Pumpkin Pie Dip

Big news: I'm on maternity leave! I am officially done with work until September, which is scary and exciting for me. You see, I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little kid (as early as 4-5 years old). Teaching is a huge part of my life. I remember once being at some event where you had to describe yourself in three words and the first word I listed was "teacher." It's just a huge part of my identity. But in a few weeks I'll be adding a new trait to that list, "mommy." And as much as I love being a teacher I am truly looking forward to this next chapter.

My students, being typical 10 year olds, love to eat. Love it more than anything else I could offer them. So when it was my last week with them for the year I decided to treat them to a special snack. I made this dip for them and brought it in on Halloween. A couple kids were skeptical, eyeing the slightly orange dip, but once the first "mmmmmmmm" erupted they all dug in. This recipe yields a lot of dip and that's a good thing if you're making it for a crowd. It was perfectly sweet, had a nice bit of pumpkin flavor to it, and made for some happy fifth graders. I served it with apple slices, Nilla wafers, and pretzel sticks. According to the kids the apples and Nilla wafers are the best dipping agents!

Source: Carolina Charm

Ingredients:

16 ounces Cool Whip
1 5 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:
1- Stir all of the ingredients listed above together.
2- Refrigerate for at least three hours.
3- Serve with assorted dippers.