Hecker is a first-year magazines and writing double major and can be contacted at emily.hecker@drake.edu
In the aftermath of Easter, a challenging question is ahead of us: What is to be done with the remaining sugary confections? It has been a little over a week since this spring holiday took place. The thrill of devouring a chocolate bunny at 8 a.m. has diminished, but the bunny’s half-dozen identical candy friends still gaze at us from their perch atop our Easter baskets.
Instead of tossing the lot into the garbage, consider more practical disposal methods. As our parents always said, there are starving children in the world who would love to eat the food that we throw away. For the sake of those children, I propose the following ideas.
If you haven’t already noticed, cupcakes are hot right now. Maybe it’s because they’re a single serving of delight or maybe it’s because they are the perfect instruments of candy disposure.
Allow me to introduce you to the compost cupcake. To create these delights, simply whip up a basic cupcake batter, crush your Easter candy and toss it in. Within minutes, you’ll have baked yourself a new tasty treat and gotten rid of that leftover candy. It may sound disgusting, but these cupcakes will get the job done.
Perhaps you’ve consumed enough candy to earn you more than the freshman 15. If this is the case, eating your candy is no longer an option. Instead of adding to your food baby, why not try a craft project with your candy? There’s nothing parents like more than to display homemade artwork from their children, even if their children are in college.
If you’re a Wisconsinite like me, you may have heard of the Racine Art Museum’s annual Peep’s exhibition. Creative dioramas, clothing, sculptures and jewelry made out of Peeps are being showcased at the museum right now. Just think, you could turn your remaining marshmallow confections into art and receive awards. Your dollar pack of Peeps could be turned into “Princess and the Peep” or “Peeply and the Chocolate Factory” like the winners of this year’s competition.
Maybe you’d prefer to put your candy to a more domestic use. Say you have a picture of Spike, which could really use a frame. Run down to the Dollar Tree and get one. Then, with some hot glue and your leftover candy, you can spruce that frame up. Now, you’ll have a nice homemade craft your parents can be proud of. Plus, you’ll have a snazzy decoration for next year’s dorm room. If anyone asks where you got that beautiful creation, you can say with pride, “I made that.”
If neither of the previous candy disposal options appealed to you, perhaps this next one will. In one of my high school science classes, I got to watch what happens when you place a Peep in a vacuum. For those of you who haven’t seen this experiment performed, I will not ruin it by telling you the outcome. Let’s just say this experiment is both amusing and informative. If you’ve decided not to transform your Peeps into artwork, I would suggest running them down to a professor in the science department. Your unwanted Easter candy could be turned into a teaching tool. How’s that for putting your candy to good use?
As you consume your limit of sugary goodness in the next few days, I challenge all of you to think outside of the box before you toss the holiday remnants into the trash. Try something different with your candy and your efforts could be rewarded.
