Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

I whipped up some brownies from a mix but wanted to add a seasonal touch... So this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting made it's way to the Sunday dinner table:@) Nice and sweet, and although a minimal amount of pumpkin, you will taste it. We all thought this was a nice addition, and the leftovers were snatched up quickly! Love spice? Add as much as you'd like... This frosting is great on brownies, cupcakes or cake. Anything goes.

My best tip for the beginning of fall: Check your pumpkin spice to see if still potent. Or better yet, just plan to get a new jar, especially if you use it often. I've found it everywhere from Dollar Tree to Walmart to supermarkets.

***Note, I made a half batch of frosting for an 8x8 brownie mix. I cut the brownies into 16 pieces and that was more than enough to add a hearty dollop to the top of each one.

Another fun idea, Cream Cheese Colored Brownies Here. I think they'd be nice for Thanksgiving if swirled on top in harvest colors. 

Need some ideas for leftover pumpkin? Most use about 1/2 C pumpkin puree. Click the links for: Pumpkin Sheet Cake, Pumpkin Pie Cake, Bisquick Impossible Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake, Pumpkin BBQ Dip, Pumpkin Mustard Dip, Pumpkin Quesadillas, Pumpkin Wacky Snack Cake, Pumpkin Schmear for Bagels, Pumpkin Spritz Cookies, Pumpkin Pecan Bread for the Bread Machine, Festive Pumpkin Dip, Pumpkin Crumble, Pumpkin Spice Ice Pops.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 C butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 C pumpkin puree

1 tsp (or more) pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

up to 3 C powdered sugar

• Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. 
• Add pumpkin and spice, mix in.
• Add powdered sugar, hold out some of the last cup. 
• Mix until thick and smooth. Adding more or less sugar as needed for consistency.

Eat well and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Eggy Eyeballs -Easy Halloween Deviled Eggs

If you do any baking, chances are you have some candy eyeballs for cookie decorations. How about giving the kids, big and small, a chuckle and whipping up some Eggy Eyeballs as a Halloween side dish or after school snack. Super simple, whip up your favorite deviled eggs and right before serving, push a couple candy eyes into the yolk mixture.

You don't have to do the whole tray,

just a couple for fun...

Talk about good timing... I don't remember how long ago it was, but I happened upon this kit at an amazing clearance price! Dollar Tree sells little packs of the eyes occasionally too.

Options: Maybe color the yolk mixture by adding a couple drops of green or red (to make orange) food dye. Or dye the whites as I did HERE.

For more ideas please visit my

Deviled Egg Pinterest Board HERE

Let's make some spooky fun and

Have a Happy Day🎃

Dollar Tree Cookie Decorating Kits -Christmas or Halloween

I had to grab one of these little Cookie Decorating Kits at Dollar Tree as soon as I saw them. They are marketed for Christmas but I thought they'd be fun for a Halloween Party or to kill a little time on a rainy Saturday with the kids:@) 

Full disclosure, I did use decorations from my stash for the cookie above.  Each cookie is about 4" tall. My cookies were sturdy and came unbroken. I will say one had nice crisp face and button stamping, the other did not. What comes in the kit (icing on the lower left, it's hard to see):

Speaking of Christmas, the boxes are small enough to be stocking stuffers. The $1.50 kit itself:

To keep things as real as possible I simply snipped the corner off of the icing packet and squeezed it onto the cookie. So yes, we get the full child like effect😂I kneaded the icing in my hands to soften and loosen it up a bit first. The cookie on the right is using only what came in the kit.

There you have it folks, an easy messy project to do with the kids. Why not pour some cider, break out the sprinkles, and make a memory this Halloween Season!

Enjoy a cookie and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Jack-O-Lantern Round-Up for Halloween Foodie Fun

Halloween is quickly approaching and as we're gathering ideas for the festivities I wanted to share some of my Jack-O-Lantern food themed posts from over 16 years of blogging. Let's pour a cuppa, and click the title to be taken to the original post for a little holiday fun... As a general rule, I like to keep the happy in Halloween, so nothing too spooky here:@)

Pumpkin Pie Tutorial from 2012-Simple pie embellishment with a big impact!

Jack-O-Lantern Refried Bean Dip from 2023-A yummy and healthier treat.

Pumpkin and Ghost Oven Fries from 2019-Use cookie cutters for shapes.

Dyed Deviled Eggs from 2012-A little orange food coloring (red and yellow mixed) and black olives is all it takes.

And just to be silly... Never hesitate to play with your food if it will make folks smile:@) From 'back in the day' Red Cocktail Sauce for Meatballs HERE, from 2011.

Want some more PUMPKIN ideas?

