Monday, September 29, 2014

Perfect Pumpkin Crumble Muffins

Are you one of those people that goes pumpkin crazy come September? I hate to say I am, but I did get pretty excited when I saw the new pumpkin section at Trader Joes today. I absolutely could not leave without a box of This Pumpkin Walks Into the Bar... Probably just because they had a fun name, but whatever. I had one for dinner tonight, and they were delicious. Yea. I'm healthy I know.

Anyways, speaking of pumpkin, you have to try these pumpkin crumble muffins. They are the perfect blend of pumpkin and sweetness. They aren't over the top, I think I just gave myself a cavity sweet, but just sweet enough so you can eat one for breakfast and not feel too guilty.


the more crumble and powdered sugar the better!
Pumpkin Muffin
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pure pumpkin
¼ cup milk
⅓ cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pumpkin Crumble
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 heaping tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners (this will make approximately 12-14 muffins).

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium size bowl and set aside. Combine pure pumpkin, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until well blended. Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pan (I added a heaping ¼ cup batter to each liner), and set aside.

To make pumpkin crumble, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt, Stir to combine. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbs form. Spoon crumble onto muffins pressing lightly on each. In my opinion, you can never have too much crumble. It's obviously the best part.



Bake for 20 minutes, and then cover with foil and bake for another 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Don't forget the powder sugar dusting. It is essential. I fed one to Cory without the powdered sugar, and he thought they were too plain, but with the powdered sugar, mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Thursday Thoughts - Vol 27

Maybe I'll try this blogging thing again? We'll see. Since it's Fall, and there are yummy things I want to cook and bake I'll give it another shot, but first, Thursday Thoughts.

  1. The coffee at work has got to be the grossest thing ever. I can usually stomach it with the help of a pack of Splenda, but this morning I couldn't find any in the break room so I was forced to drink it black. The faces I made after every sip were probably pretty comical. Thank goodness for the privacy of my high cube walls.
  2. My phone knows me too well. A few weeks ago I was texting Cory and my phone autocorrected to Iwanttobeacat. No joke.
  3. I'm giving up on eBay. I bought some boots last week, and I was so excited for them, but alas I took them out of the box on Monday morning, and they were both for the left foot. Wah wah. They also didn't zip over my enormous calves, but that is beside the point. What a great way to start the week right? Two left feet and I have fat calves. Awesome. I will never buy anything on eBay again. Really...even if it is a really, really good deal.
  4. If you live in Kansas and you go to Louisburg Cider Mill this Fall then you must order a Cyclone. You guys - apple cider slushy, soft serve vanilla ice cream, and crumbled, warm apple cider donut. It is probably the most indulgent thing ever and probably the most delicious. Order it. Seriously. 
  5. To what type of event could I wear these shoes? I really want an excuse to buy some. Too. Freaking. Cute. 
  6. Traveling so much this past year has made me realize I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to airports and flying. Let's talk about baggage claim. Is it really necessary to get as close as humanly possible to the conveyor belt? How about we all stand a reasonable 5 feet back so that everyone can see the bags. Genius right?
  7. Speaking of traveling, I swear Cory walks more than any human being. My Fitbit (and my poor little feet) work overtime whenever we vacation. I mean on Friday in New Orleans I walked more than a half marathon. Madness I tell ya...and that is how I rationalized eating my weight in beignets all weekend.
  8. Can we all just agree that The Mindy Project is the best show on TV right now? Last week my roommates and I replayed Diamond Dan's little strip tease at least 3 times. I mean....no words. Also, can Mindy Kaling and I hurry up and meet each other so we can become BFF's?!?
  9. Does anyone else religiously enter the HGTV Dream Home/Urban Oasis/whatever they are called these days contests? I enter twice a day every single day. Surely I will win eventually right??

Friday, June 20, 2014

Friday Funnies

I threw up on the balcony of the country club.

I HATE when the Southwest flight attendants sing. Ruins my day, and then 
half the plane claps. Don't feed into their narcissism. We're hostages on this 
plane and we're being tortured by your voice.

I feel like I'm in the movie "Failure to Launch", but dude. The guy is 
not near as hot as Matthew McConaughey.

I'm just not very good at shuffle board because my muscles are too big. I guess I'm
 just too strong. [editor's note: these words actually came out of a guy's 
mouth at Sully's, and he was 100% serious. Barf]

Girls just want to get married and make little frat lords.

Don't let me get hotter than you or I'll be trying to upgrade.

I liked an Asian on Tinder tonight. I've reached an all time low. #loweringstandards

I'm so drink. I'm a mess. I ordered a double water.

