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/