Use this thread to enter any frugal appetizers and treat recipes you have used for fall holiday
parties!

What fun and frugal treats do you serve? How well do they go over with friends and family?

Share your favorite recipes here.

Don't forget to include:

• Your budget
• The resources you used
• The time it took to create
• A picture of the finished product.

Good luck!

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don't forget we'd love to see some photos of those appealing (or appalling for Halloween) treats!

If you need help posting photos, please refer to this thread How to: Post Pictures in the Gallery

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins
This is a special fall breakfast at our house. We call them muffins so we can feed them to our nieces and nephews for breakfast, but secretly they’re cupcakes

*budget: $3.50 (that's 11 cents per cupcake!)

*Resources:
spice cake mix $1
15 oz can pumpkin $1
2 eggs (30 cents)
1 1/3 c. water
4 oz cream cheese, softened (50 cents)
1 t. milk
2 cups powdered sugar (50 cents)
muffin tins

*time: 30 minutes

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and water and beat thoroughly. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes – until toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins are cooking, beat cream cheese with 1 t. milk and add powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth enough to spread easily. Frost muffins and eat warm.

Makes about 28-30.

My frosting was too thin and runny this time, but they still tasted delicious!

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It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

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Paula Deen made this on foodnetwork. We made it a few years back and it was a big hit.

1 pkg.crescent rolls
sandwich meat
cheese
egg wash
food coloring
2 olives (for the eyes)
1 red pepper sliver (for the tongue)

-Roll out all of the crescent roll and make it into a big rectangle.
-Stuff with whatever you like (meat and cheese).
-Roll it up and shape into a slithering snake.
-paint stripes with food coloring
-put an egg wash to make it shine

Cook for 30 min. on 350 or until brown. Then add the eyes and tongue.

THIS MAKES A GREAT MAIN DISH! VERY FUN!

Ghost Cupcakes!

Resources: Cake mix ($1 or less), cupcake liners ($1 or less), white icing ($1), melted chocolate or black icing (.50), large marshmallows ($1/pkg)
Bake the cupcakes and allow to cool. Frost with white icing (marshmallow creme works, too). Place a large marshmallow, flat side down on the cupcake. Use melted chocolate or black icing to add eyes and a mouth to the marshmallow. Now you have a spooky treat!

Sorry, no pic. I haven't made any of these yet.

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Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (13 Years), Andrew (10 Years), Stephen (8 Years) and Emily (4 Years)

Pumpkin Whip

1 pkg. instant butterscotch pudding
1.1/2 c cold milk
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1.1/2 c. whippped topping

Beat pudding and milk until well-blended (1-2 minutes). Blend in pumpkin and pie spice. Fold in whipped topping. Garnish with ginger snaps or vanilla wafers.

This fluffy fall treat looks beautiful in a crystal bowl or pottery! It's fluffy, a nice orange color and smells awesome. I estimate it costs around $3 plus the cost of cookies ($1-2) and takes about 10 minutes to make. Super easy and yummy!

Sorry, no pic, but imagine pumpkin-colored cool whip!

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Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (13 Years), Andrew (10 Years), Stephen (8 Years) and Emily (4 Years)

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Save those seeds!

Spoon seeds into a large bowl, removing any arge globs of meat. Do not rinse the seeds. Stir in 1 Tbs. vegetable oil per cup of seeds. Spread seeds on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and garlic powder. Toast at 300 until the seeds are brown and crispy (45-60 minutes).

and a spicier version . . .

Toasted Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbs. melted butter
1.1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
2 c washed seeds
1/2 t. ground cummin
1/2 t. fresh gound blk. pepper

Coat seeds in butter and spices. Toast just ike above.

Cost is minimal and time is about 1 hour.

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Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (13 Years), Andrew (10 Years), Stephen (8 Years) and Emily (4 Years)

PERSIMMON COOKIES

1 c. persimmon pulp
2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. raisins
1 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream sugar and shortening. Add fruit pulp, then nuts and raisins. Blend dry ingredients and eggs. Spoon by the Tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Persimmon Pudding

2 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c persimmon pulp
1.1/2 c flour
2.1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. Evaporated milk
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. soda
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
dash of cinnamon

Beat eggs well. Add sugar and pulp. Dissolve the soda in the buttermilk and add to the pulp mixture. Add baking powder to flour and stir. Then add the evaporated milk and the flour to the pulp mixture. Add melted butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well. Bake in lightly buttered bakeing dish (9X12) for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

*Remember not to use metal utensils or bowls when working with persimmon pulp as it can cause the pulp to turn dark (It's still okay to eat, but just causes it to lose it's pleasant color).

Cost for each recipe would be a couple dollars or so if you are fortunate enough to live by a persimmon tree! If you have to purchase persimmon pulp, it will be a bit more. And, these would take about 1-1.5 hours to make.

Persimmon treats always make for interesting discussion. People either love it or hate, it seems!

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Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (13 Years), Andrew (10 Years), Stephen (8 Years) and Emily (4 Years)

Okay so everyone must either make or eat these.

CARMEL APPLES


Caramels (2.00-Walgreens)
Apples (3lbs-1.79-Aldi's)
Popsicle sticks (Free-2.00)

Stick popsicle sticks into apples-one each.
Melt caramels with one-two tsp of water over medium heat. Dunk apples in and let the caramel covered apples harden on wax paper, foil, a cookie sheet.
TADA EAT!

Ghost cookies

Take cookies shaped like a peanut:
Keebler/Nutter Butter-2.00-3.00
Take white frosting and spread some on each cookie


Take chocolate frosting and put it in a ziploc bag (with the corner cut)-your own homemade pastry bag and make two eyes.. BOO you have a ghost.