Martha Stewart's Harvest Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients Serves 6 to 8

• 1 small sugar pumpkin, halved, seeds and stringy fibers removed and reserved
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 small parsnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small turnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 small shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon packed light-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin halves, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Scoop out flesh, and puree in a food processor (you should have 2 cups).
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved seeds and fibers from pumpkin, and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock, water, and thyme, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin puree, parsnip, potato, and turnip, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shallots, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add wine, and cook until liquid has reduced by half.
4. Strain pumpkin-seed mixture, reserving broth and discarding solids. Add broth to pumpkin-wine mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook 20 minutes. Let cool.
5. Pass soup through a food mill into a clean saucepan, or puree in a food processor in small batches until smooth. (If soup does not reach desired consistency using a food processor, press it through a fine sieve to remove any remaining lumps.) Heat soup in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in cream, sugar, salt, and pepper, and serve.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2007

Affogato ~ The Perfect Fall Drink

I found this yummy fall drink on one of my favorite reads; Eat, Drink, Pretty ~ and I can't wait to try making it!

Recipe & Photo Credit: Food Network

Affogato (recipe credit to Food Network)

Ingredients

1/3 cup cold whipping cream
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 pint chocolate gelato or ice cream

Directions

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate the whipped cream.

Whisk the boiling water and espresso powder in a 1 cup glass measuring cup until the powder is dissolved, or use an espresso machine to make 4 shots of espresso. Scoop 1/2 cup of the gelato or ice cream into each of 4 dessert bowls or glasses. Pour 2 tablespoons or 1 shot of hot espresso over each. Top with the whipped cream and serve immediately.

Back to School Blackboard Cupcakes

These cupcakes earn top marks for sweetening even the most reluctant student's return to school.

Ingredients

• Yellow, green, and white frosting
• Cupcakes
• Red Skittles or M&M's
• Small plastic bag

• Rubber band or twist tie
• Chocolate-covered graham crackers
• White Good & Plenty candies

Instructions

1. Cover the cupcakes with yellow frosting and allow them to sit for an hour before decorating. Dab each red Skittle or M&M with a bit of green frosting for the apple's leaf, then set them aside.

2. Put a tablespoon or two of white frosting into a small plastic bag for piping. Cut a very small hole in a corner of the bag, twist the top of the bag closed, and secure it with a rubber band or twist tie. Piping the frosting gently out of the hole, write messages on the chocolate-covered graham crackers. Leave space at the bottom of the cookie, where it'll be stuck into the cupcake.

3. Cut a groove in the cupcake's frosting with a knife, then fit a blackboard into the groove. Add one Skittle or M&M apple and a piece of Good & Plenty chalk, as shown.

Source: Family Fun

Mini Dessert ~ Ice Cream Apples

In keeping with my back to school theme, I will be posting lots more fun ideas, and DIY downloads for styling your first day of school parties, as well as creative and fun menu ideas.

Today's darling back to school theme menu idea comes from Jess and Pen & Paperflowers! Thank you for sharing with us Jess!

Back to School Theme Party with Apple Shaped Cupcakes

So I bet you are all winding down the summer and getting ready for "back to school" parties and celebrations like I am!

I found this adorable "Back to School" theme party on Social Couture who found the original inspiration on the Bower Power blog. Although there are is a lot of fun inspiration found in this party {I love the idea of using apples, so perfect and budget friendly} ~ I have to say that these apple shaped cupcakes are SO CUTE! I hopped over to the Bower Power blog to find out how they made these adorable cupcakes. Here's the description {and they are supposedly simple to replicate}:

Make a white cupcake in a red liner and top with a tiny bit of red icing

Slice a mini donut in half {lay in on the counter and cut it parallel to the counter}

Lay 1/2 of the round donut onto the icing and then ice the whole cupcake

Dip the top in red sugar sprinkles

Add a chocolate leaf and a half a tootsie roll for the stem

Love it!

Come back soon as we will be featuring LOTS of back to school party inspiration and

FREE DIY printables and downloads!

Tomatillo & Shrimp Shooters

Ingredients

• 12 store-bought cooked shrimp
• Juice of 2 limes, divided
• 1 jar good quality tomatillo salsa
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 shot glasses

Yields: 12 shooters

Preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, toss shrimp and juice of 1 lime together.

In another mixing bowl combine the tomatillo salsa with cilantro, parsley, lime juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Fill the shot glasses with the tomatillo salsa mixture and stick one shrimp in or off the side of each shot glass.

photo & recipe via Rachel Ray

Make Your Own S'mores Bar w/ FREE DIY Printables!

