Halloween - Best. Holiday. Ever.

Everyone thinks so.

Pumpkins - check.
Costumes - check.
Cupcakes - check.
Party Invitations - check. (seriously? Coolest thing ever)
Decorations - check.
More decorations - check.
Treats - check.
Tricks - check.

Now that I have a pad conducive to entertaining, which I also don't plan on leaving any time in the foreseeable future, expect fantastical Halloween parties. OMFG I love Halloween.

Caramel Pecan Cakes

So these look pretty freaking delicious. I wonder if I'm making dessert for Thanksgiving this year. . . .

Caramel Pecan Cakes Gourmet | October 2008

by Pastry Chef Monica Segovia-Welsh Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC These individual cakes, from Lantern pastry chef Monica Segovia-Welsh, are moist, tender, and not remotely fussy. Yield: Makes 8 individual cakes Active Time: 35 min Total Time: 2 1/2 hr For caramel: 2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups water, divided For cake: 1/2 cup pecans 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup packed brown sugar Equipment: 8 (6-ounces) ramekins Make caramel:

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals on side of skillet with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling skillet occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Remove from heat and carefully stir in remaining cup water (mixture will steam vigorously and may stiffen). Return to a boil and stir until caramel has completely dissolved. If necessary, simmer until just syrupy, 1 to 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Toast pecans for cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Toast pecans in a 4-sided sheet pan in oven until fragrant

and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop.
Make cake:

Put 2/3 cup cooled caramel syrup in a bowl (save remainder to use as sauce) and add butter, egg, and cream, whisking well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and sugars into a large

bowl. Make a well in center, then add caramel mixture and gradually whisk in dry ingredients until smooth. Fold in pecans. Chill, covered, until cold (or 12 to 24 hours for best results).

Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.

Butter and lightly flour ramekins, then cut out and fit a round of parchment paper in bottom of each. Arrange in a 4-sided sheet pan.

Divide batter among ramekins (about 1/4 cup each; batter will be stiff). Bake until cakes just spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cakes to warm. Reheat remaining caramel.

Invert cakes onto plates, then peel off parchment and spoon some of caramel on top.
Cooks’ note:
Cakes can be made 4 hours ahead. Rewarm, individually wrapped in foil, in a 300°F oven.

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals on side of skillet with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling skillet occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Remove from heat and carefully stir in remaining cup water (mixture will steam vigorously and may stiffen). Return to a boil and stir until caramel has completely dissolved. If necessary, simmer until just syrupy, 1 to 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Toast pecans for cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Toast pecans in a 4-sided sheet pan in oven until fragrant

and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop.
Make cake:

Put 2/3 cup cooled caramel syrup in a bowl (save remainder to use as sauce) and add butter, egg, and cream, whisking well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and sugars into a large

bowl. Make a well in center, then add caramel mixture and gradually whisk in dry ingredients until smooth. Fold in pecans. Chill, covered, until cold (or 12 to 24 hours for best results).

Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.

Butter and lightly flour ramekins, then cut out and fit a round of parchment paper in bottom of each. Arrange in a 4-sided sheet pan.

Divide batter among ramekins (about 1/4 cup each; batter will be stiff). Bake until cakes just spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cakes to warm. Reheat remaining caramel.

Invert cakes onto plates, then peel off parchment and spoon some of caramel on top.
Cooks’ note:
Cakes can be made 4 hours ahead. Rewarm, individually wrapped in foil, in a 300°F oven.

Speaking of cauliflower. . .

I love it. So do the bacteria that live in my intestines however, which makes for a deadly combination.
Moving on to more appetizing thoughts, cauliflower is damn delicious. As a child, some brilliant woman (my grandmother) convinced me cauliflower was some sort of indulgent treat and I used to sneak into the kitchen and break chunks off when no one was looking. I didn't catch on for several years and then didn't eat cauliflower until oh, 10 years ago or so. Man, what I was missing. Here are a couple of my favorite cauliflower recipes.

Pan Roasted Cauliflower
Easiest. Recipe. Ever.
1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and broken/cut up into florets
Garli Garni (or if you must, garlic powder, DON'T USE GARLIC SALT!)
olive oil
Heat oven to 500.

Spread the cauli out on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and top with copious amounts of Garni. Seriously, like a lot a lot. More than that. Keep going. A tiny bit more. Okay, good.

