Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

Happy Friday! It’s Halloween weekend! I know the kids are getting excited. My daughter, Ireland is 22 and she still loves Halloween. This week I was in the cutest little California town outside of San Francisco called Half Moon Bay. It’s widely recognized as the pumpkin capitol of the world! This coastal town produces more than 3,000 tons of pumpkins. Who knew? There are pumpkins everywhere! Homes and businesses decorate with loads of them. So pretty. There’s pumpkin beer on tap and the restaurants feature everything from pumpkin soup to pumpkin desserts. It’s my kind of town!

This weekend I'm in San Francisco. I love exploring this amazing city. It’s a food town for sure! Next, we’re heading to Monterey and Carmel by the Sea for a few days. It’s my first time visiting that area. I can’t wait!

I love hearing about your favorite spots! Please share at info@thecookingmom.com! I promise to post pictures from my trip on Instagram and Facebook. Follow me!

Speaking of pumpkins, why not celebrate the weekend with some special treats? My Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting sound so fancy but they are super simple to make because they start with a boxed cake mix. LOVE THAT!

No time to bake this year? No big deal. Pick up some pudding and cookies and layer up my Ginger Snap Pudding Parfaits. Get the kids in the kitchen to help crush the cookies and put them together. What fun! My Pumpkin Dip is a great way to get your Halloween party started! I serve it in a small hollowed out pumpkin with graham crackers, Nilla wafers, ginger snaps and crisp crunchy apples for dipping. It’s so good. Perfect for game day too!

I’ve got a secret. Dip apple slices in Sprite or lemon lime soda and they won’t turn brown. Tastes way better than lemon juice! Click Desserts for more of my favorite Halloween and fall dessert recipes.

Here’s another secret. There’s so much candy around Halloween. I say you gotta offer some healthy treats too. My Halloween Fruit Kabobs are so easy! I serve them with my Orange Fluff Dip. The kids can even help make these. Putting fruit on a stick and serving it with a delicious dip is a great way to make fruit more fun! Click Secrets for lots more of my secrets, tips, and tricks!

When the kids come home from trick or treating or even better before they head out I think it’s important they get something in their stomachs before they dive into the candy. My Spider Web Pizza is super easy! You can make mini pizzas too that the kids can help decorate.

For breakfast this weekend, why not WOW the family with my make ahead Pumpkin French Toast Bake? It’s perfect for a special fall breakfast. Makes the house smell so good when it's baking. The best part is that I can put the whole thing together the night before and just throw it in the oven Sunday morning. We love it with sausage or my Brown Sugar Bacon. So yummy!

Or, what about baking my BEST EVER Pumpkin Bread? So moist and delicious! Click on Breakfast & Brunch for more great recipes.

It’s Crock-tober! This weekend is the perfect time to get out your slow cooker and make my Green Chili Pork Roast. Just dump it all in the slow cooker. Eight hours later you have some amazing shredded pork. Pile it on tortillas with loads of fixings. Serve it with my Spider Web Taco Dip. The kids will love it, and it's so cute and easy to do!

Click Slow Cooker and Appetizers for more tempting recipes.

Join The Cooking Mom in Ireland in April 2022! Just a Few Rooms Left!

Besides cooking I love to travel! I’m so excited to be hosting amazing vacations! To find out why my trips are so special check out my blog post Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom. Let’s meet new friends and travel together on these trips of a lifetime!

I’ve always dreamed of going to Ireland! Let’s experience it together. This trip is almost booked up! We just have a few rooms left. From Irish cooking classes, to scone baking, Irish cheese, and Jameson whiskey tasting! We’ll do it all. We’ll even stay in two real castles! I can only take a small group so get your reservation in soon! Click Join The Cooking Mom in Ireland to read more about this trip and find out how to reserve your spot!

Mackinac Island for Lilac Fest in June 2022!

Earlier this summer I hosted a trip to one of my favorite places, beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan. It was amazing! I LOVE this island. Have you ever been? If not you need to go! There’s no place like it! Join me next summer because I’m going back. We are staying at my favorite resort on the island. It’s fabulous! We’ve even added an extra night so there will be more time on this trip to sightsee, shop or just relax! This trip is already filling up. We can only take a limited number of people. Click Join The Cooking Mom on Mackinac Island to get all the details. We’ll be there next June during lilac season. It’s absolutely gorgeous that time of year! I hope you’ll join me. This trip will fill up quick so call Brittany at Bon Voyage Boutique Travel 920-725-2880 or email her at brittany@bonvoyagebt.com to book your spot!

Join Amy on a River Cruise in France in April 2023!

Bring on lots of wine tasting, gourmet meals, fresh croissants and pastries and so much more! Join me on a river cruise through Southern France from Burgundy to Provence. It’s the ULTIMATE way to see France! In April of 2023, we’ll cruise the Rhone river on a gorgeous new boutique ship with only 150 passengers. It’s first class all the way and it’s a true ALL-INCLUSIVE river cruise, meaning all your food, drinks, and excursions are included. Gratuity too!

Plus, you’ll have the option to stay a couple days after the cruise to experience Paris. It will be spring and the blossoms will be in full bloom. It’s going to be stunning! Click Join The Cooking Mom on a French River Cruise to get all the dates, pricing and tantalizing details. This trip is going to be truly over the top and so wonderful! Join me! Plus, there are special discounts if you book now!

I'm starting to plan now for more culinary vacations in 2023! I want to know where you want to go. Email me the trips you’d be interested in at info@thecookingmom.com!

Order Amy's Cookbooks for the Holidays!

If you like my recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks. Order one for yourself and they make great gifts too! Both of my cookbooks are full color, and each is filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. They're available on Amazon. Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

Please Invite Me!

Now that life is getting more back to normal, I’m excited to start doing live cooking demos again! I'd love to come to your town and meet you! Tell your library about me. I’ll come do a cooking demo for your company or event too. Click Hire Amy for more ideas for how we can spend time together!

Gotta run. I’m on a mission to find the best sour dough bread in San Francisco today! You can always see what I'm up to on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Check out my videos on YouTube, too.

I hope you have a great weekend. Cook up some memories!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom