Pumpkin Corn Muffins - Is It Fall Yet?

Here in the Valley of the Sun....it sure doesn't feel like Fall, but with images of pumpkins and cool weather being shared and Starbucks adding PSL to their menu, I wanted to bake something Fall-like for my family to enjoy.

My little one's Highlights High Five magazine arrived this week and while reading it with him that night, we found a recipe for Pumpkin Corn Muffins - perfect timing.  I planned to crack open my cookbooks that night to see what I could bake based on what I had in my pantry. Fortunately, the recipe in the magazine only required a quick trip to the store after getting the boys to bed for a can of unsweetened pumpkin puree - I kind of figured I would need to buy at least that.

The cool part about this recipe is that since it was featured in this month's Highlights High Five, it's geared towards making it with your kids.  This time I did not - but it would be great to have them participate next time!

I popped them in the microwave for just a few seconds to warm them up the next morning - my boys loved them! These were very easy and started to get us in the mood for Fall.  What are you baking this season?

Pumpkin Corn Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Recipe courtesy of  the October 2014 edition of Highlights High Five magazine

1 cup flour
3/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put 12 paper baking cups into a muffin tin.

Put the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, spice, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir to mix.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then add the pumpkin, sugar, and oil.  Mix well.

Make a space in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir just until blended. Pour the batter into the baking cups.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Breakfast Cups - Perfect for Back To School Mornings!

It's that time of the year again....Back To School!  Hurray!  My son and I decided to come up with a recipe that would be great for back to school mornings.  This recipe will be featured in the Fall Edition of San Tan Valley Parenting Magazine as well!

I have a crustless quiche recipe that I thought would work perfectly as the base.  I made a few modifications to the ingredients and used muffin cups instead of a pie plate.  These can be made ahead, stored in sealed container in the refrigerator, and the popped in the microwave to heat on busy school mornings!

How do you make your school mornings go smoothly?  What do you serve your kids for breakfast?  I'd love to hear your feedback!

Breakfast Cups
Makes 12 cups
Adapted from True Grits from the Junior League of Atlanta

4 slices of deli ham, chopped (I used Black Forest ham)
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup baking mix (I used Whole Wheat Pancake Mix from Eating Right from Safeway)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter/margarine
Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese mix
Dash Paprika
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

This is where engaging your kids comes in - they can certainly help dump ingredients into the bowl and stir!

Combine the baking mix, eggs, milk, melted butter, and pepper in a bowl; mix well.  Stir in the ham, green onions, shredded cheese, and paprika.

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Fill each cup about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes until light brown.

Either serve immediately, or let cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  These can be heated in the microwave when ready to eat.