Pop in the oven until fork tender and brown on the edges. If it gets tender but not very brown, I put it under the broiler for a few. The crispy, garlicky bits are like the yummiest garlic bread. I can eat an entire head of cauliflower this way, much to Eel's dismay. Sorry baby.

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Caulimash
4 cups of cauli florets
1 oz I can't believe it's not butter
1 oz ff half and half
salt & pepper

Steam cauli til soft. Puree in a food processor adding butter and half and half to taste. Season with s&p. No, you won't really think it's potatoes, but it's a good stand in.

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Cauliflower Soup
2 heads of cauli, separated into florets
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3 c chook broth
1 c water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups heavy cream (OR TJ's ff half and half of course)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl (or in your roasting pan) toss cauli, oil, garlic and shallots. Roast til tender; 30 minutes or so.
When done, transfer to a large soup pot and pour in chook broth and water. Season with thyme and bay and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Puree using an immersion blender (so much easier than doing batches in the blender) and return to pot. Stir in cream, s&p and taste. Heat through for serving but do not allow to boil. Serve with yummy crusty bread and/or those delicious little parmesan crisps.

Speaking of gratin. . .

I remembered that I bookmarked this one long ago and have yet to try it out, even though I drool every time I go anywhere near it. Why? Goat cheese, that's why. Did you even question it?

Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Gratin

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 6 servings

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
2 cups grated Parmesan
6 ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Layer the cauliflower, heavy cream, and the 3 cheeses in a medium casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note: Recipe can be doubled and made in a roasting pan.

Blogger's Note: * wonder if it can be quadrupled. . . *

Thanks Bobby Flay!

Fall = Squash

Butternut squash, pumpkin squash, acorn squash, squash sammiches. . . . the list goes on.
Wiki taught me some cool squash history in fact:
Squash was one of the "Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans. The Three Sisters were the three main indigenous plants used for agriculture: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were usually planted together, with the cornstalk providing support for the climbing beans, and shade for the squash. The squash vines provided ground cover to limit weeds. The beans provided nitrogen fixing for all three crops.

How clever! Ah, a return to our small farm roots; it's a bummer I no longer have a backyard to tempt me to try to plant these three and tend to them for a month before I forget they're there and they die.

If you're in a squashy mood, these two nummerific Aylene recipes are sure to please, especially the gratin. * melts *

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

Terrific with toasted baguette slices or pita chips, this creamy, sweet-savory dip can be prepared up to three days in advance. Refrigerate in a microwave-safe container, then reheat in a microwave on high for one to two minutes or just until warmed.


1 (2-pound) butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, trimmed and quartered
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or whole sour cream
¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°

Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Brush cut sides of squash halves, cut sides of onion quarter, and garlic cloves with oil. Arrange squash halves, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan, or baking sheet with sides; arrange onion quarters and garlic cloves on pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, or until just starting to caramelize. Cool slightly. Peel squash. Squeeze garlic cloves to extract pulp.

Place squash, onion, and garlic pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Add crème fraîche and remaining ingredients; process to combine. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 Cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

CALORIES 35 (28% from fat); FAT 1.1g; PROTEIN 0.6g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CARBS 6.3g


This can also be turned into butternut squash soup. Just add fat free half and half or chicken broth to the finished or leftover recipe until you reach the desired consistency and reheat.

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Butternut Squash Gratin

Serves 4-6

1 medium-size butternut squash (2-2 ½ lbs.)
(Trader Joes sells already peeled and cubed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated Gruyere (hard type of Swiss-no holes)
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup freshly toasted breadcrumbs-sourdough is great (not
finely ground from the store)
2 tablespoons butter, diced
1 tablespoon fresh minced basil
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley

Instructions: Preheat oven to 425°

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

➢ Using a knife or a sturdy vegetable peeler, remove the rind from the squash. Depending on the size of your squash, cutting the neck from the base may make it easier to do this. Scoop out the seeds. Dice the squash into ¾-inch pieces, and transfer to the sheet pan.

➢ Drizzle the olive oil over the squash and season with the black pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt. Toss to coat, then roast for 15 minutes, or until the squash is just tender, but not quite cooked through. Set aside.

➢ Lower oven temperature to 350°

➢ Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, gently heat the cream. Gently whisk in the cheeses, ½ teaspoon of salt, white pepper and nutmeg, stirring until the cheese is melted and the spices incorporated. Set aside and keep warm.

