good things come in small pie crusts

Becca, here.

Continuing the spirit of fall, I bring you: pumpkin pie!

Sure you've had pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, and a plethora of other pumpkin delights.  But here I simply bring you, pumpkin pie.

Against my mother's better judgment I made my own pie crust.  Yes, terrible mistake.
Why make when you can buy one already mixed, rolled, wrapped, and ready?!

I do not know.

You could say I was feeling ambitious.  Or that I didn't feel like dropping the $3 + gas just to get one.

Ergo, "homemade" pumpkin pie.  
(Thank you Libby's for making this process that much simpler.)

I stole the recipe for the crust at allrecipes.com
You can modify the recipe by typing in how many servings you are looking for.  How cool!

Best Ever Pie Crust

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening (i used margarine and it works just the same!)
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons water


Stir flour and salt together.
Cut shortening/butter/margarine into flour until it forms a crumbly mixture.
Add water until the dough forms a ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and fridge for a few hours.
...My problem here was not having a rolling pin.  Womp, womp.
Roll out the dough and place in pie pan.

Here's where I put the "mini" into pumpkin pie.

With no rolling pin in hand, I molded the dough into large muffin tins for some minis.

Pumpkin Filling

1 large can of Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix
(Mom always said not to use the premade kind, but here I go again against her wishes)
1 8oz can evaporated milk
2 eggs

Mix together.

If you use the plain pumpkin mix add nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Pour into pie pan or muffin tins.

Sprinkle with cinnamon (you know, just for looks)

For my mini pies I baked them for 15 minutes on 425.  Then 40 minutes on 350.

It's all on the can for directions. 

 and you can forget the whip cream...give me ice cream instead!

Let's all give a shout out to the Pilgrims and Indians.

If that's historically correct.

enjoy fall!


enjoy pumpkin __________.

it's breakfast time.

Ally, here.

Some days, you just need pancakes.

And since it's pumpkin season, you probably need pumpkin pancakes. It's finally getting cold here in Kentucky (and by that, I mean that the temperature has dropped below 70 for the time being), so it's nice to enjoy a warm breakfast drowned in syrup.

I should confess that I love syrup. While I do love pancakes, I think I consume a higher volume of syrup than pancakes for breakfast. But these pumpkin pancakes were so tasty that syrup was simply a side dish, rather than the main event.

I should also confess that I am terrible at making pancakes. Try as I might, I can never get that beautiful round shape. Mine always turn out a bit abstract. So please pardon the pancakes in my photos. They look rough, but they tasted so good!

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup pancake mix (I used Aunt Jemima's Whole Wheat Blend)
-1 cup milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
-1 tablespoon canola oil
-1 egg
-1 cup canned pumpkin
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon allspice

Here's what to do:

1. Combine pancake mix, milk, oil, and egg in a bowl. Mix until well blended.

2. Combine pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in another bowl. This will smell wonderful as the pumpkin mixes with the spices.

3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the pancake mix bowl and mix until combined.

4. Cook pancakes on a griddle or skillet. Enjoy with syrup and coffee!

Enjoy another taste of fall! You're going to love it!

it's the most wonderful time of the year.

Ally, here.

That's right folks. The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. It's pumpkin season. And all of the greatest holidays seem to fall into pumpkin season. Halloween (beloved only for the freedom to increase my chocolate consumption), Thanksgiving (hello, buffet of delight!), and Christmas (and Christmas cookies, and Christmas pies, and Christmas brownies, and Christmas coffee cake...). Like I said, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

I've been craving pumpkin ever since Starbucks brought back the pumpkin spice latte (speaking of which, if anyone knows where I can buy my own pumpkin spice syrup, I will bake you anything you want). So now I've stocked my shelves with pumpkin and I'm ready to dive into fall/winter baking. (I am willing to completely ignore the fact that it is currently 86 degrees in Kentucky.)

So this brings us to today's culinary delight. Pumpkin-cranberry muffins. I've adapted this recipe from a Betty Crocker Fall Baking book that my mom sent me in a fall gift package at some point in my college career. Thanks, Mom!

Here's what you'll need:

-2 cups whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup sugar
-3 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup canned pumpkin
-1/2 cup canola oil
-2 eggs
-1 cup craisins
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
-sugar in the raw, for sprinkling

Here's what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or muffins cups.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a bowl. Stir in pumpkin, canola oil, eggs, craisins, and pecans until well-moistened. Divide batter among muffin cups.

3. Sprinkle with sugar in the raw.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy a delightful taste of fall! You're going to love it!