My Pumpkin Pinterest Board HERE.

My Halloween Food Pinterest Board HERE.

Enjoy the season and

Have a Happy Day🎃

Meatball Ghosts & Goblins for Halloween

I had to chuckle when both girls at work shared the idea for these Meatball Ghosts and Goblins with me. Had to make them:@) I decided to add them to a bed of green spaghetti for a spooky effect. This green was achieved with food coloring during cooking, you could also buy spinach or herb pasta that's naturally green. Ether make your favorite meatballs or buy large frozen ones. I even picked up pre-slice and packaged provolone, this is a super easy project folks. 

The heat from cooking the meatballs begins to melt the cheese. We can always add it back to the oven to speed that along (I cooked my meatballs in the oven), just need to keep an eye on it so it doesn't melt too much. My mouths occurred naturally by the cheese cracking on it's own. The eyes were added with a toothpick. 

To add to the holiday fun, let the kids 'slime' their own meatballs with some spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce.

Not sure I'd use the term cute... 

But they sure are Halloween fun:@)

This guy doesn't look very happy...

Meatball Ghosts and Goblins

1. Your favorite large meatballs cooked. *As a point of reference, I used 1lb meat, and made 6 large meatballs, I tried to give them a little bit of a cone shape, they just cooked into whatever they wanted to:@)
2. A slice of cheese to top each one. I used provolone.
3. Let heat from meatball start to melt the cheese. Add back to oven if needed to speed up the melting cheese.
4. Serve with pasta and spaghetti sauce.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day🎃

Cheesy Devils -aka Mac and Cheese Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Ok folks, this may just be the scariest Halloween post ever here at Pig In Mud. If you've been around for a while you know I like to keep the 'happy' in Halloween. But I had some red bell peppers in the the garden and did raise two boys... Yep, even as grown men today they got a kick out of these Cheesy Devils:@) Two ingredients, peppers and store bought prepared macaroni and cheese. Kids love mac and cheese and this is an easy way to add a little veggie into dinner. Simply cut some exaggerated tringles for eyes and free hand a wonky circle for the mouth and bake. Done.

Want to add some protein? Maybe use the mac & cheese with burnt ends or serve crescent wrapped mummy hotdogs with them:@)

Cheesy liquid oozing from eyes and mouth...

Oh yea, it is Halloween after all:@)

My Halloween Food Pinterest Board here.

Cheesy Devils -Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Peppers

1. Use one extra pepper than you plan to bake.
2. Choose any red peppers that will stand up, tops cut off, seeds and membranes removed.
3. Cut eyes and mouth out of pepper.
4. Use store bought prepared mac and cheese from the cold case. Stuff the peppers, pressing down lightly to fill with mac and cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. I used 30 minutes, my peppers were a little thin from the garden and I do like a little bite.
6. While in oven, cut horns out of the red pepper we didn't bake. Push into mac and cheese when done baking.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Halloween Season🎃

Halloween Peeps as Cupcake Frosting

I've been wanting to try using a Peep as Cupcake Frosting for a while, and decided the big round Jack-O-Lantern ones at Dollar Tree would be a good choice. This couldn't be easier folks, whip up a batch of your favorite cupcakes and set the timer to go off 3 minutes early, pull them out of the oven and top each one with a Peep. Finish baking and we have a melty sticky topping for our treat. I think the kids will be tickled... I know I was:@)

There are large green Frankenstein's too. 

Fluffy, and did I say sticky?

Very sticky:@)

And a side view:

Lot's of sweet topping...

If one slides a bit off the top you can carefully try to nudge it back with a fork while it's still hot. Best tip: Try to not over fill your cupcake liners with batter (I do have a habit of doing that:@)

This idea is very similar to the Marshmallows I used HERE, only with a seasonal twist.

How'd it taste? Good! 

Very sweet and sticky:@)

To use a Peep as cupcake frosting:

1. Set time to go off three minutes earlier than the normal bake time for your favorite cupcakes.
2. Remove pan from oven and place a Peep on top of each cupcake.
3. Bake for the next 3 minutes, or until Peeps just begin to get a bit melty but are still kinda fluffy.
4. Remove pan to rack and cool in pan so marshmallows set a bit.
5. **Please be sure to allow time for the marshmallow to cool off before serving. Melted marshmallow is HOT.

🎃Have a Sticky Sweet Happy Day!

