Cold Weather Yummies

It has actually dipped down into the 70's here during the day. Not exactly cold, but considerably cooler. The mornings are damp and overcast and the boys are wearing jeans instead of shorts to school. I made a pot of my Butternut Squash Turkey Chili which I had for dinner the last 2 nights. It's warm, hearty and healthy. I made it on a whim, so did not use my crockpot and it turned out fine.

I have also been getting into the Fall spirit, experimenting more with pumpkin. My son came home from school and told me about a pumpkin-pie-in-a-bowl-type dessert he made at school. He wanted me to replicate it at home, and it was pretty easy. I wouldn't say it's healthy. But hey, we all need a treat sometimes!  And, no cooking is involved!!

You'll need:
graham crackers (1-2 per serving)
1 can pumpkin pie filling
1 box vanilla pudding mix, prepared
1 can whipped cream

Prepare your pudding - the box calls for milk to whip up the pudding.....

I was very bad and used sweetened, condensed milk....

I poured out the can of pumpkin pie mix in a bowl......

And mixed it with my vanilla pudding.......

I had my helper stir it up.........

Meanwhile, I crushed some graham crackers in a plastic bag by rolling them with a rolling pin, and putting in a bowl. Then, we poured a couple spoonfuls of the pumpkin/pudding mixture on top, and added a squirt of whipped cream from the can (classy, I know).

Isn't it precious??

 A very small amount was rich, sweet and filling. This made several servings, so we shared it with Chip and ate it again the next night too. What would I do differently next time? Well, I would make a healthier version for sure. I would use 100% pumpkin, and add my own spices, I would use a non-fat milk for my pudding (I'm apprehensive about trying non-dairy milk in pudding). And lastly, I would make my own whipped cream. I made it this way because it was a weeknight and I wanted to make it easy for my son to help. It's always fun to try things and figure out a way to tweak them.I think this would also make an easy, individual serving dessert for a Fall dinner party.

What have you been noshing on lately? Does the change in the weather make you crave different foods? What fun seasonal foods do you make with your kids?