31 Days of Things I've Been Wanting to Do, Day 28 (barely making it!): Pumpkin Party Complete!

You know it's been a good pumpkin carving party when everyone leaves with dessert in their bellies and a carved pumpkin in their hands!

I bought foam sheets for the little ones to cut out foam faces since they aren't quite ready to carve pumpkins.

The ghosts kept flying around the dessert table...

(Learn how I made them here.)

And what they left behind.....

My desserts for the evening....

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

(Last time I made these, the icing went everywhere. I had to post a picture to show I can make icing the correct way!)

Hot Carmel Apple Cider

What You'll Need:

1/2 gallon apple cider

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cinnamon stick

6 whole cloves

1 orange, sliced

Caramel ice cream topping

Here's How:

Combine all ingredients except topping in a slow cooker.

Cover; cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Strain; discard spices and orange.

Serve in mugs and drizzle with carmel topping.

I try some type of apple cider with a 'twist' every year and this is by far my favorite! I found the recipe in a Gooseberry Patch catalog that came in the mail. It had a couple of free recipes in it and I am so glad this was one of them! I'm sipping some now as I type.... hmmmm......

Apple Pie Dip

I thought this recipe would be somewhat boring, but it actually has a great flavor! (And easy to make!)

What You'll Need:
2 cups peeled, diced apples
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp. water

Here's How:
Heat apples, juice, sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan on the stove.
When heated through and apples get soft, add cornstarch.
Boil until thickened.
Serve with cinnamon/sugar tortilla chips
(To make the chips, cut flour tortilla shells into 8th's. Lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spray lightly with water. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. I use 1 Tbs. sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 400* for 8 minutes or until crisp. Cool and store in an air tight container.)