Halloween Char-BOO-terie Board

Can you believe it's already October this week? This is just a silly post to remind everyone to pick up whatever you see early, things sell out fast and retail is ~swiftly~ moving right into the Christmas season. My Char-BOO-terie Board was inspired by the fun mini green cheese balls UTZ put out this year. Then I saw the Ghost Peeps, yep... I spent a weekend grabbing whatever I saw that might work for a Halloween charcuterie. Mostly single serving Walmart or Dollar Tree size packs of goodies because I wanted to make a smaller board. I like that the arm almost splits the board into sweet and savory sides...

The fun green cheese balls...

Boopie glass adds a little height to the tray:

Ham, cheese, and Ritz cheese mini crackers to dip in that Aldi Pumpkin Maple Spread:@)

May we serve you?

Skeleton hand adds a little texture:

My best tip: Never pour directly onto your tray/board. Always place things, that way crumbs don't end up all over the board. It will look neater. Trust me...

As the lights go down and it begins to get dark out...

The ghosts are coming to life...

Spooky stories anyone?

My Pinterest Boards:

Halloween Food here

Charcuterie for All Seasons here

All of them here

• Walmart: Utz green cheese balls, mini Halloween pretzels, pepper jack cheese, ham steak, and Reese's pieces. The funky food picks came from there many years ago.
• Dollar Tree: Skeleton hand serving utensil, Mini Ritz cheese crackers, ghost Peeps.
• Aldi: Pumpkin Maple Spread. The little ghost dish was a part of a tiered tray decorating set. It's cute but I was disappointed to see that it isn't food safe.
• Pumpkin tea light is from an outlet store. I just wanted to share the idea that a little light does help bring the board to life:@) Any tea light will work, I initially bought silver glittered ones at Dollar Tree but then saw the pumpkins.

🎃Stock up now folks, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies & other pink desserts...

I seem to always have a pouch of brownie mix in the cabinet, it's my one favorite store bought mix. And then my coworker picked up Red Velvet Peanut Butter Cups on clearance after Valentine's Day... So I just had to try some Peanut Butter Cup Brownies. I'm guessing the pink topped candy is out for Easter, and there's green at Halloween... So this is a fun way to add a little something-something extra to a favorite sweet snack:@) I used some pink, some regular peanut butter cups, and made some plain brownies. And we all know sprinkles make it a party...

Best Tips: If using cupcake liners, be sure to use the foil ones. Paper will stick. If using sprinkles, for best presentation, shake them on before adding the peanut butter cups, let's all learn from Lynn's mistakes...

Whether it's a Barbie birthday, 

planning for Easter,

or dreaming of spring...

Other Pink Desserts:

Two ingredient Strawberry Cupcakes, Pink Jello Fluff, Chocolate Covered Marshmallows, Sugar Cookies with Jello Frosting

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Your favorite brownie mix

Ingredients called for in the mix

Unwrapped Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Foil liners

1. Make brownie batter.
2. Place liners in cupcake tin.
3. Fill liner about half way, not more.
4. Variable: Baking time... I did 350 for 25-27 minutes. You'll have to try to gauge doneness as best you can, a test batch is always a good idea before a party:@)
5. Remove to rack to cool.

Pour a cuppa, enjoy a snack and 

Have a Happy Day:@)

Pumpkin Schmear, Jello Cake, Mummy Dip & What's Your Halloween Name?

Well folks, here we are, the last weekend before Halloween. Is it just me or did October fly by? So in the spirit of having a little holiday fun I thought I'd share a couple -frighteningly good- ideas from the archives... This Pumpkin Schmear is a great way to start the day, and who doesn't like bagels?

Having a party? May I suggest a colorful, and tasty, Jello Layer Cake. This is a fun alternative to poke cakes and it's easy and very festive:@)

How about a Mummy Avocado Dip,

a tad healthier and cute!

And just for fun...

Have a spookily good weekend:@)

Cream Cheese Colored Brownies, Halloween Jalapeno Poppers & Bean Dips

Looking for a little Halloween inspiration or party planning??? While I first posted these Colored Cream Cheese Topped Brownies for Halloween, this idea is great for any holiday, occasion, or sporting event:@) We can achieve bold color with three simple ingredients, and it adds a little something extra to the brownies too. I might try putting the mixture in a disposable icing bag and adding big, bold squiggles next time...

Let's give a fan favorite a little ~face lift~ and just for fun, whip up some Halloweeny Peepers for the party or next football game:@) Seriously as easy as stuff, wrap, bake. Maybe add some mini sweet peppers if that's more suited to your crowd...

And bean dip is truly a blank canvas:

Jack-O-Lantern and Graveyard Dip

📌My Halloween Food Pinterest Board here.