The only guys who wear the FBI: Female Body Inspector shirts are the guys who've 
never inspected a female body. Those are the worst...or every shirt 
at a beach store. People actually buy those. I weep for America.

Monday, June 16, 2014

6 Month Check Up

Well I'm a few days late since my half birthday was on Saturday, but let's take a look at how I'm doing on my list of yearly goals. I have a feeling I've probably been slacking...
  1. Blog at least once a week. - Major fail. Whoops.
  2. No alcohol or sweets for a month. The alcohol part? That will be easy. The sweets? Lord help me. Completed no alcohol for the month of January. I also attempted to do no sweets but cheated the first weekend so I had to start over on January 6th, but I can happily say I made it the entire month until February 6th! Go me!
  3. Find a church to attend. This must happen this year. - I haven't actually joined a church, but I've tried out a few different ones and I think I like Old Mission United Methodist Church the best so I'm going to say this counts. Now to start going every single week...
  4. Get my new website up and running. - Hopefully Cory isn't reading this. Still haven't gotten around to this yet. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the summer.
  5. Buy/hang curtains in my living room and bedroom. - Nope. Too busy spending money on plane tickets.
  6. Take photography lessons. - Nope.
  7. Take a Bikram yoga class. - Nope.
  8. Travel abroad. Europe. Mexico. Canada. Wherever! - Not yet. I think Cory and I are talking about taking a trip in December right before Christmas so hopefully I can get this one checked off then.
  9. Increase my savings account by changing my automatic funds transfer from $50 to $100 a week. Completed January 1, 2014 which means my savings has grown by at least $5,200 this year.
  10. Walk at least 10,000 steps every day for a month. I just got a Fit Bit for Christmas so I'm kind of obsessed. :) - Did this one in combination with the no sweets. Completed Jan 6-Feb 6.
  11. Call a friend I haven't talked to in awhile on the way home from work at least once a week. - Kinda? Probably not every week.
  12. Say "I love you" more and mean it.
  13. Eat a paleo or low carb diet for a month. Again, this will be very difficult for a carb lover like myself. - Still need to do this. I've been contemplating doing the Whole 30 Challenge. Ashley is motivating me.
  14. Read 12 books - (1) Allegiant by Veronica Roth, (2) Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill, (3) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, (4) Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell,
  15. Try 12 new recipes (bonus points if they aren't desserts). - (1) Funfetti Gooey Cake Bars, (2) Fruity Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad, (3) Biggest Loser Oatmeal Pancakes, (4) Key Lime Cookie Cups, (5) Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Tacos, (6) Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake
  16. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This one is kind of cheating because C and I are already planning on going there in March, but I've wanted to go forever so whatever. This one's a freebie! - Completed on 3/3/14. It. Was. AMAZING. You all must go and bring me back a butterbeer!
  17. Milk a cow. Random you may say? It sounds fun...and I just really want to visit Shatto Milk Company sometime this year. I might die of happiness if I'm able to bottle feed a baby cow. Soooo stinkin' cute! - Nope.
  18. Sing karaoke. - Nope.
  19. Buy a house plant and keep it alive for 6 months. Let's be honest. There is no way it will live for year. Baby steps. - I've bought some succulents. I bought five different plants, and I've already lost one. Fingers crossed the remaining four can hold out for another 5 months and 2 weeks.
  20. Swim with manatees or dolphins. - Swam with manatees in Crystal River, FL on 3/2/14.
  21. Go for a hot air balloon ride. - Nope.
  22. Send snail mail to a friend or family member each month. I know I had this same idea last year, but I failed miserably, and I always love getting fun mail so it's time to return the favor. - Nope.
  23. Buy my parents dinner. - Nope.
  24. Have a garage sale to get rid of everything still boxed up in the basement. If I haven't used it in almost a year I really don't need to keep hanging on to it. - Nope.
  25. Buy a piece of jewelry that signifies all I've achieved so far. - Nope.
  26. Take a spinning class. - Nope.
  27. Try 12 new restaurants. - (1) Ichiban, (2) La Bodega, (3) Azteca Family Mexican, (4) Maverick's Grille, (5) El Palacio De Los Jugos, (6) Grand Cafe, (7) Egan & Sons, (8) The Granary, (9) Bowens Island, (10) Taco Boy, (11) Poogan's Porch, (12) Bay Street Biergarten, (13) High Cotton, (14) The Ordinary, (15) Triangle Char and Bar, (16) Five Loaves CafĂ©, (17) Pane e Vino, (18) Taco Mamacita, (19) Edmund's Oast
  28. Visit at least one state I've never been to. - Nope.
  29. Hold a snake. I didn't have enough courage to do this last year. Maybe 29 is the lucky year? We shall see. - Definitely not.