Whether you just graduated, moved out, or had a baby, circumstances beyond your control may have made money tight. You’re certainly not alone, but now it’s time to reign it in on the takeout and toughen your food allowance. Thankfully, there are plenty of budget-friendly meals and tricks that’ll allow you to continue eating healthy without sacrificing flavor and quality. Yes, you can still have pizza, but you might have to budget for it later in the week. Settle in and read through the following eight life-changing tips while you clip those coupons.
Party plans at the 11th hour? We've got you covered with last-minute Halloween snacks that are easy to throw together! Spooky Halloween cookies call for tons of creativity, while make-ahead recipes require actually knowing that you're going to a party in the first place. While finding a last-minute costume that doesn't make your plan to stay in and watchHalloween movies alone in your jammies too obvious, cooking or baking a mysterious masterpiece seems out of the question – but it's not! Ahead, find some of the best last-minute Halloween snacks that are JUST the right amount of spooky.
Brit + Co
Monster Avocado Toasts
If you want to celebrate Halloween without eating a ton of junk, try our avocado toast faces. It's the perfect start to Halloween morning — before the Halloween partyprep begins! (via Brit + Co.)
Brit + Co
Deviled Egg Brains
These savory snack bites totally give us the creepy crawlies! Trust us, they're still yummy, though. (via Brit + Co.)
Brit + Co
Spider Halloween Cookies
These sweet spideys should only take you about 40 minutes to finish! Once they're cooled, you'll be all set for your Halloween get-together. (via Brit + Co.)
Brit + Co
Mummy Pizzas
These mummified pizza pies are made easy with store-bought ciabatta bread and some hearty toppings. (via Brit + Co.)
Brit + Co
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
The decorated pumpkin faces on these seasonal-flavored cookies provide the perfect amount of spooky! (via Brit + Co.)
Half Baked Harvest
Roasted Pumpkin Seed Hummus
Homemade hummus is SO much better than the store-bought stuff — and it's easy to make. In less than 30 minutes, you'll be ready to rock with a bright orange Halloween hummus. (Half Baked Harvest)
Chelsea's Messy Apron
Mummy Milanos
When you're in a pinch, there's nothing wrong with ripping open a bag of cookies and adding your own spooky twist. This recipe turns Milanos into mummies with the help of some melted white chocolate. (via Chelsea's Messy Apron)
Chopstick Chronicles
Sushi Balls, Halloween Style
We know what you're thinking — sushi isn't exactly easy to create — but hear us out. These eerie sushi balls are way easier to put together than sushi rolls and require a lot less skill and equipment. It's also mess-free! (via Chopstick Chronicles)
Gimme Some Oven
Brownie Spiders
These little cuties are the perfect last-minute snack to put together if you're less into gory-ness and more into adorably-ness. Feeling iffy over the commitment of baking? Don't sweat it — these are done in 35 minutes. (via Gimme Some Oven)
Simply Sated
Witch Finger Pretzels
As far as quick and simple snacks go, you can't compete with dipping already delicious pretzels into already delicious chocolate. The best part of these treats is that they come out look gruesome and amazing. (via Simply Sated)
A Spicy Perspective
Halloween Fruit Skewers
A healthy-ish treat, these fruit skewers get a little bit of Halloween when a few pieces of candy are in the mix. (via A Spicy Perspective)
Food Fanatic
Deviled Egg Eyeballs
Deviled eggs sound perfect for Halloween on their own. When you add a healthy helping of beet puree to the mix, this wholesome snack hits a whole new level of creepy, or take a different route by making spider web deviled eggs. (via Food Fanatic)
Well Plated
Graveyard Chocolate Cheesecake Dip
Having to whip up a themed snack at the last minute is a grave situation. It's a good thing THIS grave, topped with crunchy cookie dirt, only takes 20 minutes to put together. (via Well Plated)
Mitzy At Home
White Chocolate Ghosts and Mummies
It's hard to find anything cuter than ghost-themed desserts; it's those little eyes. These sweet boos are easy to make and need to chill for 30 minutes, so you can place them in the fridge while you get ready. (Mitzy At Home)
Baking Beauty
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
The flavors of cream cheese and sharp cheddar are scary good together. Also, you basically get to dunk chips into chips, so it's near impossible to disappoint a crowd with a snack like this. Did we mention it only takes 20 minutes to make? (via Baking Beauty)
Damn Delicious
Mummy Hot Dogs
Hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls are fantastic any time of the year, but we're especially in love with them on Halloween. Wrapped up to look like mummies, these bites are great for adult and kid parties alike. (via Damn Delicious)
