Brews and Bottles

Everyone's favorite part of a party is always the bar and the Pumpkin Party is no exception!


I created a party punch with Vodka, Sprite and Kool-Aid. Next year I think dry ice would be a great addition to this punch.


To add a fun feature to everyone's drinks, I created gummy worm ice cubes. These were easy to make and everyone loved these creepy crawlies in their drinks.


Wine bottles were decorated with these spooky labels from Martha Stewart.

Chili Bar

Each year the main feature of the Pumpkin Party is the Chili Bar. I loved the idea of indulging yourself with every topping imaginable on a hot bowl of chili.

The chili bar always includes traditional beef chili and white chicken chili.

The toppings this year were:
Elbow macaroni
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Corn
Diced Jalapenos
Diced Tomatoes
Kidney Beans
Fritos Scoops
Cornbread Mini Muffins
Sour Cream
Mini Saltines
Green Onions


White Chicken Chili
1 lb ground chicken
2-3 cloves garlic diced finely
1 can Chopped Green Chilis
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1/2 green bell pepper
Celery diced
1 box chicken broth (I always eye ball this, sometimes I end up putting in almost 2 boxes, because I have a hard time not cooking for 12 for some reason)
White Northern Beans - If you don't like beans (like me) I like to add sweet white corn kernels, frozen is fine
Pepper Jack Cheese

Seasoning - All should be added to your taste preference
White Pepper
Black Pepper
Salt
Celery Salt
Oregano
Cumin

If you like it to be spicy: add ground red pepper or chili pepper, add either diced fresh jalapenos and cook them off with the other veggies or you can cheat and buy a can of chopped jalapenos.

1. Brown the ground chicken, I recommend you start cooking off the onions, celery, bell pepper with the chicken mixture. Add garlic once onions are translucent and celery and green peppers have started to soften.

2. Once all veggies and chicken are cooked, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low.

3. Add either the beans or white corn.

4. Add White Chicken Chili mix, cumin and optional chili pepper

5. Mix in 1/2 your cheese and save the rest for toppings

If you prefer a thicker chili, add Velveeta or a can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup.

Pumpkin Party Treats

Tombstone Garlic Grave

Take your favorite garlic dip, I used Boursin, and shape it into a tombstone. I threw it in the freezer for a little bit and then used wax paper to help make it easier to shape. Lay your tombstone on your serving dish and then cover with black pepper. Carve RIP into the garlic spread and then spread the remaining dip to create the gravesite. Cover the remaining dip with chives, green onions or herbs of your choice. Serve with pita chips.




Graveyard Guacamole

Create a taco dip with 2 blocks of soften cream cheese, salsa and taco seasoning. Spread the taco dip on the bottom of your pie plater. Make your favorite guacamole (or if you are in a rush use store-bought) and layer this on top of the taco dip.

Put a few spoonfuls of sour cream into a ziploc and then cut the tip of the corner off. Start in the center of the platter and make circles with the sour cream. Use a toothpick and drag lines to create a spiderweb and add plastic spiders for decoration.




Pumpkin Cheese Dip

Pumpkin Bowl
Take a large round loaf of french or sourdough bread and cut a large circle on top. Gently remove the top and scoop out the insides, being careful not to break the bread bowl and saving the bread pieces.

Mix orange food coloring with water and paint it on the outside of the bread bowl. Bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes. Cut a steam out of pumpernickel bread and fasten it with a toothpick.

Cheese Dip
Combine 1/2 bar of Velveeta, a bar of cream cheese and 8 oz of sour cream. over medium heat. Add bacon, green chilies and diced tomatoes.

Serve with sourdough bread pieces or tortilla chips.

Pumpkin Party - Mummy Fingers

Mummy Fingers

1. Purchase fresh or frozen jumbo peeled, de-vained and tail on shrimp.

Budget Friendly Tip- Frozen will obviously be cheaper, but if you can find a farmer's market you will get a much better deal than your local grocery store.

2. Marinate the shrimp in Italian dressing, with a splash of hot sauce and juice of one lemon.

3. Place a wooden skewer through the top of the shrimp, gently straightening the shrimp on the skewer. The tail should curve a little bit at the top of the skewer like a fingernail.

4. Grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side, until just pink.

5. Serve shrimp on skewers with cocktail sauce for dipping.

3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

For the past three years, I have thrown a pumpkin carving contest for my friends. It is a fun evening to eat great food, while we carve pumpkins and compete for prizes. I love to challenge myself to create Halloween themed dishes and the excuse to focus on my favorite time of the year, fall.

My menu this year included an appetizer course, Chili bar with all the fixins and dessert course.