Local Woman Marries Cookie. Film at 11

Yesterday was just one of those days. You know the kind: Things are going swimmingly for a while until one thing goes wrong, then another, and another until suddenly you're breaking out into a cold sweat with a tension headache coming on and that stupid dog next door just WON'T STOP BARKING.

You know, one of those days. 

So I took a much-needed breather and made Dorie Greenspan's World Peace cookies for the first time. Baking relaxes me. I like being able to follow step by step instructions that guarantee results. I've been burned by a few bad recipes in my day (I'm looking at you, Pinterest) but Food52 never disappoints and Dorie Greenspan is a baking legend. So naturally, I expected a lot from these cookies. I didn't expect to fall madly in love with them but, well, you can't predict these things. You bake a cookie, you're overcome by its deliciousness, and then all of a sudden its "What should we name our kids?" and "Would you ever consider converting?" 

The name comes from the idea that world peace would be possible if everybody ate one (or six) a day. I'm not sure these cookies will prevent a nuclear holocaust, but they definitely improved my mood. Even better, double the recipe and keep a few logs in the freezer. World peace may not be within reach, but the antidote to the day from hell sure is. 

The Best Roast Chicken I Have Ever Made

I'm not much into New Year's resolutions. For instance, this year I'm pretending to learn how to play Careless Whisper on the saxophone (though if anyone feels like teaching me how to play we can make this really happen) and actually sort of trying to use Twitter more. However, my friend Pete is determined to learn how to cook for himself this year and he enlisted me to help him achieve this goal. It has been an interesting exercise for both of us because he gets to ask all sorts of questions while I'm making something and I have to actually figure out how to answer them. In doing so I've realized just how much of my cooking skills came from watching my relatives. I've also come to really appreciate the fact that I grew up in a family where cooking and, well, food in general was kind of a big deal. If you aren't exposed to that on a regular basis I can see how cooking can be a bit of a mystery. 

So far we've made lasagna, marinara sauce, and roast chicken. I'm going to talk about the roast chicken because oh my God, it was amazing. Now, you may be thinking "What? A roast chicken? I've made that before. It's no big deal." Which is my point. This chicken is a big deal. This chicken will change your life. Ok, maybe not. But, if for some reason your life revolves around not being able to make the best roast chicken of all time, then this actually will change your life.

I actually have been interested in perfecting my roast chicken technique ever since I saw those lovely golden birds while in Paris last year. I could always make a perfectly serviceable bird, but it was never quite right--the skin was too soggy or the breast meat was too dry. Well, I'm proud to say that this chicken had a wonderfully golden, crispy skin along with the moistest meat (worst word combo ever) I've tasted. So I'm just going to go ahead and belatedly declare this my New Year's Resolution. Status: Accomplished.

Recipe Notes

I combined two recipes from Thomas Keller and Ina Garten and the result was the most golden, moist, and flavorful chicken I've ever had. I like Keller's method but it lacked any seasoning besides salt and pepper. I've made Ina's famous engagement chicken before but I liked this simpler recipe for lemon chicken which still makes use of the lemons and onions which provide the base of the incredible sauce that is served with the engagement chicken. Instead, this recipe includes home made croutons as an accompaniment, which I made using some bread I had baked earlier in the day.

For this recipe I used a kosher chicken which comes basically brined (more on that here). If your chicken isn't kosher I would strongly recommend brining it yourself (good how-to here) in order to get the moistest bird possible. In any case, make sure you spring for the highest quality bird you can get, as it really does make a difference. I also used my trusty grapeseed oil instead of the butter in Ina's version and the nothing in Keller's. I think it gave the chicken a nice, even golden brown color. 

Ingredients

1 3 1/2-4 pound chicken unwashed, at room temperature, with giblets removed

1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced

1-2 lemons, cut into quarters

Kosher salt

Pepper

Grapeseed oil

Butcher's twine

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

1. Dry chicken using paper towels both inside and out. Make sure to really dry the chicken as much as possible as any excess moisture will make your chicken skin soggy. 

2. Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken liberally with salt and pepper. 

