The Pumpkin Pie

I took a little break from blogging, have had a very busy life in the last few weeks.  Was gearing up for Thanksgiving, it was awesome! I had 12 people sit down for dinner and it was enjoyed by all.  There were two 20 plus pound turkeys with all the fixin's to be eaten, along with many, many desserts to be sampled. Some of the desserts we had were  - Cherry Crostata, Apple Crostata, Apple Pie, Pecan Pie, Cheesecake with Berry Topping, Cookies, Chocolate Cream Pie and of course my favorite Pumpkin Pie from Costco.  They make THE BEST Pumpkin Pie!  To dress up the store bought pie, because everything else was homemade, I  broke out the store bought pie crust.

  Check it out!

I used one crust.......

 pulled out my mini leaf cookie cutters......

Cut out a few different kinds of leaves, and placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brushed with a little egg wash....

 and sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until golden brown and place on top of the pie.  And VOILA, looks homemade!  This pie really is the best, I could eat the whole thing myself, but I didn't. I purchase a few of these pies as soon as they hit the shelf every Fall at Costco, and put them in the freezer.  I defrost it, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes so the crust crisps up, and let it cool. Delicious! 

The FALL-ing Leaves Will Soon Be Here

As I start writing this blog I am looking outside and see leaves falling off the trees, yes Autumn is coming soon, and I love it!  This is my favorite time of year, the weather is not too hot and not too cold, it's just right.  Now mind you, I don't like what comes after Fall, the dreaded Winter months that are always too long.  But Fall is me, I love everything about it. The leaves falling, squirrels busy finding nuts and berries, cooler weather, kids go back to school, pumpkins, apples and apple cider, the scent of cinnamon, Fall scented candles, corn stalks, a sense of calmness and peace that comes over me, and of course, decorating!

This year I am not going crazy decorating, I'm just putting a few touches around the house.  I started the other day with these few things on my foyer table, wood painted pumpkins and a mulled cider candle that is a perfect scent for Fall.

 I purchased this leaf and twig candle ring from one of my many trips to the country this year, and decided I liked it around the base of the buffet lamp on the table, who would have thought to put it there?  And, I have a love/hate relationship with squirrels, this one is cute and quiet though, and he doesn't do any damage.

Burlap and fabric covered pumpkins are a favorite of mine, picked these up at the Christmas Tree Shop.  The berry and leaf candle ring is from The Candle Barn.

 A few ribbons I found for my wreaths, The small Jack-o-Lantern ribbon is from Michael's, 10 yards for $1.99 and the big bolt of ribbon is from Costco, 50 yards for $7.99.  Check out Costco for your Christmas ribbon too, they always have a great selection and the ribbon is reasonably priced.