Weekend Fun & Favorite Fall Recipe

We had such a good weekend!

On Friday I had an appointment in Columbus, so Mic and I took off early and decided to enjoy the day a bit.
We had brunch at Mimi's Cafe and it was so good!

Strawberry and creme (with orange zest) over waffles! OMG!
I did not eat half of all this, but what I did manage to devour was amazing!

Mic's crepes :)

We enjoyed some yummy Whit's Frozen Custard on our way home :)
We swung by in-laws house for a quick check on my FIL, and then headed home to chow down on some chili and cornbread.

On Saturday we were up and at em' early.
I hit the grocery store, and then was back home backing some pumpkin squares for Sunday.
While I baked, X was chillin' on the couch like a big boy!
Seriously, when did he turn 8?

 After nap time and lunch, we headed up north to celebrate my cousin's 18th birthday.
X was in heaven playing with Mic and all the trains my little cousin still has :)

 Ice Cream cake = YUM!

The best day of the weekend (IMO) was Sunday!
We again were up bright and early to get ready for the day.
X spent the day with my mom, while Mic and I had the pleasure of watching the Cleveland Browns walk all over the Steelers.
It was seriously a wonderful day!

When I saw the Malley's Chocolates banner fly by while we were tailgating I had to take a pic :)

Being goofy with my guy :)

Yes, you read that right! 31-10!!! My boys smoked the Steelers!!!

We took The Holiday to and from the game and it was honestly the perfect day to be on the lake.

X had a great time playing and visiting everyone this weekend :)
Can't wait for more weekend fun coming up!

What did you do this weekend?
Did you team come away with a big win?

Favorite Fall Recipe

Every year I look forward to pumpkin season :)

The moment I see the mini pumpkins in the store I pick them up along with all the ingredients I need to make Dinner in a Pumpkin.
DELICIOUS!!!!
You could pretty much put any mixture in the pumpkin and have a wonderful meal, but this is my go-to recipe all season long.

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Ingredients:

Either 1 medium size pumpkin, or 4 small individual pumpkins

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

¾ cup chopped celery

¾ cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 – 4 ounce can of mushrooms

1 can of cream of chicken soup

2 cups cooked rice

If you want to make the faces on the pumpkins you will also need the following:

Black whole olives for the eyes

Steamed carrot (or several small carrots) used for the nose

Whole cloves for the mouth

Fresh parsley used to stick out from under the lid for hair

Toothpicks

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, cut the lid from the pumpkin(s) and scoop out the pumpkin seeds and excess membrane with a spoon or scraping tool.

In a large skillet, combine ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped celery, and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until ground beef is browned.

Add the next 7 ingredients into the skillet and mix well. (salt, pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup, rice)

Place the mixture into the pumpkin cavity, making sure pumpkins are sitting on a foil-lined casserole dish or baking sheet so they fit well without much room to move.

Place lid on the pumpkins and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.

Just before serving, embellish the pumpkins by placing the black olives for eyes, carrot for nose, whole cloves for mouth, and parsley for hair. Hold the “face” in place with toothpicks.

To serve, place each individual pumpkin on a plate. If using one larger pumpkin, scoop out part of the baked pumpkin along with the mixture and serve on a plate.

Warning! The mixture and the pumpkins will be VERY hot! Eat and handle with caution!

You and your family won't be disappointed!

**When removing the inside of the pumpkin, mainly remove the seeds and leave the rest of the pumpkin goodness.
You will thank me for this tip when eating your delicious meal :)


What is your favorite or go-to Fall recipe?