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Susie Switch, Teal Pumpkin Project & Beggars Night

Let’s talk about Beggar’s Night!

Every year thousands of kids trick or treat, door to door and receive TONS of candy. I thought I would share a couple of different trends that are going on this year and you should participate to spread the word!

1. Susie Switch

Susie Switch is a witch that will come to your home on the evening of Beggars Night. Each child should pick out a few pieces of candy, they would like to keep for themselves. They will then set out the rest of the candy for Susie Switch. Susie Switch will come and take it to feed to her bats and leave another small gift for your child.

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, which is where I learned about Susie! I think this an awesome idea. We always get stuck with so much candy and I usually end up throwing away half of it. Also, Monte is at the age where he WANTS candy and he knows what it is. Since we went to Night Eyes the other night, we put his pumpkin bucket on top of the fridge and he asks for it all the time. If you ask me, the candy he received that night, is enough for the rest of the season.

We will be  printing this poem, explaining Susie Switch, framing it, and placing it out every year. It will become a great tradition!

(Image Source)

Susie Switch is a great alternative to get rid of the extra, sugary candy and give your child something else they may enjoy more!

2. The Teal Pumpkin Project

This is a great idea! There are a lot of children who cannot trick or treat or cannot enjoy it very much due to food allergies. The Teal Pumpkin Project was created by the FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education Blog. If you are a home that will be passing out non-food treats, purchase a pumpkin, paint it teal, and place it on your doorstep. The teal pumpkin will let children and families know that you have something to give them, that is safe for them. Not only is this great for children with food allergies, but this is also another great way to cut back the sugar children receive this year.

You can purchase non-food items from Amazon, Target ($1 bin items), Nobbies, or Oriental Trading Company.

(Image Source)

This is a new concept being introduced. The more people who get involved and participate, the more awareness this brings to food allergies. So get involved!

Adel – Friday, October 31st 6 pm – 8 pm

Altoona – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Ames – Saturday, October 31st 5: 30 pm – 7:30 pm

Ankeny – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Bondurant – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Clive – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Des Moines – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Grimes – Friday, October 31st 6 pm – 8 pm

Indianola – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Johnston – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Norwalk – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Urbandale – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Waukee – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

West Des Moines – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm- 8 pm

Winterset – Thursday, October 30th 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Windsor Heights – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

 

Will you be participating in Susie Switch or the Teal Pumpkin Project this year?

 

Fall Festivities

This past weekend was a crazy weekend!

Travis and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary at Exile Brewery Co. in Des Moines. The food and beer were delish!

We celebrated my birthday! It was the perfect fall day (one of the reasons why I love fall so much).

The day started out with bloody mary’s with this fella (my dad).

A wonderful birthday cake baked and assembled by my hubby.

Then watching some Nebraska football!

Amelia was also baptized!

It was kind of neat that almost exactly 4 years ago we were getting married in the same church that our daughter was being baptized. Look how much our family has grown since October 2010?!?

Afterwards we celebrated! And what better way to celebrate then with food!

I thought this was the perfect theme! Very fall-ish AND easy to throw together after the baptism.

Cache Bake Shoppe made the baptism cake. We have fallen in love with this bakery, since they made Monte’s baptism cake. They have made several cakes for us since then and they did an awesome job once again! I highly recommend them!

Monday we crashed …

We had such an amazing weekend! We are so thankful to all our family and friends who came and celebrated ; and those who did not make it but sent gifts and their well wishes. Also, to everyone who cooked and helped put everything together. We are very blessed!

2014 Fall & Halloween Activities

Here are some 2014 Fall & Halloween Activities to mark on the calendar for this year!

1. Deals Orchard Fall Festival

Saturday & Sunday October 11th & 12th

This is one event we are for sure checking out this fall! Located in Jefferson, Iowa this apple orchard will not only have apples to offer! They will have a jumping pillow, horse-drawn hayrides, giant slides, sand art, corn pool, corn maze, petting zoo, yummy goodies and much more! Check out Deals Orchard’s website for more details!

