A Columbus Day Bake-athon and Cook-off

I did not have to go to work on Monday. We had Columbus Day off in order to go to the great State Fair of Texas. Mark had to work so I had a dog-less house all to myself so I decided to bake and cook all day long. It started off by being a Pumpkin Day after reading my sister-in-law's blog about her holiday decorating but quickly changed to make what I want that was fall-ish! Plus, after my mom spoiled Mark by sending him and his hunting friend, Luke, with a homemade baked good almost every hunting trip while we were dating, I had to step up and keep up the baking tradition! So, I wanted to have a few tasty treats ready to pull out of the freezer come hunting season.

I started at 7:30am after a work out at the gym and did not finish until shortly after 7pm. I was exhausted!!! I made 6 recipes that I had been wanting to try. Here is what I made:

1. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins : I shared a few and froze the rest for Mark to take on his hunting trips. The batter was DELICIOUS, though, don't ask how I know that ;)
2. Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting: These cookies were AMAZING. I made them to take to a co-workers birthday party and everyone, including me, loved them. I am making these again, for sure!!!
3. Easy Meatloaf: This was a super easy crockpot recipe. It was a Weight Watchers recipe which I made and froze. Hope it is good (it looked better after coming out of the pot, just fyi)!
4. Quinoa Stuffed Red Bell Peppers: I made this as part of our dinner. It was a bit more work than I usually do for dinner preparation but I thought, what the heck, I will try it. They were alright, but I won't make them again.
5. Cranberry Applesauce Bread: Another delicious tasting batter..... I don't know about the actual bread though for I cut the loaf in half and froze it for Mark. Sure looks yummy though!
6. White Bean and Pumpkin Soup: Another Weight Watchers recipe that was quite tasty and so easy to make! It would be so yummy on a cold night with some corn bread. I have been eating for lunch each day this week and it is quite filling!
Will I do this bake-athon and cook-off again? Maybe come Christmas time.... The worst part was the clean up after each recipe. I have a whole new respect for chefs and parents who cook everyday for their families!!! I will say, I didn't mess up once (As far as I know) so practice does make perfect.

I also thought I would put out one holiday decoration. Here it is....nothing fancy, but I am trying!