Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I love this recipe for a few reasons. 1) It's delicious! The muffins are moist without being sticky and the flavor is amazing. 2) Without having to double the recipe it makes a lot of muffins; it's nice to put the extras in the freezer. 3) Unlike some recipes it uses a whole can of pumpkin so you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
 Print Recipe
Yields: 24-30 muffins
Source: Ocean Spray

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 T + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup juice (I've used apple and pineapple)
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
   1.  Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add pumpkin, eggs, banana, oil, applesauce and juice; mix until just moistened. Gently fold in cranberries.
   2.  Fill muffin tins; bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Menu October 22

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins: I think these are my favorite fall muffin recipe {and near the top of my favorites in general}. They're moist, flavorful and the recipe makes a lot of muffins! {Recipe coming soon}

Baked Pumpkin Donuts: Well, my piping skills definitely leave a lot to be desired {that had a lot to do with the bag I picked, but still}. While they surely didn't look pretty they tasted amazing. They were buttery, light and airy.

Pumpkin Pancakes: Continuing with the pumpkin theme... We love these pancakes. They're no harder to make than regular pancakes and taste amazing. They hardly need any syrup, it's more out of habit that we add it.

On the Menu...
Mom's Chili with Non-Grainy Cornbread
Ham & Peach Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
TBD using Spaghetti Squash
Black Bean and Rice Burritoes
Chicken Fajita Pizza {Carry over from last week}

Pumpkin Pancakes {from the freezer}

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

Friday Foreshadowing

I have quite the collection of recipes this week, all of which look absolutely tantalizing to me!

~Pretzel Rolls from Our Best Bites: I've been wanting to make pretzel rolls for a while now after having a burger on one last year {I told you it was a while!} Now to find the perfect sandwich to go with these.

~Apple Braid from Eat, Live, Run: Yet another concept I've wanted to do for a while, a braided loaf. This would be a perfect recipe to try right now, though I might also add some pears.

~Raspberry Almond Braid from Willow Bird Baking: Evidently braids are truly on my mind right now. This one is less seasonal but just as delicious looking.

~Fiesta Chicken from Heavenly Homemakers: I love that this is a crock pot recipe and that it can be served either over rice or in tortillas. Ease and options are great!

~Monte Cristo from 5 Dinners in 1 Hour: I've always wanted to try a Monte Cristo though I'm not really sure why, maybe because of the name. Whatever it might be this looks like an easy enough recipe to make.

All images are from the original recipe source.
This is linked to Friday Favorites.

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

We actually had muffins from the original recipe quite some time ago and must have enjoyed them because I put the recipe on a card in my box. However, recently when I went to make the muffins I didn't have enough butter on hand to make the topping as directed. Instead I used applesauce and discovered a delicious combination. The small amount of applesauce called for brings a large flavor to the muffins. These are a perfect fall muffin, especially if you're short on butter or apples.

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
 Print Recipe
Adapted from: Happy in Dole Valley  
Yields: 12 muffins
Muffins
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Topping
1 1/2 T applesauce
2 T flour
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
   1.  Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients; mix until just moistened. Fill 12 muffin cups.
   2.  In a small bowl mix topping ingredients; divide topping among muffins, gently spread.
   3.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Menu October 15

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins: I adapted this recipe from Happy in Dole Valley and ended up with a muffin with a slight apple taste. It's a winner with all of us! {Recipe coming soon}

Tomato Soup: After many trials and failures I've finally found what we think is the best tomato soup. It makes many apperances on our table because of it's ease and the simplicity of the ingredients. {Recipe coming soon}

Triple Chip Blondies: You must check this recipe out! It was absolute perfection, sweet, buttery and creamy and sure to become a frequent dessert in our home.

On the Menu...

 ~Last week I doubled three meals for the freezer. Also, one meal was from the freezer from last month. I love freezer cooking!~

Baked Potato Soup {in the Crock Pot}
Sweet & Sour Chicken {Crock Pot}
Aloha Burgers {New}
Stromboli {made it this weekend and it's waiting in the freezer}
Chicken Fajita Pizza
Brunch TBD 

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Melts

No one {well, practically no one} is going to deny the goodness that is sure to result when you combine peanut butter and chocolate. This recipe uses the two plus bananas all warmed through for an irresistible snack or treat.
The recipe below is written for just one sandwich but it's easy to make these assembly line style. Be sure to make more than you think you'll need because everyone will definitely want more than one!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Melts
 Print Recipe
Yields: 1 sandwich {double, etc as necessary}
Adapted from: Rachael Ray

Ingredients per sandwich:
2 slices bread
1/2 T butter, room temperature
1 T peanut butter
1/2 banana, sliced
1 tsp chocolate sauce

Directions:
   1.  Spread soft butter on one side of each slice of bread. On the other side of the first slice spread the peanut butter. Top with bananas. On the non-buttered side of the second slice of bread spread the chocolate sauce; put on top of bananas.
   2.  Cook in a non-stick skillet or griddle for about two minutes or until slightly browned; flip and cook two more minutes or until slightly browned and warmed through. Cut in quarters; serve warm.

Menu October 8

Apple Cinnamon Waffles: This flavor combination has always been a winner in our house and these waffles were no different. They weren't as crispy as our waffles usually are and many of them pulled apart in the waffle maker but there was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins: Call me weird but I don't usually care for chocolate chips in my muffins {hence putting them on top instead of in the batter}. Because of that, while there was absolutely nothing wrong with this recipe I'll probably just stick to my normal pumpkin muffin recipe.

Animal Crackers: These were a fun experiment and delicious. They didn't taste like animal crackers but instead almost like a Christmas cookie {probably because of the all spice}. In the end I probably won't put the work into them again.

On the Menu...

  ~I usually plan my menu a week or so at a time. This month I'm trying doing a whole month. I already have all my meals picked out and all the ingredients I'll need. Now all I'll have to do each week is pick meals from the list and make sure we still have enough fruit on hand. So far, money wise, it seems to be working out okay. I have everything I need and still have a fair amount of money left in the grocery budget for stellar deals that pop up.~

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
Chicken Pot Pie
Cream Cheese Pasta
Chimichangas with Mexican Rice
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Cinnamon Roll Breadsticks {New}

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.