Entertaining Life Daily

I love pumpkin, that is no secret. So when I came across this recipe about a month ago, I knew I had to try. I was then reminded of them when I was perusing my Nov. 2010 Everyday Food magazine and thought they would be perfect for Thanksgiving brunch! Knowing that I could freeze them until the day of, I got to work making these and some biscuits (which are so good, but different story) knowing I could mark something off my Thanksgiving Day list of "to-do's."

I gathered the ingredients (though I ended up doubling the recipe - I decided to make two batches so that we could munch on a few for breakfast and so I could bring them to work for when we decorate the office on Wednesday.)

I prepped two muffin pans and the mixing began! Dry ingredients in one bowl, which consisted of flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and allspice (don't have allspice? Use equal portions of cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper - pretty similar in taste - though for something like this, I would use all cinnamon instead.) Wet ingredients in another bowl and this included the pumpkin puree and buttermilk.

I then creamed together butter and brown sugar until it was fluffy. I heart my KitchenAid mixer (though no, they didn't give me anything to write this blog, I just like their stuff and happen to own a lot of it in red!) and it works well for things like this.

Next up, add eggs. I break these prior to adding them to ensure no shells get into the mix. I also bring them to room temperature - I don't bake with cold eggs. Oh, butter tip. If you forgot to bring your butter to room temperature, cut it up in small pieces and leave it out while you prep the dry and wet ingredients. It will be softened and at room temp in no time! Once the eggs were incorporated, I then added the dry and wet mixes. I alternated between the two to ensure all ingredients were incorporated.

What you are left with is some pretty thick batter. It is gorgeous in color and smells divine, but don't be threatened by the thickness. It will rise (I was worried, but just went with it to find that it was perfectly fine!)

I used a scoop to put batter in pans - it helps make them uniform in size which then helps them bake together. In the oven they went, and I continued to drool as the smell of them baking was intoxicating. When they came out, they had kept that beautiful orange color and I couldn't help but try one.

Oh gosh, it was so good - I knew it would be better once I coated it in butter and sprinkled (okay, I really just dipped it, no sprinkling was done in this recipe) it with cinnamon and sugar. Divine.

I only coated enough for hubs and I to snack on for breakfast (and for Monday as well.) The rest went into the freezer (sans butter and cinnamon/sugar) for another day, more specifically, Wednesday and Thursday. I plan on reheating them in the oven, then coating them the sugary mix so that I (and others) can indulge on them.

I can't wait. So. Good. If you love pumpkin, these are a must try. So march yourself to the kitchen and get baking - these will be perfect for any brunch, snack, potluck, dinner, midnight snack....

Love her and fiance, B - GREAT couple!

I'm delayed in this request from my dear friend MKL over at Fun and Fearless in Beantown, as she tagged me in a blog post a few weeks ago. MKL is a dear friend of mine who lives in Boston - we've been friends for nearly 10 years as we met back in college as sorority sisters. I adore her, I miss her from a far, and I always look forward to seeing her when I visit Beantown once a year. So though I don't normally do questionnaires (in fact, I never have on this blog,) I decided to give it a try and entertain all of you with some answers:

1. If you could eat anything without any health repercussions or guilt, what would your meal be?
Nachos - I simply adore them. Crunchy, salty tortilla chips (they can be corn, flour, whatever!) adorned with topping galore. And they are so versatile. You can have your plain chips and salsa or gourmet it up with kettle chips topped with bleu cheese crumbles and pancetta. Oh my gosh...I'm drooling...

2. If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
Martha Stewart. I, like many others, adore her. But don't think I'm ignorant - I also know that many people do not like her. I am a fan- and I absolute LOVE it when MKL says I'm "younger version of Martha Stewart" or when Shutterboo used to reference me that way. But honestly, I don't even come close to this woman. It amazes me how successful she has become, all because she did things that she loved to do - and now it is this huge business (and in reference to a few years back, I think anyone would have did what she did - no judgment here!)

