Halloween Door Decorations: Great Wreaths and Entry Accents

We have been finding some great Halloween decor online. Today we share with you our favorite Wreaths & Entry Accents courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Online & Pinterest.

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes courtesy of Chow.com – Adapted from “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes” by Janice Cole

We love this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Try it for this seasons holiday entertaining. Pumpkin cupcakes are a great fall or holiday dessert, as they have all the flavors of traditional pumpkin bread but in a lighter, cuter, portable form. To make them, whisk together the dry ingredients, then combine that with a mixture of eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a stand mixer. After about 25 minutes of baking and a chance to cool, top them with this Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting for a double dose of pumpkin flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 recipe Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting (See Below)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper liners. Alternatively, coat the wells with vegetable oil; set aside.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
3. Place the sugar and measured oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
4. Return the mixer to medium speed and add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 1 1/2 minutes total mixing time. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the pumpkin, and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, and beat until almost completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in any unincorporated flour at the edges with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl.
6. Fill the muffin wells three-quarters of the way (about a heaping 1/4 cup per well). Place the muffin pans side by side in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and side to side and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.
7. Place the pans on wire racks and let them cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks. Frost with Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting, if using.

Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting

Adding a bit of pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a basic cream cheese frosting gives it holiday appeal. It’s also easy to make: Just beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixer, then add powdered sugar and spices, and throw in the pumpkin at the end.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/3 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture, and beat until fully incorporated and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Turn the mixer to medium speed, add the pumpkin, and mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Use immediately.

ENJOY!!

Hostess Gifts

Whether you are attending an informal cocktail party or a dinner party, it is always good to bring a gift for your host or hostess. Give your host something he or she will really enjoy.
Not sure what that may be, here are a few ideas. These are store bought gift ideas. Quick & Easy!

Just remember to take note of the following before you bring your gift.
– Only bring alcohol to a host you know will appreciate it. 
– Make sure your host doesn’t have any food allergies before bringing over a basket with food products.
If you’re not sure, call a mutual friend to get the information or choose a different gift idea.

Gift ideas

Large Scented Candle

Coffee Table Book

Potted Plant

Coffee / Tea Basket

Dried Fruits & Nuts Basket

Picture Frame

Trow Blanket

Bottle of Champagne or Wine

Organic Soap

Personalized Kitchen Item

Scarf

Bracelets

Fall Signature Drinks

A Signature Drink is any unique or original drink that expresses the nature of the person or establishment creating it.

Signature Drinks often incorporate local ingredients and culture. They can be fashioned or designed to represent a theme or color. Now that it’s fall we have two signature drinks ideas for your next event. One is alcoholic and the other non-alcoholic. Enjoy!

 

Non-Alcoholic Fennel Apple Spritzer
FOR THE FENNEL SYRUP
1 ½ tbsp. fennel seeds
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

FOR THE SPRITZER
2 oz. (¼ cup) unfiltered apple juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
10 oz. (1¼ cup) seltzer or sparkling water
Apple slices and fennel fronds, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make the fennel syrup: Coarsely grind fennel seeds in a spice grinder. Add seeds, sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Pour the fennel syrup through a fine strainer and let cool until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Syrup will keep, airtight, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

2. Make the spritzer: Stir together 2 tbsp. fennel syrup, apple juice, and lemon juice in a tall ice-filled glass. Top with seltzer, and garnish with apple slices and fennel fronds, if using.

 

Vanilla, Pear, and Vodka Cocktail
12 oz (1.5 cups) pear juice or nectar
6 oz vodka
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
vanilla sugar, for rim
1 cup ice, plus more to serve over

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix pear juice and vodka in a pitcher or shaker.

2. Split open the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the juice and vodka.

3. Add 1 cup ice, then give it a good shake. Pour into cocktail glasses over more ice and serve with sugared rim. Makes 4 drinks.

Color Inspirations – Green

This weeks color inspiration is Green! I love the color green. Ir reminds me of the Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City.

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. From a color psychology perspective, it is the great balancer of the heart and the emotions, creating equilibrium between the head and the heart. Green promotes a love of nature, and a love of family, friends, pets and the home. It is the color of the garden lover, the home lover and the good host. Perfect for a wedding if you ask me 🙂

There are many shades of green that work well for for different types of events. Here are my favorite combinations. But you can get as creative as you like.

Mint Green – Baby Showers

Lime Green – Kids Birthday Parties , Summer Parties

Forest Green, Olive – Garden Parties, Showers

Emerald Green, Jade, Sea Green – Weddings

My favorite color scheme is green and white, but also try Green & Silver, Green & gold. It’s a recipe for an elegant affair. Here are some picture inspirations….

At Home Entertaining

I love to entertain at home but not every birthday party has to be a big blowout event. Here are some easy ideas from my last birthday get together. It was easy breezy and still elegant. I’m not a big fan of bar foods unless it’s for a sports event, so I tried to avoid fried foods and chips. I prepared the small bites that morning and stuck them in the fridge until just before my guests arrived. All I had to do after that was pick up the centerpieces and set the table. (I left the cleaning to my family while I was out, like I said Easy Breezy 🙂

The Table
Table runners – You can find these at any super store like Walmart or Target or party supply store. They often have the ones you can throw away after one use. That make cleaning up extra easy and they are usually inexpensive. I prefer the paper over the plastic. Another fun option to try is burlap.

The Centerpieces
I LOVE Flowers so I often go for a floral centerpiece. This does not have to be expensive. In this case I took my own vases to my local florist and asked them to fill it with whatever colorful flowers were in season. The larger the vase, the more it will cost, so I went with two small ones.

The Food – Small Bites
– Hard Salami with Goat Cheese and Green Olives
Cut them in bite size pieces and skewer with cocktail sticks

– Cucumber Boats with Tuna Salad
I made my own tuna salad, but I won’t judge if you use store bought 😉 I cut a cucumber in about three to four even pieces. Sliced each piece in half lengthwise, spooned out the watery seeds in the middle and filled with tuna salad.

– Mozzarella Balls with Grape Tomatoes covered with balsamic vinaigrette
I bought a cup of grape tomatoes and a tub of mozzarella balls, skewered them on a cocktail stick and drizzled balsamic vinaigrette over them.

– Cucumber wrapped egg salad bites with a chive tie
This might look like it was hard to do, but it really wasn’t, I sliced a cucumber lengthwise with a mandolin. I put a small amount of egg salad at one end and rolled it up. Then I used a spring of chives to tie it together

Other snacks included pita chips with hummus and French bread slices with a variety of spreads

The Bar
I didn’t want to go overboard with too many options here so I chose:
One type of Red wine
One type of White wine
Bottled Beer
Sodas

The Presentation
I’m not a big fan of paper plates. I used very simple white serving plates and appetizer plates. They are great for everyday use as well as entertaining. Crate & Barrel have great option for a good price, but my favorite is Target. Lots of great options for an even better price.

It’s so simple and everyone loved it. I put all of the items on the table and sat down with my guests. No big fuss in the kitchen and an easy clean up.
If you have any tips for fun and easy at home entertaining, please let me know. Maybe I’ll try it and post it on the next blog!