November Cupkins Link Party!

As Cupkins drew nearer and nearer this month I became more and more anxious and overwhelmed.  While I LOVE Cupkins, and cupcakes and muffins in general - you all know how busy and crazy my life is right now, I was panicked about WHAT to bake, and WHEN to bake it!  I had no time to plan or test bake, and I was stressing out about the whole thing!

That's when I realized that has the holidays get closer - we all feel these same frantic feelings at one point or another - so for my sake, and yours, I took a deep breath - and decided to keep it simple.  And you know what?  Sometimes simple IS better - because these mini cupcakes are divine... and so easy!  They're small, so you can squeeze one or two in even if you're full from Turkey Day dinner, and they are simple and quick to make - so you can spend the rest of Thanksgiving worrying about the turkey and the sweet potatoes!

Oh, and forgive the dark photos... we had to make a run to take some food to friends in the hospital and I lost my light.  C'est la vie.

Spiced Pumpkin Mini Cupcakes

I was inspired by these darling little mini cupcake wrappers by Wilton.  So much pumpkin-y cuteness!

Combine a box of yellow cake mix, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of canned pumpkin, 4 eggs, and 1/2 tsp each of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon in a standing mixer.  Fill baking cups 2/3 full with cupcake mixture and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (keep a close eye on them - mini cupcakes especially burn on the bottoms very easily if they are left in too long!)

Remove from oven and allow to cool...

While the cupcakes are cooling, whip up some cream cheese frosting.  Mix 1 stick of butter and 1 block of cream cheese until combined, then add 4 cups of powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Add in 2 tbsp of vanilla extract and mix well.  Then pipe or spread onto cupcakes...

After piping, I added just a sprinkle of orange sugar to decorate...

Yum!  Delicious!  Enjoy!

Now head over to Meg's place to check out her yummy looking Apple Pie Muffins... mmmm................

Now it's time for you to share YOUR Thanksgiving cupcake and muffin ideas!  Leave a link to your recipes, decorating tips, and more!  We'd love to salivate over your creations, too!  The link party will stay open until 11:59PM on Tuesday - so link up and tell your friends!

Weekend Football Dip: Another Ready, Set, Craft! Rerun

I'm still feeling a little under the weather, so here's a great game-day snack going into the weekend that I posted last fall.  Enjoy!

Football season is in full swing and as the weather gets cooler, my husband spends many a weekend afternoon watching "the big game" with friends or with our puppy... : ) This is a fast, super-easy dip to throw together for a half-time snack that's a surefire crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

Tortilla chips (for dipping)
1 block cream cheese
1 can hormel chili - no beans
shredded cheese

Melt cream cheese in the microwave until soft and gooey.

Add chili and mix together.

Sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping. ENJOY!

Happy Weekend!

Weekend Football Dip

Football season is in full swing and as the weather gets cooler, my husband spends many a weekend afternoon watching "the big game" with friends or with our puppy... : ) This is a fast, super-easy dip to throw together for a half-time snack that's a surefire crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

Tortilla chips (for dipping)
1 block cream cheese
1 can hormel chili - no beans
shredded cheese

Melt cream cheese in the microwave until soft and gooey.

Add chili and mix together.

Sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping. ENJOY!

I am so close to being done with graduate school for the semester - I'm finishing up a 20 page paper that I'll present in class on Monday and then I'm FINISHED! Woo hoo! That means that starting next week you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here - so check back often for a whole lot of holiday crafty goodness!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Decor

One of the things I love about Fall is that there are so many easy, and NATURAL decorating options.

After a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend, I assembled these little pumpkin towers to frame my front door...



I simply cut off the stalks of the bottom two pumpkins with a hack saw, leaving a flat surface to stack the pumpkins on each other. That's it!

Hubby says they look like pumpkin snowmen... : )

All I need now are some lovely Mum's and my outdoor fall decor is done!

How do you decorate your "stoop" for the seasons?

Fall Comfort Food

I don't know about you, but the one thing I looooove about the weather getting cooler is all of the delicious soups, stews, casseroles, chili's and more. I wanted to share with you a few recent yummy recipes that I have come across one way or another - and they are all super simple!

Mum's Shepherd's Pie
I've been eating this since I was a little girl and now I love to make the English staple for Travis and I.


Ingredients: Potatoes - six or so good sized, 1 large onion, 2lbs ground beef, 2 packages of brown gravy mix

Directions: Brown beef in a pan over medium heat, add onions and let them cook. Add gravy mix and about a cup of water. Put meat mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes. Layer potatoes on top of meat mixture and bake at 350 until browned on top.


Travis' Chili
Chili is such a great easy dinner because you can add a little of whatever you have on hand.


Ingredients: 1.5lb ground beef, Garlic to taste, 1 jalapeno pepper, x2 cans diced mexican tomatoes, 1 can corn kernels, x2 cans chili beans, 1 package of chili seasoning, 1 large onion and... chocolate!

Directions: Saute onions and garlic, add ground beef and brown. Finely dice jalapeno and add. Combine with all of the canned vegetables and let simmer. Add chili seasoning and chocolate. Travis refuses to tell me how much chocolate... but I'd guess a couple of squares. Add chocolate to taste! Simmer everything to combine and then enjoy.


And finally, my dear friend over at Steinway Street shared a delicious meatloaf recipe lately. Head over HERE to check it out.

What are YOUR favorite fall comfort foods? Please share!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Made these for a party this weekend - I love Fall! Recipe at Real Simple magazine HERE. They were SO easy to make and the frosting was delicious!

I've been having problems with my oven while baking lately - seems like all my cupcakes are getting a little too done on the bottoms. My shelf isn't too low, and my heat isn't too high. Not sure what the situation is? I've heard that different kinds of cupcake liners play a role in this?

Any words of wisdom, fellow bloggers and bakers?