Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is here!!! My absolute favourite time of the year!!! The weather, the colours, Thanksgiving, Pumpkins, Halloween and then Christmas :)

I found these amazing muffins on Pinterest (link to original blog post). The recipe makes a very large batch (24 standard muffins).  I made 12 standard size muffins, 6 large muffins and 12 mini muffins (with no filling). I honestly can't even begin to explain how GOOD they are!!! You will just have to make them so you can see for yourself!!!!

(As a side note: You could use pumpkin pie filling instead of the puree. If you do this, omit all the spices!)

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar

Muffins:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/4 cup oil   

Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cold butter, in pieces 

Directions:

1. Filling: mix ingredients together. Place on saran wrap and roll into a log until about 1 1/2" think. Wrap in tin foil and freeze for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350* and line muffin pans with liners
3. Muffins: whisk first 7 ingredients together. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil on medium low. On low, mix in dry ingredients until moistened.
4. Topping: whisk sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly.
5. To assemble muffins, add a small amount of batter to the muffin wells to just cover liner.  Cut filling log into 24 pieces, and add one piece to each well. Top with remaining batter to cover cream cheese. Sprinkle topping on each muffin.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack (FILLING WILL BE HOT!!!!)

 

5 ingredient Cauliflower Soup

Having two little ones under two I need quick, easy lunch ideas. On this particular day, I had half a head of cauliflower left in the fridge. Aiden was having hot dogs (I don't like them, but sometimes I give them to him so he can enjoy being a kid!). I decided to make up a quick bowl of soup for myself. Super easy, and only 5 ingredients!!!




Ingredients: 

• Half a head of cauliflower, cut into small chunks
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• Approximately 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cream
• Feta (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, saute onions for 3 minutes. Add cauliflower and add enough chicken broth to just cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until cauliflower is tender.
2. With an immersion blender, slightly blend up (I like mine a little chunky...not so pureed)
3. Add cream and heat through
4. Serve and top with feta, salt and pepper!

Feisty Tomato Rice (with Chicken)

I just got back from a conference in Edmonton and haven't had a chance to do a full grocery shop. I went to a work out class this morning, came home and needed something quick for Aiden's lunch so he could nap. There was leftover rice in the fridge and decided to use that up.

This recipe has very few ingredients and it was actually really good :) I used a salsa spice I had in my cupboard, but you can make it as mild or spicy as you like. 

I made a decent amount so I was actually able to have it for dinner with a chicken breast and topped with Feta. Very good!!! (My husband is harvesting so he is hardly home, unfortunately I haven't been cooking as much as normal, so this was a 2-for-1...lunch and dinner!) 

Ingredients

- 1tbsp butter

- 1/4 onion, chopped

- 1 yellow pepper, chopped

- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained

- chilli pepper flakes to your liking

- 2 cups cooked rice

- Optional: Cooked chicken and/or Feta

Directions:

1. Melt butter and sauté onion and pepper for 5 minutes 

2. Add tomatoes and chilli flakes, bring to a boil

3. Add rice and simmer for 5 minutes

4. Top with cooked chicken breast and feta cheese 

Another Perfect Little One!

This is wayyyyyy overdue! Like 5 months overdue, but better late than never! I am introducing our second little one! A girl!!!! Baby Rachel arrived April 16, 2013. She came 2 days before my due date (unlike Aiden....who was 8 days late and induced). 

My contractions started on the 15th around 6:45pm. Earlier in the day I had an OB appointment and after checking me, we discussed induction as it didn't look like I was going to go naturally! Little did we know, it would happen that day!!! 

To be honest, I had no idea they were contractions at the time. I just thought I overdid it through the day. I looked at the clock an hour later and realized I had 5 "contractions". I called my mom and she told me to start writing them down. By 8:50 they were coming every 5 minutes (this is when I say active labour started). 

I called my husband and mom (to watch Aiden) to come! When we got to the hospital at 10pm I was already 5cm. I immediately asked for an epidural! I couldn't believe how fast things were happening (with Aiden I was 6 hours and 47 minutes from the time they broke my water until he arrived). I finally got it at 11:15pm and at was already 8cm!!! 

They had to break my water at 12am on April 16th. I started pushing at 12:25, 8 pushes later and she was born at 12:38am!!! In totally it was 3 hours and 38 minutes of active labour. 

8 pounds, 13 ounces and 20.5" (momma brews big babies!!!)

So far she has been a pretty good baby, although the first 3 months she had severe seperation anxiety. And since then she has been fighting sleep. (She does sleep most of the night though. Just up for feedings). 

Thankfully I was blessed with pretty good babies!!! (Most of the time!) 

Aiden loves his sister!!! I think them being so close in age (19 months) made it easier on him since he doesn't remember being an only child! 

(Left: Aiden at 1 week; Right: Rachel at 5 weeks...think they look alike!)

Sausage with Tomato Sauce over Rice

Last week I was on vacation and thought it would be the perfect time to try something new. We had a couple sausages in the freezer and I didn't feel like regular sausage on a bun...I wanted something different. I adapted this recipe from Taste of Home. It was a hit! We all loved it :) I think I would have preferred it a little spicier, but I have been trying to cut back on spice. My poor little man gets his food ALL over the place!! Sometimes he ends up wiping his eyes, and stings himself. So I am cutting back, we can always add spiciness to ours after it is cooked!

Ingredients

• 4 Honey Garlic Sausages, sliced
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can diced Italian Tomates, drained
• 1 can Tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp Garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Dash of Cayenne Pepper
• 2 cups cooked rice
• Optional: Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, sweet pepper and garlic over medium heat until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
2. Optional: Process diced tomatoes and tomato paste
3. Add tomato mixture, garlic salt, chili pwder, Worcestershire Sauce and Cayenne Pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve over rice and top with Parmesan!

Parmesan Crusted Salmon

We LOVE salmon!!! I usually bake it in the oven with dill, but I wanted a change. This was amazing!!! Already a repeat in our house :) The crust keeps the salmon so moist and ohhhh soooo delicious!

Ingredients:

• Salmon (I usually do a large piece and we just break it up after cooking, but you could easily do 4 portion sized pieces)
• 3 tbsp mayo
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, plus extra for topping
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Mix mayo, Parmesan and lemon juice. Spread evenly over salmon and top with extra Parmesan
3. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fish is flaky

A Special Pizza for Love Day :)

I know this is a little late, but I am finally finding time to post!!! I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day!!! Mine was very nice :) Shawn got up early to make me a wonderful breakfast, packed my lunch and got my tea ready for the road! When I came home, there was a card he got Aiden to "colour" on, and when he got home he brought me flowers!! Overall it was a really nice day :)

I wanted to make something a little special! We love pizza in our house, so I thought it would be perfect to make a heart shaped pizza. I was surprised how well it turned out! It was a last minute idea, so the day before I went out and got the dough. I had the dough shaped and ready to be topped, BUT  when I went to make it....I had no pizza sauce!! I have started making my own, but I didn't even have the stuff handy for that!! However I managed to figure something out. I used my food processor and processed a can of diced Italian tomoates (drained) with a can of tomato paste. I added garlic and parsely. It was reallly yummy!! I only needed a bit so I froze the rest and used that in this recipe!

Here is our pizza <3

Aiden enjoying his cupcake from Gramma!