I found this incredibly mouthwatering "make your own s'mores bar" on

The Birthday Girl's blog, and ever since then, truth be told, I can't stop thinking about the idea of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup snuggled up to the marshmallow inside the graham sandwich.

For this presentation, Michelle from So Wonderful, So Marvelous, used a variety of spices, including nutmeg & sea salt, assorted grahams, assorted chocolates including an amazing hazelnut bar, toppings like toasted coconut, and fruits.

Be sure to stop by So Wonderful, So Marvelous for a downloadable s'mores recipe menu ~ suitable for framing, and ingredient signs to customize to your own s'mores bar!

I love how easy it is and it can be prepped ahead of time. We are definitely going to be trying out some of these s'mores variations in the next few weeks while we're enjoying some summer outdoor time together!

Dreamy Creamsicle Cocktails

I loved creamsicles as a kid...they were absolutely my favorite. Mix up a batch of these and bring your inner child out or make a non-alcoholic pitcher for the whole family.

This is the Adult version (with alcohol):

Fill a mixing cup 1/2 up with ice

• 1/2 oz. Vodka or Orange Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• 1 oz. Orange Juice
• 1 oz. Cream

Shake all ingredients well and pour into a highball glass. Use a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of cream & ice, and you've a dreamy creamsicle. De-lic-ious!

This is non-alcoholic version (Dreamy Tropical Cream Fizz):

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups tropical juice blend
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 12 to 14 ice cubes
• 1 pint coconut ice cream, coconut sorbet or vanilla ice cream

In a blender, place coconut. Cover; process until coconut is in small pieces. Place coconut in shallow dish. Dip rims of six 12-oz stemmed glasses into water, then dip into coconut to coat. Chill glasses in freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

In blender, place tropical juice blend, sugar, lime juice and ice cubes. Cover; blend on high speed about 45 seconds or until smooth. Pour mixture into glasses.

Pour 1/4 cup club soda into juice mixture in each glass. Add 1 large scoop ice cream to each glass. Garnish with remaining coconut if desired.

Post and recipe found via Social Couture.

Tequila Soaked Sorbet

I'm loving this concept of Tequila Soaked Sorbet I found on

My Lips in Stitches blog.

As the last stop {the dessert stop} on a Mexican themed progressive dinner,

this was the perfect way to wrap the evening with good friends!

Tequila Soaked Sorbet

1 pink lemon sorbet ~ {Trader Joes was used for this party} see *note below

{*note: mango is not the best option but raspberry & lemon worked well!}

1/4 cup best~quality tequila {Senor Patron was used for this party}

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

{Real Party} Lemonade & Sunshine

This is truly one of the most adorable parties to hit the blogosphere in a long time.

Jess at Pen n' Paper Flowers came up with a darling idea to do a combined celebration for her 2 daughters. It all started with this color palette of pink and yellows, and the creation of the invitation which can be found in her Etsy store.

From there the details are just amazing, and so creative...

...read on for some amazing inspiration!

I love just the simplicity of tin cans and fresh cut flowers from the garden ~

makes an darling adornment.

a well~worn tablecloth, dishes and crates...

all the neighbors and friends gathered for the party in the backyard...under the shade...

to enjoy some cold lemonade...

and {my personal favorite} a cupboard full of old fashioned desserts.

This is truly one of the most creative ideas ever to use a vintage kitchen hutch for the

food presentation in an outdoor setting.

empty bottles dangling from tree branches...

the use of wooden crates, galvanized buckets and old milk bottles...

the use of lemons randomly places throughout the scene for added pops of yellow...

fabric pieces were wrapped around just about everything...

vintage glass jars and milk glass service pieces...

mason jars were used for sipping on lemonade...

mason jars were also used for displaying fresh cut flowers...

Another one {of my personal favorites} ~ an old bird bath used to display frozen treats...

(lemon sugar cookie ice cream & strawberry/lemon swirled italian ice)

more sweet treats included mini lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting...

Recipe by My Baking Addiction

Yummy pink lemonade cake!

Recipe by A Southern Lady Magazine

and homemade lemonade lollipops nestled in a vintage drawer ~ so cute!

favor buckets of yellow & pink gumballs, a cute custom packet of lemonade, a personalize monogrammed glass drinking bottle with a white paper straw, and a fabric covered repurposed jar filled with lemon drops. Adorable!

I just love the tin can banner Jess created using an old window ~

As always, I encourage you to go to the original post on Pen n' Paper Flowers to read all the behind the scenes tips and to see all of the inspiration resources that Jess gives a personal thank you too!