The Miniature Moose
Sweet and Salty Halloween Snack Mix
With no cooking required, this halloween snack is all ease and no fuss; just toss some sweet and savory snacks together and you're good to go. The frightening part is that they're incredibly addicting, so beware. (via The Miniature Moose)
A Zesty Bite
Oreo Spider Web Cookies
We're confident that Oreos are loved universally, so there is no way to go wrong with this snack because it is SO right. The best way to wash these spiders out? A tall glass of cold milk, of course. (via A Zesty Bite)
Stacey Homemaker
Halloween Graveyard Pizza
When doom hits, nothing saves the day quite like pizza; pizza fixes everything. In under 30 minutes, you too can save the day with this cheesy pizza — complete with eyeballs and tongues. (via Stacey Homemaker)
Chelsea's Messy Apron
Easy Spider Oreo Balls
If you're after that beloved Oreo flavor, but want to jazz things up in a most spine-chilling way, these spider Oreo balls will do the trick. In 30 minutes you can have these sweet and spooky critters on a platter, ready to go. (via Chelsea's Messy Apron)
Half Baked Harvest
Black Widow Peanut Butter Bars
Salty, sweet, and easier than you'd think, these peanut butter bars are made with pantry staples and candy. (via Half Baked Harvest)
A Spicy Perspective
Halloween Popcorn Mix
Coat dry, salted popcorn with a purple melted candy coating and add sprinkles and your favorite Halloween candy to make this snack mix. (via A Spicy Perspective)
Amanda Wilens
Halloween Rice Krispy Treats
Rice Krispy treats get a Halloween twist when you add festive sprinkles and a few eyeballs to mix. (via Amanda Wilens)
Salt & Lavender
Halloween Puppy Chow
Chocolate, peanut butter, and plenty of Halloween sprinkles give new life to Chex cereal, and it only takes 15 minutes to make. (via Salt & Lavender)
Halloween snacks are not only tasty, but they're fun to make, share and eat! With Halloween just around the corner, we're sure these spooky snacks will win over every guest at your Halloween bash!
For more spooky Halloween snack ideas + treats, check us out on Pinterest!
This article has been updated from a previous post with additional reporting by Meredith Holser.
No matter what kind of day you're having, Marissa Cooper's having a worse one. Mischa Barton's The O.C. character went through the ringer during the first three seasons of the teen drama (remember how she overdosed in Tijuana...and also saw her parents post-hookup after their divorce?).
And during her time on The O.C., Mischa Barton struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. She was arrested for a DUI in 2007 and eventually received involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in 2009 after allegedly threatening to end her own life. And in a new interview, Peter Gallagher (who played Sandy Cohen on the show) says he's "just so grateful" for "the fact that she’s still alive."
- Mischa Barton starred alongside Peter Gallagher in The O.C. from 2003-2006.
- The actress has revealed the "trauma" of being a star at that point in her life.
- Peter recently opened up about how he's thankful "she’s still alive."
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC/John Lamparski/Getty Images
The O.C. follows Ryan Atwood, who moves in with the Cohens after getting kicked out of his mom's house, and starts a relationship with Marissa shortly after. While Peter Gallagher played Adam Brody's TV dad instead of Mischa's, Sandy was a definitely father figure for Marissa, and it seems like Peter felt that same responsibility off camera.
"I’ve always felt very protective of her," Peter told The Independent. "First fame is toxic. First fame can kill you. She was 16 years old when she started working with us, so just the fact that she’s still alive, I’m just so grateful."
“You can go to therapy every day for the rest of your life,” Mischa said in a 2023 interview with The Sunday Times. “There’s just a certain amount of trauma [from] all that I went through, particularly in my early twenties, that just doesn’t go away overnight.”
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage revealed that season 1 overdose not only served as a cliffhanger, but gave “network executives an escape hatch on a performer they had been wary about” (via People). But Mischa Barton got her big break, becoming "how people knew the show," and (thankfully) Marissa recovered — only to die after a car crash in season 3.
As hard as that season 3 ending is to watch, Mischa did have the opportunity to watch it with Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke for the first time on their rewatch podcast. "It needed to be a thing, after everything she's been through, but if it's here I'll watch it with you," Mischa says.
