More than just a pretty face

I have the honor of having a guest blogger today and man, can she cook! This woman used to whip up delicacies for me growing up, like a homemade version of a Twinkie, or homemade Oreos. But I was most impressed by her ability to just pull random ingredients out of the cupboard and make an amazing meal. Today, she is still an incredible cook and her husband and two girls (my nieces) are the beneficiaries of her dynamic delicacies. I can't wait to try her below recipe...sounds and looks YUMMERS!! From here on out, I'll let her do the talking...I give you my sister, Kendis Paris.


More Than Just A Pretty Face!


The kids are back in school, the leaves are changing and pumpkins are in full bloom. Customarily, many of us will purchase a few of these beautiful, orange gourds in order to transform them into ghastly, or if you’re like my family, kid-friendly, smiling faces that will light up the porch throughout the month of October. (For a frightening display of over the top, ornate, you-have-too-much-time-on-your-hands carving, check out Martha Stewart’s fall line of pumpkins…not available at Kmart).

And while certainly this is a favorite pastime, be sure to pick up a good, quality pumpkin (organic and local are best) and actually cut the thing open and bake it. It beats the socks off any canned pumpkin you can find in the grocery store, and depending on the size of your pumpkin you might even gain an ample supply to last you throughout the year.

A week and a half ago my girls and I were at the Fall Festival for our veggie/fruit co-op, and were able to walk among the Colorado pumpkin patch and cut two for our very own. We brought them home, washed, cut and gutted them and laid one half of the pumpkin face down on a cookie sheet. We poured a few cups of water onto the cookie sheet as well and popped it into the oven for an hour and a half (it was a big pumpkin). We repeated the process with the other half, let them both cool and then scooped out the centers. Afterward, we made pumpkin muffins, which are not only delicious, but a great breakfast, or school lunch treat.

Pumpkin Muffins:
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup veg. oil
1 3oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 dash salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. all spice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional…walnuts are also great!)

Combine all ingredients and mix until incorporated. Bake in muffin tins at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes.

*Like pumpkins, this guest blogger is more than just a pretty face. She’s the sister of the renown blogger of Kitchen Curiosities, plays basketball and likes to refer to herself in the third person.