BOO!...Pumpkin, Apple and MUMMY Treats

it's that time of year again.

time to think about the CUTE little goblins

(cause i hate the creepy side of halloween:)

and the stuff i found is SUPER easy.......

Pumpkins.......

here's a lil treat idea for you.

pinterest is full of breads and cakes but if i had seen

 this when my girls were young,

i would've run with it.

you just need a round of orange tulle from Joanns or a craft store,

green pipe cleaner,

and some treats.  

all orange is a cute idea and it could be

jelly beans, orange m & m's, reese's pieces, even candy corn.

pretty cute, huh?

and who doesn't love the fall flavors at Starbucks?

especially the pumpkin latte.

well, thanks to Molly,

you can make pumpkin lattes in the slow cooker!

photo courtesy of http-::gimmesomeoven.com:pumpkin-spice-latte:

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Serves: 8 

Total Time: 2 Hours

-8 T of pumpkin puree

-8 T of vanilla

-2 t of cinnamon

-8 cinnamon sticks

-4 cups of strongly brewed coffee

-6 cups of milk

-8 T of sugar

-whipping cream [optional]

{Instructions}

-Combine the milk and coffee, and pour into the crockpot. Whip together the other ingredients [minus the cinnamon sticks and whipping cream] and pour into the crockpot. Mix together well.

-Cover the crockpot, and cook on high for 2 hours.

- put whipping cream on top of the lattes, and add a cinnamon stick for extra flavor.

YUM!

so how about apples?

any apple lovers out there?

personally, caramel apples in any way, shape or form are

probably my most "favoritest" treat:)

but they can be a bit tricky to eat.

so when i saw this idea, i flipped out!

caramel apple bites

okay, no need to complicate things.

if you're handy with a melon baller,

scoop little round apple bites out of an apple.

dip in your favorite caramel and toppings and

VOILA...caramel apple bites!

photo: taste of home

if you want an even faster way, have a self serve caramel bar.

use lollipop sticks with apple wedges.

clever stuff people come up with, i swear!

and thanks to How Does She Do It.com,

apple pie floats......

if you like apple pie and ice cream floats,

this one is for YOU!

simply mix 50% ginger ale, 50% good apple cider and vanilla ice cream

and you have an apple pie float.

~garnish with cinnamon and whipping cream if desired.

now how about those mummies?

personally, i think a mummy is as halloween as a pumpkin.

and kinda cute:)

so here are a few, but not all, mummy treats for you.......

sources:how does she do it .com

created-bydiane.blogspot.com

eighteen25.blogspot.com

bedifferentactnormal.com

there are more too...you could dip giant pretzels in white chocolate and

decorate to look mummyish,

cake pops, brownie bites...all would work!

and if you don't feel like "carving' a pumpkin,

just wrap one up.....

kinda cute, huh?

alrighty then,

i did my part fixin y'all up for the spooky day:)

now for a TOTALLY random moment,

i have to show you this.

i love dogs.

no secret there.

but i have never been a huge fan of "hot dog" dogs,

or dachsunds.  

just not the look i'm going for.

until now.......

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!!

i saw these miniature hot dog dogs and fell in love,

especially with the little blonde one.

aren't they PRECIOUS?????

uggghhh...who am i kidding.

i want every dog!:)

have a beautiful day!!!!!!!

Suzanne

Cider Mills, Country Roads and Caramel Apples...

living in Florida is pretty nice...

most of the time.

but i figure after living here for 16 years, 

it's time to give credit where credit is due.

nothing beats fall in michigan...

or places like it "UP NORTH".

 (Petoskey, Mi)

and everything is up north when you live in

south florida:)
even the hospitals get into it...
here is my mom at an apple cart in the hospital cafeteria.

 it was so neat, i couldn't resist a picture:)

growing up there, i figure i have to share a few

favorites with you so here goes...

 a mini list of things you MUST do

if you go up north in the fall...

~go on a HAYRIDE

 ~drive...just get in the car and drive...

preferably down a COUNTRY road.

you'll see GORGEOUS colors everywhere as the 

leaves change.

~head up to northern michigan...

petoskey, mackinac island, traverse city...

 go on, just head north!

