Best Muffins Ever

I got this recipe from my neighbor...and then of course, being the creative (aka unable to follow directions) cook that I am, I changed a bunch of stuff. I think these are SO yummy. Especially spread with a little cream cheese for breakfast.

I tried to jam in as many healthy things as possible. Various flours that supposedly have different nutritional components, oats for soluble fiber, flax seeds for extra good fats, pumpkin with anti-oxidants...maybe some raisins would make a good addition...

Tater thought they were good. Sprout was frightened that they contained "spice" but did nibble one and declare it OK.

Kids like measuring and dumping. Tater is an excellent sous chef (although I supposed that implies I am a chef, which would be ever so misleading).

I ate almost the whole batch myself the last time. I just made more...and I am scared.

Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine these dry ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used 1/4 cup each of Spelt, Barley, Brown Rice, and White Whole Wheat)
1 cup oats (Quaker, in the tub)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp Ground Flax Seeds (no one will ever know)
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
6 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (I know that sounds crazy...but trust me)
1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl combine these wet ingredients:
2 cups canned pumpkin (plain pumpkin)
2/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until blended.

Spoon into muffin pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. If you do mini-muffins, I warn you...you will not be able to stop eating them.

Bake for 20-25 minutes - probably check around 15 if you do the minis.

Try not to eat them all at once.

Germs are no fun at all...

Go check out this fun site: Say Boo to Flu.

I didn't really realize (I mean, I sort of realized, but probably stashed it in some hidden corner of my mind) that the flu can actually be deadly!

So...go get a flu shot. I just got mine yesterday and the kids had theirs a few weeks ago, and check out the fun activities on their website.

Cinnamon Magic looks entertaining and quick...and I am all over Bug Cakes (although I would totally make them with a mix and pre-prepared frosting...anything that involves a double-boiler is WAY beyond my skills!)

Nod to Tradition

Tater felt that he needed the regular carved pumpkin.

But liked the idea of cable ties for hair.

So. Voila!

Pimp my Pumpkin?

How fun is this?
I am so proud of this idea.

I was not looking forward to carving pumpkins with the kids. The oogy slimy scraping. The sharp knives accompanied with incessant whining that they NEED to try to do it themselves.

So I got this idea to put stuff ON the pumpkin. Like hardware!

I went to Lowe's and wandered around looking for things (cheap things...each under a dollar) that could be face parts. I came home with a collection of little plastic pipe pieces and bolts and washers and laid them out before my children.

Sprout was on board. She picked out pieces. She helped poke holes in the pumpkin with a nail and a hammer (probably why she was on board...the girl LOVES tools). She approved my idea of wrapping stiff wire around the pieces and then poking the wire ends into the pumpkin to secure them. She jabbed the cable ties into his "head".

Tater is rejecting this break from tradition and insists that we have to make his pumpkin into a REAL Jack-o-Lantern. Darn.

Rainy Saturday

We have just been hanging around today. The kids did some painting on some "treasure boxes" we had left over from this summers project-a-thon.

We went to Halloween parties last night.

Tater and I went to the Halloween Ball at his school. This was essentially a whole bunch of K-2 kids in costumes running around in the semi-darkness while the Macarena played...BUT Tater won the costume contest with his dead-on resemblance to a young and very cute Harry Potter. $20 Gift Card for Target...I am trying hard not to steal it!

Sprout and Daddy went to a Halloween party hosted by her orthodontist. The lavishness of this affair leads me to believe that I am overypaying for her treatment... But she had lots of fun, so I guess it is worth it.

We are getting ready to go to the movies. It is windy, rainy, cold. Nothing fun can happen outside. So we are going to see High School Musical 3. This is despite (or, I guess, in addition to) the fact that we are taking a bunch of Sprout's friends to see the same movie NEXT Saturday for her 9th birthday party..

Maybe I will branch out into movie reviews here!

Hope you are having fun with whatever your Saturday offers!

Try and try again...

Despite strong evidence to the contrary (submitted here), my little Tater continues to believe that I can create amazing cakes.

And despite the fact that I completely don't give a hoot about sports, we are currently putting together our Phillies party.

Twisty Cheese Curls, pizza and cake. Just what every kid needs!

Tater drew the stars and the black circle...I did the "Go Phillies". Sprout wanted to lick the icing spreader, but was shut down. Poor Sprout.

The balloons are blown up...streamers are being hung. T-shirts are on (although we will be putting jammies under the t-shirts before game time.)

I think there may be some hats secreted away somewhere.

Go Phillies! (says Tater and Sprout and their Daddy)...

And the winner is...

Here's our logo...what do you think??