2012 Missed Moment: Halloween

I hope you all had a great Christmas!  We sure did :o)  From now until the New Year, I'm going to dig back through my photos and show you some of the events and pics that somehow got left off my blog!  It's been a crazy-busy year...  First up: Halloween!!

This was one of my "30 Days of Pinning" projects!

 

Let's start with the pumpkin carving process.  Yes, it is quite the process.  Our pumpkins take three nights to complete!  The first night was drawing on the faces.  This is the ONE time of year that the girls are permitted to use a Sharpie.

 

The next night, we carved these awesome jack-o-lanterns!  

 

 

 

The following night, the girls painted the pumpkins!  Process, I tell you, process.

Jaden's Pumpkins

 

Taylor's Pumpkins

 

The association we moved into has an adorable Halloween trick-or-treat parade for the little kids DURING THE DAY on the Saturday before Halloween.  Can you say genius??  

My Juliet and Jessie! 

See the completed jack-o-lanterns and "babies"?

"HEE-HAW! I'm a cowboy!" -Taylor

 

 

 

 

J was having trouble keeping her tights up...

After the parade, I needed to make some spooky goodies for Mike and me to take to our Halloween party!

Brownie Pumpkin Cheesecake

Brownie Base

1 box (1 lb 3.9 oz) dark chocolate fudge brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

½ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1. Heat oven to 350F. Spray 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Make brownie batter as directed on box for basic recipe; spread in pan. Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from the side of pan comes out almost clean.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in pumpkin until well blended. On low speed, beat in 1 egg at a time, just until combined. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Reserve ½ cup fillinf in small bowl. Pour remaining fillin over baked brownie base.
3. Stir the melted chocolate chips into reserved filling; place chocolate in large resealable food-storage plastic bag. Seal the bag; Cut off one corner of the bag. Squeeze bag to pipe jack-o'-lantern face on cheesecake.
4. Bake 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool 30 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool 30 minutes longer. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

Recipe from Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2009 cookbook.

Deviled egg recipe here.


Mike and I had fun at a Halloween party with our friends!

Yes, he is wearing my pink skinny jeans :o)

Happy Halloweeen!!  Tomorrow, I will share pics from one of the best days of my life...