She has a fantastic home where she has created a business out of passion - she even helps people learn how to wrap china for when they move. Honestly - she grows an abundant garden and then creates fantastic meals before going upstairs to her craft room. Or she may sit down with one of her adorable pets (RIP Ghengis Khan and Paw Paw, her two adorable Chow Chow's) or create some new magical craft. All while knowing somewhere across the country, someone is picking up a copy of one of her successful magazines. She loves what she does, and she made a profession out of that. If that isn't something to admire, I don't know what is.

photo taken from The Sydney Morning Herald

3. Why did you start blogging and what did you expect when you started?
I started blogging because a friends kept saying, "you should blog about that!" One person in particular, KJ over at KJ Pugs, would always say "you have to blog so I can see your food creations." So I finally did this past February. I know I haven't posted many recipes, but I did have expectations to do so. I never cook the same thing at home - I'm a random cook, always grabbing this and that. I'm not very good at following recipes (I always update it with my own twist) and I don't like to measure. Maybe that is why I find it difficult to blog about my cooking - I feel like many people want to know specifics and that is info I just don't supply.

But, I also had expectations to blog about all things that entertain me, which is mostly food, events, friends and family. And that is essentially what my blog is about, all the entertaining elements life throws at you on a daily basis. I love to write about the food I eat and the events I attend. I didn't think anyone would really read this either - a BIG thank you to all that do!

4. What is the one book you could read over and over again?
Harry Potter. I love all seven of them, so yes, I'm picking a series versus one book. If it makes me child, so be it. But I absolutely adore the imagination of J.K.Rowling and her drive. Once again, doing something that she loves, she became a successful woman who has inspired children and adults all over the world to be creative and whimsical in their lives. To have that kind of impact and still be so humble - amazing.

5. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Tahiti or Fiji - yes, once again, I'm cheating and picking two. When hubs and I got married, he asked where I wanted to go on our honeymoon. I named those two and Greece, and he planned the whole trip and surprised me with the Greek vacation. I would love to visit the other two places and try the ethnic food, see the beautiful landscape and relax with my best friend. And of course, there is always Disney....

6. If you could have a TV show on the Food Network, what would it be?
I'd actually want Samantha Brown's tv show's on the Travel Channel. I know she has a few of them now, but how great of a job is that?! She gets to travel the globe, go to luxurious resorts and hotels, dine on some phenomenal food and experience things some people only dream of! I'm sure the traveling gets difficult, especially being away from friends, family and home for extended periods of time - but absolutely amazing gig that she has.

photo taken from the Travel Channel

7. What was the best meal you ever had?
Wow - this is a hard question because so many factors go into a "best meal," including service, food, atmosphere, location, who you are with, etc. So, right now, I'm going to say the best meal I ever had was our recent dinner experience at Etta's in Seattle. The food was great, company utterly fantastic and restaurant atmosphere was inviting. It was everything I expected out of Seattle and the seafood I wanted - a perfect way to welcome hubs and I to the city!

8. Who has been the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook?
Once again, there are two people. My mother - she is amazing. Eating dinner together as a family was always important and my mother always delivered on some fantastic food. It was comfort, it was home and it was my momma. I adore her and what she wanted to do to make sure her family was happy. This past Christmas, I pulled together a collection of recipes from her, close friends and family and compiled it into a family cook book on Blurb. They are the best recipes of my mother - and she is amazing (yes, I know I said that twice, but she deserves it so many more.) My poppa is pretty amazing too if I don't mind saying so.

LOVE mom and dad - they are TOO cute!

The other is my childhood best friend, Sarah. When we were growing up, I always had a passion for cooking and entertaining, and she was always by my side. She used to come over and we would pretend that I was the host of a cooking show. It was probably named something corny like "Cooking with Angie!," but it was still our show. She was nicknamed "guinea" for tv show purpose, because her role in the show was to be my 'guinea pig' and try whatever I was making that "episode." She was a trooper, letting me experiment with whatever I could find in the kitchen. I probably learned a lot about taste because of her - she was good at letting me know when flavors didn't mesh!

Hopefully the ramblings gave you some insight into why I blog and why I love what I love - cheers!

Entertaining Life Daily

Entertaining all aspects of life, one day at a time.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins (aka Heaven)

Friday Ramblings...