2. Night Eyes at Blank Park Zoo

October 16th – 19th & 23rd – 26th

Even though we went to Night Eyes last year, we WILL be attending again! Night Eyes is a wonderful, kid-friendly event where your kiddos dress up in their costumes and trick or treat their way through the zoo. Some of the animals are out, train rides are available, and there are always some kid friendly characters making an appearance.

3. Great Pumpkin Party at Valley Church

October 21st – 23rd

I have always heard great things about this event and I am excited to take Monte this year! There are inflatables, pony rides, petting zoo, carnival games, food, and more! Tuesday, the 21st, is specifically for families with special needs to enjoy. For more information and to keep track of the event, “like” their Facebook page.

4. Spooky Science at the Science Center of Iowa

October 25th

Dress up in your costume and come out to the Science Center! Enjoy spooky flashlight tours of the dinosaur exhibit, participate in the costume contest, meet creepy crawly critters, experience live science experiments such as a pumpkin explosion, and get candy of course! Check out the Science Center of Iowa website for more details!

5. Pumpkin Walk at Valley Junction

October 26th

Trick or treat through Valley Junction in your costumes, enjoy fun children’s activities at Green Grounds Cafe, and get a free pumpkin at the Swander Gazebo. Chillin’ in the Junction will also be going on where you can sample great chili’s and play Bingo! Check out their website for more details and times.

6. Valley West Mall Trick or Treating

October 28th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Who knows how cold it will be the week of beggars night? This is a great opportunity to trick or treat, indoors and get lots of candy! Not only is there candy, but free inflatables to bounce on, crafts, balloon animals, and more! This is the last family fun night of the season, so make sure not to miss it!

7. Living History Farms Family Halloween

October 18th – 19th, 23rd – 26th, & 30th – 31st

We attended this event last year and had so much fun! Trick or treat through the old town, enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, storytellers, pumpkin bowling, roast marshmallows (Monte’s favorite part), and more! Check out the Living History Farms website for more details.

What fun events will you be attending this Halloween?

The Great Pumpkin!

First off … I am so excited about Midwest Mom & Wife right now! I have a Twitter account, Instagram account, Pinterest account and now a very own Facebook page. Everyone should follow along to get the latest updates on everything! You can also visit these by clicking on the icons on the right hand side of the screen

I am also excited to annouce that I will be participating in the Great Diaper Hunt with Diaper Decisions! It is such an awesome thing to be a part of and if you have not already done so, go sign up for the hunt. It’s a great way to support small businesses and bloggers, while winning prizes.

On to our laid back, fall weekend! We crossed a bunch more things off our 2013 Fall Bucket List.

1. Crockpot Applesauce 

Nothing smells better then apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple cider brewing in the crockpot!

I did not follow a specific recipe and making apple sauce can be done pretty much however you want.

This is what I did …

1. Cut about 10-15 apples into chunks. I did not peel my apples and the number of apples used depends on the size you are using and how much sauce you are wanting to make. We used Wills Orchard apples, which were pretty small.

2. Squeeze half a lemon on top.

3. Add about 1 – 1 1/2 cups apple cider. We used Iowa Orchards tasty cider!

4. Sprinkle nutmeg on top, approximately 2 Tablespoons

5. Add 4 cinnamon sticks

6. Put on low about 6 hours. My crockpot cooks VERY fast! So this may differ for everyone.

7. Scoop the mixture out into a glass bowl and mash it up with a masher.

2. Carved and Painted Pumpkins

Monte did such a woderful job and he took the task very seriously!

 He is such an artist 🙂

3. Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown 

Papa Tony was nice enough to buy Monte the movie on DVD so we can watch it whenever! Sunday evening was the perfect night to cuddle up and wait for the Great Pumpkin to appear!

 If you do not own It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, ABC is airing the show at 7 pm on Thursday!

Record it if you will be trick or treating, so you can watch it!

 

It’s was a PERFECT Fall weekend 🙂

What fall and/or Halloween things did you do this past weekend? 

