life an unforgettable experience.

I hope you have found this useful in your quest to have a waste-free Christmas. I hope you all have a great Christmas!

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