Frosted Pumpkin Muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBS butter, cut into pieces

1 cup (heaping) pumpkin puree

1/2 cups evaporated milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cups golden raisins (I'm going to try chocolate chips, too!)

Topping:

2 TBS sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 nutmeg

Frosting:

1/4 cup softened butter

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 pound powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400. Generously grease 12 muffin tins (or use cupcake liners). Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into muffin pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar topping.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely.

Mix all frosting ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins.

***This frosting recipe is enough for generously frosting a double batch of muffins!

Serves 12

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

10 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) plus more for pan

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15 oz can)

3/4 cup light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean - 30 minutes.

Sugar Coating

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

Fluffy Chicken and Rice

1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can of milk

3/4 cup uncooked regular rice

1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces

1 envelope (about 1 1/2 oz) onion soup mix

2 chicken breasts halved

Heat oven to 350. Mix mushroom soup and milk; reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture. Mix remaining soup mixture with the rice, mushroom (with liquid) and half the onion soup mix.

Pour into ungreased baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top. Pour reserved soup mixture over chicken breasts; sprinkle with remaining onion soup mix. Cover with tin foil; bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer.

4 servings

When I was in college, my Mom sent me this recipe. Its one of those old Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library recipes and the original title is Fluffy Rice and Chicken. Mom switched the order on the recipe card she sent me and it cracked me up. I wrote home to Mom that fluffy chicken was my favorite. So, the name has stuck in our family.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

48 Rolos, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. In a separate bowl cream sugar, brown sugar and butter until light. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Add flour mixture, blend well. Shape about 1 TBS dough around 1 Rolo, covering completely. Place 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire rack.

*The original recipe calls for 1 cup chopped pecans - half stirred into the dough just before shaping into balls. After shaping the dough balls, dip one side into remaining pecans before baking.

** The original recipe also calls for 4 oz almond bark which is melted and drizzled over baked cookies.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2 TBS milk

40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together. In a separate bowl, cream butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture and mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Oriental Chicken Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar (omit if grilling)

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1 lime

8-10 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken

Marinate overnight. Chicken can be grilled or baked.

Savory Onion Rice

1 1/4 cup regular rice

1 (10 1/2 oz) can condensed beef consomme

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine (if doubling, still just use 1 stick)

1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed onion soup

1 (2 oz) can mushrooms, drained

Put rice into quart casserole dish. Pour soup and consomme over rice. Add mushrooms and margarine. Cover casserole dish; bake in oven at 350 for 1 hour, stirring rice after first half hour.