Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

WOW!  I'm not crazy for pumpkin things, but these muffins are super delicious!  (Also, not a food photographer, but don't they look good?) I made these spectacular little gems awhile ago, but I didn't eat any.  I occasionally get the uncontrollable desire to make something, even if I don't eat it.   I just enjoy making it, and my house smells good.  It fills a void for me when I'm dieting.   Mike thinks it's wierd-whatever.  So, this one day, a few weeks ago, it was pumpkin.  I had bought some pie pumpkins for Halloween decorations, and wanted to roast them and use that instead of canned pumpkin in some kind of baked good...just for kicks and giggles.  After internet and magazine searching, I combined a few recipes to come up with my final version.  I found a delicious sounding pumpkin cheesecake, too, on allrecipes.com.  I'm making it for Thanksgiving instead of plain pumpkin pie.  Enjoy!  The little piggies at my house sure did!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel Topping

Muffins:

3 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

dash ground ginger

1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or a 15 oz can)

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP butter, softened

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup flour

5 TBSP cold butter, cubed

1  1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 28 muffins cups with paper liners or 24 cups and grease a mini loaf pan (*see note).  Prepare filling by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter  until smooth and combined.  Set aside.

Make streusel topping by combining all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix together with a pastry blender until crumbly.  Keep in fridge until ready to use.

For muffins, combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk together.  In another medium bowl of a mixer, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, sugars, and pumpkin.  Mix well.  Slowly add dry ingredients, on low speed, and mix just until combined.

Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 of the way with batter, top with a spoonful of cream cheese, then fill the rest of the way, almost to the top with batter.  Sprinkle muffins with streusel.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool completely before eating.  Can be frozen and warmed in microwave.

**My note-  Because this is a combination of recipes, the amount of batter is wierd.  It makes 28 muffins or 24 muffins plus a mini bread loaf.  I did the mini loaf both times, and added white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, and chopped pecans.  I baked it for 5-10 more minutes after the muffins came out--and, mmm,  a  little bit of heaven!

Ice Skating

Watch out!  Last Thursday, "the girls" started ice skating lessons at a rink that just opened near our house.  When I say "the girls", I mean Hallie, Emily, AND me.  It started out just being Hallie, but then I was looking over the schedule of classes and saw there was one for Emily's age at the same time, and an adult/teen class right after that, and decided it would be fun for all of us to do it.

And fun it was!  Hallie loved it, and did really great.  She  wants to go back teveryday for public skate.  Emily wasn't sure about it, because she fell (that's what people do when they are on a slippery surface), but then she was asking when she could come back.   I DIDN'T fall (wow!) and I had a really fun time.  And, there were only 4 people in my class, which was nice-- me, a cute teenage girl, another adult, and a "girl"  that was probably 12 or 13.  She had an almost buzz haircut and boy clothes, yet a name tag that said "Jenny".  It confused me.  Jenny wasn't really listening to our instructor, she was doing her own thing and kept saying "I just want to play hockey" (it makes a little more sense now).  Poor Jenny.  I don't know if she'll be back.  

The one girl that was maybe 14,  was catching on SUPER quick.  It was taking longer for us others. I guess it's easier when you're young.  Me and the other "older person", a hilarious chubby black lady, were providing good entertainment for the spectators.  This one couple (the 14 year old parents) were dying laughing most of our class.  Afterward her mom came and apologized to me because she said she felt bad.  She said she couldn't  ice skate either, so she really shouldn't be laughing, but it was hard not to.  I told her I would probably laugh at us too if I was on the other side of the glass.  I'm not that insecure about myself.  Plus, I'll only get better from here on, right?  And,  it's great exercise for the thighs and glutes!  Can't wait for next week!

P.S-Thanks Julie for the picture help, we all know I'm not so computer saavy!

Serenity Now!

I love my kids to death, but sometimes they make me INSANE! Especially the two little ones.  So, this morning, Emily in particular, was very wild,  tackling Dylan, hopping on furniture, walking around with food, etc.  Basically breaking all the rules.  I was trying to get stuff done before going to the gym, but I had to keep stopping to reprimand Emily.  I was getting really frustrated. I kept thinking of that Seinfeld episode when George's dad keeps yelling "Serenity Now!" whenever he wanted whatever was getting on his nerves to go away.

  

Finally, I grabbed her and sat her down and  told her she needed to settle down and stop breaking the rules, she yelled back at me, "You stop! You're breaking the rules!  And don't  talk nice to me, either!".  I said "fine", and walked away.  Five seconds later, she and Dylan both are wild...LOUD and wild, I can't think straight, I can feel my annoyance building, so I take a page from Mike's book, and suddenly decide I need to lock myself in the bathroom for a few minutes to escape.   I take the cookbook I was reading (yes, I read cookbooks cover to cover like most people read novels, I get a little obsessed, especially when I am dieting) and go into my bathroom.  (two or three minutes pass...)

