ITALIAN BISCUIT COOKIE

This recipe is for an Italian Biscuit Cookie or as my husband likes to call the " Dream Cookie."  You may be wondering why he calls these cookies the "Dream Cookie"?  These cookies are so good you feel like you are in a dream?  The sugar, butter and almond flavoring combine together and literately melt in your mouth.  Add the buttery & creamy icing to the top and you feel like you have died and gone to heaven!!!!  I found these biscuits on Pinterest and they were called "Spring Biscuit Cookies".  Let me tell you....you can make these cookies in the spring, you can make them in the summer, you can make them in the fall, you can make them for Easter, Christmas, Birthdays....etc....No matter when you make them or where you bring them I promise you they will be gone, gone, gone! I have made them for Easter & Mother's Day and I tinted the frosting pastel colors or left them plain white and sprinkled pastel sugars on them.  This time around I made them for a trick-or-treat broker open house (yes, we are trying to sell our home).  As you will see I tinted the frosting a light orange, placed a candy corn in the middle and wrapped them up as a "thank you" goody bag.  I doubled the recipe and brought some over to a friends house as a gift for Halloween and brought extras to my parents Halloween party.  Make these cookies once and you will make them again, and again, and again!  People will request you bring these to their parties!  These are the types of cookies you will not be able to eat just one.  You eat one and then you just keep eyeing the platter of cookies and sooner rather than later you just go ahead and grab another...because they are just that good!  Believe me..or rather believe me husband when he says these truly are a "Dream" Cookie!

HALLOWEEN SPIDER CUPCAKES

We have a Halloween get together every year and every year I try to find a fun dessert that my girls can make with me.   This year I found a really cute recipe for Spider Cupcakes that were super simple to make, easy for my girls to decorate and yummy for the kids (and some of the adults too!) !

THE BEST EVER - PUMPKIN DIP

At our annual Halloween party this year a friend of mine brought over The Best Ever - Pumpkin Dip.  I don't really even know the true title of the recipe....but I call it The Best Ever...because it is just that....The Best Ever.  Honestly....all you need to do is take one little bite and you will want to eat the whole bowl of dip....with a spoon!  It was a huge hit at my party!  It is a dip that you can make throughout the holiday season and belive me you will want to make it again and again and again!


THE BEST EVER - PUMPKIN DIP 

• 1  12 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 large container of Cool Whip
• 1 large instant vanilla pudding - do not make the pudding, just add the mix
• 1 tsp. pumpkin  pie spice

Mix all ingrredients together well.  Serve with Nilla Wafers and Graham Cracker Sticks.

PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES W/ CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I have to admit, I am not a huge sweets person.  I would much rather have a big bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy than a piece of chocolate cake.  That being said...I just made a dessert for our annual Halloween party that won me over BIG TIME!  I found a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting.  Let me tell you....these cupcakes are heaven wrapped up in a small little package!  In fact, I loved them so much, I had two of them the night that I made them.  Yes, I am pregnant....but I think even if I was not pregnant I still would have had two of these pumpkins.  I then had one the night of our party and then I had one the following night as well.  So the cupcakes won this battle - Cupcakes- 4 , Kara-0!  If you are looking for one must have recipe for the upcoming holiday season please look no further.  You could probably even use the batter to make a cake as well.  I cannot brag enough about these cupcakes.  Make them once and you will be hooked!

CARAMEL APPLE BREAD PUDDING

Here is a little secret....you know those little recipe magazines that you see when you are in the check out line at the grocery store...I buy them!  I buy them all the time.  I am addicted to them.  But I especially buy them around the holidays.  They have the best recipe for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New  Years.  I mostly  buy them for their baked goods recipes.  A few weeks ago I was standing in the check out line and a Taste of Home mini recipe book caught my eye by stating " Halloween: Food & Fun"!  That was all I needed to give in and pay the $4.99.  There were many great recipes in this book, but I found the best recipe of all, and I in fact have made it twice since.  This recipe was the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding. To be honest with you I am not a huge fan of bread pudding...that is until I found this recipe.  Usually bread pudding is thick and dense and heavy once cooked. This bread pudding was ooey and gooey and soft and fluffy and creamy and light in texture.  It was fantastic!  Please...I beg of you...please try to make this for at least one of your upcoming holidays....your guests will RAVE!

WICKED WITCH CUPCAKES

Halloween is one of my favorite events to plan a party for.  There are so many fun adult food and beverages, but there is also so many cute kids recipes to make....it is all about the kids right..wink, wink!  Anyway, here is another fun idea that I got from those little cookbooks you find in the check out line at the grocery store.  This book was called "Taste of Home Holiday:  Halloween Food & Fun".  I always try to make something fun for our annual Halloween party especially for the kids.  This year I picked the Wicked Witch Cupcakes! They were too cute to pass up!  I did however really simplify it for myself and just bought a box cake instead of making home-made cupcakes from the recipe they provided.  I will attach the recipe for the cupcakes below, but if you are like me and want to make things easier...just use a chocolate cake mix.

ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY

So it has been a bit over a week since I last posted...October can get pretty crazy in our house with birthdays, anniversary's, family coming to visit and Halloween. It is a tradition in our family to host a festive Halloween party. For as long as I can remember my parents always hosted this party at their home. They invited the neighbors and some friends and family and everyone came over right after trick or treating. Their menu always consisted of a hearty soup and chili. Both my brother and his family and me and my family moved about 45 minutes west of my parents. It is hard for the trick or treating to take place and for us to do the driving back and forth with all the kids. For the past three years my husband and I have now taken the reigns and we now host the annual Halloween party. We invite pretty much the same people that came over to my parents and this year we added a few neighborhood friends as well. We also tried to stay close with the annual menu of soup and chili, but we also added a few special recipes of our own. Please read more to find all the recipes!