Pumpkin Spice Latte & Pumpkin Muffins

Mmm more Pumpkin Recipes...another latte and a Pumpkin Muffin recipe
again from Baking and Books.


Pumpkin Spice Muffins (with and without brown sugar topping)

Ingredients: Makes 15 medium sized muffins
• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs

For the topping (optional):
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Cookware: muffin pan

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices.

In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin puree, oil and eggs with a hand held mixer. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spoon frequently. Spoon into buttered muffin pan, filling each muffin mold a little over halfway.

If you are making the topping: combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon, then cut in the butter with a fork or knife. Stir until the mixture begins to look like breadcrumbs, then sprinkle on top of the muffin batter already in the pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before digging in. :yum:

Note: Muffins based on an AllRecipes.com recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Latte (My Recipe)
Another, slightly more decadent version of this drink can be found here.

Ingredients: Makes 2 servings
• 1 1/2 level tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (+ a pinch for sprinkling later)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)
• 2 tablespoons Coffeemate creamer
• 4 to 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar
• Nutmeg (optional)

Begin brewing coffee.

In a blender combine the milk, pumpkin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the milk begins to froth slightly. Remove from heat.

For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug. Add 1 generous tablespoon of Coffeemate creamer. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add 1 cup of brewed coffee. Add 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your drink, I added 3 tsps.) Top off with a touch more ‘pumpkin milk’ then sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Latte II

So I have this friend who linked this recipe she was trying.
It sounded yummeh!! ~ Thanks Michelle!
I will have to revamp it 2 my liking since I don't really care for the coffeemate creamer.
(Picture coming soon)
Recipe came from Baking and Books

Ingredients: Makes 2 servings


• 1 level tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1 cup milk (whole if you dare!)
• 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar (packed and leveled)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (+ a pinch for dusting later)
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)
  You can also use a shot or two of espresso instead of coffee.
• 4 tablespoons Coffeemate creamer
• 4 to 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar
• Whipped cream

Begin brewing coffee.

In a blender puree the milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the milk is warm and begins to froth slightly. (About 4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat.

For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug. Add 2 generous tablespoons of Coffeemate creamer. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add 1 cup of brewed coffee. Add 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your drink, I added 3 tsps.) Top off with a touch more ‘pumpkin milk’ then cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Anyone?

Ok so my favourite time of the year has come!!

YAY~~ Welcome FALL!! I love to bake with apples and pumpkins so I am always on the prowl for some great recipes!! I have come across a few that I am interested in trying!
(picture to follow once I make it)

Like this Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Recipe that came from Sara @ Best Bites
Mmmmmmmmmm!!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/3 C pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/16 t cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 C vanilla ice cream
a few graham crackers

Pop it all in a blender. Start with 1/4 C milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. I used somewhere between 1/4-1/2 C.

A note about blenders: Here's the problem with making thick, diner style milkshakes at home: A lot of times you have to add so much milk to the thing to get the blender to process that it turns into a milk-slushie instead. Or you have to blend and plunge, blend and plunge, etc. You know the drill, right? So if you have any trouble with your blender, I would recommend blending everything but the ice cream first and then mashing it into the ice cream by hand (well, with a hand. Holding a fork or spoon :) If your scooped ice cream sits out at room temp while you measure the other things and get them all ready, then by the time you mash it all together it should be a good consistency.

Sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs before serving.

Ok quick...

somebody call 911- (kidding) Who the heck stole September?

They better give it back!!

OMG I can't believe today is the last day of September.
Seriously I am in shock! I have been so busy with life it isn't funny.
Both the boys settled into school pretty well. My boys are in grade 5 & grade 1 and now I have all this spare time it's weird. I don't know what to do with myself. But actually I do.
I haven't worked since I was pregnant with my oldest who is 10 1/2. Soooo it's time to dust off the old resume, redo it and get back to work PT and make some extra money.
Anyways.. just wanted to poke my nose in and say hello.
I'll be back next month...hahaha!!
HAPPY FALL!!
WOOOOOOO!!
hugs, Bonnie

Welcome September!

Wow...I can't believe it's September already!

