Yum-meee!

I have never done a recipe post! In honor of October and Fall, I thought it would be a good time. And besides, I am loving my pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins I just made (a little too much!) and wanted to share. I am sure ya'll have some great Fall recipes yourself!

Sturbridge Pumpkin Muffins

1 C Sugar
1/4 C Oil
2 Eggs
3/4 of Canned Pumpkin
1 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 C Raisins (optional)
1/2 C Chopped Walnuts (optional)
1/2 Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional) (but really, is chocolate ever optional!)

Preheat oven. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Mix sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Sift together flour, powder, soda, and spices. Quickly stir together both mixtures. Fold in extras. Filled prepared muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

**I use liners for easier clean-up. When I doubled this recipe, I made 12 regular-sized muffins and almost 48 mini muffins. It is rare I use a separate bowl for the ingredients anymore. I just have not found what difference it makes to do the dry ingredients separate first. With this recipe, I only use cc's because of my picky family when it comes to nuts. Personally, the walnut/cc/pumpkin combo sounds divine!

**And my blog buddy, Cara, did indeed offer a homemade solution to the pumpkin mush. I just moved it over here in case you don't read my comments section.

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Pick up one or two of those cute little sugar pumpkins at the grocery store. Not the big ones for carving, they're too hallow in the middle, the cute little dense ones.

Chop it in half either way, vertical or horizontal, and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon into a bowl.

Rub a little bit of olive oil on the cut side (so it doesn't stick) and put cut-side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for an hour or so, until you can pierce the skin with a fork easily. Let cool, and scoop out the pumpkin mush.

I also did my pumpkin seeds while I was baking the pumpkin; remove most of the pulp from the seeds. Give the pulp to the chickens ~grin~ and to the seeds add about a tablespoon of olive oil and half a teaspoon of sea salt (sea salt is much better than regular salt) Mix with a fork or your hands or whatever, and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake on the other rack in your oven when you bake the pumpkin, but remove after about 30 mins, or when the seeds are a golden brown. Let cool on a paper towel :)

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And I got permission to copy this next recipe. I have not tried it yet, but I bet it is so good. And pssst! Come back tomorrow so you can hear more about who I got the recipe from- I will give her props tomorrow for it, but did not want to spoil the surprise just yet in case any of her friends lurk here!

Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

I just made one of the best drinks I've ever tasted. It's smooth, creamy and it's packed with potassium and all the good stuff. My kids LOVED this and asked for seconds!

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup canned pumpkin, chilled
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 dash ground cloves
1 ripe banana, sliced and frozen

Combine all ingredients in blender; process until smooth.

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And finally, one you WILL want to make this Fall! If you have ever had this at their store, I promise you the recipe is true to the flavor. And the calories! I have made it many times with rave reviews every time.

La Madeleine Tomato-Basil Soup

4 C Tomatoes (about 8-10 medium-sized), peeled, cored, and chopped OR 4 C canned whole tomatoes, crushed.
4 C Tomato Juice
12-14 Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped plus additional for garnish
1 C Whipping Cream
1/2 C Sweet Unsalted Butter, softened
1/4 tsp Cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Crusty Bread (optional)

Combine tomatoes and juice in saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat. Cool slightly, then place in a blender or food processor. Add basil and process to puree; this will have to be done in batches. Return mixture to saucepan. Add cream and butter. Stir over low heat until butter and cream are incorporated. Stir in salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve with fresh, crusty bread. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving- Calories 237 (79% fat!!), Fat 22 g, Fiber 1 g, Chol 67 mg, Sodium 165 mg, Carbs 10 g, Calcium 45 mg.

**I followed the recipe to a tee many times, but got tired of the blending part. So, instead, I just the crushed tomato route. It works. I have also done it both in a crock pot and on the stove.

Enjoy!!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for another addition of Friday Fuzzies!!

Stacey