➢ Transfer the cooked squash to an 8-inch square baking dish. Pour the cream and cheese mixture evenly over the squash.

➢ Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mixture, then scatter the butter on top. Season with salt and pepper.

➢ Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cream sauce is bubbling.

➢ Meanwhile, toss the herbs (basil, thyme, parsley) together in a small bowl. Remove the gratin from the oven, and garnish with the herb mixture.

Recipe Exchange

I got one of those chain emails, one of the only ones I ever bother to forward on; the recipe exchange email. You know, put your name in the number 2 position and put my name in the number one position and send it out and everyone sends a recipe to the person in the number one position and so on and so forth. Absolutely baffling to some of my less tech savvy relatives, but still a fun way to get some new recipes, or at least get you thinking of variations that you might actually eat.
I think it's hilarious the varied responses I got (from mojitos to random dumpings of things in casserole dishes to actual recipes), and so I've decided to post them here (typos in tact, I don't have time to edit for everyone you know). If you end up making any of them, please let me know! A couple of them frighten me a little, I'll admit. . .

SHRIMP CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

1- can of 46oz. Tomato jucie*
1- can Tomato paste*
1- quart heavy cream*
1/2 bottle cocktail sauce*
3 tablespoons worcester sauce*
3 tablespoons hot sauce* to your taste
1 tablespoon seasalt or table salt* to your taste
1 tablespoon onion/flakes * (optiional)
* bring all above ingredients to boil then simmer.

2 lbs. chop and/or whole shrimp meat
1 lb. imitation crab
1 cilantro bunch chopped
1/2 cup Vin Rose Wine*
Add above ingredients simmer for another 5-10 minutes
Enjoy!

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Let's call these: Stuffin' Meat Muffins, because, well, funny, and they had no name when they were sent to me

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef (Turkey)
1 pkg. (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing
1 C. Water
3/4 C. Shredded Cheese

Mix meat and stuffing mix and water. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 30 min. Top with a bit for cheese and bake another 5 mins.

Yummy! You can add same salsa before cooking too. Or BBQ sauce.

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Mango Mojitos

1 serving (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 2 lime wedges
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup club soda
• 3 tablespoons rum
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon mango nectar
• Crushed ice

Preparation

Squeeze the lime wedges into a small glass; add wedges and mint to glass. Crush with the back of a spoon for 30 seconds. Add soda, rum, Simple Syrup, and nectar; stir gently. Serve over ice.

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Curried Chicken

This is so delicious, not spicey, sauce is great over rice!!! Oh, and easy...

1/2 cup chutney

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 TBS curry powder

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup golden raisins

2 1/2 cups orange juice

5 pounds chicken, cut up

Add all ingredients to a pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for an hour.

Serves 10

Enjoy!!

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Brisket 3-5 lbs

1 bottle chili sauce, by catsup, Heinz is a common brand

I envelope onion soup mix

2 onions-thinly sliced

2 ribs celery-thinly sliced

water

Put brisket in bottom of crock pot. Pour over the chili sauce, then fill up the sauce bottle half way, shake and then add this half bottle of water to the pot. Put in the onions and the celery, sprinkle with the onion soup. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8. Serve over egg noodles.

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I package angel food cake mix....

1 med. can crushed pineapple

dump cake mix into bowl

dump pineapple into bowl with dry mix and mix by hand

cook in angel food pan as directed on box...

delicious, refreshing, low calorie and easy....

yummy yummy

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More to come as I receive them because, well, why not.




Breakfast Fritata (great for company/easy to make)

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs
one can evaporated milk (low fat)
1 package (30oz) shredded hash browns (frozen)
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 can diced green chiles
1/2 medium onion diced
1 green or red bell pepper diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Beat egg and evaporated milk, stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9x2 pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until set.

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Chicken Pozole
Serves about 6

1-whole or 1/2 chicken
4-5 cans of chicken broth or make your own
1-can of white hominy-can be purchased at Safeway or small hispanic owned grocery stores in SSF
3-Ancho dried chiles-can be purchased at Safeway or small hispanic owned grocery stores in SSF
1-small cabbage
2 tomatoes
1-lemon or lime
1- onion
1/2 bell pepper
salt
garlic
oregano


1. Make chicken soup:
a. whole cut up chicken, water and or chicken broth, salt and garlic (to taste)
chop 1 tomato , 1/2 onion and 1/2 bell pepper (this is how I make my basic chicken soup)
cook until done.