3. Stuff cavity with lemons and onions

4. Brush chicken with grapeseed oil

5. Truss chicken with butcher's twine (great video here)

6. Place chicken breast side up on the roasting rack of a roasting pan and pour about a 1/3 a cup of water  or a couple of ice cubes into the pan. This will help keep your oven from getting too smokey during the cooking process. 450 degrees is super hot and my oven got pretty smokey from all that sizzling fat, but the water or ice cubes should help combat this a bit.

7. Cook chicken for 50-60 minutes, until the internal temp is 165. Try not to open the oven during the roasting process as that increases your cooking time and can dry the chicken out.

8. Remove twine and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

9. Carve that sucker up and enjoy the BEST ROAST CHICKEN EVER.

I have a terrible aversion to leftovers but even I thought this chicken was still great the next day. Of course, after that I cracked and set about turning the Best Roast Chicken Ever into the Best Chicken Soup Ever, but that recipe will have to wait for another time.

P.S. I have a piece up on The Toast that I'm really proud of. Give it a read!

Dinner Is Served

Tonight's Menu: Haloumi (from Trader Joe's) over my own homegrown lettuce, garnished with homegrown mint, basil, and parsley! I served it with an easy lemon vinaigrette (lemon, evoo, s&p, chopped herbs)

Warming Winter Meals: Turkish-Inspired Red Lentil Soup

I've spent the last couple of weeks pretending to be interested in doing a detox cleanse, which is how I came across this 2013 Whole Living Action Plan that claims to be a less drastic approach. Some of the recipes actually look delicious and if I was a more disciplined person, I probably would do this. However, I am not, but I was intrigued by the recipe for Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew enough to almost make it. I say almost because sometime between reading this recipe and going to the grocery store I had one of those moments of pure inspiration that was born out of a craving for Turkish red lentil balls, called Mercimek Koftesi. I decided to use the stew as a base, but change the flavors around to resemble the lentil balls. This also allowed me to use my favorite spice:

Smoked paprika  is pure magic. MAGIC, I tell you.

Ingredients 

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbspn ground cumin (I really like cumin, so feel free to adjust this according to your liking)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 Tbspn smoked paprika
• dash of crushed red pepper
• 1 diced large onion
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 minced cloves garlic      
• 1/2 C chopped fresh parsley                                 
• 2 peeled and diced sweet potatoes                               
• 1 1/2 cups rinsed red lentils
• 6 C Vegetable broth

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook paprika, cumin, turmeric, and curry powder until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion with salt, pepper, and red pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and cook until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring until tender, about 2 minutes
2. Add lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, add parsley, and simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. I used my hand blender to mix everything together, but that is up to you.
4. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Picture sipping this while overlooking the Bosporus--great cure for the winter blues. 

Culinary Time-Travel: Heirloom Apples

Last week, James and I made our annual pilgrimage to Belltown Hill Orchards in Glastonbury for apples, donuts, and more. I was thrilled to see that they had a variety of heirloom apples for sale and picked up a few.

Clockwise from top: Cox's Orange Pippin, a dessert apple that originated in England in 1825 and perfect for pie-making, the lovely, sweet, red Honeycrisp developed in 1960, and the tart, green Newtown Pippin, allegedly Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple.  

I first learned about heirloom apples last year while doing research for the book and loved the idea of cooking heirloom recipes WITH heirloom ingredients. It's culinary time travel! Luckily, heirloom fruits of all kinds seem to be having a moment right now, if NYT trend pieces are to be believed.  And really, considering that most grocery stores only stock around three varieties of apples out of the 7,500 available, one of which includes the abhorent Red Delicious, we could all benefit from a little more apple variety.

I first made a pie using a mixture of heirloom apples and a recipe for Blue Ribbon Apple Pie from my Cook's Country cookbook, which is filled with lots of old-fashioned, classic, "heirloom" American recipes.

Mmmm tastes like history!

Then on Saturday I made yummy vegan pancakes with warm apple topping from the Post Punk Kitchen. Not quite culinary time travel, but delicious all the same. So whether you're making an old fashioned apple pie, or just looking to spruce up an old recipe, heirloom apples are a great addition. Keep an eye out at the farmer's market or, if you're lucky, your grocery store for heirlooms.