Suddenly, a knock at the door:

Emily: "Mommy are you in there?"

Me: "Yes, what do you need?"

Emily: "What are you doing?"

Dylan: (a faint echo) "a doing, mommy?"

Me: "Just sitting in the bathroom.  I'll come out in a few minutes."

Emily: "Ok....don't push too hard."

Dylan: (a faint echo) "a push too hard, mommy!"

Me: (trying not to laugh) "Thanks."

How can I be irritated when she says stuff like that?  She didn't know I wasn't actually using the bathroom for it's intended purpose.  She was just looking out for her mom.  That girl has the best lines sometimes....love her!

Pumpkins!

I forgot to mention our pumpkins before Halloween!  I found a pumpkin patch here that looked really fun, and I was all excited to go, but we have been so busy, there just wasn't a good time.  So I talked the kids into settling for a pumpkin stand on the corner.  They still had fun and picked out some great pumpkins for carving.

Spencer's pumpkin was "Frankenstein"

Hallie carved a "cat"

Halloween

 I have to admit, I don't love Halloween.  I love decorating my house for Halloween, but that's about it.  And,  sadly,  I didn't get any good pictures this year because no one  cooperated with me, and when they finally agreed, the pictures turned out retarded.  At least we can see what the costumes were.  It's fun to keep track . Oh well.

Spencer was a zombie soccer player, Hallie was a witch, Emily was Supergirl, and Dylan was "mini Mike" (I made his little scrubs without a pattern, I just looked at a pair of Mike's and I was pretty impressed with myself).  I'm not usually a dresser upper for Halloween, but last year we were in California when Mike's brother, Dan, and his wife Gillian, had a Halloween party, so we bought my costume and went as Supergirl and Lex Luthor.  And  I admit, it was pretty fun wearing it trick-or treating with the kids.  Almost like I was a kid again, except I can't eat ANY of the candy for a few more weeks, because Mike and I are on this crazy diet.  I'm not usually a big candy person- (I'm more of a bakery items girl) but the last couple of days, I totally want all of it!   

HSM 3-Scream!!

Payton, Gabbi, Hallie outside the theatre

Well, we saw THE movie tonight-High School Musical 3, and loved it.  I took Hallie and two of her friends, Payton and Gabbi.  It was a really  fun atmosphere there.  After the previews, as soon as the movie started screams and claps erupted in the theatre.  I was laughing at all the excitement.  When it was over, again screams and claps.  Little girls were commenting how it was "the best movie ever!".  

Jumping and screaming for the news camera

Then we walked outside and saw the channel 12 News guy and a camera, and more screams.  We waited for a few minutes so the girls could be LIVE on the 5 o'clock news.  And, you guessed it, more SCREAMS!!  It was really loud, but really cute.  I had called Mike and told him to start recording the news,  so we were able to watch it when we got home.  Hallie felt like such a celebrity for her 5 seconds on the news.  We are totally buying it when it comes out on DVD.

P.S- Yes, I think Zac Efron is cute.  For me, growing up it was  Corey Haim and Kirk Cameron...come on, they were "rad" in  Jr. High...

Home Again

Hooray!! We're home.  We had a fun time in California, but it's so nice to back.  I can"t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!  There are a few more things that I don't want to forget before I move on from our California Adventures:

First, on Monday, when we were driving to the beach, we saw a small tent looking thing in the distance and Spencer says "Look, a Mexican Circus!". (He was half serious) And I said "No, someone is just probably getting their house exterminated."  We continue to drive, and turn the corner to see a little circus tent and a sign that reads "CIRCO MEXICO!".  We all started laughing. Only in Oxnard....

Second, for breakfast one morning, we decided to make Blueberry Pancakes -(from a mix with dried blueberry bits, not REAL berries, the kids LOVE 'em)-anyway, I proceed to make a small batch, and Dylan ate 3, Emily ate 2, and I had one big one.  Spencer and Hallie woke up and wanted some, so I started to make a new batch when I notice the blueberry bits have LEGS. Several are trying to swim out of the batter, and I immediately feel like I might throw up.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I was totally grossed out, and I felt like "Mommy Dearest" feeding my innocent little children bug pancakes.  Needless to say, the mix was thrown out and we had other food for breakfast.  

And third, my kids occasionally sleep walk (Hallie) and talk in their sleep (so do I), and this morning I woke up and walked by Emily and saw she was almost falling out of the bed, so I picked her up to move her and she says "No, wait..my super-clothes are on the bridge and I need to get them when we get to the snow."  I said "ok, we'll get them when we get to the snow" and she said "ok", and went back to sleep.  This is funny because she LOVES superheroes.  My mom made her and Dylan matching super capes and they play superheroes together.  She even wanted to be "Batman with all the muscles" for Halloween, but I was able to talk her down to Super Girl.  We love that crazy nut!