Pumpkin Spice Latte

 

This homemade pumpkin spice latte is a lighter alternative to the coffee shop variety, combining a hint of pumpkin puree, homemade almond milk, fall spices and a splash pure maple syrup. It tastes like a decadent coffee drink, without the use of artificial syrups or preservatives! If you don’t care for coffee, feel free to use extra almond milk instead, for a caffeine-free drink!

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, or stevia to taste
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour from the blender into 

   Cocoa Latte Hot Drink Maker

3. Serve warm and frothy! 

Outside Our Window

We can't always know what we are going to wake up to outside our window!we woke up to a gorgeous light blanket of snow covering our world!   I know as soon as breakfast is over we will head out to acquire the necessary gear to make this day full of play.  Boots and snow clothes  will be purchased  (what would we do without Target?!), maybe we will even buy a sled  and winter will be

(un)officially …(you know that December 21st day) welcomed in!

No-Bake Cheesecake

No Bake Cheesecake

1 (6 oz.) Ready-Crust graham cracker pie crust

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle® brand sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice from concentrate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling, chilled or any other fruit in season

With mixer, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in Eagle® Brand‚ until smooth.

Stir in lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour into crust.

Chill at least 3 hours.

After chilled, top with pie filling. Refrigerate leftovers.

Tip: Add whipped cream or other garnish as desired.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients

1  pkg.  (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1  pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1  cup  mashed cooked fresh pumpkin

1/2  cup  oil

1/2 cup  water

3 eggs

1 Tbsp.  pumpkin pie spice

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c butter

4 – 5 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup  chopped toasted Pecans

 

make it

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT first 7 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Put into cupcake lined pan 2/3 full (That is the secret!)

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

SPREAD with Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with nuts. Keep refrigerated.

.

HOW TO COOK FRESH PUMPKIN

Cut a 4- to 5-lb. pumpkin in half with a large knife. Scoop out seeds and stringy fiber. Place each half into a roasting bag and bake until the fleshy part of the pumpkin is soft, mine took 45 – 60 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool just until pumpkin is easy to handle. Remove peel. Mash with potato masher for a chunky mixture. For a smoother consistency, process pumpkin in a food processor. This recipe required a very smooth pumpkin mix, so use your blender until it is completely smooth.  Store in refrigerator up to 5 days. Cooked pumpkin can also be frozen up to 6 months in resealable freezer-weight plastic bags.

COOKING KNOW-HOW

Mashed, cooked fresh pumpkin might have a higher moisture content than canned pumpkin purée. For best results, do not substitute canned pumpkin purée in recipes calling for homemade mashed cooked pumpkin.

Honey-Mustard Pork Roast w/Bacon

Honey-Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon
Adapted from Giada at Home
Serves 6
Roast:
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves (still growing nicely in my backyard)

1 (3-1/2 pound) center-cut, boneless pork loin roast
12 slices (about 1 pound) bacon

Salad:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups (5 ounces) baby arugula (I used spinach)

Special Equipment:

Kitchen Twine

Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.
In a  small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey, garlic, and rosemary (thyme in my case), until smooth.  Spread the mustard mixture evenly over the pork.  Starting at one end, wrap a piece of bacon around the pork.  Wrap another slice of bacon around the pork, making sure to slightly overlap the first piece.  Continue with the remaining bacon until the pork is fully wrapped in bacon.  Using 6-8 pieces of kitchen twine, tied at regular intervals around the roast, secure the bacon in place.
Place the pork in a 9x13-inch baking pan and roast for 1 hour.  Cover the pan loosely with foil and roast for another 10-20 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 160F.  Remove from the oven.  Cover the pan with foil again and allow the pork roast to rest for 20 minutes.  Remove the kitchen twine and slice the meat into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Banana Nut Breakfast Muffins

 

Everyone has a banana bread recipe that they swear is “the best ever” and it might be true. However, this one I made into Muffins… It’s simple, moist, tender, and very flavorful….so it is now my go to”Best Ever” recipe!
Now that the cold weather is upon us and I can turn on the oven without getting heat stroke, I had to make something with my over-ripe bananas!  These freeze very well and defrosts quickly. I usually make up a batch and freeze 6 of them before everyone devours all 12.  Then in the morning, as the ones who have to head out the door to work,  they can grab one from the freezer and enjoy a delicious breakfast by the time they arrive at there appointed destination.

Banana Breakfast Muffins

makes 12 muffins

3 large or 4 medium ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine, cooled slightly

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee (optional)

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set aside a 12-muffin baking tin lined with paper or foil liners.