📌Dips & Cheeseballs Pinterest Board here.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Weekend🎃

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought it might be fun to a add a little fall flavor to my favorite Ghirardelli cookie recipe, and these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies disappeared pretty quickly. How much pumpkin spice to use? Well, say it with me now... You know your crowd. Love pumpkin spice? Add 2 tsp. Spice mix a little old? Add 2 tsp (and please replace it. I feel pumpkin spice loses it's potency a lot faster then other spices). Otherwise, cut back a bit to just add a hint of warmth. This is really just a nice excuse to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and in my world that's comforting, and never a bad thing:@)

Want to really amp up the flavor? Use all chocolate chips then add a drizzle of melted white chocolate to the tops. Immediately sprinkle with pumpkin spice while it's still wet so the spices stick.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 tsp pumpkin spice
2 1/4 C A/P flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
up to 2 C of chocolate chips-I mixed white and semi-sweet

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, mix well.
3. Add flour, baking soda and salt (if using). Mix until just incorporated.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 2" apart.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove to cooling rack.

Enjoy a cookie and 

Have a Happy Day:@)

Dyed Popcorn Candy Corn Gift

Here's one more thing to add to my candy corn round-up post of the other day... I've made several colorful DIY dyed popcorn projects and have to say, this Candy Corn Popcorn is kinda cute. I suggest using white kernels as the colors are brighter. My orange layer started with yellow pop corn and red dye, but I think white might be better. I happened to have some disposable icing bags and decided to use the cone shape as a wink and nod to the traditional candy corn shape. The popcorn would be cute simply layered in a jar too, folks will get the idea. Now, in a perfect world I would have had orange and yellow ribbon... But this is my reality, so I used what I had:@)

They make nice little Halloween

 non-candy gift packs:

I've also made an 

Orange and Green Dyed Popcorn here.

📌My Popcorn for all Seasons Pinterest Board here.

Dyed Popcorn

1. Place kernels in sandwich baggie. Add drops of liquid food coloring and smoosh around until desired color is achieved. Paste dyes do not work as well as the drops.
2. Allow kernels to completely dry. You might want to pour onto cookie sheet in single layer to dry.
3. Package as desired.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day:@)

S'Mores Popcorn

I had some leftover graham crackers and ~always~ seem to have a sweet tooth, so I whipped up some S'Mores Popcorn. Good stuff folks:@) You can make this any way you'd like, what more chocolate? Add it. Love marshmallows? Load them up! Is it a holiday, birthday, or sports event? Toss in some color coordinated sprinkles. The key to this idea is working quickly so everything has a chance to stick to the melted chocolate. Then just let the chocolate firm back up and dry, and store in an air tight container. 

Tips for S'Mores Popcorn: 

1. Melt chocolate in a disposable icing bag in the microwave.
2. Add wax paper or parchment paper to the bottom of a cookie sheet for easy clean-up.
3. Use either air popped corn, microwave popcorn, or a store bought bag of already popped.
4. Make this in layers, add some popcorn to cookie sheet, (sprinkle with salt if using air popped corn).
5. Drizzle with melted chocolate, immediately sprinkle on broken bite size graham crackers and mini marshmallows.
6. Add another layer of popcorn and repeat.
7. Let chocolate set-up and store in airtight container.

Enjoy a Snack and Have a Happy Day:@)

Deviled Egg Stuffed Sweet Mini or Jalapeno Peppers

These Deviled Egg Stuffed Sweet Mini and/or Jalapeno Peppers made a very nice lunch. The inspiration was the itty red peppers on the plant in my garden, and I picked a couple small jalapenos too. My favorite bites were the sweet red ones. I simply mixed up some egg salad using mayonnaise and mustard to mimic deviled eggs, and made sure to cut the whites smaller than traditional egg salad. For ease of stuffing, add the filling to a disposable icing bag, just cut the hole a little larger for the whites. If I had a chicken coop this would have been a total garden lunch:@)

Now, as a general rule... I stay away from bugs, especially when it comes to food. But I thought these little ant picks were kind of cute for a summer or picnic charcuterie tray, and really think kids would get a kick out of them:@) They'd be fun for Halloween too...

And for a more charcuterie look, I've added crackers and think a small bowl of pickles would have been perfect... As a point of reference: I picked six very small peppers and used two hard boiled eggs.

My mini sweet pepper plant 7/5/24:

Deviled Egg Stuffed Sweet Mini or Jalapeno Peppers

1. Cut peppers in half long ways, clean out seeds and membranes. I used a melon baller.
2. Mix up some deviled egg salad, be sure to fine dice the egg whites.
3. Fill peppers.
4. Garnish with parsley and chives, or paprika, or seasoned salt if desired.

Let's enjoy what the garden gifts us, and 

Have a Happy Day:@)

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Full Plate Thursday