things i did today: pumpkin spice cupcakes

So a couple days ago, after carving my pumpkin and using the seeds to make delicious garlic roasted pumpkin seeds, and candied seeds, i still had the leftover “pumpkin guts” (as I like to call them) to work with! Because as the saying goes, ‘waste not want not’, so today i made pumpkin spice cupcakes!

Here’s what you’ll need:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (you’ll get this after blending up your pumpkin ‘guts’)
1 container Cream Cheese frosting

Here’s what you need to do:
1st: Preheat oven to 350*F, and grease cupcake pan, or use paper wrappers
2nd: Mix dry ingredients, except sugar (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt), and whisk in a  large  bowl.
3rd: Place sugar and oil into a large mixing bowl, and beat for about 1 minute until sugar is well blended.
4th: In that same bowl, blend in 1 egg at a time, continuously mixing (it would be ideal for you to use an electric mixer for this process, but  it’s not necessary)
5th: In the egg, sugar oil, combination, now add your pureed pumpkin guts, and beat until all contents are well blended
6th: While still mixing, slowly add the flour combination, mix well.
7th: Use an ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake well about 3/4 the way, and bake on bottom rack for about 25 minutes, and when a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8th: Microwave your cream cheese frosting for about 30 seconds (making sure to take out the foil liner, before microwaving) and stir in about 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Mix well, and let cool until frosting is at a workable viscosity, then spread evenly onto cupcakes.

Now don’t worry if your cupcakes don’t look like the picture above. Mine didn’t either, but I bet they tasted twice as good. Hopefully this recipe gives you a great way to use those pumpkin remains you have laying around after cutting, and seeding your jack-o-lantern! Once again, don’t forget to take in the awesome smell of baked pumpkin while they’re toasting in the oven, it’s one of the best smells of the fall!

Additional Notes: While making these, i still had about 3 cups of this mixture, that I could’ve turned into cupcakes, but I wasn’t sure if I had enough frosting; So I took the remaining mixture, added 2 cups of flour, and 1 tsp of activated yeast (to activate, I put 1 tsp yeast into 1/2 cup water). This made a batch of Pumpkin Spice Bread!
1st: Warm up your oven to 200*F and place your bread pan (which should be greased, and have your mixture in it). Let it sit for 20 minutes.
2nd: Heat your oven to about 350*F and bake for another 25 minutes. let cool for 10 minutes. Store in cling wrap.

things i did today: made the most out of pumpkin seeds

Last night, my husband and I carved our first official pumpkins together! (pictures coming soon) We’ve been married for about 2 1/2 years, and although, we did get a pumpkin our first year together, we never carved one until last night. What a fun experience, picking out a design (our inspiration was this: http://www.delish.com/food-fun/halloween-pumpkin-carving#slide-5) and digging in! Well after going full Benihana on those suckers, (as my husband would say) and cutting through the pumpkin murder scene, we had two Tupperware containers full of pumpkin guts. So today I decided to bake them into two batches; one was garlic roasted seeds, and the other, candied baked pumpkin seeds!

Here’s what you’ll need: Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (optional) 

Here’s what you’ll need: Candied Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup  packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon sugar

Here’s how I did it:

1st: I separated the seeds from the gooey, stringy guts. This was a grueling 30 min process, because there was so much!      Then I rinsed the seeds out, and strained them.
2nd: Preheat oven for 250* F. Then separate all of your seeds into two different bowls. (each bowl should have about 2 cups  of seeds in it)
3rd: Melt your butter, and pour 1/3 a cup in each bowl, and mix
4th: Mix in salt, pepper, and garlic for your garlic roasted seeds, and stir. In a separate bowl, mix in salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon sugar, and brown sugar, and stir.
5th: Spread, one bowl at a time, into a greased foil-lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake each batch for 40-45 minutes. (candied seeds may take a little longer) Then let cool for 10 minutes.

