Muffins!

I couldn't think of a clever title for this blog, so when in doubt, I say go with the stupidly obvious. Muffins.

Here's the recipe I promised over a week ago. Procrastination is my middle name. Not Elizabeth. So yeah, this recipe comes to me by my Aunt Patti, and I have no idea where she got it, but she reads this blog, so feel free to praise her in the comments section after you've made and devoured these muffins. You'll want to make these muffins each fall season, and you'll want to make them every week. That's what I do. In May, I have dreams about these muffins.

So let's begin.
Here's what you'll need:

Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, butter, chocolate chips, canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Very simple ingredients that, when mixed together, make MAGIC.

First, combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.

1 2/3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 t baking soda

1/4 t each of salt and baking powder

No need to use anything fancy to mix them together. I used a butter knife. We bake ghetto style at our house. Whoops. I spilled some flour on the floor. Good excuse to take a picture of my new Chucks. Low tops. Navy blue. Thanks. Thanks very much.

As for the spill, it's ok, because that is why God invented the Roomba. I highly recommend the Roomba. For reals. If you've got like $400 laying around that you don't know what to spend on, send it to me. And then, if you've got $400 more, buy a Roomba. And thanks for the money.

Back to the baking! Now, you'll want to melt your butter (1 stick, or 1/2 cup). Confession, I use margarine. The recipe calls for butter. I don't buy butter unless I'm making my Gram's Christmas cookies. For everything else, I always have and always will use margarine. It's worked just great for me. But you use whatever floats your boat. Anyway, melt it. Melt it up real nice in the microwave. Surely I don't need to demonstrate melting butter for you people, do I?

Here's what mine looked like. You can see how it's not completely, 100% melted. That's ok. In fact, that's better than butter that's so hot that it's bubbling up. You don't want that, because you don't want the butter to cook the eggs when you mix those ingredients together. Sure, if you're Fancy Pants Chef McGee, you could "temper" the eggs. But I already told you we do it Ghetto Style at Casa Cappydoodles, so I just sort of half melt the butter.

So once your butter or margarine is all the way or sort of half way melted, you mix all the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

1 cup plain, canned pumpkin

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) melted butter or margarine

2 eggs

The knife didn't work so well here, so I used a wooden spoon. A rubber spatula would be a more sensible choice.

Next, you'll want to slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. I usually do it in 3 small parts. Add, mix. Add, mix. Add, mix. You get the picture. No? Ok, here you go.

Once all your wet and dry ingredients are combined nicely, you can add the chocolate.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips, but I have to be honest. I never measure. When it comes to chocolate, I have a theory. It goes like this:

You can never have enough chocolate.

End of theory.

So I just kind of toss some chips in there, give it a stir, and then add some more if I think it needs more.

For instance. This doesn't look like enough to me.

This is more like it.

Now you can fill your muffin cups. All the cool kids (me) get cute little Halloween themed muffin cups. See?
You're supposed to fill the cups like 2/3 the way full, but I over do everything, and this is no exception.

Oooooh, see that big one? That one has my name on it.

And yes, I do have rusty muffin tins. Don't be so judgemental.

Pop these bad boys in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook them for 25ish minutes. You know, until a toothpick comes out clean.

And while we're waiting for these bad boys to bake up, does anyone else love the song "Keep on Lovin' You" by REO Speedwagon as much as I do? Seriously, I think it's one of the best pop love songs ever written, and I listen to it on repeat quite often. Like right now. It's without a doubt one of my all time favorite songs. What are some of your all time favorite songs? Maybe this is a discussion for another blog. I don't know. But I love this song, and I love how the guy sings with such conviction. He really draws out those 'R's, too. Ya ever notice?

"And I meant every word I said, when I said that I loved you I meant that I love you foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."

Ding! Muffins are done.

Dang stupid sideways picture ruin everything. But tilt your head for one second and look at that muffin. Mmmmm doesn't that look good. Yes. Yes it does.

Go make some. You'll love them. And I mean every word I say. When I say that you'll love them, I mean that you'll love them foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Thanks Aunt Patti!