A Pumpkin A Day Keeps The...

Wow, it's been nearly a year since I last posted!! I've been busy to say the least.

Anyways, I've decided October is going to be the beginning of a pumpkin recipe a day challenge. It's a challenge between me and my kitchen, but if you want to join feel free! I have added some fun to my challenge though...I will not be using canned pumpkin, I will only be using fresh pumpkin that I make into a puree myself.


So to catch you up I'll pretend it's Oct. 1st and go from there!

Day 1 of 31 days of Pumpkin!!
The Recipe is...

Pumpkin Muffins!!!

Makes 30 muffins
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin(or homemade puree)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Optional: 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill muffin cups with liners or spray with a cooking spray (I did both).

Mix sugar and oil using an electric mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and add slowly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. (If you want to add chocolate chips, add them now).



Fill muffin cups equally and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of muffins comes out clean. (I just press the middle to see if it springs back instead of the toothpick test)

Catch up day! 3rd Day of Cookies

So, I've been making the cookies but have been failing to write about them! Oh no!! It's ok though because today is the last day of classes, after 5:10 today I will have nothing to do but study, bake, and write! Oh Joy!! So just to catch up: The 3rd Day of Cookies was Brown Sugar Shortbread! They were very tasty and super easy to make!


Brown Sugar Shortbread:
1 c butter, softened
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 1/4 c ap flour
(yes, that is the whole ingredient list)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in flour and mix well. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 'til smooth (about 3 minutes) Pat into a rectangle(ish) 1/3 in thick, 11in x 8 in.

Cut into 2 in x 1 in strips. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Prick with fork.

Bake at 300F for 25 minutes (mine took 18) or until lightly browned. Cool!

2nd Day of 25 Days of Cookies!!

Thursday was my second day of cookies, I had no inspiration for what cookie to pick so my roommate chose for me. She picked a white chocolate peppermint drop. They turned out quite tasty I must say even if I did mess up the recipe (shhh!)

Here's the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens:

8 oz white baking chocolate with cocoa butter, chopped
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c ap flour
2/3 c crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 375F, in a small saucepan melt 4 oz of the white chocolate over low heat, cool slightly.
In a large bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in melted white chocolate. Gradually beat in flour. Using a wooden spoon stir in remaining white choclate and crushed candy canes.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or lightly browned edges. Transfer cookies to cooling rack.

25 DAYS OF COOKIES!!!!

Since today is the first day of December I decided it should also be the first day of 25 of cookies! The general idea being that I am going to make one type of cookie a day until December 25th. On December 25th I will either make a 25th type or make the favorite of the previous 24, haven't decided on that part yet.

Anyways my first cookie is a gingerbread "snowflakes". I didn't have a snowflake cookie cutter so mine are gingerbread snowmen, angels and christmas trees.

Here's the recipe!
1 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 c molasses
1/4 c water
5 c ap flour
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and water. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, salt; gradually add to butter, mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hr or until easy to handle.
On lightly floured surface roll out to 1/4in thickness. Cut with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Let cool on racks.

Frosting:
3 3/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 c water
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In small bowl combine frosting ingredients. Beat until smooth. Transfer to plastic bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, pipe onto cookies.

Christmas Countdown

I know it seems like I've forgotten I have a blog...ok maybe I did for a little while! But hey I'm back now!! I've been sooo busy with school and graduation plans and after graduation plans etc etc. Anyways enough of my excuses on why I've neglected you. So it's something like 7 weeks til Christmas and I've decided that every week will be a new cookie or dessert for Christmas. I don't have one picked out yet, but I should have it by Wednesday since that's when I plan on baking. So if I'm not back tomorrow I will definitely be writing on Wednesday! Until then...BYE!!

The beginning of the end

I began my last semester of undergraduate today. During my two classes I didn't feel any pangs of nervousness or anxiety about the prospect of graduating, probably because it doesn't seem real to me without an accepted degree application.

But now it does feels strange, it's not the senior year of high school, can't wait to get out and into college feeling. It's more like what in the world am I getting myself into feeling. What do I do once this is over? I have so many choices and options its slightly overwhelming. Although I do still plan on attending law school, it won't be for at least a year, so what do I do in the meantime? Work on a graduate degree? Teach? Get some other sort of grown up job? I have no idea, I don't even know where to begin really.

But I'm sure all that knowledge will come as the semester wears on and the novelty of the beginning of the end has faded. It will be back to the grindstone of reading and writing papers, translating an ancient language and translating a language of symbols.

Who knows maybe I'll discover something else I want to do, or take a dramatic turn and go to pastry school. It's all just a couple of months away, yet far enough in the future that I'm not overly concerned right now.

Back to bed then, to start a new day, attend new classes, and meet new people.

New City Same Story

Welp, I've been "settling in" to Austin now for about 3 weeks. although I'm sure there is much to do here, I've haven't been able to experience any of it thanks to my INTENSIVE greek class. It's worse than a full time job, after work you go home and rest, after Greek you go home and do more Greek! But I'm learning tons and getting much better at Greek! Even being an Aggie at the other school hasn't been too bad, there's only classmate who makes a big deal about it, but we all just ignore him :) All in all, Austin is growing on me, I like it here. And once I get to go out and do things I'm sure it will be even better!