 

 

DSM Activities & Events 10/17 – 10/23

 

There are lots going on in the Des Moines area this weekend! Do not forget to check out my list for Pumpkin Patches & Orchards AND my list of Haunted Houses!

 

1. Living History Farms – Family Halloween

When: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

What: Go out to Living History Farms for a horse drawn wagon ride, roast marshmallows, listen to stories, pumpkin bowling, and see scarecrows! Children under the age of 12 can trick or treat through town. For more information check out their website!

2. Blank Park Zoo – Night Eyes

When: Thursday & Friday 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm AND Saturday & Sunday 1 pm – 8 pm

What: Walk through Blank Park Zoo and trick or treat! The park will be decorated in various ways such as a spooky forest, pumpkin patch and a yellow brick road! Check out admission prices and more information on their website!

3. Scary Jump 

When: Friday 7 pm – 9 pm

Where and What: Go to Pump it Up and jump! $12 per child/$15 at the door. Each child will receive a treat bag and a glow necklace. The bounce houses will be decorated in halloween decor! For more information or to purchase tickets check out their website!

4. Mysteries of the Castle

When: Saturday 10 am – 4 pm

Where and What: Walk through the rooms at the Salisbury House and explore! There will be story telling, face painting, science experiments, learn about owls from the Owl Lady, arts and crafts, balloon animals, and more! Make sure to wear your costume. Gusto Pizza will also be available! $5 admission. More information on their website.

5. Octoberfest at Penoach Vineyard & Winery 

When: Saturday 12 pm – 6 pm

Where and What: Located at the Penoach Vineyard and Winery in Adel, come out for free wine tastings, free popcorn, tractor and wagon rides, live music and barbecue! Check out their website for more information!

6. Family Hayride & Bonfire

When: Saturday 3 pm – 7 pm

Where and What: Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary is hosting a Family Hayride and Bonfire. All proceeds will go towards the bonobo ape family. Take a hay rack ride through the sanctuary and when you are finished roast marshmallows and drink hot cocoa! $10 per person (before), $12 day of the event and children 2 and under are FREE! For an additional $5 you can go in and visit the bonobo ape family. For more information check out their website.

7. Spooktacular 5k Fun Run 

When: Saturday at 6 pm

Where and What: This is a kids fun run with food and drinks afterwards! Proceeds go to the Johnston Partnership. The run will take place at Johnston High School. Register now through October 17th $20. $25 to register the day of the event. Check out here to register online!

8. Mysteries and Movies After Dark 

When: Saturday 7 pm – 10 pm

Where and What: This is a perfect date night event to get in the Halloween spirit! Located at the Salisbury House, join others for adult beverages, snacks, spooky stories, and movies. Please RSVP! Check out the website for more information and to RSVP.

9. Great Iowa Pet Expo 

When: Saturday 10 am – 6 pm AND Sunday 10 am – 4 pm

Where and What: This event is being held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Come out and learn about all sorts of animals, enjoy entertainment, education, and win prizes! There may be some animals available for adoption also! Check out their website for scheduled events and prices for admission.

10. Spirits in the Gardens 

When: Saturday and Sunday 4 pm – 7 pm

Where and What: Located at Reiman Gardens in Ames! Come dressed in your costume and enjoy different craft and activity stations. Listen to stories and see live owls and raptors! Of course there will be trick or treating! FREE for all youth under 18 years of age. Adults are $8 and $7 for seniors. For more information check out their website.

11. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Where and What:  Located at the Wells Fargo Arena, you will not want to miss taking your kiddos to “The Greatest Show on Earth” full of animals and shows! Check out the website to see times and to purchase tickets.

12. Sample Sundays

When: Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm

When and Where: This is one event I definitely want to check out sometime! Located at Picket Fence Creamery in Woodward, walk around and try samples of items from various, local places. There will be root beer floats, kids activities, live music, and much more! And it’s all FREE! Check out their website for more information and other dates they host this fun event.

