Pumpkin Muffins

This morning I woke up to a cool 60 degrees and what I hope is the start of the fall season. I am thrilled for the rich colors and to be wrapped up in scarves. One of my favorite things about fall is the food - warm, hearty, rich, and sweet. Pumpkin is something I enjoy most about fall so I could not resist breaking out my favorite Pumpkin Muffin recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached self rising flour

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups canned or fresh pumpkin

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups golden raisins (optional)

Courtesy of Vera Bradley Cookbook, page 103.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Sift the four, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the vanilla, oil, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat well.

Using an ice cream scooper, fill muffin tins 2/3 full with mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy for breakfast or desert with a warm cup of coffee.

I like to collect muffin liners to add a little extra decoration when baking cupcake, cornbread or muffins. I keep them in this fun hat box to add a little extra color in my pantry. We can always add a little extra something for us to enjoy or to give to our loved ones.

Spinach and Cheese Lasagne Roll Ups = Yummy!

Thanks to YumSugar, I found this yummy and super easy recipe. This meal is perfect for a quick weeknight recipe, hosting friends or enjoying some yummy pasta! One great thing about this dish is that you can adjust it to how many you are serving. Tonight it was just me so I only made two roll ups. Add a salad and dinner is served.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (8-10) uncooked lasagna noodles

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups of raw baby spinach

1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella

Serves 4 to 6

Serving is 7oz., 350 calories, 11g of fat, 47g of carbs, 16g of protein

Note: To make this dish lighter, use skim dairy products. Dairy is okay to use low fat versions of because nothing fake has to be added in order to make in lower in fat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a dash of salt and noodles. Cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a clean working surface.

Grease (I just put a little sauce in the bottom instead of using veg spray) pan and set aside. Work on one noodle at a time, lay it out flat on your surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons of ricotta and 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce then top with spinach (I added a little mozzarella here). Leave a bit of room at the end so that it does not all spew out the bottom. Take one end and begin to roll the noodle snugly.

Arrange in pan, seam side down or you can sit them up if the space is tight enough to keep them in place. Pour remaining marinara sauce over took and sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, delicious and bubbly. Enjoy!

Variation: Momma would tell me that this dish lacks protein so feel free to add a meat to the mix. Sausage would be an excellent addition.

Variation: If you want to get in more veggies, I have made this same dish by adding broccoli. Steam broccoli first and then chop in food processor. You can add it the same way as you do the other ingredients.

Homecoming Theme Reveal

The 2010 Homecoming Theme is.......

The Call Heard Around the World

Woo Pig Sooie!

Book Club & A Delicious Hummus Recipe

A couple of months ago, my friend Alexis and I started a book club to force us to read, which we love, and give us an excuse to have some girl time. This group is one of my favorite things in Fayetteville because it's simple and I get to spend time with some great women.

Each month we rotate hostesses and the one hosting chooses the book. This month it was my turn and I picked Water for Elephants. I found the book to be a fascinating depiction of the start of traveling circuses and their cultures, especially during the Depression Era. This was a great read - very engaging (I finished in two days) and I felt captivated to learn about the two main characters and where their fate would lead them. I am looking forward to the movie starring one of my faves, Reese Witherspoon.

Book Club also usually involves food and I made a delicious new hummus recipe which I just had to share. The menu for book club included this hummus, egg salad sandwiches, and salad. For dessert, we enjoyed cotton candy, caramel corn and brownies.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Courtesy of Cooking Light, October 2010

Ingredients

1/3 cup of tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of bottled roasted red bell peppers, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 - 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in food processor, process until smooth. Add olive oil in a stream until desired consistency. Serve with crackers, pita chips or pretzel chips.

Yields 2 cups (Serving size 1/4 cup)

102 calories per serving, 3.5g of Protein, 10.5g of Carbs, 2g of Fiber, 5.7g of Fat

Musings of a Student Affairs Professional

When I chose, or more likely answered my fate, to go into Student Affairs I knew why I loved the field and had to be a part of it but I was surprised by how passionate I could be about the issues that my students cared about. Thank goodness Ed picked me to be the GA for student government because it has become one of the areas I love most about this work.

Student Affairs is not always easy but the hardest days are always triumphed by incredible moments with your students - they achieve a new goal or they breakthrough something that leads to a bit more self understanding and I say, oh yes! This is why it is worth it when I am tired or have not seen my family in months. Lucky for me, these really great moments happen far more often than the hard days.

Tonight, we swore in Senators and Cabinet members and I felt so filled with excitement to see where they would take their year. The road will not always be easy but the payoff is huge. Off the 100ish students who hold positions in ASG, I get to work closely with the 6 person Executive Committee (pictured below) - they are phenomenal and I am so happy to be able to share in this time with them! To all of the new Senators and Cabinet members - Welcome to the ASG Family, I know you are going to rock it!