Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced SMBC

Last year, I had a small Halloween costume party. It was kind of a flop, because I only invited a handful of people and LESS THAN a handful showed up. I made tons of food and decorated my @$$ off, and about 4 people came! However, it was a lot of fun. So, I decided that this year I'd make the party be WAY better than last year and call it "Super Awesome Deluxe Halloween Party Version 2.0"! My family helped me decorate all day Thursday. I spent all day Friday before the party cooking food. It turned out to be a great party, but I've learned one thing. When there's alcohol involved, people tend to eat a LOT less food! Anyways, here are some photos...

The kitchen is where we did most of the decorating because it was supposed to rain. the food tabledeviled egg eyeschips and salsa in a neat bowl I found at Rosspumpkin cupcakes w/ spiced Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe follows)caramel apple wedges, rice krispie treats, cupcakes!!seven layer dip (my favorite!)spinach veggie dip"dirty rat" brownies (recipe follows)body part punch (recipe follows) some crazy creepy dude I found at Big Lots Mike as Captain Jack Sparrow my parents and I ready for Greece!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes (recipe from marthastewart.com)
Makes 18-24

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Spiced Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe adapted from marthastewart.com)
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened, cut into tablespoons
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Directions
Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees..
Attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla and spices. Color, if desired. Reduce speed to low; beat 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.


Dirty Rat Brownies (my own recipe)

1. Make your favorite batch of brownies.
2. Top them with a whole jar of marshmallow fluff.
3. Sprinkle with crushed chocolate cookies.
4. Top with gummy rats (I found them at Dollar Tree)!


Body Party Punch (my own recipe)

1. Clean a latex glove and fill it with lemonade (dyed green). Freeze overnight.
2. Place a gummy eyeball candy in each hole of an ice tray. Fill with water and freeze overnight.
3. Pour 1 2-liter of Ginger Ale and 1 2-liter of lemon lime soda into a punch bowl.
4. Cut the latex glove off the lemonade hand and carefully place it in the punch.
5. Pop the eyeball ice cubes out of the tray and into the punch bowl.
6. Finish with a few scoops of lime sherbet (not shown in the photo).