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This year we have decided to mix two of the most awesome things about Halloween together - Trick-or-Treating and Costume Parties! With 2 kids of Trick-or-Treating age, it's a no-brainer what we are doing Halloween night - but why not throw a party that night too? Everyone will already have their costumes on and it would be so much fun to spend the night, making the trick-or-treating rounds, with our closest friends and family. So many laughs and memories to be had! I just needed to plan this party and wanted to do a quick test run. I headed to
Save Mart for some Fresh Finds and to get inspiration for my party list.
I had already decided to make something from pumpkin. Pumpkins and Halloween go hand in hand, so it just seemed natural. You could imagine the excitement I had when seeing this display of pumpkins in the
Save Mart produce department! {For other creative ideas on how to use the fresh produce found at Save Mart, check out their
Fresh Finds page!}
You didn't think I made the Pumpkin Soup with Beef Bacon & Cheese from canned pumpkin, did you? This is fresh y'all! There
were real pumpkins harmed during the production of this blog post.
Lol.
The base of the Pumpkin Soup with Beef Bacon & Cheese is pumpkin puree, which just happens to be a breeze to make from scratch. First, you need a pumpkin and a big knife. I used a regular ol' big pumpkin, the kind that you would buy to carve a jack-o-lantern from. There are specific pumpkins to use for Pumpkin Pie that are smaller and more round, but for this recipe you can use one of those big guys.
First, cut the top off the pumpkin and pull all seeds and guts out. Then, using a spoon or snazzy Pumpkin Scraper, scrape the inside surface of the pumpkin to remove anything your fingers can't pull out. I save the seeds to roast later, they are a delicious treat and so good for you!
Next up will be to roast the pumpkin. Set the oven at 350 and place pumpkin pieces on baking sheet(s). I used one regular baking sheet and a cast iron pizza pan for my pumpkin, they both worked great and I didn't preferred one over the other.
Bake for about an hour, or until a fork can very easily pierce the pumpkin pieces.
After the pumpkin pieces have cooled enough to handle, peel the skin off and cut pieces into big chunks. You are almost done making pumpkin puree!! All that is left is to use a blender or food processor to complete the process. Put the pumpkin chunks into the weapon of your choice, along with enough water to help mix, and process. When the pumpkin puree is smoothly flowing through the blender or food processor - it's done. I was able to yield 14 cups of puree from a 12 pound pumpkin!
Before making the soup, I prepped the pumpkin bowls. These are smaller pumpkins that I would just normally use for decoration.
Just like the big pumpkin - cut the tops off.
Pull out the seeds and guts {this is a fingertips-type job} and rinse with water.
Cover in plastic wrap and stick in fridge until ready to use.
Then it was time to cook up that Beef Bacon! Finding this at Save Mart was like finding a treasure - I had never heard or even dreamed about Beef Bacon before seeing it at the store. Have you ever tasted fat, from a grilled steak, that was absolutely delicious? That is what this bacon reminds me of.
Here is the Beef Bacon in all it's glory!
I chose to make the Pumpkin Soup with Beef Bacon & Cheese because all of it's elements could be prepped beforehand, leaving me plenty of time to focus on my kiddos and not getting food on the table. The soup is a cinch to make - just pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, garlic, heavy cream, bacon and cheese. Heat it all up together and serve in the cute little pumpkin bowls that were prepped earlier in the day. I am so excited about serving this dish to our friends and family!
While at Save Mart I was looking for items that were already prepared yet fresh and delicious. I am in love with their in-store brand, Pacific Coast. I picked up a Fruit Mix tray from the produce department and some salsa to go with tortilla chips. Again, no prep is going to make hosting a Pre Trick-or-Treating Party stress-free, leaving more time for fun!
Of course, I couldn't leave out sweets. But since we will have loads of candy by the end of the night, I opted for some cupcakes instead. I found the cutest fall-themed cupcakes at Save Mart and had to grab them! There are chocolate and vanilla versions with toppers such as leaves and bats - so cute. They are small and perfect for not getting over loaded on sweets before a night of candy.
And I must add that they are a little sweeter since I don't have to worry about making them.
For our beverage I mixed together Pacific Coast Blood Orange sparkling soda and Sunny Select Cranberry Juice. Pouring in the cranberry juice first, the sparkling soda floated on top - very cool effect for Halloween! The taste was awesome and think it will go over great for a crowd of people.
I gathered up all of the delicious Fresh Finds from Save Mart and tried to figure out how I would display it all for our guests. A few things may be changed from now to then, but I liked the end result. I am definitely going to need some plastic spiders for the spider webs in the back ground and a festive tablecloth.
I am looking forward to Halloween more than usual this year and can't wait to share the night with our loved ones. A test run of the night was a great idea and makes me confident that I won't forget anything. Now that the hard work is done, it's time to pick out some costumes!!
Pumpkin Soup with Beef Bacon & Cheese
(PRINTABLE RECIPE)
Ingredients
3 cups pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable stock
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
⅓ cup beef bacon, chopped (plus more for garnish)
⅓ cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
½ cup whipping cream
Directions
1. Heat, over medium-high heat, pumpkin puree, garlic and vegetable stock. Bring to low simmer.
2. Stir in bacon and cheese, heat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in cream. Pour into blender and blend until smooth.
4. Serve in bowls and garnish with bacon and/or shredded cheese.
