or muffin. or bake it in a loaf pan and make bread. No matter your preferred method of baking, this is by far the BEST pumpkin recipe I’ve come across. The cake is just so moist and spicy and delicious! I took these photos, this morning. Then, I ate two. I still suck at [Read More...]]]>

or muffin.
or bake it in a loaf pan and make bread.
No matter your preferred method of baking, this is by far the BEST pumpkin recipe I’ve come across. The cake is just so moist and spicy and delicious! I took these photos, this morning. Then, I ate two. I still suck at frosting, but WHO THE HECK CARES when the pumpkin is that good? Not I!

I strongly suggest making your own pumpkin puree for this. To be honest, I had never made it before I came across this recipe, a whole 5 years ago. My oldest was just 5 months old, so I couldn’t share them with him, but I totally did a little dance, with a muffin in hand, that made him smile. This morning, I’m happy to report, he approved of these muffins and even took one to school for his teacher! Amazing.

I’m posting this recipe with permission from the author. This is the original link.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 7×3 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. (I almost forgot, I had about half a cup of raisins leftover from something else, so I tossed them in as well, along with the wet ingredients.)

Bake for about an hour in the preheated oven. Bread is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. //I baked the cupcakes for about 23-24 minutes.

If you click on the original link, there are some simple directions for roasting a pie pumpkin and making your own puree. It’s so easy!

How about a closer photo?

from the top?

You’re welcome.

Now, go make some cupcakes!

I know, I know! I’m late with the cupcake of the month. I’m sure you were all sitting there, holding your breath, so….here it is! You can breathe, now!

Technically, it isn’t a cupcake. It’s a muffin. And not just a muffin, a mini-muffin! These little guys are perfect in a household with kids. [Read More...]]]>

I know, I know! I’m late with the cupcake of the month. I’m sure you were all sitting there, holding your breath, so….here it is! You can breathe, now!

Technically, it isn’t a cupcake. It’s a muffin. And not just a muffin, a mini-muffin! These little guys are perfect in a household with kids. I can toss them to my kiddos after breakfast and it makes them happy. “Cake for breakfast?? K!” I can hand one or two to my kindergartener to snack on during his walk to school with daddy. I can hide one in my mouth, in its entirety when someone catches me in the kitchen at midnight. *ahem*

So, yeah. They’re pretty darn nifty.

Have you done any baking lately? What recipes are you MOST excited about, now that the weather may finally be cooling down?! I know I can’t wait to roast my first pumpkin of the season. Oh goooooodness, I’m just waiting for the scent of nutmeg and cloves to fill my house! I LOVE fall-baking!

I kissed my boys goodbye early Saturday and we headed out. The ride there was pretty uneventful. We just ran [Read More...]]]>

Like I mentioned at the end of last week, my cousin graduated this weekend and my mom and I took a little (~3 hours) road trip from Houston to San Antonio to celebrate.

I kissed my boys goodbye early Saturday and we headed out. The ride there was pretty uneventful. We just ran into some traffic in San Antonio because we exited a bit early. We still got there with plenty of time to get dressed up and head to the arena for a good seat. The ceremony wasn’t nearly as boring as I was expecting it to be. The class was a decent size and the speeches were inspiring.

Spot the graduate! Ha! (Get it? They’re all graduates? I only care about one, though.) Sorry, Amanda, but you looked bored throughout the whole ceremony. I SO saw you texting!

She said she made it tear-free throughout the whole shebang, but had to let them flow when she saw her mom’s. They were happy tears. We were all super happy and proud. We wouldn’t have driven 200 miles, early on a Saturday morning, if we weren’t. In four years, we’ll most likely have to do it again for this girl:

She graduates high school in a few weeks and will be attending St. Mary’s in the fall. Huzzah!

AND NOW THE HORROR!

Around 9 pm, about 100 miles outside of Houston, my mom and I pass by a stalled car and I whisper, “that sucks..” My mom agrees with an “mhmmmm…” and literally 2 seconds later, we hear a thump and feel the vibrations of our brand new flat tire. Sigh. I’m a big fat jinx. This is where I whine about not having any money in hopes that I jinx myself and get lots more! yeah! Right.

Anyway, we call my aunt (mama to the graduate) and her (and her family! with males!) are about an hour behind us. We wait there in the dark that hour. See, I have no idea how to change a tire. I would have attempted it, but it was really damn dark! There was tall grass and trees not too far off the road. I think I’ve seen too many versions of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to self-learn tire-changing in the middle of the night on a stretch of dark Texas highway. The guys had it changed up in like 5 minutes and we were off on our donut. We had to drive the speed limit the rest of the way and we didn’t get home until after 11pm. It was kind of terrible.

I’ll blog later about how my BABY spent the night without me! I’ll just say he did fabulously! Made this mama proud. I get to scratch off TWO things from my 25 before 26 list, #7 & #23.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, especially you amazing mamas!

