Pumpkin Recipe Round Up

In case you are still deciding how to add some pumpkin spice to your Thanksgiving table this year, here are a few of my favorites.

Top row: Pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin blondies, double chocolate pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin potato gratin

Middle row: pumpkin mac and cheese, pumpkin shortbread

Bottom row: sopapilla pumpkin bars, pumpkin chocolate chip bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin brownies with apple butter

Happy Thanksgiving!

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cookies

So I came upon these awesome pumpkin spice chips by Tollhouse during pumpkin mania at the supermarket.

Before we go any further can I just comment on the fact that pumpkin madness began before fall started and the supermarket has already deemed the season over before the end of October! What is this nonsense!? Pumpkin flavors have a least another month to go in my meal rotation.  I have a feeling no one is starting their Christmas baking yet, despite the stores encouragement.

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients
1 package Betty Crocker chocolate chunk cookie mix
1 cup pumpkin spice chips
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
2 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Drop dough by the tablespoon-ful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing.

Here is a little bonus idea for you crazy kids out there: take some pumpkin gelato and sandwich it between 2 cookies!

Hellooooo fall chip-wich! 

Baked Potato Bar

Last night was our 3rd annual scary movie night!  As per tradition we went with another customize-able dinner.

2014: mac and cheese bar
2013: taco bar

This year baked potatoes were the blank canvas.

I used this recipe for making baked potatoes in a slow cooker by the Kitchn.  It's not much different than preparing baked potatoes for the oven.

Our toppings bar included:

butter

parsley-garlic-butter 

salsa

sour cream

sriracha

caramelized onions

chili

cheese sauce

bbq pulled chicken

Fritos

scallions

broccoli

jalapenos

bacon

cheddar cheese

The possibilities were endless!

I also made a very tasty cocktail, caramel apple cider sangria.

I hope you all have a great Halloween!

Mac and Cheese Bar

The initial title for this entry was "I'm sorry you weren't invited" because really, I am sorry.

This was an incredible dinner party meal and you should all do it for your friends and family.

P.S. I totally wish I could take credit for this idea.

The concept here was to make a large batch of mac and cheese, and then have everyone add their own mix ins.

We mixed in some festive Halloween pasta for the occasion.

Toppings included: chicken, bacon, sausage, "lobster," mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, brussel's sprouts, broccoli, gorgonzola, tomato sauce, crispy onions, Ritz, siracha, and bbq sauce.

The possibilities are endless!

Above is my (first) bowl of mac and cheese.

I placed the cooked and cheesed-up pasta in the slow cooker so we could eat at our leisure.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Halloween Cupcakes!

The cupcakes are yellow cake that I dyed orange with crushed up Oreos mixed in.


Inside shot, looks like a jack-o-lantern face.


I piped some mummies:

So cute!

I dyed the rest of the icing to make some jack-o-lantern faces with marshmallows.

Happy Halloween!