Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

We went from 86 degrees yesterday to about 60 degrees right now, Wednesday night. It is cool and rainy and kind of feels like a fall night. The temperature is supposed to be in the 50s the next few days. This recipe for pumpkin streusel muffins fits right into the fall weather, but they would be really yummy even in the spring!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin (15 oz or 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree)
1 egg
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Crumb topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the muffin ingredients together and pour into a greased muffin tin. Combine brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon and butter to make the topping. Cut the topping together with a fork until it resembles a coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping on the top of the muffins before baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

My sister was here visiting for a few days and I decided to whip up some yummy seasonal breakfast treats, these delicious pumpkin pancakes. For an extra tasty treat I added some mini chocolate chips to the batter too. Very tasty with some maple syrup!

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 tsp lemon juice in a cup of milk to sour)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup pumpkin

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk together until well blended and then add the pumpkin; mix. Cook pancakes on hot griddle, about 1/4 cup batter per pancake.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

I have been doing a little baking again lately. I've found that I kind of miss it a little and thankfully have been feeling better, less nausea and more energy. A friend of mine had posted this recipe on facebook and since I had all the ingredients I thought I'd give it a try. They turned out so yummy and moist! A delicious breakfast treat.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal (or an additional 1/2 cup flour)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil...I actually substituted applesauce for all the oil)
2 c. peeled, cored and chopped apples

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners or coat 18 muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, sift together flour, flax, 1 c. sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Fold in apples. Spoon into muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake for 35-40 minutes until set.

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta

I survived the 60 mile walk without any injury and barely any soreness in the days after. Yeah! It was an amazing experience and I look forward to doing it again in the future. For now, I'm back home and trying to get settled back in. We've had a busy week with our car in the shop but I've still managed to make some yummy and not too time consuming meals for dinner. This one would have been pretty quick to make if I used regular canned pumpkin, but off course I usually like to do most from scratch and roasted the pumpkin while cooking the sausage and boiling the pasta. Here's to multitasking! This recipe sounds kind of odd, but it was really good. The hubby even really enjoyed it!

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta From Simply in Season
1 pound penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
1 pound bulk sweet sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 T fresh sage, cut in thin strips
1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup pumpkin or winter squash, cooked and pureed
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
coarse salt and pepper

Cook pasta, drain and set aside. In large deep frypan coated with cooking spray, brown sausage over medium-high heat. When cooked, remove meat and set aside. Drain fat from frypan and return pan to stove. Add onion and garlic to frypan and saute until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add bay leaf, sage and white wine or broth and cook until half of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Mix in remaining broth and pumpkin. Continue stirring until sauce starts to bubble. Add sausage and reduce heat. Stir in milk. Add remaining seasonings and simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken. Remove bay leaf. Pour sauce over cooked pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.