Turkey Cupcakes

Here's another recipe I originally found in my Hello Cupcake! book... And since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, why not create something super cute for your family or friends?
Though there's a lot of ingredients, feel free to skimp on some of them if need be... For example, you could simplify the recipe by skipping out on the Fruit by the Foot, the Graham cracker sticks, the sprinkles, or the chocolate jimmies (used for the eyes... use mini M&Ms instead, perhaps?)
Thanks to Duncan Hines for letting me copy the recipe from their website instead of having to copy it from the book.

Ingredients

• 24 standard Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Vanilla Frosting
• 24 thin orange flavored scalloped cookies (e.g. Anna's)
• 2 cups candy corn
• 1 cup chocolate candy melts, melted (if making the turkeys the night before)
• 1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Caramel Frosting
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate jimmies
• 12 marshmallows
• 24 pieces harvest corn
• 1 roll strawberry fruit leather (e.g. Fruit by the Foot)
• 48 brown candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge frosting
• 24 graham cracker sticks (e.g. Honey Maid Sticks)

Directions

1. Spoon the vanilla and the chocolate frostings into separate ziplock bags.
2. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a dot of frosting near each scallop on cookies, to make 7 dots.
3. Add the candy corn to the dots of frosting, pointed end facing center of cookies. (If making the night before, brush the backs of cookies with melted candy melts, to protect the cookies from moisture, and let set in the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes) Continue with decorating.
4. Place the chocolate sprinkles in a small bowl.
5. Spread the caramel frosting on top of all of the cupcakes, standard and mini, and make smooth. Roll the edges of the standard cupcakes in the jimmies to cover.
6. Dip one edge of the mini cupcakes in the jimmies to coat.
7. Press the harvest corn in the center of the mini cupcakes, flat side in, to make the nose.
8. Pipe 2 dots of the vanilla frosting on either side of the candy nose and insert the brown candies to make the eyes.
9. Cut the red fruit leather into twenty four 1 1/2 inch tear drop shapes and lay over the harvest corn to make the waddle.
10. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag. Snip a very small corner from bag and pipe names on the flat side of graham cookies.
11. Snip a larger corner (1/4 inch) from bag with the chocolate frosting.
12. Cut the marshmallows in half on the diagonal with clean scissors. Place a cut marshmallow near the edge of the cupcake, cut side down, with pointed end facing the center.
13. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting on side closest to the center.
14. Place the decorated cookie with the empty edge pressed into the frosting to make the tail feathers.
15. Add the mini cupcake on top and press into frosting slightly to secure.
16. Pipe a small dot of chocolate frosting in front of cupcakes and attach the graham cookies with names.
17. Arrange turkeys on table as place cards. Add 2 candy corns on the table next to the cupcakes to make the feet.

Pumpkin Pie

Who doesn't love pumpkin pie? Especially around Thanksgiving... And it's not that bad for you, either.  My fiancee loves pumpkin pie, so when we moved in together, his stepmom bought us all the ingredients for this pie as a housewarming gift.  Best gift we've ever received. 
The first time you make this, you may have to stock up on a few spices, but the second time around, you'll have almost everything you need.  So really, it's not very expensive, and you'll reuse the spices for many other recipes as well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 9" pie shell

Directions

1. Set oven to 425 degrees.
2. Blend sugars, spices and salt into a mixing bowl.
3. Add beaten eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk.
4. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.*
5. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and bake for another 40 minutes.
6. Allow to cool completely, then top with whipped cream.

*To keep the crusted edges from browning too quickly, I recommend lining the edge of the pie with tin foil.