 

French Yogurt Cake

I know what you're thinking: "Yogurt? Cake? That's gross! I'm not clicking on that link!" But hear me out! I feel like yogurt gets a bad rap in the states and given some of the offerings (I'm looking at you, Dannon) I completely understand. We seem to equate yogurt with 'healthy' food, which we all know = bleh. But, if you've spent any time in Europe or even Whole Foods, you know there's a great big world of yummy yogurt out there! Even still, it can be hard to associate yogurt with anything remotely fun and non-yogurt tasting. 

I myself was guilty of prejudging this recipe when my step grandmother Fran made it during a recent stay at her home. It didn't really help that she then described it as moist, but I wanted to be polite so I tried some. It didn't taste like yogurt at all, just really yummy, moist cake.  She sent me home with the recipe, since I ate the remaining cake, and I finally got around to making it earlier this week. Not only is it delicious, it's also super easy. I've been eating a slice in the morning for breakfast (and maybe another at lunch or dinner) and it goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.

Fran found this recipe in the book Lunch In Paris, which was an adaptation of Clotilde Dusoulier's original recipe--though they both state that this is a very popular cake in France that is usually the first thing children learn to make themselves. This tidbit will also serve to make you feel bad about yourself if you screw it up. Little French children can make this! What the hell is wrong with you? Additionally, Clotilde's has slightly different measurements that I plan on trying out next time I make this cake, which will probably be this weekend since I can't get enough.

I enjoyed the mixture of berries in Fran's cake so much that I stuck with that this time, but this cake is really adaptable to whatever fruit, nuts, or other seasoning you'd like to include. I feel like it would be perfect with some chopped apples, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a little streusel topping.

Gâteau au Yaourt

2 eggs
1 cup whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt (I used 1% here)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a good pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
1-2 C mix of frozen raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350° F, line the bottom of a round 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Stir in lemon zest. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, top with frozen fruit, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.

Euro Cuisine 2-Qt. Yog...$50.99 Kohl's

Fall Favorites: Poached Quince

                         No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
                                  As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
                                                    John Donne

There is a lot of things that I love about fall: my birthday, Halloween, apple picking, cute jacket weather, pumpkin everything. It is also a wonderful time for cooking, baking, and, of course, enjoying seasonal treats. After learning about quince last year during research for my book, it quickly became one of my fall favorites. Thus, I happily took a few off of James' dad's hands when his quince tree was overloaded with fruit a couple weeks ago. 

James' parents are from Greece and quince trees abound there, but James had only ever eaten the fruit raw, which is really hard and tart. Naturally, he was rather skeptical when I told him how delicious quince can be. However, I think I've finally converted him this past week when I made poached quince and quince jelly. 

I followed David Lebovitz's simple recipe for rosy poached quince, though I find that mine never gets as rosy as his. I have quince envy. I also followed his suggestion to reduce the leftover poaching liquid to create a nice quince-infused syrup. 

However, I ended up boiling mine a bit too long and ended up with quince jelly. Not to worry though, it was delicious. I almost skimped on the vanilla bean because they're pretty pricey, but I'm so glad I didn't. Quince jelly dotted with flecks of vanilla bean smeared on toast is a new obsession.  

A Gardener's Bounty

That's the tricky thing about gardening, sometimes you end up with a ton of ripe zucchinis or tomatoes that need to be eaten within the week. Then it's a challenge to figure out how to use everything in tasty and creative ways. I mean, I like zucchini bread as much as the next person, but after a couple of loaves enough is enough. I thought about canning the tomatoes, but that seemed like a waste. A ripe, in season tomato should be enjoyed in the moment, like nature intended.

When I need new food ideas I usually check out Bon Appetit.com. This recipe for stewed zucchini may not be photogenic, but it is really simple and easy to pair with anything. It also involves mint, which I've just realized is my favorite herb.