~ pop into Frankenmuth where they will say

WILLKOMEN (welcome in German)

and you will STUFF yourself at the Bavarian inn.

don't forget a visit to Bronners for your

first Christmas ornament of the year;)

~JUMP in the leaves.

go ahead...you're never too old!
and while you're there, make "leaf angels"
and have a leaf fight! haha

~stop at the nearest pumpkin patch

~and okay,  i have learned that college football

in the SEC (south) IS the equivalent of a national holiday...

and i am NOT exaggerating.

however, there is no stadium like

THE BIG HOUSE in Ann Arbor,

home of the Univ. of Michigan wolverines.

(ahem...it's ginormous...114,000+ watched a game Sept. 10,

that's why it's called the BIG house,

in case you didn't pick that up:)

~and my FAVORITE way to spend a Sunday afternoon

"up north"...

visit a cider mill!

 i happen to love Parshallville because that was closest

to me but they are all over. 

here we are at one near my sister's house.

you can't help but have a AMAZING day.

  

besides the CHARM of an old mill,

 the  red, crisp, delicious apples...

 there are the DONUTS!!!!!!!!

 omg...life doesn't get any better than a fresh,WARM

donut from the donut mill.

here is a link for homemade apple cider donuts...

or you can make the simple, easy version here...

you won't believe how easy and YUMMY they are!

(trust me on that:) the recipe is from one of my favorite sites,
southern plate.com and as they say...
they are "FOOLPROOF"
and NO, they do not taste like biscuits,
even though you make them with a can of biscuits:)
here is the recipe...

Melt In Your Mouth Doughnuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ten count can Texas style buiscuits (or your preference, just not flaky layers)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 stick margarine, melted
• Vegetable Oil For Frying

Instructions

1. Pour oil into skillet to the depth of a little less than 1/2 an inch and heat on medium to medium high for about five minutes. In a bowl, melt margarine. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
2. Using a plastic bottle cap, cut the center out of each biscuit. Drop dough into hot oil, watching carefully and turning when golden. Once doughnuts are golden on both sides, remove to paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all dough is cooked, including doughnut holes.
3. Dip both sides of each doughnut into melted margarine, then press both sides into cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.
4. don't make them while you are home alone...you might eat them ALL! hahaha

and another cool idea for a party...

donuts on a stick in hot cocoa, cider...

 (from wedfully.)

as far as apple treats go, instead of a giant 

caramel apple that, while good, are sometimes a pain to eat,

how about CARAMEL APPLE BITES.

 i am soooooo making these for football saturday!

thank you Taste of Home for the tip.

okay, here i was planning a short post today.

tough for me to do:)

i'll post my giveaway later today or tomorrow.

like a hint? 

RUFFLES!!!!!

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

HEY YA'LL...You're invited to a FALL open house with the Shabby Chicks

okay now,

don't say you weren't invited because here is your

official invitation ;)

no RSVP necessary...

just pop on over whenever you get a few minutes.

FYI...throughout the week i might even have a few little giveaways...

check back every day because you never know if it will be the day...

and i'll make sure to give you a peek at what's up for grabs.

so pull on your boots, 

get your favorite blue jeans on...

and come on by for some COUNTRY, SOUTHERN, FALL fun!

(cowboy hats optional:)

YEE HAW!

Fun Mail...

Don't you just love "fun mail"? You know what that is don't you...any mail that is not a bill, junk or contains bad news. The rest is fun mail! Today I got some really, really fun mail when Mary from Mary's Meanderings sent me some of her adorable sweater pumpkins. Oh. My. Gosh!!!




These are the cutest thing ever and I would love a whole houseful of them. Thank you so much Mary!!!! And you should all check out Mary's blog for tons of inspiring ideas:-)

Happy Friday Everyone and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see what I found for Pink Saturday!
Au revoir, Suzanne

I'm grounded!!!

Yep...that's right...I'm grounded. You see, I have been sooooo BAD about visiting your blogs, answering emails and responding to the many wonderful comments I have gotten so I decided to ground myself from my own blog until I catch up with YOU!!! (Hopefully, this will happen before Pink Saturday:-) I leave you today with a thought and a pic of my adorable boys...because I know you MUST miss seeing these cuties.
Your thought for the day...


"Wag more...Bark less"




Get it? ...Wag more (be happy)...Bark less (chill out)!

Au revoir, Suzanne