"H" is for Halloween

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

I am a big fan of the fall. I enjoy cool evenings, crisp days, hayrides, bonfires, and the tastes of fall. Our schedule seems to dictate to what extent we get to enjoy all of those activities. The best part is that they are family activities that allow us to spend time simply being together.

Last weekend, the kids asked if we could make an apple pie. I had some apples that I had picked up at the orchard, as well as some that were leftover at the swim meet concession stand, so the three of us made a pie. It was the first time my son had helped make a pie. It was fun to teach him about cutting in the shortening and tossing it gently with water to give a nice flaky crust. My daughter helped measure out the flour, sugar and seasoning to add to the apples. And my son measured for the crumb topping. I got to peel the apples and told the kids how my grandma and grandpa could peel the entire apple in one continuous piece, creating a spiral of peel. I showed them that I couldn't do the full apple, but was getting close.

This weekend we are hosted a slumber party to celebrate my daughter's birthday. We did a build your own pizza bar. I made a homemade crust and set out individuals crusts for each girl. The toppings included pizza sauce, regular and mini pepperoni, two types of shredded cheese, browned sausage, and diced peppers. It was a fun time by all building their pizzas.

For Halloween, my daughter requested to be a cat. So, we headed to the store to find fur to make the tail, ears and patches. We found a black hoodie and leggings to be the foundation of the costume. We planned out the patches, the tail and ears and I did the cutting and sewing. My son was in the uncertain phase this year, so he is recycling a convict costume that we had in the basement. Historically, we have made his costume as well. Recent selections have been a baseball card, a Lego Minifigure and a vending machine. This may be the last year that we head out to trick or treat as a family. It is always a good time, catching up with others in the neighborhood. There are families that gather on a driveway with a bonfire and one year a family had a food truck that was serving sample size soups and coffee to the parents.

How will you celebrate Fall and Halloween?

“H” is for Halloween: With fall officially in full swing, Hormel Foods is introducing the "ABC's of Fall" on the Hormel Foods Recipes Pinterest page! Encourage your readers to check out new seasonal posts, and share with us their favorite fall recipes, “spooky” snack ideas, and ways they use classic fall flavors using the hashtag #ABCsofFall and #HormelFamily.

· “M” is for Mummies:

Hanging out in cemeteries isn’t the only place for these scary creatures – turns out they like pizza too! That is, in these Mini Mummy Pizzas. To make your own, top half an English muffin with pizza sauce, add Hormel® Pepperoni Minis, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and add two sliced black olives for eyes. Viola!

· “S” is for Spooky: Make a “Spooky Chili” this Halloween for a fun and filling time! Use Halloween-shaped cookie cutters to cut shapes out of cheese slices and place the cheese shapes over a bowl of hot Hormel® Chili with Beans. Pair it with this spooky Halloween dip

featured on the NATURAL CHOICE® Pinterest page, which uses a variety of Hormel Foods products!

· “W” is for Weekends: Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so use the whole weekend as an excuse to indulge in some of your favorite fall treats!

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product samples for my family to try. I also receive thought starters, information and photos that can be used in a post.

Getting Ready for the Big Game #Hormel

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

I love themed parties and themed dishes for those parties. Whether it is making a cake for the kids, customizing the invitations or having a party for the football game, I love the challenge of the theme.

This is one of my favorite party serving pieces, that I pull out for any football themed gathering:

I fill the middle with chips and the two ends with dips. This year, it will be tortilla chips with Wholly Guacamole on one end and a chipotle dip on the other.

This year, I also decided to dress up the cheese and pepperoni tray (I have an addiction to cheese, crackers and Hormel Turkey Pepperoni). I had seen something similar posted by a friend.

Do you theme your gatherings? Are you having/attending a party for the game?

No compensation was received for this post. Product samples and thought starters are provided by Hormel through the Hormel Extended Family Blogger program, in which I participate. All opinions are my own or that of my family.

The Day After Thanksgiving

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful (and quiet) holiday. It was just the four of us at home celebrating and one of my friends, whose husband and kids had traveled to his hometown for the week, joined us for the meal. Everything was so flavorful and it was nice just to relax at home and spend time together.

With a mid-day meal, we didn't do anything formal for dinner. I pulled out some finger foods and dessert (pumpkin cheesecake) for the group to munch on. Times like this my family enjoys snacking on cheese and crackers. A perfect time to enjoy a Hormel Gatherings Party or Snack Tray (we love the Snack Tray size - they are great for snacking with just the family!)

In fact, we kept and cleaned the tray from the HORMEL GATHERINGS™ Supreme Party Trayand actually as pictured here refilled it with the contents of the smaller HORMEL® Snack Tray Pepperoni Bites (the pepperoni, cheese and pretzels)

and served it with some crackers and dip to make it a one stop snack station.

I hadn't planned to go out shopping at all yesterday, but the family joined my friend for one quick stop so she could have others check out the furniture she was going to get - since her family wasn't there to help her. Then, after the kids went to bed, I ventured out to Target to pick up a few of the less popular Black Friday deals. It was strange, there was almost no lines and there were even some of the displays that were not on the beaten path that were still fully intact (I had to remove the little plastic disc from the end of the hanging posts that holds the items in place during transit in order to purchase the item - all but one post had the disc still there). I was able to get everything that was on my list and more - 40% off all clothes was a great deal, I might have gotten more if I didn't want to get home at a decent time. I was glad I didn't linger, as the parking lot and minor road ways were icy and it only got colder as the night went on.

This morning, again, no early alarm setting for me. When I did get moving, I made three quick stops - Target (10% off Target Gift Cards), Kohl's (assorted doorbuster deals through 1 pm) and Giant Eagle (Amazon gift cards, 20% Fuel Perks). I had planned to get to CVS, but was beat and decided I could go later or tomorrow.

We enjoyed leftovers for lunch and now, we are just relaxing and the kids are watching movies. I love long holiday weekends with nothing specific scheduled to be done. I think it is a wonderful contrast to our normally (over) programmed lives of sports, activities, school and work.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product and some of the information and images for this post.