In a large bowl, mix the bananas with the melted butter. Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and coffee or espresso.

Mix in the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt and mix until just well incorporated. Slowly fold in the walnuts. 

Divide mixture evenly into 12 muffin tins. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve. 

Buon appetito

Fall Pumpkins

These DIY pumpkins look amazing for the month of November.   We’ll be tossing out the old jack-o-lanterns and replacing them with new beautiful fall pumpkins!

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

 

NGREDIENTS

16 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
1 tube of orange frosting with piping tips
16 small peanut butter cups

PREPARATION

1. Place cookies on work surface; squeeze a dime-size dot of frosting in center of each.

2. Unwrap and invert peanut butter cups on frosting, pressing down gently.

3. Using the round piping tip, pipe a "hat-band" with frosting around peanut butter cup and a square "buckle." Let frosting set before storing. Planning Tip: Can be made up to 3 days ahead.

A Night of Candy Candy Candy

Ode to the Fireplace…

Toilet Paper Pumpkin

Found this on pinterest and couldn’t resist sharing!  We’ll be making these next year during our Halloween Bash!

Supplies: a roll of toilet paper per child, an orange piece of tissue paper per child, green tissue paper pieces, raffia, black pumpkin face cut out of black paper or foam per child (optional)

Have each child roll up their toilet paper in a sheet of orange tissue paper. Then have them tuck the ends of the tissue paper into the cylinder inside the toilet paper roll. A part of a piece of green tissue paper can be twisted and tucked into the top along with some raffia. As an optional addition, you could cut out jack-o-lantern faces ahead of time or have the children cut out their own from black paper or sticky foam. Have them glue or tape the faces onto their pumpkins.

Tomb Watch Today

Just in case people forget, there are amazing soldiers standing at the Tomb through this craziness.  This is a picture from this morning….Hurricane Sandy!

Bye bye, baseball

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."

-Bart Giamatti

Congratulations, Giants!

It was an amazing game!  We’ll see everybody next spring!

Harvest Sweet Potato Cupcakes

 

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

2 Cups All Purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C butter, softened
1 1/4 C sugar
3 eggs
1 pound sweet potatoes, roasted, peeled and mashed
1/4 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix first 5 dry ingredients, set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time.
3. Add sweet potato, milk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
4. Add flour mixture beat until just combined.
5. Fill 24 paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full.
6.  Bake for approx 18-20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched.
7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove and cool completely on wire rack.

 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
¼ cup soft butter
½ cup baking cocoa
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
.
The butter needs to be really warm, but not melted. Stir the cocoa into the butter and mix well; whip in the cream cheese & add vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently so that you get a nice smooth butter-cocoa-vanilla-cream cheese mixture. Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until really smooth in between each cup.

Buttermilk Syrup ----Thanks Julie

This is it…..make this syrup and you will have a smile for the rest of the day!

I hate giving my family any of the high-fructose maple syrup substitutes available at the mass market, and a bottle of real maple sets you back $8-$10- which is too rich for my budget these days. Thankfully, my Daughter-in-Love  gave me this recipe, which has quickly become a family favorite- and I mean, to the point that everyone is jump up and down and clap when we make Buttermilk Syrup. It’s real sugar, real butter, and real buttermilk. In our house, our favorite method of consumption is over cinnamon egg whole french toast …now made with Challah Bread!   OMG!!!

HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK SYRUP

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh buttermilk

Melt together in a medium saucepot over low until butter is melted, then bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stirring with a wire-whip, add:

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

The pot will froth and foam up when you add the soda- don’t worry- that’s what’s supposed to happen. Continue whipping for a few seconds and the froth with mellow a little bit. Serve immediately over french toast, waffles or pancakes. Be amazed at how much everyone loves it.  You’re welcome!

A Campfire

 

We gathered around the campfire
On a chilly October night
Don’t tell me those spooky stories
In the pale moonlight….it gives me such a fright!

We added some more logs,
To make the fire bright,

Marshmallows and hot dogs

really were a delight

And when the fire flickered
and embers began to form.
We hurried into the cabin to get all cozy, tired, and warm.

It’s the Weekend

Long Road Trips take their toll!

 

Falling down the stairs with Little Man in my arms hurts like ……. I’m so thankful he doesn’t even have one bump!  I’m sad that it will take many days to heal my body!

 

Butt….the scenery was so beautiful in every direction!

 

 

The Campfire was perfect for marshmallows!

