Thursday, October 29, 2009

It's Pumpkin Season

My absolute favorite thing about fall: PUMPKINS! I am crazy about anything pumpkin. Here are some of my favorites:

Dunkin Donuts' Pumpkin Latte
I have taste tested both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and I'm shocked to report that I prefer Dunkin Donuts. Plus, this week all of their small lattes are only 99 cents. Can't beat that!

Pumpkin Raisin Cookies These are my all-time favorite cookies beside chocolate chip and I look forward to making them every fall. They are WELL worth the effort!

Iced Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbs. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins

For the glaze:
2 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ tsp. milk, plus more as needed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
To make the cookies, over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the brown and granulated sugars, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture in two additions, beating well after each addition and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and raisins.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pan, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the glaze, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, adding more milk as needed. The glaze should be thick but pourable.

Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Makes 36 cookies.

Pumpkin Decorating These shimmery pumpkins from Martha Stewart are heavenly!!

I'm baaaack!!


So I suppose I should blog. (Not that anyone will even read this!) I really have been wanting to, I just have been having a hard time prioritizing and making time. Sad, but true. A LOT has happened since my last Easter post. We have moved to Virginia, I have a new teaching job, and Grace is 9 months old! Sadly, our house in South Carolina is still for sale. We are starting to think about renting. But I have serious reservations! Here are my thoughts about renting.
1. No one takes care of your stuff like you do. Enough said. We have taken very good care of our house and I would want it "returned" to me in the same condition it is in now.
2. If we hand it over to a Property Managment company, they will control most decisions, including WHO rents. This makes me so nervous! I would want to choose who rents our house. I would be SO picky!
3. What happens when it's not rented? Will we be able to deal with two mortgages or our mortgage plus rent here in VA if we decide to rent?
4. Will it be hard to buy? It will most likely be harder to buy.

So, as you see, I have more questions than answers. Sometimes I just think we should keep it on the market. It's just hard for me to think about not having our own space until spring. That feels like a loooong way away!

Oh, and I still haven't figured out how to post my pictures WITHIN my post. Ugh.