Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello again pumpkin my love! So nice of you to make your presence again.  I found the big can of pumpkin puree at the grocery store for $2.09 the other day, so I grabbed a couple.  I thought that was a pretty good deal.  This morning I whipped up a batch of these amazing cupcakes!  The cakes are so moist, and flavored with just the right amount of pumpkin.  They are really good without the frosting too, I know, I tried one.  Quality Control. :)  BUT the pumpkin cream cheese frosting is delicious, and really compliments these cupcakes.  I promise there isn't too much pumpkin flavor, just the right amount, and perfect amount of sweetness.  I love cupcakes, but when the frosting is piled high, and really sweet, I can't finish a whole thing.  I made this frosting, and piped it on the cupcakes thinly, after all it is made with cream cheese, which can overpower the flavor of the cupcake.  I shared these with the people at my Mom's work, and they loved them!  I know you will too, and they are SO simple to make.  Secret is...they are made with boxed cake mix!! Try these out, and let me know how much you love them ;)

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

How cute are these?!

Decorating Cookies with the Kids

I had such a fun time yesterday with Melissa's kids decorating homemade spritz cookies!  We used a Wilton cookie press, and the recipe that came with it.  It didn't work out very well. It took many attempts with changing a lot of different things, but we ended up getting some shaped cookies, but definitely not as many as the recipe said.  It was fun, but I am not sure if I would use the cookie press again, unless I find a better recipe that works with it.  Next time we will just roll out dough, and use cookie cutters.  After baking the cookies and letting them cool, we let the kids decorate them.  We made it simple and used store bought frosting in the squeezable tube, and the spray can, along with a bunch of different sprinkles.  They absolutely loved it, and after we were done, we have a HUGE mess in the WHOLE kitchen, but it was SO worth it.  We all ate way too many cookies, but that is expected right?!
I don't have any recipes to share with you today because I didn't like the cookie recipe as much as I hoped, and like I said, it didn't work too well with the cookie press.  I DID want to show you some of the fun pictures I took yesterday, and let you see our masterpieces! I hope you enjoy these pictures!

This beautiful cookie was her son's! So pretty!

Pumpkin Butter

PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN! Can you tell what is on my mind?! I can't get enough of that stuff!  I made this amazing pumpkin butter last year, and I just fell in love with it.  It is SO easy, and you can put it on/in anything! It makes a good size batch, so you can experiment with it.  I have a few more recipes with it that I want to try.  It's been a rainy day here today, and what is better than staying inside and cooking up a batch of this wonderful  pumpkin butter.  It makes your house smell amazing.  You HAVE to try this!

Pumpkin Butter

And don't be ashamed to have a spoonful or two right out of the pan! :)

Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups

A few weeks ago while grocery shopping at Safeway, I browsed through the free recipe cards they have in the produce section, and I ran into a recipe for Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups that looked delicious!  I snagged the card, and got all the ingredients to make them.  I made them the other night, and they turned out yummy.  I made them at my parent's house to share with them and my husband.  They all loved them, and they were perfect as an appetizer before dinner.  I didn't want to start the barbecue to grill them because they only take about 5 minutes to grill and the barbecue my parents have is charcoal, so instead I took my little George Forman grill with me.  It was a great idea grilling them with the George, but next time I make them I will use my bigger George Forman grill because it took way too long grilling the zucchini and red peppers.  If you have an indoor grill that would be the ideal way to do this, but if not you can use the George Forman grill too.  Also, my Mom didn't have a vegetable slicer, so I had to cut the veggies with a knife, and I ended up losing quite a bit, because I am not perfect, and my slicing skills didn't work out the best, but I did take a picture of the best way I found to cut a zucchini lengthwise to get the best slices.  If you are looking for a yummy appetizer for dinner or any get together, these would be a great dish to make.  They are very good, and if you have the right tools, and grill, they are simple to make, and fun to eat.

Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups

Don't they look pretty?! So appealing to the eye and the stomach!

Creamy Meat and Cheese Wrap

The other day while making muffins at my friend Melissa's house, we were running out of fuel, and needed to eat something quick. Taking care of three children all under the age of 3 1/2 is a daunting task, and sure does drain your energy. Melissa does and awesome job though, and her kids are totally worth all the energy I have. :)  We re fueled by going through her fridge, and trowing together these wraps that are simple, but were SO GOOD.  I like posting simple recipes like these, for ideas for you all.  I know they are simple enough for anyone to figure out on their own, but it may have ingredients you wouldn't normally think to add, so I just have to show you. :) I will make these again!

Creamy Meat and Cheese Wrap

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

I enjoyed another baking day at my friend Melissa's home again.  She made the Healthier Monkey Muffins yesterday, that I made from my very first blog post!  She didn't have whole wheat flour though so she used all, all-purpose.  They turned out awesome, and her and her kids loved them! I was a little jealous that I didn't make any muffins to bring home while I was over there.  SO...her and I planned another baking day yesterday, just so I could make some muffins! 
I am totally in Fall mode now, and when I think of Fall, I think of PUMPKIN!  I love everything about pumpkin.  It is SO good, and is healthy for you.  I will have many more recipes with pumpkin this Fall.  I haven't tried any savory recipes with it yet, but I plan on it, so we will see what my tummy can't live without. :)  Too bad pumpkin isn't on sale yet in the stores, because I will be clearing the shelves, the grocery stores will love me. :)  I looked all over the Internet last night, and decided on Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins, and the recipe I found here, on Tasty Kitchen. Check that link for the original version. Of course I can't follow a recipe to the tee, so I healthified it, and changed it up a bit.  These muffins are so good, I seriously could not eat just ONE.  Melissa, her two kids, and my husband and I all loved them.  I'm glad I have leftovers! :)

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

WOWEE don't those look delicious?!

Crockpot Chili

Crock pot season is just about here!  I secretly admire my crock pot. :)  I love how you cook dinner in the morning...is that weird?? Well I should say you do all the prepping in the morning, and your crock pot does all the rest.  It really is an amazing thing throwing everything together, and ending up with a delicious dinner at the end of the day.  Oh, and the smell while it is working it's magic throughout the day is divine.  MmmMmm.  My crock pot has yet to fail me with a delicious dinner, which is pretty darn amazing since I throw almost anything in there together.  Get ready to see more crock pot dishes coming up! 
I have made this chili for quite some time now, and have shared it with family and friends, and they all love it.  It is one of my favorite crock pot meals, and because of that, I am sharing it with you today!  This is my homemade chili, but I do have to admit I take all the shortcuts possible. :)  I used canned beans...gasp! I know, I know, but just try it, and you will love how simple it is, and delicious!

Crock pot Chili

Fettuccine with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Yesterday I had a fun time at my friend Melissa's house, visiting her and her three kids.  She invited me over for a baking/cooking day.  Whenever we get together we usually get a hankering for cooking or baking something.  We usually look through all the cookbooks, and find something that looks so good we just HAVE to make it.  It is a fun time for us, a nice girls day.  After looking through the cookbooks we came across a recipe we made once before and fell in love with.  Her and I discussed how we both love, bread, cheese, and pasta, go figure right, who doesn't?!  This meal includes two of the three!  This really is probably one of my favorite pasta dishes, and I already can't wait to make it again.

Pasta and Cheese is a girls best friend right?! :)