Plum...Errr, I Mean PUMPKIN Crazy

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I know this will be two posts in one day, but well...I've read three books over the past few days and if I just posted about those, then this would pretty much be "Book Week." And wellllll, I made some fun pumpkin stuff this weekend and I want to share. So! That being said, let's get started!

A few weeks ago I decided to make an attempt at pumpkin puree. I had a really nice step-by-step guide over at the Pioneer Woman. It was a little bit of work, but it make my whole house smell quite scrumptious and it really wasn't that hard overall. When I was done I had 3 1/2 bags (one cup each) of nice pumpkin puree to freeze. AND with the pumpkin shortage this year, little did I know how handy those bags would become.

Fast forward to last Wednesday night. After having a "farewell-for-the-holiday" dinner with my man at Chili's (2 for $20 is a very enticing promo), my mother joined me at my house. There are two things I'm known for during the holidays: devilled eggs and green bean casserole. Most of the time I end up making a ham, my dad's contribution, but for the most part that's it. ALWAYS there are tons of sweets... Soooo...it's not really needed for me to bring a pie or anything. On the other hand, my mom and step-dad always go to my step-aunt's house for Thanksgiving. Aaaaand, they're always at a loss about what to bring (aaaaand yes, I have a lot of step-relatives-I like to keep it confusing). So, this was probably the best way for me to get my "I-need-to-make-a-Thanksgiving-pie" feeling out of my system. As I've said before, once I've figured out how to do something I just want to keep doing it or making it until I've perfected it. Hence, my invitation for my mom to come over and make a pumpkin pie with me the day before Thanksgiving. We had fun while I made the crust, then the filling and then plopped it in the oven. I made the traditional recipe from the Libby's can, but instead of adding the 15 oz. can of Libby's pumpkin I added 15 oz. of my delish pumpkin puree. The pie did have to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes (I wasn't monitoring it that closely)...I'm not sure if that's normal for using the puree as opposed to the canned stuff, but it needed that extra time. Who wants an extra jiggly pumpkin pie? Not me! Although, the next day there was only one slice left and after polishing off the pie I must say it turned out just as delicious, if not more so, than the canned stuff. It was a little more stringy, but that's just the nature of pumpkin and as the Pioneer Woman said on her website-it didn't hurt anything. Here's a pic of the beautiful, and more importantly-tasty, creation.

Now, while my mother and I were waiting for the pie to bake there was a catastrophe. Why...there was a little over a cup left of my pumpkin puree. Egads! I just HAAAAD to use it up, now didn't I? Haha, why not? We were having fun, why not bake some more! So, I pulled out this recipe that I had printed off from the Pioneer Woman as well. Have you checked her website yet? If not, you should. Ree's got some goooooood recipes over there, and this one is no exception. Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting. Doesn't it just sound good? So, while waiting on the pie I whipped these up and OH MY...these are sinfully good. I sent half of them home with my mom...then she came over to visit on Saturday and asked if there were any left. Yea baby. So good, you're still asking about them three days later. Try them. Now.

Mine aren't as pretty as Ree's. Mostly because I don't have an icing tip set or anything like that. But hey, sometimes things don't have to be pretty if they're this darn GOOD! Notice how there are two muffins missing from the bottom corner sides of this pic? Yea, my mom and I couldn't wait to take a pic...

And to answer your question...no, there aren't any left. They were all scarfed up.

Stay tuned tomorrow for, yet another, book review! Hmmm...will it be New Moon or Reading Lolita in Tehran...hmmm, I don't know. You'll just have to wait and see!