Sweet Stuff

My youngest, Morgan, decided she wanted to make Pecan Pie Truffles from the Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving site.  They did taste delicious, but the chocolate dipping was a little harder than she anticipated.  While our truffles did TASTE delicious, they didn't look nearly as perfect as the ones pictured on the web site.     We did omit the bourbon because I'm cheap and bourbon is expensive and we wouldn't use the rest of it anyway.  We just added a little water and vanilla extract.  They were still yummy.  

We also made the Pumpkin Molasses Cookie Dough Balls from the Peas and Thank You website.  Love Mama Pea's reci-peas!

The Best Pumpkin Muffins Ever!!!

Oh my goodness!  Oh my goodness!!!  When I saw this pumpkin muffin recipe on the PPK, I thought, "I'll try them.  I hope they are not dry like many muffins."  I should have known better!  This recipe was posted by Isa Chandra, one of the authors of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, one AWESOME cupcake cookbook!  

I've had some pumpkin in the fridge for two days now, dipping into it for Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal.  But I knew that one cup of it was definitely going to be earmarked for these muffins.  Just to see.  I whipped them up in the middle of working when there was a spare second to kill.  They whipped up very quickly and I popped them in the oven in a stoneware muffin pan.  My initial thoughts were how unusual for a muffin recipe to fill my big ol' muffin cups.  Generally a recipe that is supposed to make a dozen only yields about 9 (or even fewer) muffins for me.  But this filled every one nicely.  

The only changes I made to the recipe was to use almond milk instead of soy, simply because that's what I had, and sorghum molasses instead of regular molasses.  Again, it was what was on hand.  I smelled them baking and couldn't wait to get these spicy little morsels out of the oven and into my mouth!  Twenty-three minutes later, perfection!  I pulled them out, burned my fingers loosening these beauties from their little warm snuggly muffin beds, and set them on a wire rack to cool.  Slightly.  Like, for about 32 seconds.  I couldn't wait any longer!  

They were DELICIOUS!!!  So moist and sweet and yummy and spicy!  I had planned to eat just one, but I am going back in there for another!  Please take my advice and bake these muffins.  Today.  Right now!  

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I love oatmeal for breakfast. It is so warm and comforting. We are getting a bit of coolish weather (well, for Louisiana that is) and I had this lonely can of pumpkin puree in my pantry. Pumpkin pie oatmeal was just begging to be made.

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/2-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1-2 tsp maple syrup if you need it a little sweeter

Bring the almond milk to a simmer over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.

If you need a little sweetener, maple syrup is perfect for this. Try to find grade B. It is so much better than grade A and, for heaven's sake, do not use pancake syrup. Bleh! Who knows what terrible things would happen!

I enjoyed my pumpkin pie oatmeal with a nice pot of Taylors of Harrogate Tea Room Blend tea. It was almost the same color as my oatmeal. It a bracing brew, perfect for a cold morning when I need a little "kick."