Tailgate for a Cause and Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Dip

On Sunday, "R" and I held a "Tailgate for a Cause" to help me raise money for the American Liver Foundation. I have been managing the Liver Life Challenge team for three years now, and this year, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and I joined the team. I started training in September to walk the Walt Disney World half marathon in January. I also committed to raising $2,800 for the program, which is no small feat. "R" and I love to tailgate, so I thought that it would be a fun way to raise some needed funds. I invited friends to join us in the Dock 20 parking lot by the lake, and we put out a spread of appetizers and a build-your-own taco bar. A Bloody Mary bar, mimosas, and beer helped with the fun factor, and it helped us forget that we're up early on a Sunday.

Also, my family was in town from NY!

So many of our friends came out to support me and my fundraising efforts. Thank you!

I may or may not have popped in to Steelyard Walmart at 6:00AM to purchase this...

I think every tailgate should have a piñata. Maybe we can start making one to represent the opposing team?

One appetizer that was a big hit was the Buffalo Chicken Dip. I found a photocopied recipe in our binders that had hand-written "Better Dip" on it. No idea where I got it from, but it was a crowd-pleaser, so maybe I'll have to share that with you too. For now, I wanted to share the recipe for the other dip that we served- Pumpkin Pie Dip. I headed to Pinterest in preparation for this tailgate, and it didn't disappoint.

Pumpkin Pie Dip (from Skinnytaste)
Servings: 12 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 102.9 • Fat: 0.1g • Protein: 1.8 g • Carb: 27.7 g • Fiber: 0.9 g

15 oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
8 oz cool whip free

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well.
Mix in yogurt.
Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Makes about 6 cups.
Cut up apples to dip.

We served it with freshly sliced honey crisp apples and pita chips.

Thank you to everyone that came out to our tailgate. I am now just $225 short of my fundraising goal. Amazing!