"I couldn't do it, Mischa, I couldn't do it," Rachel adds. "But I'm going to do it if you're going to do it."
Mischa says even though being written off the show "was a little bit of a bummer," it wasn't necessarily a surprise. "The character was just doing too much," she told Vanity Fairin 2023. "And I think they ran out of places for her to go. It was not the best thing in the world, [but] there wasn’t much you could do at that point. It was whether she could sail off into the sunset, or die. At that point, I guess it’s better to have the more dramatic ending.”What did you think of The O.C. season 3 finale? Let us know on Facebook!
In a world where people are hopping onto strange food trends without hesitation, like making pizza with naan and customizing their morning coffees beyond repair, it’s amazing anyone could still be grossed out by food. Needless to say, we still have our limits… especially when it comes to those itty bitty white worms wiggling around in our pretty pink salmon fillets (HUH?). But before you swear off these healthy omega-3-rich fillets for good, let’s understand what these worms in salmon are, why they’re present, and why you don’t have to snub your fave lox at brunch this Sunday.
The white worms we occasionally spot in salmon fillets are parasites called roundworms. Though these worms are more noticeable in salmon due to the contrast in color, they can be found in many white fish too — they’re just camouflaged.
But we shouldn’t be freaking out.
Huy Phan / PEXELS
Despite the fact that our knee-jerk reaction is to panic and consider things contaminated, roundworms are as natural to fish as insects are to fruits and veggies. A teeny white worm in your salmon is the equivalent to an aphid, thrip, or mite in your recently harvested greens. Yes, it’s still yucky AF, but totally natural.
Valeria Boltneva / PEXELS
The good news is that roundworms don’t pose health risks when fish is thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the FDA’s recommendation. When it comes to lightly preserved or raw fish — like sushi, sashimi, ceviche, or gravlax — as long as the product was commercially frozen to an internal temperature of -4 degrees Fahrenheit for at least seven days prior to preparation, parasites are terminated. (High five, fellow sushi lovers!)
Just be sure to avoid sketchy sushi joints; when you hear about people getting sick from eating at low-profile all-you-can-eat sushi spot, it’s because they aren’t handling their fish properly.
Lum3n / PEXELS
It is believed by some that wild-caught fish are more susceptible to roundworms due to the fact that they interact with an external ecosystem, while farmed fish are segregated from the wild and are fed pellets treated for parasites. This isn’t something *we* can confirm, but it’s food for thought nonetheless.
Mister Mister / PEXELS
If you really want to feast on fish but paranoia has now gotten the best of you, there is an at-home method you can try: fish candling. This method has you place a bright light beneath a fillet of fish so you can see the shadows of any worms present. You can then grab some tweezers and remove, then discard of the worms yourself. (This method obviously isn’t for the faint of heart.)
We say, thoroughly cook your fish and pretend worms never happened!
Would finding worms in your salmon deter you from eating it ever again? Let us know @BritandCo!
This post has been updated.
Former Disney Channel star Dylan Sprouse and model Barbara Palvin are certainly living the sweet life after tying the knot in Palvin's native Hungary. The couple, who have been together for nearly five years, have always been pretty low-key — except for the occasional and undeniably adorable Instagram post (and a stunning wedding!). We are simply ~obsessed~ with this celebrity couple, especially after they pulled out all the stops for their couple's Halloween costume. Keep scrolling to see some of their best moments :').
See Dylan Sprouse & Barbara Palvin's Halloween Couple's Costume!
For Halloween Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin stunned as the Phantom and Christine from Phantom of the Opera. Dylan wore a mask and a black cape, while Barbara wore a beautiful white dress. While the costume is obviously a nod to the musical, it also totally reminds us of their day as bride and groom.
"In Sleep He Sang to Me," Barbara said in a post, quoting the musical's titular number. "@dylansprouse my forever Phantom."
Who did Dylan Sprouse marry?
On the couple's wedding day (July 15, 2023), Barbara wore a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown to celebrate her Hungarian nuptials, bringing together their nearest and dearest for an intimate(-ish) celebration. Barbara and Dylan tied the knot on her parent's property, which conveniently doubles as an event venue, with plans to host an larger wedding in California in the fall.
"This past weekend was supposed to be an intimate event, but we ended up having 115 guests in the end because there are a lot of people we care about, and we wanted them all to be there," Barbara told Vogue.
When did Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin get engaged?