The tire swing quickly became King Kendry’s property….don’t even try to swing in it if he is anywhere close!

The morning sunrise ….was definitely “Purple Mountain Majesty”!

Blankets of leaves cover the canyon floor!

Thank you family and friends for “A Weekend to Remember”  XOXO

Weekend Goodness

 

Only two of the meals that were so delicious this weekend….Friday night Chicken and Rice, Saturday morning French toast with Challah Bread…..

Cookies – Pacifier??

Yes, I will trade you my bobo for a handful of animal crackers! 

Halloween Early

Our friends and family had a pumpkin carving party at the Buffo Bungalow this weekend.  Nothing beats a big bowl of potato soup or chili…in bread bowls, dessert, and some pumpkin carving to get you in the fall spirit.

What happened to the days of triangle eyes and mouths with three teeth? The standard ole pumpkin.... Do you think we'll ever see that guy again? I'm not sure.... With pumpkin patterns, pumpkin knives, pumpkin saws, pumpkin picks, and pumpkin artists... the days of triangle eyes may be gone. They have for our family for almost 10 years!

After a few cries of disappointment, pumpkin guts all over the basement floor… cramps in the hands from making all of the little holes around the pattern, and after sawing away at all of the little curves... The outcome is always pretty darn amazing, what do you think?

and here we are the morning after……….doesn’t get any better! 

I Love Doterra Oils….Seriously!

25 Ways to Use Peppermint Essential Oil

doTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Peppermint essential oil is an incredibly potent and highly effective oil that I personally have used to relieve headaches, cold/flu symptoms, reduce fevers and much more.

1. Rub 4-6 drops in the palm and rub over stomach and around the navel to relieve indigestion, flatulence and diarrhea.
2. Add a drop to herbal tea, to aid in digestion and relieve heartburn.
3. Massage several drops over on the area of injury, to reduce inflammation.
4. Apply it immediately to an injured area (bruised shin, hit on the foot or hand) to relieve pain.  If there is a cut, apply it around (not on) the open wound.
5. Apply a drop topically on unbroken skin, to stop itching.
6. For poison ivy or poison oak, apply on location.  
7. Inhale before and during a workout, to boost your mood and reduce fatigue.
8. To relieve a headache, rub a drop on the temples, forehead, over the sinuses (being very careful to avoid the eyes) and on the back of the neck.
9. To stop hiccups, apply a drop on each side of the fifth cervical vertebra (up three notches from the large vertebra at the base of the neck).
10. Place two drops on the tongue and rub another drop under the nose to improve alertness and concentration.  (Note: be careful not to swallow right away; allow the oil to completely dissolve on the tongue before swallowing.)
11. Diffuse in the room while studying, to improve concentration and accuracy.  Inhale while taking a test, to improve recall.
12. Rub 4 drops on chest and stomach, to relieve travel sickness.
13. Place a drop on the tongue and inhale into the nose and sinuses to relieve congestion from a cold.  It may also be applied over the sinus areas (or to the sinus Vita-Flex points on the feet).
14. Add to food as a flavoring and a preservative.
15. To deter rats, mice, ants or cockroaches, place two drops on a cotton ball, and place along the path or point of entry for thesepests.
16. Mix one 15 ml bottle into a 5 gallon can of paint to dispel the fumes.
17. Place a couple of drops in a cup of hot water, and enjoy in place of coffee.
18. To kill aphids, add 4-5 drops to 4 ounces of water in a spray bottle, shake well and spray the plants.
19. Drink a drop mixed in a glass of cold water, to cool off on a hot day.
20. Rub on joints to relieve arthritis or tendonitis pain.
21. Place a drop on the tongue to stop bad breath.  May also be massaged over the liver, if the bad breath is liver related.
22. Inhale the fragrance to curb the appetite and lessen the impulse to overeat.
23. Remove ticks by applying a drop on a cotton swab and swabbing the tick.  (Wait for it to unhedge its head before removing from your pet.)
24. Mix in a footbath to relieve sore feet.  (Keep water agitated while soaking feet.)
25. Put in a spray bottle with water to mist your body to cool it down on a hot day.

Just for the Weekend:

Allow yourself a weekend filled with the beauty of the sunrise and the tranquility of the sunset.

Look for the positive in all those new endeavors and let the past stay just that! 

 Keep the door shut very tightly against the anxiety that weakens you and embrace the friends in your life who truly care about your happiness!

Let the trouble and hardship and disappointments pass you by.

Enjoy the kudos and best wishes true friends send your way.

May your weekend be filled with harmony!