Now that your seeds are finished, here’s how to make the most of them! For your garlic roasted seeds, grab a big, cold glass of apple cider, and eat them like you would chips. They will be the perfect crunchy, and salty fall time snack. Now, to really enjoy you’re candied pumpkin seeds, just get a cup of milk (or even a mild cup of eggnog, if you’re feeling adventurous) and chow down on your tasty little treats. Don’t forget to enjoy the little things either, like the smell of sweetness and cinnamon filling your house while you’re baking your candied seeds! Who needs a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for scented candles, when you can get the same sweet scent in your house, and a bonus treat to eat too!? Enjoy!!

Oh, and guess what!? Pumpkin seeds are actually pretty healthy for you, too! Here’s proof: http://healthyvoyager.com/fall-foods-for-health-pumpkin-seeds/

things i did today: made cinnamon bread

 So its fall, and that means its the time of the year to make all the warm, yummy things that fill your home with the smell of autumn! For the longest time the most prominent smells of the fall, to me, have been pumpkin anything (including, pies, bread, baked pumpkin seeds, etc), bonfires, (I love that rich smokey wood scent that lingers in your hair and clothes) and cinnamon (whether its cinnamon rolls, the smell of a burning cinnamon candle, or ciders)! So today, even a midst packing up for a move, I gave into the insatiable urge to get festive, so I baked a good, ole fashioned (yeast less) loaf of cinnamon bread!
 Here’s my recipe, which is loosely based on family recipe card and a couple other ones I’ve combined to produce my personal favorite batch! 

 

Ingredients:
11/2 cups sugar
3 tsp cinnamon sugar 
2 cups flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup cooking oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* F
Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3″ loaf pan. Combine sugar with the cinnamon, flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the egg, milk and oil. Add 2 cups of flour, and other dry ingredients. Stir until all of mixture is moistened.
Pour batter into pan, making sure to spread it evenly. 
Bake at 350 for 45-50 mins or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 mins. Remove from pan. Wrap it in cling plastic and enjoy it at you leisure.

My suggestions for the consumption (not that you’ll need it) go as follows: toast, or microwave your slice of bread, and spread a sheet of butter over it. I’m no Paula Dean, but I love the taste of butter on a nice warm hunk of bread (and on anything else, for that matter..) I like to eat mine with a big glass of milk, or a cup of apple cider. This is the perfect time of year to try out this recipe! Go do it, light a pumpkin scented candle, then plop on the couch, with a big comfy blanket, your cinnamon bread and beverage of choice, and watch some of these fall classics, http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/10/15-classic-fall-movies.html or a good football game! Its sure to get you in the mood of the season! Enjoy!!

 

things i did today: woke up to the classics

Since I already did a semi- lengthy post today, this is a short one for kicks! If ever you have a hard time waking up, just hop over to this youtube link, and you’ll be swinging and jiving right out of bed, i promise!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2S1I_ien6A&feature=share&list=PLEC2DC0EEE25DFBF5

things i did today: made a LARP account!

For those of you who don’t know what larping is, allow a newbie to introduce you, to the sport (and lifestyle) of live-action role playing! 
While some of you may giggle at the thought of traipsing around in characterized garb, pretending to cast spells, and battle, this is a new way to get out of modern society for a little bit. Admit it, sometimes, when you’re playing Skyrim, Oblivion, or The Witcher, on your console, Dungeons and Dragons, on a table top, or World of Warcraft on your PC, you think “Man, I really wish I could do some of this stuff in real life”. (i.e hunting, gathering, making your own armor, teaming up with people for battles, etc) If you don’t, well, then maybe your imagination has been sucked out of you, or maybe its not your bag..eh, to each his own, I guess. I, on the other hand would love to be part of this neat, medieval expereince! So today, I made a LARPing account, and started designing my character! 
Here’s the sight i used: http://www.ornlarp.com/
I just created an account, perused through the different characters, and found what strikes accord with my personality. (a shadow lurking rouge, who’s just trying to find her place in the world) You can find different locations near you, and give it a whirl. even if your character is a basic human handmaid who dispenses wine at grand gathering, you can still be part of the fun! Here’s a video of what you could be missing out on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTVjjYsH92w
Pretty cool right!? Well, since all I did was make my beginners account, I guess I’ll have to do a little more exploring in the world of LARPing! In the meantime, remember to keep your mind open to new experiences! Take care, and stay tuned for more news on things I did today!