Add all ingredients below after the chicken soup is done.

2. Ancho chile sauce:
a. In a separate sauce pot place 3 ancho chiles and 1 whole large tomato and let simmer adding water as needed until chiles (they're purchased dry) are soft.
b. Place tomato and chiles in a blender or in a magic bullet puree
c. Pour into stock

3.White Hominy 1 can, 1lb:
a. Open can drain and pour hominy into soup

Bring to a boil chicken soup ancho chile sauce and white hominy.

4. Serve with thin slices of cabbage, finely chop 1/2 onion, lemon and oregano (to taste).

Vanilla Extract

A few weeks ago, I started on my vanilla extract. Because I'm me, I certainly did not remember to shake my bottle vigorously every day for the first week, but it still seems to be coming along nicely.

It smells amazing in any case. I can't wait to try it out, but I'm nervous about being able to tell when it's ready. I guess I can do a taste test with the standard bottle of stuff I have from TJ's. I'm all ready for mine to blow it right out of the water. Don't let me down extract!!!

* update *
It doesn't smell amazing. It smells weird. The little vanilla scraps at the rim smelled amazing, but the extract itself smells a bit. . . plastic.
The Eel was brave enough to take a sip last night. He concurs; it's weird. Was it my beans? I sterilized my bottle and lid first (breaking one in the process). . . I used Skyy vodka. . . I don't understand!

** update to update **
I went crying to the guy that wrote the instructable I followed. He preached patience and said I'd probably be fine given time. Phew!!!

** update 11.30.08 **
Thank goodness I looked at the instructables again and saw that I'm supposed to let this sit for 6 months! I was just about to strain out the beans! It smells amazing now, yay. I'm tempted to portion it out into the smaller bottles, WITH the beans and caviar, so it's ready to give as Christmas gifts, but I can try to be patient for at least another few weeks. . . . I want to use those beans to make vanilla sugar and make little creme brulee gift sets or something else vanilla-y delicious.

Thanksgiving Salad

Those jerks over at America's Test Kitchen have done it again. Come up with some ridiculously easy "recipe" that can't even really be a recipe that I'm jealous I didn't come up with first because, well, DUH.
With one of my favorite meals of the year fast approaching, here's a healthier spin on a lot of similar flavors. Great for fall and I totally want it right now (but I have yummy steak and sweet potato leftovers, so I'll refrain).

Harvest Supper Salad with Smoked Turkey and Apples
Serves 4

2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 small heads red leaf lettuce or green leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 apple , cored and cut into 2-inch strips
4 thick slices smoked deli turkey , cut into 2-inch strips
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds , toasted (or lets be reasonable - a bag of the ready to go almonds from Diamond or whatever)

1. Whisk honey and vinegar in medium microwave-safe bowl. Add cherries, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic, and microwave on high until cherries are plump, about 1 minute. Whisk in oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cool dressing to room temperature.

2. Toss lettuce, cabbage, and apple with dressing in large bowl. Divide salad among individual plates and top each with portion of turkey, cheese, and nuts. Serve.

Banana rum cupcakes with chocolate frosting

While these little puppies seemed to be a hit, I think they have a way to go before I'm happy with the recipe.
I found a box of banana cake mix in my hunt for spice cake mix, and couldn't pass it up. I thought the Eel liked banana, but couldn't quite remember and just decided to go for it, just in case. Luckily my memory was correct.
I followed the recipe on the box almost exactly, although I did substitute a tbsp or so of water for a tbsp of spiced rum. :o)
The batter came out WAY too loose and watery for my liking, and I was concerned about cooking time. I knew if I had to cook them for a million years until they set, that they ran the risk of getting all chewy and weird. They did. Maybe it was just disappointing to my sophisticated palate, but they definitely need work.
Maybe next time I'll just go with my banana bread recipe and tweak it from there? I feel like I definitely need to work on the frosting; the can of chocolate I used (low Sugar Splenda stuff, shhhh, don't tell) overpowered the banana flavor a bit. Perhaps a ganache next time, or maybe I'll just go for muffins with chocolate chips sprinkled on top before they bake, or smooshed in while they're still warm. Oh yum, now I'm hungry.

Peppadew Peppers

You can see the full roast beef sandwich story over at Mock Eel, but this here post is more about the peppers themselves than their use in a 30th birthday "breakfast."