Since my mint is still in the baby stages, James' mom was kind enough to give me a bunch from her garden. Thus, I've been able to spend the week eating home-grown tomato sandwiches topped with fresh basil, mint, and this nice cheese from Beaver Brook Farm called pleasant cow. It may not be the most imaginative tomato dish ever, but since I refuse to eat tomato sandwiches the rest of the year I figure I should get my kicks in now before the season ends.

Next up: I decide what to do with the six pears James' dad gave me.

Soup Saturday

Its been a while since I've gotten to spend the day cooking, because I'm just sooooo popular, but I had some time today and decided to make soup. I asked James what he preferred and he said "No lentil." Ok, fine. That's the last time I ask for his input.

Then I saw this recipe for roasted carrot soup on Food52, a website I don't visit as much as I should, that had rave reviews. Normally the idea of carrot soup wouldn't catch my eye, but I love the flavor of roasted vegetables and thought this could be a nice twist. I made kale chips as a side/garnish, which is my favorite way to make kale.

All you do is tear the leaves into smaller pieces, toss in olive oil and salt, then bake in the oven on 300 for about 20 minutes. I turned the leaves over about half way through to make sure they baked evenly. Now I'm full of carrots and kale. My body better appreciate it, especially since I plan on eating this giant whoopie pie later.

Things I "Like": Breakfast Smoothies

Over the past few weeks I've fallen hard for breakfast smoothies. Despite my love of breakfast food, I'm not a big morning eater. On the weekends I can go hours without eating, but during the week I have to choke something down, otherwise I'm super cranky. And since nobody wants Cranky Emily lecturing them on improper comma usage, a nice breakfast smoothie has helped bridge the gap along with upping my daily intake of fruits and veg.

Additionally, though the benefits of running this blog are pretty obvious, sometimes my pants don't fit. When I complained about this recently, James said "Stop baking all the time." Of course, then he emailed me a recipe for dessert pizza, so it's something we both need to adjust to.

As for smoothies, I've been experimenting with different bases and add ins, but usually include the following: almond milk or water, frozen fruit, and a handful of fresh spinach. Sometimes I'll add avocado to create a creamy texture and flax seed, chia seed, or more leafy greens for an extra fiber kick. Part of the fun is coming up with different mixes, which never gets boring, and it's a good way to use up any produce that's on the verge of expiring. 

The smoothie pictured above was made with 8 oz almond milk, a spoonful of almond butter, about a 1/2 C-1C of frozen blueberries, a handful of baby spinach, and about a tablespoon of chia seeds. James says it looks like swamp water, but I assure you it tastes much better. You can always add honey or agave nectar if you like your smoothies a bit sweeter.

Green Lemonade is a great blog for recipes and No More Dirty Looks just featured a post on the beauty benefits of morning smoothies. 

Pinterest Finds: Earl Grey Muffins and Strawberry Butter

My college has been on spring break this week, but it's been more of a working holiday for me. Today was the only day I had nothing to do so, of course, I baked something. 

Sundays At Moosewood With Emily

I don't say this often (ok, maybe I do) but man, I made a great meal tonight: Spicy Broccoli Soba Saute. When I was staying with my aunt in NYC last spring she made this for dinner one night with fried fish and I'm proud to say I managed to successfully recreate it.

I went with cod for the fish since it was on sale at Whole Foods, but flounder works as well. This recipe comes from the Sundays At Moosewood cookbook, Sundays being 'ethnic night' at the legendary natural foods restaurant. 

I'd strongly suggest making extra sauce to dip the fish in. So. Friggin'. Good. I even got all fancy with the ramekins. Also, notice the understated elegance of the plate. It's from my grandparents' china that I inherited and finally brought up from the basement. I feel like a real adult now!

Weekend Update: Some Shoes, Some Books, and Granola Pancakes

I had a pretty productive weekend that involved a lot of cleaning, organizing, sewing, baking, and shopping. The only thing I didn't do was relax. I have to get better at that... 

I found another Coralie Bickford-Smith-designed Penguin Classic at TJ Maxx. This time it was Jane Eyre. 

I also picked up these cute Bass oxfords for 50% off. I'm so excited about them, I just had to share! Ok. I know this isn't a fashion blog, so on to the food...