 Plan Ahead …

1. Wonder of Words Festival 

When: November 2nd – November 12th

What: This is a very neat event! The Wonder of Words Festival is an event that connects readers, writers, and publishers. There are many sponsors and several scheduled events. Check out the official website for more information and how to get involved!

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Another item has been crossed off our 2013 Fall Bucket List … Make Pumpkin Pancakes!

Since my Paleo obsession … I came across these Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes and thought we should give them a try! I cannot take all the credit for making these though … my wonderful father made these for us Sunday morning.

This is a doubled recipe from the original.

 Here are the ingredients and steps we used to make this Paleo fall favorite!

Ingredients 

1. 8 eggs, beaten

2. 1 can pumpkin puree

3. 2 ripe bananas, mashed

4. 4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted

5. 2 Teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

7. 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

8. 2 teaspoons cinnamon

9. Pinch salt

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together, then add the canned pumpkin.

2. Sift the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and pinch of salt into the wet ingredients.

3. Mash 2 bananas, then add to the wet ingredients and mix.

4. Melt 4 tablespoons of coconut oil and then add to pancake mixture.

5. Spray your skillet, then pour batter onto skillet to make the pancakes!

The original recipe called for coconut flour to make the pancakes thicker and firmer, but we did not use because we thought the bananas would do the trick! I would definitely recommend adding in the coconut flour, because it was hard to flip the pancakes and they were kind of flimsy BUT they tasted great!

This recipe makes 10 pancakes.

Serve with pure maple syrup, almond butter, fruit, nuts, etc.

What is your favorite pumpkin pancake recipe?

Birthday Festivities

Friday was my 26th birthday! Of course, it was not just a day celebration … it lasted all weekend long! Here are some photos highlighting my birthday festivities! Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate!

When I got to work, the clinic was all decorated with a “Happy Birthday” banner and confetti everywhere. All my co-workers signed this colorful poster for me!

They got Scratch cupcakes for me! Have you every hear of Scratch Cupcakes?! They have awesome, unique cupcakes. You HAVE to try them sometime! They are to die for!!

I had a Harvest cupcake. It was very fallish!

Saturday morning I went over to my dad’s house to watch the Nebraska game! I enjoyed some yummy bloody mary’s and a great win by the Huskers! Go Big Red!!

Elvis’s birthday was Sunday, so we celebrated his birthday also! He enjoyed watching the Nebraska game also, all dressed up in his jersey.

Afterwards, friends and family came over for a cook out and fire pit. It ended up being an okay day after all the storms we had, but it was a bit chilly.

Monte also enjoyed all the festivities! Elvis and all the guests kept him busy!

Elvis and I BOTH had a cake! His was specially ordered and made just for dogs. Travis surprised me by making my cake. It was a pumpkin cake with homemade chocolate and candy corn on top. It was delish.

Of course, there were lots of drinks! Including HOT apple cider with chopped apples from Wills Family Orchard and assorted pumpkin beers and ciders.

Last, but not definitely NOT least, we opened presents! My gift from Elvis was wrapped in paper with pictures of him all over it! I was surprised when it was handed to me. My dad did an awesome job thinking of that idea!

Underneath that cute wrapping paper was a Hurom Juicer! I am so excited to start using this!! Everyone keep their eyes open for some yummy juicing concoctions!

It was a great birthday weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it 🙂

Question of the day!

What is your favorite things to juice together?

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Rolls

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I know it’s not Monday, but my week usually starts on Tuesdays 🙂

Anyways, I want to share another awesome fall recipe I found on Pinterest. I made it Sunday morning for breakfast. It was such a beautiful day Sunday that we sat outside and enjoyed our rolls out on the patio.

While I was baking Monte enjoyed himself, while reading a People Magazine 🙂

I found this recipe here. Of course I added a little something to change it up a bit!

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Rolls

Ingredients

Rolls

2 packages/cans  crescent rolls

4 0z cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Frosting

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon canned pumpkin

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls to form 4 rectangles. Pinch the seams together to create one large rectangle.

