Spiced Pumpkin Party

As the weather begins to cool down and boots begin to replace flip flops, it seems everyone is craving all things Fall.  Especially me.  Who doesn’t love the feel crisp fall air and the sight of warm, orange-colored pumpkins and festive yellow and purple mums on every front porch?

Growing up, my family would make homemade spiced apple cider and hold an annual pumpkin carving contest.  You wouldn’t believe the competativeness that a pumpkin carving contest can bring between family members!  These are the fond memories that make the fall such an exciting time of year for my entire family.

Now, after a fly by of a summer….the autumn is here again. For our family that means the kick off of what will be many birthday celebrations over the next few months.  The first birthday up is my sister who will be celebrating her 30th this  year.  This birthday girl has made it no secret that her favorite way to get in the fall season is to sip on a Spiced pumpkin latte (she is obsessed with anything spiced pumpkin) and search for her perfect halloween pumpkin from the local pumpkin patch.   So for her celebration we are keeping it casual and low key, but surrounding her with everything that she loves about the fall season.

For the menu, we are serving up spicy buffalo wings with fresh parmesan cheese and minced roasted garlic, blue cheese and bacon coleslaw, hand cut seasoned oven fries and grandma’s cast iron skillet cornbread.  For dessert we are bringing in her love of pumpkin and preparing a home made spiced pumkin swirl cheesecake with a ginger snap crust and a sweet caramel sauce drizzle.  As for the beverages we are making delicious spiced pumpkin martinis made with Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka and a homemade Creamy Spiced Pumpkin drink mix (recipe below).

For one of her gifts we are giving her a luxury Spiced Pumpkin spa gift set.  The set includes a scented 16 fl oz liquid hand soap and Shea Butter lotion that she can keep by the kitchen or bathroom sink.  It also includes a large french milled soap block and a small travel size bar for the shower or bath.  The set comes in a beautiful classic gift box  so we didn’t  have to worry with the wrapping.  She is sure to love these products! 

We didn’t want to leave the guests out of all the fall fun …so we decided to decorate the tables with adorable fluffy owls, black crows and small pumpkins that we later used in a pumpkin carving contest.  For favors we set up bowls with miniature spiced pumpkin favor soaps.  This was an inexpensive way to decorate and provide  a memorable gift for everyone who attended.  The guests were so excited when they were told they could take the soaps home!

This party was the perfect way to get into the fall spirit and celebrate with everyone we love.  The birthday girl said she felt so special because we paid attention to all the little details and brought in all of the spiced pumpkin things that she loves.  This was surely an easy way to create more beautiful memories of a season that we already love so much.

Spiced Pumpkin Martini

Makes Approx 4, 4 oz. Martinis

2 cups of Spiced Pumpkin Mix (recipe below)

4 shots (6 oz.) of Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka or Pinnacle Cake Vodka

 Ground Nutmeg for Garnish

Cinnammon Stick for Garnish

In a shaker pour 2 cups of homemade pumkin spice mix, 6 oz of Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka.  Add ice cubes.  Shake well for 1-2 minutes.  Filter ice and pour in 4 martini glasses.  Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a cinnammon stick.

Pumkin Spice Mix (Non alcoholic)

Makes 8-10 Martinis

This when mixed with espresso can be used for Pumpkin Lattes also

½ small can (about 6-8 tablespoons) of real canned pumpkin

4 cups of whole milk

4 tbsp. of light brown sugar (packed)

½ tsp. ground cinnammon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

6 tbsp half and half

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract

Throuroughly mix all ingerdients together with hand blender or in blender.  Store in refridgerator for up to a week until ready to use.