Personal-Size Pumpkin Pies

   Holidays= tons of reasons to bake goodies and lots of people to pass them off to:) This makes me happy, happy because 1. I love to bake and 2. my sweet treats are appreciated and eaten up by neighbors/strangers/kids who at any other time of the year would have suspiciously thought I was trying to poison them because "what kinda crazy lady just gives out free desserts."
   Soooooo- in honor of Thanksgiving and Autumn and Leaves and Pumpkins and yummy tasting things- I present my latest creation:

Personal-Size Pumpkin Pies!

   Yes, they are darling aren't they?  I am pretty impressed with the outcome.  I saw a post on Bakerella's Blog for pumpkin pie bites, which I thought were so cute.  However, the crust is my favorite part of a pie, so I wanted to make some pies with the top crust.  Not just any top crust though, I wanted leaves.  Why?  Because I'm a sucker for leaves (no really, I love them!) and they are festively appropriate for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday!  

   I followed Bakerella's recipe, just made them in a regular cupcake pan rather than a mini-cupcake pan.  I just cut out circles for the bottom crust (not pumpkin shaped like she does) and then used leaf cookie cutters(Maple Leaf Cookie Cutter (Google Affiliate Ad)) to do the leaf crust on top.  Then I baked them in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350.

   Here are some pictures of the process and the finished product:

   Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy Fall Y'all

   Although I dread summer coming to a close and freezing weather coming upon us, I do really enjoy (the 2-3 weeks of) fall days and all of the goodies that come along with the changing weather.  I love layering, high boots, leggings and scarves to name a few, but on top of the adorable outfits autumn brings on so many more joys....

Changing Leaves

You just can't understand it unless you've seen it.  The beauty of the Great Smokey Mountains and surrounding areas when the leaves change colors.  Wow.  I highly recommend a trip to witness this majesty in person.  

Soups and Chili

You really can't go wrong with a hot bowl of soup on a chili (hehe) fall day!  As a wife, I have learned to appreciate soups so much more because of how easy they are to make- especially if made in a crockpot.  Most of them are fairly healthy too; I tend to eat way more vegetables because of soups and chili.  I recently posted the recipes for two of my favorite soups Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup, both of which are delicious ways to kick start your fall meal planning!

Candy!

I'll admit, I am not a big fan of Halloween, but I sure do love the candy that comes with the holiday!  Even better, the free candy that comes with the holiday!  I'm not just talking about trick-o-treating, there are free candy buckets everywhere!!  Three of which are in the store I work at:)  Caramel Apple Pops have always been one of my favorite candies but they are a treasure if you can find them- they sell out real fast.

Tailgating and Football Parties

Football games are great excuses to get together with friends and have lots and lots of yummy food. Need I say more?

Pumpkins!

{photo from http://www.yankeecandle.com/fragrance/spiced-pumpkin}

Pumpkins are everywhere!  Front door steps, store windows, Halloween costumes, hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches!  Pumpkin candles take the cake though.  Walk into a room that smells like pumpkin and you automatically feel fall.  And man, that's a good feeling!

   What are your favorite things about fall?