2. Place the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon into the mixer. I also added some dried cranberries! Beat it until it is well combined.

3. Split the mixture evenly among the rectangles and spread until about 1/2 inch from the edge.

4. Starting at the long end, roll them up and then cut into 1 inch pieces. I was able to get 3 small rolls out of each rectangle.

5. Place the rolls around 2 – 9 inch cake pans, sprayed with cooking spray. Place them along the edges, leaving the middle open so they can expand.

6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, mix up the ingredients for the frosting in a mixer until well combined.

7. When the rolls are done baking, pull them out and frost the rolls immediately so the frosting can melt on top of the rolls. Let them cool for about 10 minutes.

These cinnamon rolls are pretty small, but I really only needed 1 pan instead of 2. If it’s only going to be 2-3 people you can probably get by with halving the recipe.

I hope you enjoy them!!

Pumpkin Caramel Frosting Cake

It’s Monday!! How was everyone’s weekend? I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend and enjoyed the gorgeous temperatures.

I had a great weekend and definitely enjoyed lots of fallish things including: football, pumpkin beer, Crockpot Apple Butter Ribs (recipe coming soon!), apple cider, AND a homemade Pumpkin Caramel Cake …. which leads me to the story of my failed attempt of homemade caramel 🙁

Travis’s mom and dad’s birthdays were on Friday so everyone came over Saturday evening to celebrate. I decided to make a Pumpkin Caramel Cake I found on Pinterest. The actual recipe can be found here.

The first steps are to make the caramel cream cheese frosting.

FROSTING

  1. 1 cup sugar
  2. 1/2 cup water
  3. 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  4. 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  5. 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  6. 1 pound cream cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, vanilla bean and seeds. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any crystals from the side of the pan. Cook over moderate heat without stirring until a medium-dark amber caramel forms, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter and heavy cream. (Don’t worry if the butter separates.) Discard the vanilla bean.
Seems pretty easy right? I started with combining the first three ingredients.
This was also my first time using a vanilla bean. Before this weekend I had always thought a vanilla bean looked like well … a bean? Nope, it was long and looked almost like a twig. You can see the two halves floating around in the pot.
After the sugar dissolved, I turned down the heat to medium and waited for it to turn a “medium-dark amber color”. The recipe stated it would be about 9 minutes, but it was much longer then that when I began to notice the change in color. I would say 15 minutes?
It’s hard to tell by this picture, but this was my final product. I took the pot off the stove and added the butter and cream and discarded the vanilla bean.
2. Transfer the caramel to the large bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk and beat at low speed until the caramel cools slightly and comes together, about 5 minutes. With the machine on, beat in the cream cheese, 1 cube at a time and beating well between additions, until silky. Transfer the frosting to a bowl and refrigerate until very firm, at least 6 hours.
The caramel looked great, but it definitely had a burnt after taste to it. I added the cream cheese hoping the taste would go away, but it didn’t. So I placed it in the fridge and continued onto baking the cake.

CAKE

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  3. 1 teaspoon salt
  4. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  5. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  6. 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  7. 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  9. 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
  10. 4 large eggs
  11. 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  12. One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  13. 1/2 cup whole milk

 

3.Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves.

4. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and eggs at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the oil, then beat in the pumpkin puree. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk in 3 batches, beating well between additions.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes, then invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Place one layer on a plate and spread with 1 cup of the caramel–cream cheese frosting. Top with the second layer and frost the top and side. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before serving.
The cake portion turned out great and I had no issues!
Saturday morning I ran out to the store and picked up another pound of cream cheese. I decided to just use a jar of caramel sauce I already had and mix in the cream cheese.
This frosting turned out a lot better and I felt more comfortable adding it to the cake!
I completely forgot to take a final picture of the cake 🙁 but it turned out great and everyone enjoyed it!
Check out the site where the original recipe was posted for an awesome picture of the finish product here!
Have you ever made homemade caramel before? What advice do you have for me so it doesn’t taste burnt?
 
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