Crawling on your knees toward it Making momma so proud But your voice was too loud We liked to watch you laughing You picked the insects off plants No time to think of consequences

#2 on my 25 before 26 list is to take a photo of me, or a part of me, [Read More...]]]>

Crawling on your knees toward it
Making momma so proud
But your voice was too loud
We liked to watch you laughing
You picked the insects off plants
No time to think of consequences

#2 on my 25 before 26 list is to take a photo of me, or a part of me, once every week. my goal is to be more accepting and loving of myself.

If you’re friends with me on Flickr, you probably saw this photo, last week. #4 on my 25 before 26 list was to try a new cupcake recipe each month. I JUST made the deadline, as [Read More...]]]> I always want seconds. That’s how I remember how to spell the word. It’s true, though. Ask my gut.

If you’re friends with me on Flickr, you probably saw this photo, last week.
#4 on my 25 before 26 list was to try a new cupcake recipe each month. I JUST made the deadline, as it was already the last day of March. I made banana cupcakes. This isn’t the first time I’ve made these, but it is the first time I’ve shared a photo of them, so I’ll count it off my list.

I’m not too big on frosting, so these were naked. The recipe (in 500 cupcakes, which was gifted to me by my awesome mother-in-law on Christmas) called for a cream cheese frosting. I think the reason I don’t usually frost my cupcakes (MUFFINS?!) is that I suck at making frosting. Maybe I should practice, this year. Perhaps by my next birthday, I’ll be able to successfully ice an entirely from-scratch cake.

Check out all the desserts entries at I ♥ Faces, this week. They will make you crave something sweet, even though it’s almost midnight, you’ve just brushed your teeth, and are all ready for bed. Perhaps that cheesecake in my fridge really did call my name, as I was walking down the hall. Perhaps…

Well, it’s Spring Break around these parts. My kidlet has been home all week and has gone buckwild. I have even conceded to *gasp!* video games on a weekday, some afternoons! He’s usually only allowed to play Friday evening & Saturday afternoons. Alas, I need a break from wrangling and the never-ending [Read More...]]]> That’s me! Hello!

Well, it’s Spring Break around these parts. My kidlet has been home all week and has gone buckwild. I have even conceded to *gasp!* video games on a weekday, some afternoons! He’s usually only allowed to play Friday evening & Saturday afternoons. Alas, I need a break from wrangling and the never-ending “mama. mommy. ma. mom. mom. mommy…” parade. Who knew those 3 hours he goes to school every weekday were so coveted? Not I.

Another excuse for my lack of blog posts is that house-hunting consumes about 95% of my internet-time. That endeavor is just FRUSTRATING, to say the least. I’m getting discouraged. Really, really! It’s a seemingly never-ending cycle of find a house we like, get more info, walk through it, hate it, look some more, find another house we like, get more info, walk through it, hate it….and so on! That is such a first-world problem, but GAH! Make it stop, already. I want it to be July. I want to have a patio and get sun burned in my own backyard. Thankyouverymuch.

I did get a chance to take my weekly self-portrait, today. Little victories.

I have seen this sort of list on a few blogs I frequent. A list comprised of “goals” to complete before the next birthday. I’ve been adding to this list [Read More...]]]>

So. As you may very well know, I turn 25, today. I’m still a baby, yes. A baby with babies, if you will.

I have seen this sort of list on a few blogs I frequent. A list comprised of “goals” to complete before the next birthday. I’ve been adding to this list for the better part of two months. I don’t know what this says about me, but IT WAS TOUGH! If I do this every year, I have no idea what the heck I’ll be listing. I’d *like* to imagine this means I feel fulfilled, but maybe it just means I’m unimaginative and not daring enough. Either way, I hope to come back to this post through-out the year to strike some off. I’ll let you know when I do. A few will have to wait until next March to meet their fate.

In no particular order, here is my list of 25 things to do before I turn 26:

1. buy a house (Our new home!)
2. take a photo of myself every week
3. 25 handmade gifts
4. 12 cupcakes from scratch (1 recipe a month)
5. 52 TtV shots (1 every week, or all in one day)
6. learn to drive (*shame*)
7. take a road trip (San Antonio!)
8. make a big-people quilt
9. make a granny square blanket
10. sew something at least once a month
11. lose 25 lbs
12. kiss on a bridge
13. end the engagement
14. paint something
15. frame something
16. make a new friend
17. walk on a beach
18. make a wreath (I made a few!)
19. make a piece of furniture (I’m counting my pseudo-ottoman: http://goodknits.com/blog/2010/08/19/ottoawesome/)
20. have a giveaway every other month (starting today!) I had several giveaways over the year! So happy.
21. throw a party We had many in our new home!
22. establish date night
23. spend a night without Andrew (where’d my baby go?)
24. get the goodknits shop going It’s here! http://www.etsy.com/shop/omgknits
25. blog more consistently (at least twice a week) I believe I’m fairly consistent, now. I don’t leave you guys for weeks anymore. :)