The whole month of August swept right by me without a post!
School starts here a week today! And my baby will be in school full time!
"D"man is going into grade 5 & "E"man is going into grade 1.
The kids class lists are supposed to be posted by Friday so we shall see. Time for me to get out and get a part time job and make a few extra bucks.
Summer has pretty much gone here. It's cooler and sunny for now. Our pool is too chilly to swim in. We have shade covering the pool & the backyard 95% of the day, and we don't have a pool heater so it sucks when the pool is too cold. We are expecting rain by the end of the week.
I read an article saying that in the US they are expecting 50% of their population to be infected with the H1N1 virus which is really scary with school just around the corner. So now onto their Flu shots...just wondering how many ppl are thinking about getting them?
I really am not too sure about it since it is new strain of the flu, and we don't really have much info on the results of the shot after it's been given.
Well I just have to edit some photos before posting them for my Lasagne Recipe that I made Sunday night. Mmmmm it was nice having lasagne. It's been a long long time.
Oh I changed my blog theme and I really like it, but I really don't like how I have to keep adding my links n such. I wish that everything would transfer over without losing anything. LOL oh well..I'll be working on adding my links as well.
TTFN!!
Hugs, Bonnie

Holy Heat Wave....

The past week has been kinda warm, the temperature is currently sitting at 29c /84.2F but feels like 37c/98.6F. I feel like I am cooking from the inside out...lol.....

And apparently we haven't seen anything yet!
This next week, all week long will bring us high temperatures of 33c-34c(91.4F/93.2F) but with the humidity it will feel like 42c(107.6F). Apparently the last time we had a heat wave like this was in 1922. Not exactly too sure about how accurate that is and honestly I'm too damned hot to google it! I am sweating so much just sitting here while typing... Yesterday we had an awesome thunderstorm that lasted for a few hours and they are calling for another one sometime today! I really don't mind summer thunderstorms I love how the cool rain feels on my warm skin! Ok..so now I guess I have to de-stickify myself from my leather chair here and go make the kids some dinner!! Wish I could just order out but no such luck!
Ok so now I am off to make Natchos and will probably go dunk my head in the arctic like pool...lol..
TTFN!!
hugs, Bonnie

Diet Water? Artificial Sweeteners May Wind Up In Your H20

Found this disturbing article.....

Water treatment plants don't filter chemical sweeteners, a new report finds.

Chemicals that make our diet soda and foods taste sweeter may be souring the environment. A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has found that artificial sweeteners aren't being removed during wastewater treatment, and they're showing up in rivers, lakes, and even tap water.

THE DETAILS: Researchers took water samples from 10 wastewater treatment plants, four rivers, and nine lakes in Switzerland and tested them for the presence of four artificial sweeteners: acesulfame K (sold under the brand name Sunett), sucralose (sold as Splenda), saccharin (used in Sweet'N Low), and cyclamate (which is banned in the U.S. but still used in Europe). Acesulfame K was the most prevalent, cropping up in 65 percent of their water samples, and along with sucralose, it was detected in treated wastewater in concentrations equal to those found in untreated wastewater. The scientists also tested wastewater sludge to see if those same sweeteners degraded after seven hours. They didn't. The researchers also gathered samples of tap water in Zurich, which draws its water from many of the groundwater sources tested, and found acesulfame in the tap water as well.

WHAT IT MEANS: Whether it's artificial sweeteners or the pharmaceuticals and personal-care product chemicals that have been detected in American waterways, the synthetic substances we use every day don't simply disappear when we chug a diet soda, flush a toilet, or take a shower. And we don't know yet what impact these pseudosugars will have on our waterways, although a prior study on the prevalence of sucralose in rivers and lakes suggests that it could interfere with some organisms' feeding habits. Artificial sweeteners also aren't currently included in tests used by water filter manufacturers, so you may just have to accept that even filtered tap water may start tasting a little sweeter.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Use fruits and herbs to sweeten your drinks; tell the EPA you want artificial sweeteners kept out of your water.

Here are a few ways to cut down on your exposure to chemical sweeteners:

Go natural. Rather than use artificial sweeteners to cut your calorie intake, use fruits and herbs to make your own "diet soda." Our Nickel Pincher columnist recently offered quite a few recipes for satisfying summer drinks. And make sure what you drink most is water, with brewed teas and low-fat dairy products your second most frequent choice.

Read labels. Artificial sweeteners are used in everything from drinks to low-calorie bread loaves to toothpastes. Keep an eye out for acesulfame K (also listed as acesulfame potassium), saccharin, and sucralose. Aspartame, another artificial sweetener commonly used in diet sodas, wasn't included in this study because it, previous research has found, biodegrades pretty quickly into the environment.

Alert the EPA. Send a public comment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency telling them to research the effects of artificial sweeteners in drinking water.

Article found *here*
http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca