We are a happy family

How rare is it to live in a house of 6 girls who actually enjoy each other's company? In this house, we are a family. We went to the store last week and made a delicious dinner for Alaina's birthday. Tortilla soup, soft tacos, guacamole, salsa and chips. Yum.

Introductions starting at the left: Anna, Jelissa, Malorie (not a roommate but we still like her), Magen, Janelle, myself, and Alaina.

Pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup Pure Pumpkin puree
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
3. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smo
   oth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. (I decided to spread the extra cream cheese frosting I had over the pumpkin roll).

All things are fall things

Loving October for apple cider

and for cooked pumpkin seeds



And for carving pumpkins

I want fall to last forever :)

My babies

I took a last minute trip to AZ to surprise my dad for his birthday. It feels so good to be surrounded by my family and long time friends. Though we were only there for two short days, the trip was worth it thanks to my babies. I am completely obsessed with my two nieces and nephew. It's one of those things that you just don't understand until you have some of your own. I get so sad when I hear about them growing up when I'm not around. With no more ado, my bunch of pictures of this weekend.

Parker waiting for his corn dog to be cold enough to eat

Elise bein' sassy as always

Pete's fish and chips

Jenny and I eating delicious food

Acey being a cute dad, Veda just being her cute self

Plugging her ears, not sure why

Parker dressed up as "maan"

AZ sunset

Joes BBQ with the fam

Teddy and Elise playing

Love those grandparents of mine

Stink eye Parker

Such a prettttyyyy baby

Handsome bebe

Besties.

My baby giirl

Love these girls so much! I'm so happy we are still great friends.

Saying bye to Sister Webster because I won't see her before she reports to London for her mission!


And the reason AZ keeps me coming. These two lovely people right here. I love you mom and dad, miss you already!

Le' Spectacle

Last week we had a show in the backyard. It was a freezing night, but still a great time.

St. Boheme

The turnout... before all the people came

Alexander

Evander

Dallin and his new drunken old man

Gothen

Dancing for Matteo. Everyone had a good time. Welcome Fall!

Monday morning

We are all brilliant in our own ways

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I made these last week for my weekly staff meeting, following the King Arthur Flour recipe. I ran into a few bumps along the way, but it actually turned out to my benefit because I found something I like even more :)

Preheat the oven to 400' F. Lightly grease a bite size muffin pan (which was the bump in the true recipe, but I promise the bite size are better), or line a regular size muffin pan with paper muffin cups and grease the cups. If you'd like to you can do half small and half regular, which is what I did.

For the filling, place one unwrapped 8 ounce package of cream cheese in a microwavable bowl, and heat for 40 seconds. Stir in 1/4 cup granulated sugar.

Now for the dry ingredients, whisk together the following:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the following wet ingredients separately:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and add 1 cup of grated carrots (about 2 large carrots). Stir the ingredients together (do not beat).

Now for the regular size muffins, fill 2 Tbsp of batter in each muffin paper. Then dollop on a heaping table spoon of the filling. (For the bite size muffins, just half these measurements).

Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4″ to 3/8″ of the top of each muffin cup.

If you'd like to, you can add course sugar to the top before putting in the oven, or you can leave them plain and frost them with any extra cream cheese filling.

Bake the regular size muffins for about 20 minutes, and the bite size for about 11 minutes, each on 400'. Once they are done, use a for to tilt the muffins on their side. This way the bottom of the muffin doesn't continue to cook or harden.

And then you're finished! These muffins are much more tasty when they are warm and the cream cheese filling is soft, but they keep well for breakfast also. I thought my bite size ones were even better than the regular size, but maybe that was just me. Let me know what you think and if you have any other suggestions :)

- And everyone loved them, might I add.