Pumpkin, The Taste Of Fall

Those little boys are eating what is left of some yummy pumpkin spice muffins. This time of year has Losing It Daddy jumping for joy because he has a love for pumpkin pie that causes him to act like a kid on Christmas morning. I have really only made pumpkin pie before but with Pinterest I have discovered there is so much more you can do with pumpkin to extend the taste of fall.

If you want the family secret recipe for pumpkin pie I will share with you how I learned it. Our first Thanksgiving with Losing It Big, he had the chicken pox. I was so disappointed because it is a family tradition to eat Grandpa Arch's homemade pumpkin pie as soon as you can start eating solid foods. Lets face it, other than being a bit sweeter, the inside of the pie isn't much different from baby food. I didn't want my baby to miss out on this tradition even though we would be celebrating at our house. I called her up to get her extra special recipe, because grandma always makes the best stuff. She started to laugh when I asked if she would share. Then she calmly stated : "yes, go to the store and get a can of Libby's pureed pumpkin, look on the back and my recipe is published". All these years I was thinking it was a family secret that was passed down through generations and it was on the back of the can. She did note to get the puree pumpkin and not the pie pumpkin so you can add your own amount of spices. The best pie shell recipes I have found contain vinegar. It makes a light fluffy crust. 

I have made this pie for years at Thanksgiving and Losing It Daddy's birthday in May, but this year we branched out and tried some new things with pumpkin. Let me just tell you they are really yummy. I may just have to cook up the kids jack-o-laterns next year to keep us in great pumpkin supply.

Here are some recipes that I have found that we really enjoy.
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Pumpkin French Toast
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups
Pumpkin Sage Soup
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

To make the pumpkin spice muffins those adorable boys are enjoying:

Pumpkin Spice Muffins 

1 boxed spice cake mix

1 small can of pumpkin puree 15 ounce

**MAKES 48 mini  cupcakes**

I made large ones.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together cake mix and canned pumpkin. It is best to use a mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed to get fluffier cupcakes.

Put in a muffin tin with liners. Batter is dense and does not rise much so these can be filled to the top.

Bake for 18 min until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!
If you can resist long enough you can freeze them. They taste better fully cooled, brings out the spice flavor. 
 Freeze them for 3 months. To enjoy get out of freezer and microwave for 1 min or just let them thaw the night before on the counter.