After months of speculation surrounding the couple's engagement, Dylan and Barbara confirmed their engagement in conversation with Sprouse's twin brother, actor Cole Sprouse, for V Magazine in June, sharing that they got engaged last September.
"We didn't necessarily feel the need to be fully transparent with the public about that aspect of our engagement," Dylan said. "What we wanted to do with Stephen [Gan, V editor-in-chief] and the V team is make something that was kind of tongue-in-cheek about the nature of private versus public. We're playing with the idea of perception."
Barbara noted that the lovebirds wanted to announce the news "on our time," adding, "When some people leaked the information that we got engaged, our PR team was like, 'Hey, so you guys should do maybe a post about it or talk to this magazine or talk to that magazine…' That really annoyed me because I knew we were building this story up. So, I'm very happy that we ended up doing it our way."
When did Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse start dating?
Sean Zanni / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment
See Dylan Sprouse & Barbara Palvin's Dreamy Halloween Costume: "My Forever"According to People, the couple met back in 2017 after a party when the Suite Life On Deck star slid into the model’s DMs (and as they say, the rest is history). The duo made their relationship Instagram official back in 2018 with Barbara’s sweet birthday tribute for Dylan’s 26th birthday.
Let’s be real here for a second though, we all knew they were endgame the minute Dylan went above and beyond to support Barbara at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show that same year (remember this viral video?). Three days after the fashion show, the Hungarian model told Vogue Australia that she hadn’t had a boyfriend in six years, but had now found “the perfect guy” in Dylan (we aren’t crying, you are).
How old are Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse?
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Barbara Palvin was born on October 8, 1993, making her 31 years old. Dylan Sprouse was born on August 4, 1992, meaning he's 32 years old. So there's only a one-year age gap between them!
Stay up to date with all of Brit + Co's favorite celebrity relationships. Let us know your thoughts on Twitter!
This post has been updated.
2017's The Beguiled gave us one of the best groups of people of all time: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Sofia Coppola, and Kirsten Dunst just to name a few. And we're finally getting an Elle and Nicole reunion thanks to Apple TV+! "THRILLED to bring @rufithorpe genius hysterical heart-wrenching heartwarming book to your TV screens alongside a dream group of people!" Elle says on Instagram. Rather than having to test the success of its pilot, the series has already been ordered — even though the book it's based on isn't even out yet! Here's everything you need to know about the series.
- Dakota and Elle Fanning will produce the upcoming Apple TV+ show Margo's Got Money Troubles.
- The series follows Margo, who signs up for OnlyFans after learning she's pregnant.
- The cast includes Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Nick Offerman.
Who's in the Margo's Got Money Troubles cast?
Amy Sussman/Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Margo's Got Money Troubles Cast
We couldn't contain our excitement when we learned Margo's Got Money Troubles will star Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, but knowing Michelle Pfeiffer is also joining the cast is too much to bear! This is the first time the actress will collaborate with her husband, TV creator David E. Kelley, so we can't wait to see the magic they'll create (via Deadline).
Nick Offerman from The Last of Us and Parks and Rec will also star.
When is Margo's Got Money Troubles coming out?
Margo's Got Money Troubles Release Date
We don't have an official release date for Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman's TV show yet. I'm thinking if the TV show is in the early stages of planning, we could see it in 2025! Check out all of this year's best New TV Shows to hold you over until then.
What is Margo's Got Money Troubles about?
Amazon
Margo's Got Money Troubles Plot
Margo Millet is the daughter of a Hooter's waitress named Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and an ex-wrestler (via Deadline). She's always had to make it on her own, even though she's not sure how. When she enrolls in her local junior college, she's totally unprepared to get swept up into a torrid love affair with her English professor — or to get pregnant.
Now at 20 years old, Margo needs an income and fast. She decides to experiment with OnlyFans and ends up taking some of her estranged father's advice from the world of wrestling to create a character users will fall in love with. You can order the book now!
What is Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman's new TV show?
Margo's Got Money Troubles is coming soon to Apple TV+ thanks to a bunch of different producers. A24 is backing the film, as well as Elle and Dakota Fanning’s production company Lewellen Pictures and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films, to name a few.
What else has Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman starred in?
Focus Features
Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman starred in 2017's The Beguiled. The movie follows John McBurney, an injured Union soldier, who winds up at a female Southern boarding school after deserting the Civil War. But soon, as the women help him, tensions turn to rivalries and friends turn to enemies.
Are you excited for Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman's TV reunion? Let us know what other New TV Shows you're watching in the comments.
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This post has been updated.