Sunday Southern Days

While there are still, like, six weeks to go before Halloween, we are in the early prep stages at our house. Toula has selected both Elsa and Elena of Avalor costumes (We'll see who wins out in the 11th hour) and I've ordered her adorable little Trick-Or-Treating bag (and it was on sale for only $8.40)! Score yours here:  https://www.mythirtyone.com/kyrap/product/8330 You can also add embroidery personalization on the Cinch Sac backpacks, which I think are great for older kids to Trick-Or-Treat. For now, we'll stick with the Carry All Caddy for T's little hands. Happy Fall, Y'all!

This past weekend, we took Toula to her first pumpkin patch! A midwest right of passage, we ventured to Marmion Academy's Abbey Farms (The Captain's alma mater) "Pumpkin Daze" for the afternoon. Pumpkin Daze times and information: http://abbeyfarms.org/pumpkin-daze/ Of course, we had to hit up the Seasonal Bakery inside the Emporium there as well for Apple Cinnamon Cider Donuts and an Apple Pie. One dozen won't be enough. You'll thank me later. Toula sported mommy's JMU colors while lounging on the grounds of daddy's alma mater.

We have had an awesome time this weekend with our great friends Kira and and Nat this weekend, who are visiting from the D.C. area.  While the boys started football round 1 (Redskins game), Kira and I headed west to Malta, Illinois to the Jonamac Orchard for apple picking. Talk about a great First Day of Fall activity. Chicago lent us a gorgeous 67 degree fall day. Ripe for the pocking were Early Fuji, Gala, Thompson, and apples. Based on their sweetness and our desire to bake pies this afternoon, we stuck to Early Fujis for baking, and some delicious Thompson apples for snacking at home. We though a peck of apples would do it for our dining purposes. We totally overestimated this. A peck got us 57 smallish apples. After making 3 deep pies, we still have 31 apples left over.  It was our first visit to Jonamac Prchard and it was pretty fabulous for a family day. In addition to a great store with gifts, jarred goodies, and kettle corn, there was a line 50 deep for their donuts. ...

On today, the first Sunday of the NFL Football season, fall is in the air (even if it was 80 degrees today in Chicago). Chili was in the crockpot, sweaters dug out of the closet, and our first pumpkin recipes surfaced to prepare for lots of baking in the coming weeks.  After a good bout on Pinterest and other awesome recipe sites, I've rounded up my favorite pumpkin recipes to get you ready for fall. Enjoy! Pumpkin Rolls @ The Girl Who Ate Everything Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Bacon @ Lauren's Latest Pumpkin Ravioli @ Health My own recipe for Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust -- fill with your favorite pumpkin or any other pie recipe! Pumpkin Fudge @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen Pumpkin Snickerdoodles @ A Bitchin' Kitchen Pumpkin Ice Cream @ Little Leopard Book Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread @ Fever Avenue Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting @ For The Mommas Pumpkin Pie Bites ...

Key Party Ingredient: Paper Doilies Anyone who knows me well, knows that doilies just happen in my life. Doilies aren't just for lining cookie platters anymore. This post has some of my favorite ways to incorporate these elegant little papers is mounted behind an invitation. I love the doilies used at place cards. Scrawl your guests' names with a pretty metallic pen and sit at each place setting. Glue a doily onto the bottom of a tag and trim away the excess doily. Tape a doily onto a pumpkin and spray a light mist of black spray paint. Where to find: check the baking section at Wal-Mart or the party section of the Dollar Tree to find! A pack of 20/40 is usually $1-$2. Use doilies in a fun way? Email photos to use at kyra@thesundaypaperie.com or post a link in the comments so we can feature it in a future post party.

Talk about a show-stopper. This pie crust looks so amazing, it should be so much harder to make! The perfect finish to almost any pie, you no longer have to decide - cinnamon roll or pie? Ingredients: 1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust 2 tsp cinnamon (I added 1 tsp Williams-Sonoma Cinnamon Sugar) 1 tbsp butter, melted Your choice of pie filling (I used 1 can pumpkin pie mix with 2 eggs and 5 oz. evaporated milk to make Pumpkin Pie) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. Roll up tightly and slice into 1/2-inch rounds, like miniature cinnamon rolls. You will use both pie crusts in the box to fill the pan. In a circular layout, press miniature cinnamon rolls, flat side down, evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate, making sure there are no spaces between the rolls.  Lightly brush crust with one beaten egg whi...