I opened the Eel's eyes to the Peppadews when we were in Seattle, and I think it may have been love at first bite. It was a nice reminder for me since I haven't had them since I was in Barcelona, and now I've had them three or four times in the last month or so.

Stay tuned for a future blog on our pickling exploits, but in the meantime, check out these scrummy sounding recipes featuring the little darlings.

Did you know Peppadew is their brand name?! I didn't.

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes a la Aylene

These sweet potatoes will make you forget about white potatoes all together. Okay, maybe not french fries or crispy hashbrowns, but at least baked and mashed. Why bother when these are so yummy and so much better for you, especially if you're South Beaching?
I'll leave it up to you to cook the sweet potatoes however you do, Aylene pokes holes in them and chucks 'em in the microwave til they're soft, but the magic happens in the chipotle crema.
It's equal amounts of mayo (yuk!) and sour cream, about 1/2 cup of each. I can't help but wonder if Greek yogurt or something would be good. . .but even with my mayo aversion, this is one of those instances where it so does not matter.
A squeeze of lime juice, salt and one chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce (canned), and mix in a food processor. If your mouth has a death wish I suppose you could use more than one, but I don't recommend it. You want to be able to taste the other stuff and not just feel the fire.
Mash up your taters, and mix in some of the crema.
Take it a little further and use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and mix that through, stir in some extra sharp cheddar and bake with more cheddar and green onions on top and you've got yourself twice baked sweet potatoes with the delicious crema kick.

South Beach Steak

So, I hear the Steak Diane recipe is awesome, but I've yet to try it. Why bother, when there's one that already blows my socks off? It was the first dish I remember making when I first moved into my own apartment. I had my dad and stepmother over, and while they're the big champions of the Steak Diane, they wanted the recipe for this one too.
For a certain sweetie's birthday dinner tonight, I'm dusting it off once again. He knew he wanted something steaky, my stepmom's awesome sweet potatoes, and something green; the rest he left to me. I guess that means he must like my cooking!

Pan Roasted Steak and Onions
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (use good stuff, trust me)
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2(ish) cloves of garlic
1 lb flank steak
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper if you can swing it
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chook broth (I was the ff low sodium stuff)
1 medium onion, cut into rings, about 1/4 inch thick

In a large non reactive baking dish (no aluminum! I use Pyrex), combine the oil, vinegar, Worsh, mustard and garlic. Add the steak, turn to coat; cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour, turning once. You can make this the day before and refrigerate overnight too.
Coat a nonstick skillet with ff cooking spray and put over medium-high. Sprinkle the steak with s&p. Brown for 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 c of the broth and cook, turning once for 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare (and why would you want it any other way?). Remove from skillet and cover loosely to keep warm. Reduce the heat to medium, add onion and cook til golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side. Add the remaining broth as needed to prevent them from sticking.
Thinly slice the steak across the grain and serve smothered in the yummy onions.

Fantastic and not even unhealthy! You and your hips can thank me later. Your cholesterol might have to speak to my lawyers though.

Pumpkin Spice cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Okay, I'm only feeling confident to post this because I know no one reads this blog so there will be no mass stealing of secrets. The adoration of my cupcake fans is very important to me, so I want to be sure to hog all accolades for these delicious treats.
Who knows if I ever make them the same way twice, since I've only made them twice, but they've been tasty both times. I see someone else had the same idea, and given the struggle I had finding a box of spice cake mix this time around, I may have to pilfer this recipe in its entirety in the future.
I however, Sandra Lee'd the hell out of this so my version requires even less work. I was raised baking things out of boxes, so it's really the only way I know how, and the only stuff I really appreciate. Sad, right? NO, delicious.
1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 c veg oil
1 can of cream cheese frosting
ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 and prep whichever pan you're using.
Dump the cake mix into a bowl, and mix in the eggs and oil, then add the can of pumpkin until mixed through.
Pour into the greased (or papered) vehicle of your choosing and pop in the oven. For cupcakes, I typically put them in for 8 minutes, and then start peeking and poking at them every few minutes after that until they're done. I wish I could tell you cooking times for other sizes, but it would only be a guess, so you're sort of on your own.
Let them cool in the pan for a bit, then put on a rack and let sit til completely cool.
In the meantime, put the frosting in a bowl and add cinnamon to taste. I must use at least 2 tbsp, tasting along the way until it's delectable.
Frost the cupcakes, then dust with a little more cinnamon. Bask in your accolades momentarily and then be sure to give me all the credit.