On Sunday I had a hankering for pancakes. I used to eat them nearly every weekend as a kid and they were the first thing I learned to cook, but I haven't really had much over the last few years. In my house, my mom always used Bisquick, but since my pantry lacked the requisite yellow box, I turned to my well-worn copy of The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. This is the definitive cookbook for all things breakfast.  Of course, she has dozens of pancake recipes, but I was looking for a basic one. Luckily, Marion claims that her recipe for plain pancakes "tastes better than all the others I've tried." And, it's easily adapted to incorporate add-ins like fresh fruit. We had a box of Trader Joe's Low-Fat Berry Granola, so I added that to the batter. I'd recommend putting together the dry ingredients ahead of time and storing them for later use since, if you're anything like me, you're kind of hungov--I mean, tired on weekend mornings and the more streamlined the recipe, the better.

         I hate James' plates so much I (accidentally) dropped one right before I took this shot.

Marion Cunningham's Plain Pancakes (with granola)
2 eggs
5 Tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar 

4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt


Put butter and milk in a small saucepan and warm on low until butter is melted.  Allow to cool. Beat eggs in a bowl. Mix milk/butter mixture in to eggs once it has cooled-- you don't want to cook the eggs! In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until combined. Cook on a hot griddle.

For granola pancakes, I added about a cup to the batter once it was mixed.

This makes about 6 pancakes, so if you're looking to feed a family or a bunch of friends, you should definitely double the recipe.

Warming Winter Meals: Roast Chicken with Meyer Lemon and Herbs de Provance

Pinterest Finds: My New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Warming Winter Meals: Battle of The Beouf

As I've mentioned (whined about) before I pretty much hate winter. Why I continue to live in New England is a mystery to me--well, I guess there's James, my friends, my family, and my commitment to pale skin. But other than those things, there's no real reason why I continue to stay here. 

However, one of the few benefits of living in a cold place is it encourages (ne:forces) me to stay inside and try new things, like sewing curtains or making recipes that take hours and hours. 

As soon as I got my dutch oven for Christmas I knew I wanted to make Beouf Bourguignon, that classic French stew. I looked over a bunch of recipes before deciding on an amalgamation of Julia Child's take and Ina Garten's interpretation. 

Two culinary powerhouses. One classic dish. The battle of the beouf!

Ok, not really. Ina's is designed to be made in around 2 hours while Julia's takes about 4. What I liked about Ina's was her inclusion of Cognac to the carrots and onions. It also provided me with my first opportunity to flambe something, which was scary but fun. You can watch a video of her here but mine in no way flamed that much. I'm calling shenanigans on Ina. 

For the most part though I followed Julia's instructions for the first half of the recipe, up until it comes out of the oven. I did include the onions with the carrots but made sure to braise them first. Seriously, brown braised onions are amazing. Tossing the beef in flour and then putting it in the oven to crisp up is a really important step, but I also loved the flavor the cognac added to the stew. For some reason we had an unopened bottle of Remy Martin in the freezer, so I made good use of that.

I cooked the stew for about 3 hours but then didn't bother with the skimming and sieving of the fat from the gravy as Julia's recipe instructs. I just simmered it for a bit on the stove top and then served it over mashed potatoes. I made Ina Garden's fool-proof roasted Brussels sprouts as an accompaniment, but be warned, this is quite a hearty dish. The beef was super tender, but the sauce is the real star here. Somewhere on the internet someone commented that this whole recipe is basically an exercise in making the best sauce ever, and I concur.

Voila! Maybe wintertime has its perks after all.

Christmas Attack Zone

T-minus two days til Christmas.

Presents: Bought and wrapped. 

Tree: Decorated.

Baking: Almost done. 

Since I'll be spending Christmas Eve and day helping out my aunt and uncle with their kiddies in NYC, James and I are celebrating the holiday on the 26th. We're having some friends over as well, so I've commenced holiday baking ahead of time.

I'd just like to take a moment to extol the virtues of Kerrygold butter. If you're a baker and have never used this stuff, remedy that immediately. The Irish are good at a number of things: whiskey, fiddling, being overly dramatic. I can now add butter to that list.

