Sunday, October 11, 2009

Adding a little "Spice" to life!

You know October is here when the smells that come from the kitchen are rich with cinnamon and spice!!
I'm always amazed that cooking with a teaspoon or two of cinnamon in a recipe can make your home smell SO good!

Some more Autumn favorites in our family are:
Spiced Cider... Pumpkin muffins...
Pumpkin cookies...

It was a lovely 32 degree Saturday morning and Jade had a track meet at 11:00 in the morning. I felt SO bad that he had to run his 5K run in the CHILLY morning air and so I put some "spiced cider" in the crock pot for him to enjoy when he got home.
What a yummy treat!
There is nothing that tastes more like the holidays than SPICED Cider!

I hope you enjoy some of our holiday favorites as well!

Spiced Cider
1 gallon
unsweetened apple juice

1 orange
sliced

cloves

cinnamon sticks

Bring
apple juice to a boil on the stove.

Pour in
crock pot and
put in
1 large cinnamon stick
1 sliced orange with 2 to 3 cloves studded in each orange slice

Cook in crockpot on low for 2-3 hours.
Enjoy!!

(I sure LOVE my hubby who is always
SO helpful in the kitchen!)


Pumpkin Muffins
½ cup
REAL butter

¾ cup
sugar

2
eggs

1 teaspoon
vanilla

1 ½
teaspoon baking powder

½
teaspoon soda

¼
teaspoon salt

2 cups flour
1 ½
teaspoon cinnamon

¼
teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon cloves
1 cup
pumpkin (OR leftover squash)

¾ cup
raisins OR chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
These are really good and freeze well.
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Pumpkin Cookies
(these are an “egg-less” cookie)


1 cup
sugar

½ cup REAL butter
1 teaspoon
vanilla

1 cup
leftover squash/pumpkin

2-1/2 to 3
cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon
baking soda

1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon
salt

1 cup
chocolate chips

Cream
together sugar and butter and vanilla.
Then add squash/pumpkin, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Then mix in flour (to make a nice consistency) and last chocolate chips.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes (or until lightly browned).
These are especially yummy frosted with cream cheese frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz.
cream cheese (1/2 a package)

¼ cup
REAL butter

1 teaspoon
vanilla

2 cups
powdered sugar

In a mixer bowl
beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating until smooth.

Enjoy!!

8 comments:

  1. Girl we are twinners!!! These are absolutely my favorite smells and things to eat!! YUM!
    I love when the kids walk into the house and say "Wow it smells SO good in here".

    I love the first picture the pumpkin on your shelf looks so festive :D

    I think it would be dangerous if we lived anywhere close to each other - ha ha!! But OH so much fun!!

    Yayyy for Jade doing his run in the cold. At least when they run it warms them up. I am so glad he enjoys running and finishes with lots of cheering from his team. You know that is all that matters and I bet he feels the love!!
    I also know that his wonderful mom and dad are out there cheering him on to victory!!!

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  2. I love-love the baking smells also!
    The only scents and candles I buy are vanillas and cinnamons.. MMMM.

    I am going to make that cider this week! ~ And I will think of you every step of the way!

    Can you please live next door to me? I'll clean and organize for you.. and you can cook for me everyday.. deal? DEAL!

    How big is your freezer? I have NO room! Seriously! You are always adding more and more to the freezer and I'm thinking.. how big is this?? ha-ha

    I'm sure all of these recipes are yummy because I have had some of your bread is one of the favorites I have EVER had! Yep.. true!
    You've got skills!

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  3. I love autumn smells... I love autumn candles. I have been burning mine brightly all weekend as I finally have put up my halloween decorations. My house is smelling yummmm-OH..

    It would smell better if it was from actual cooking. Warm cider reminds me when I was a little girl. We used to make an ice skating pond in the back yard and ice skate all winter (Pocatello). Mom always had a pot of hot cider on the stove.. I love to make it here - but it is much better after you've played in the snow.....or ran xcountry in cold, cold temps. Brrrrrrr and go kids.

    OK... never had pumpkin cookies frosted... Yummy... Gonna have to make these!

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  4. I love anything with pumpkin in it (oh, and sugar) THose muffins and cookies look absolutely amazing! Looks like we'll need to do some baking around here! :)

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  5. I too love the smell of cinnamon and cloves baking in the oven! Your recipes look fantastic. I'm going to copy and paste them right now so I can make each one of them.
    I think it's so good that you and your husband work together, not only in the kitchen, but it seems in everything. You must be a good team. I'm so glad you made the tomato soup and that you bought a pressure canner! I was always afraid of those things but now that I acutally know how to use it, I love it!
    32 degrees is cold, I hope he stayed warm while running.
    Thanks again for the great recipes. Have a fabulous day!

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  6. Kimmie, you are so amazing! Yum, I think there may be some pumpkin somthin' needing to be cooked today! Totally inspirational.
    I went shopping Saturday night and was looking for you so I could say hi!
    Have a great week!

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  7. Your mummmy on the pumpkin is SO DARN CUTE!!!!!

    Since I got my new oven, I can't get enough of baking. I love how the house smells, and my family is enjoying it to. Thanks for the recipes. I'm am definitely trying all of them. It dawned on me while reading....duh.....to be putting some of the things I bake into the oven. SERIOUSLY.....I am not on top of things when it comes to baking/food/cooking....etc.

    LOVE VISITING!
    Sandra

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  8. I'm SO on board for that cider! I throwing a Halloween party for my nephew and family kids this Friday so the cider will be just the touch!!!

    I must admit that i am not a fan of anything pumpkin taste BUT i have seen that recipe for pumpkin cookies every where and on alot of other blogs...They do look delicious but i just cant get past the pumpkin part.

    Would it be odd to ask how much of a "pumpkin" taste do they have?

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