this past weekend my sister & i got into the holiday spirit decorating my apartment & whipping up some super easy, and amazing smelling pumpkin spice cupcakes.  we used the trader joe’s pumpkin bread mix we had on hand {just add eggs & vegetable oil} and then decided at the last minute to fix our very own pumpkin buttercream frosting from scratch using this recipe. we decided to decorate each a little differently- a candy pumpkin here, spooky black sprinkles there.  the result? a delicious autumn treat & a feeling of halloween in the air…

{trader joes pumpkin mix makes this treat oh-so-simple}

{just add 2 eggs & vegetable oil}

last week i netflixed martha stewart’s holiday ideas dvd. this is a true story. i was super excited for all the tricks & recipes i would discover, forgetting that in the year 2011 all of this is available via the great invention known as the internet… thus, i received no life-altering ideas, but i did walk away with the knowledge that all you need is a little melted chocolate, toppings of your choice, & a refrigerator to make the delicious treat known as “bark.”  in this case, i created “autumn bark,” seeing as i topped my layers of milk & white chocolate with candy corn i had on hand, orange and green m&m’s, and some crushed up yogurt covered pretzels… the result? the perfect treat for the holiday season & some serious anticipation for my christmas version!

 easy as 1,2,3 {4} directions:

1. melt chocolate

2. spread layer on parchment paper as thick or thin as you want & top with toppings of your choice

3. chill in the refrigerator for 2+ hours

4. break into pieces & enjoy