Tuesday night was my turn to host our Air Force squadron’s monthly wives’ meeting. The evenings in Texas are just starting to cool down so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to serve my favorite Fall foods - soup and pumpkin desserts!
I didn’t want to spend too much time and effort on decorating since the meetings are supposed to be simple. So, I planned to eat outside in the cool autumn air and allow Mother Nature to provide my décor. Well, unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t exactly cooperate with her end of the deal…apparently she thinks low 80s is ideal for Fall!? But, after the sun set, it did feel slightly “brisk”.
I borrowed three of bales of straw from a friend to set around in the yard as easy Fall decorations and extra seating if needed. I used my patio table and chairs, a card table and chairs, and my Lifetime 4’x’2 table and Lifetime chairs for seating. Since the Lifetime table was white, I threw a Fall tablecloth over it to help tie it in with the natural décor just a bit more. I also added a tiny, lighted pumpkin and a bowl of Halloween candy to each table for the centerpieces. Like I said, I was going for easy! But, if you want to get crafty and really dress up your tables for Fall or Halloween, check out these Halloween Table Decor Tips at Lifetime.com. I should have taken a picture of my actual food serving table, because that is what looked festive and coordinated, but I forgot amongst all the chaos of getting everything ready and people arriving!
A few of my friends helped make the food so we had a nice variety of Fall favorites for people to sample. Cheesy Potato Soup, Taco Soup, Caesar Salad, Cornbread, Buttery Pumpkin Bars, and Pumpkin Muffins. I had several ladies ask my for the recipe for the soup and pumpkin dessert I made, so I thought I would share them with you as well! If you like creamy, cheesy soups, you can’t go wrong with this quick standby. And, the dessert recipe is an easy twist on the traditional pumpkin pie. It uses yellow cake mix for a moist crust and cream cheese for an extra creamy filling!
Cheesy Potato Soup
4 cups water
3 - 3 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 medium onion diced
1 small carrot, shredded
1 1/2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bag bacon bits
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb velveeta cheese, cubed
In large stockpot, combine water, potatoes, onion, carrot and celery. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 min). Add bacon bits and bouillon cubes. Add cream of chicken soup. Add cheese. Cook until melted...stir frequently to avoid sticking to bottom. 6 servings.
Buttery Pumpkin Bars
Cake Crust
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
1 egg
Filling
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 15oz can pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Stir the cake mix together with 1 egg and 1 stick of butter. Pat the mixture evenly onto the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish.Beat the cream cheese and pumpkin together. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and butter. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread the pumpkin mixture over the cake layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and cut into squares. Serve with whipped cream.
Enjoy!