For my cookie-baking this year I tried out a couple of new recipes I found on Pinterest:

 Peppermint Pinwheels

A word to the wise: the recipe at the link failed to mention that one must chill the dough before rolling it out, hence my oval-shaped cookies (tsk tsk). They still taste good though!

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

As is typical while baking/cooking in my kitchen, I failed to notice beforehand that I needed a pastry cutter so I had to Macguyver it. Not bad. I like that these can also double for Valentine's Day.

Now into the freezer they go until Monday's festivities!

Also on the menu: Red Velvet Cream Cheese cookies (It's a red and white theme this year apparently).

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Spirit and Chocolate Chess Pie

It's officially December, our tiny tree is up, my Christmas mix is playing, and it's pouring rain out. Way to totally ruin the mood, Mother Nature...

                                                Charlie Brown's got nothing on our tree

I'm still waiting for those darn persimmons to ripen. Based on what I've been reading, the biggest mistake one can make in life is to eat an unripened hachiya persimmon, so I'm trying to be patient and wait just a little bit longer. 

                                                   Hurry up and mottle!

In the meantime, I made this chocolate chess pie via Jennifer Perillo's lovely blog In Jennie's Kitchen. 

I've always been intrigued by the more traditional lemon chess pie, mostly because of the name. A quick internet search suggests that this has nothing to do with the board game, but may have been a shortening of 'chest' pie because it held up so well. Considering that it's mainly sugar, I can see why. The top of the pie forms a sugary crust, while the middle stays nice and gooey, which unfortunately doesn't make for a very photogenic pie:

It's quite easy to put together though and James liked it since it's so darn sweet.

Rookie Mistakes and Persimmon Cake

I don't know what my problem was yesterday. Perhaps it was post-Thanksgiving deluge, but I made a bunch of silly mistakes while trying to make this lovely Fuyu persimmon bundt cake via The Food Librarian.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I tried my very first persimmon recently. Turns out it was a hachiya persimmon, which is apparently disgusting when eaten unripe. One must wait until they are very soft and the skin starts to pucker to get the best results.

However, fuyus can be eaten while hard like an apple or soft. And, hence the name, are a necessary ingredient in a FUYU persimmon bundt cake. Well, I got my persimmons mixed up when I was at the grocery store on Saturday and purchased some hachiyas. I was literally buttering my bundt pan when I re-read the recipe and realized my error. So, off to the store I went. How can you tell the difference? First, you can read the labels. Second, you can look at the shape:

A hachiya is shaped more like an acorn

...while a fuyu is flatter and resembles an orange tomato.

After I got my persimmons straightened out, I managed to screw up a few more times: my butter wasn't soft enough. Then I added the eggs too soon. (Had to start again). I almost forgot to sift all the dry ingredients together, etc, etc. By the time I was done the kitchen was a total mess and I needed a drink. 

Somehow, despite everything, the cake came out beautifully:

 It makes quite a nice breakfast cake as well. 

Now, as for those hachiyas currently residing on my windowsill, well, I'll just have to wait until they're ripe.

Pumpkin Everything: Semi-Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Fall brings many wonderful things: eye-popping foliage, flattering women's fashion, and pumpkin-flavored everything (well, almost). My love of all things pumpkin is well-documented on this blog, and this post is no exception...

The other night I was thinking about making pumpkin muffins from a Trader Joe's mix in the morning--because that's a totally normal thing to think about while trying to fall asleep-- when I had a brilliant insight: What if I added cream cheese to them?? I could make my own version of those yummy pumpkin cream cheese muffins from Starbucks and probably for far fewer calories.

I made the batter according to the instructions and filled a muffin tin pan accordingly. Then I mixed about a cup of cream cheese, (I used Temptee; a whipped lite cream cheese) with some vanilla and a little sugar, and placed a dollop on top of each muffin. Then I sprinkled them with some light brown sugar and popped them in the oven. I added a couple of minutes on the baking time because you want the muffins to get a little golden brown on top. 

I'm sure this can be made with any pumpkin bread mix; or you can make your own mix from scratch---if you're super annoying.