Autumn Harvest Party

How lucky am I to have a hubby with such photography talent?

Last week I left you with the teaser, tonight I am fulfilling my promise!

It started with this invite:

The Decor: I showed up early to my sister-in-law's lovely farm to help her get the place spruced up a bit. I had made the banner the day before to hang on the porch. We gussied up the front door and porch (a perfect farm porch by the way!) and got the dining room all ready for dinner after a visit to the pumpkin patch:

Favors and Goodies: The day before I made mini pumpkin bread loaves (courtesy of Martha Stewart "Baking Handbook" cookbook) for everyone to take home as a favor, and some "goodie bags" for the kids. The goodie bags had some pumpkin candies, pumpkin patch Pop Rocks, Halloween Fruit Snacks and an Orange "Izze" soda, all tied up with a Pumpkin Patch Ribbon.  I also created some awards to present to each child to go along with their goodie bags. Awards like : Biggest Pumpkin, Quickest Pumpkin Picker, Littlest Pumpkin, Most Perfectly Round Pumpkin, etc

The Food: After all the fun at the pumpkin patch, and running around the corn maze, we had homemade applesauce doughnuts and hot mulled apple cider! Yum! I found the recipe on the "Farm Chicks" blog, and they turned out great! We packed it all up in a perfectly autumnal picnic basket belonging to my sister in law. Dinner was just as delish... I created a potato soup from a hodgepodge of recipes and everyone topped the soup off with bacon bits, cheese and chives. To go with the Soup was a sausage and cheese biscuit recipe that was such a hit that I must share it with you! See recipe below. Salad was an easy mix of greens, dried cranberries, candied pecans and pear with a poppy-seed dressing.

 

I couldn't resist this "Pumpkins in the Field" recipe when I saw it. It was too perfect to pass up considering the occasion. Another recipe I will share. And to make it even better? These adorable polka-dot cupcake liners from "Confectionery House" (fear not... I ordered them in every color)!

Recipes to share:

Pumpkins in the field (from "Ghoulish Goodies" by Sharon Bowers)

1 cup butterscotch morsels  

2 cups chow mien noodles

1 cup dry-roasted, salted peanuts

24 candy pumpkins (I used Brach's Mellow-creme Pumpkins)

- Line baking sheets with wax paper (or drop them into cupcake liners like I did)

- Put butterscotch morsels in a bowl, and melt them in microwave: Heat on high for 60 seconds, then stir well. Microwave and stir in 10 second bursts until just melted through.... don't overheat!

- Stir in the chow mien noodles and peanuts and drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.  While the haystacks are still warm, place a pumpkin on the top. Refrigerate to cool and harden. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Simple Sausage Ring (from Taste of Home)

1 lb pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's Sage variety)

2 tubs (12 oz each) refrigerated biscuits

2 cups shredded cheese (Mine was a cheddar and jack cheese mix)

- In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain and set aside

- Flatten each biscuit to a 3-in diameter. Press half of the biscuits onto the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a greased 10 inch fluted tube pan. Spoon sausage over the dough; sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining biscuits.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate and slicing.