Pumpkin Decorating

Sometimes I wonder how I managed to do anything creative before Pinterest.  It was the first place I looked when I found out our church was having a pumpkin decorating contest at our annual fall festival.  There were so many creative ideas and it was hard to narrow down our choices, but we finally decided on a gumball machine, movie theater popcorn and Superman.  I think they turned out great and the popcorn won first place!

Batman vs. Superman

Bethany's friend made a Batman pumpkin!

MEATBALL SUB CASSEROLE

I love trying new recipes and I love it even more when it is a hit with the whole family!  I was super excited to find this recipe for a Meatball Sub Casserole on Pinterest.  It is super easy and super yummy!

This would be a great recipe for a church dinner or other potluck.  Or if you are a working mom you could easily assemble it ahead of time, but I would hold off on putting the spaghetti sauce on until you are actually ready to cook it.  I think it would make your bread soggy.

The first thing I did was slice my french bread into 1 inch slices and layer them in the bottom of a lightly greased casserole dish.  After that, I combined my cream cheese and Italian mix and spread that on top of the sliced bread.

Next I cut up some thawed out meatballs and placed them on top of the cheese mixture.  I was pretty random with this.  Some I cut in half, some in thirds and some in fourths.  No rhyme or reason, just do what ever you prefer. 

Next, top with your favorite spaghetti sauce!

Then add Mozzerella Cheese

Now you are ready to pop it in the oven and cook until hot and bubbly and your cheese starts to brown.  This takes approximately 25 minutes.

Now your ready to taste the goodness!  

Meatball Sub Casserole

1 (16oz) loaf of french bread

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 lb. frozen meatballs, thawed

1 (26 oz) jar of spahetti sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2.  Slice french bread into 1-inch slices and place in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 dish.

3.  Mix together cream cheese and Italian seasoning and spread over french bread.

4.  Chop meatballs and layer over cream cheese mixture.

5.  Pour spaghetti sauce evenly over meatballs.

6.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

7.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Rice Krispie Pumpkin Treats

These yummy Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are super easy to make and the perfect fall snack.  We are taking a batch with us to a hayride tomorrow and I am sure all the kids will love them!  The stem is a tootsie roll and the pumpkin itself is an orange rice krispie treat.  

How cute is that?!

So if you have ever made Rice Krispie Treats before you will have no problem making these.  You use the same recipe and as you are mixing/melting your marshmallows in the butter you add a mixture of red and yellow food coloring until you get your desired pumpkin color.  After you mix in the melted marshmallows with your rice krispies you can start shaping them into pumpkins/balls.  We coated our hands with butter to keep everything from sticking and if you have little kids helping you, make sure the mixture has cooled a little before you start shaping them.   You don't want any burns!  I also unwrapped my tootsie rolls and put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make them easy to mold.  I gave them a little twist and pushed it in the top while the "pumpkins" were still warm.  That's all there was to it.  Simple and fun!

Here is the original Rice Krispie Treat Recipe just in case you have misplaced yours! ;)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40)  Marshmallows
• OR
• 4 cups  Miniature Marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal

DIRECTIONS

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.   (this is the when you would add your food coloring)

2. Add Rice Krispie cereal. Stir until well coated. (after this step is when you would shape your pumpkins and then add your tootsie roll stems)

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

My Week in Pins

Just a few of my favorite pins from this week! :):):)

All pictures are linked to my pinterest.   Keep clicking for original source.