Pumpkin Cupcakes

With Fall in full swing I thought I would post my amended Martha Stewart pumpkin cupcake recipe with cream cheese frosting. I love these just a little warm with a nice cold glass of milk. I will heat the plain cupcake up for 10 seconds in the microwave THEN frost it so I can have it my way ... life is sooo delicious!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes - amended from Martha Stewart recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper liners and set aside.

In medium bowl whisk together, then set aside:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp coarse salt

2 tsps pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ground allspice

In large bowl whisk together:

4 eggs, beat lightly before adding items below

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, melted and cooled (don't skip this part)

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

Add dry ingredients to wet slowly whisking until smooth.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top springs back or a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese room temp.

4 tbls butter room temp.

1 tsp vanilla (Note: I had some left over vanilla beans from another recipe and added the inside

scrapings from one here. Delicious but cut vanilla to 1/2 tsp.)

2 cups confectioners sugar (I add about another 1/4 cup because I like my frosting stiffer.)

Blend together with a mixer until smooth. Frosts about 18 cupcakes.

It's okay! I make you lamb.

I have to say that I am stuck on the fact that neither Debbie or Keira will cook with lamb. I cook with it constantly and my family LOVES it. You can get good inexpensive cuts at Costco and since it is a richer meat it goes farther. Jim begged me for Lamb Stew today so here is my very easy but yummy recipe:

3 lbs lamb shoulder cubed


Garlic salt


White pepper


4 garlic cloves - whole


1 long sprig of fresh Rosemary (1 tsp of dried)


12 small New Red or white Potatoes - halved or quartered (depends on how big you like them)


2 Carrots scrubbed and cut in 1/4" pieces


1 Celery rib cut in 1/8" pieces





Brown lamb in a skillet with a small amount of oil about 7 minutes. Season with garlic salt and white pepper to taste. Transfer lamb to stew pot or crock pot. Pour 2 1/2 quarts of water over meat. (NOTE: You may have to add water through the cooking process if you do this on the stove.) Add cloves of garlic and rosemary. Cover and cook for about 3 hours - 6 to 8 hours in the crock pot on low. Meat should be fall apart tender. 30 to 45 minutes prior to serving add vegetables depending on how tender you like them - with a crock pot add vegetables 1 hour before serving and turn the crock pot to high. Take out rosemary sprig. (NOTE: If I find the garlic I take it out and smash it up then stir it back in. If I don't find it then someone gets the whole one... :-) Season to taste with salt and white pepper before serving. Serve with a nice crusty loaf of sour dough or french bread.

Nothing like a nice lamb stew that requires minimal work and maximum taste.

People Overload

I am an introvert. There. It's out. Whew. I'm sure no one has guessed that one. I had a people overload today. I had too much contact with too many people in too many situations. People suck the energy out of me. Not that I don't like people but I need small doses. Church each week is a challenge if I have to deal with adults, thus the reason I am still "volunteering" in Primary. Kids just want love, hugs and your undivided attention which I can do.

I had to deal with people at work - not the usual people - that were cranky and needed soothing. Not my forte but, hey, I got through it. Then I had to go to school to deal with forty-four 10 ten olds - easy peasy: it was the adults that were adding to my stress level. Then I taught a cooking class Connor is in, seventeen 11 - 14 yr olds, for an hour plus the myriad of adults that were asking what we were doing, can they get the recipes, can they make one, is it that easy? blah, blah, blah. We got home and I had to clean up, make dinner, make soup of an RS activity and go set up at church. Here's where the real overload started. If I go to an RS function I sneak in very near the start, not late but just on time, sit out of the way and have minimal contact with others. I couldn't do any of that. I tried to sneak off but got wrangled back in. Now my nerves are jangled and I'm an edge.

I got home at 9, we did scripture study and I'm already calmer but need a good masseuse for my knotted shoulders, oh, wait, that's another person, never mind. The funniest part was that the RS activity was about, get this, dealing with stress. I love a good ironic situation.

Anew

I am starting a new - not "anew" - bit of posting. I love to cook. I like to experiment with recipes that I like and see if I can improve them, just a bit or sometimes remake the whole thing. I can't say as my family love all of my efforts: if I get 3 of 5 to eat it I consider it a decent showing, 4 of 5 a good showing and adding it to our list of meals to make again, 5 of 5 and I'll pull it out anytime I want to have opinions swayed my way. ;-) I say use whatcha' got!

Greek Skillet Lasagna (modified from an America's Test Kitchen recipe) - serves 4

1 lb ground lamb (or 85% lean ground beef but lamb is better)

1/2 white onion chopped fine

garlic salt and white pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

10 curly-edged lasagna noodles broken into 2" lengths (or equivalent of wide egg noodles)

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup heavy cream (Note: If you don't have this you can leave it out but add 1/8 c water)

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook lamb in large skillet until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain lamb, reserve 1 Tbsp fat, put lamb on paper towel lined plate. Add reserved fat, onion and 1/2 tsp garlic salt to skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano and cinnamon and cook about 30 seconds. Return meat to skillet with 2 cups of water (plus 1/8th if you aren't using cream) and bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits.

Scatter pasta over meat but don't stir. Pour tomatoes over pasta, cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cooking stirring occasionally (after it simmers) until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in cream and simmer until slightly thickened (if you don't use the cream let it thicken by cooking slightly longer 3 to 5 minutes). Season with garlic salt and white pepper. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with garlic bread and a nice salad w/balsamic vinaigrette.

New Title for My First Book

"Is It Okay That I Don't Like My Kids?". Yup. That's the big title. I'm livin' large and starting my novella now. On my blog. Okay, I'm just bringing this up because two of my three kids is in hot water with me. (As I type it is now all 3 of them!)

This morning Lauren got obsessed with finding a watch to wear so she wouldn't have to turn around in class to see how much longer she had in a certain subject. She couldn't put on her shoes, brush her hair, find her sweatshirt or take her backpack. I told her I didn't like her very much this morning. I've felt terrible all day about it but I keep thinking about it and it's still a true statement.

Midday I get an e-mail from one of Connor's teachers. He currently has 17 out of 100 points in class. Really? They've been in school just two weeks. How can this be? Connor didn't do the history summer reading - they handed this out when he was out. So, I check the teacher assignment website. Connor is already missing 4 assignments and has an F in a class. And his teacher says he has a "who cares" attitude. I care too much and am annoyed with him now.

And Tylor? He didn't want to go to the orthodontist. He didn't want to do homework. He wants to go to soccer practice but he has a bruise on his heel. He is whining ... big time!!

This is why I don't like my kids right now. Maybe tomorrow will be better?

Hostessing Debate: Me: 1 School: 0

So, remember that whole thing I was protesting on Monday? That I was so angry about? Well, I shot off an e-mail to the PSA President (which I was asked to be but declined due to lack of children involvement and that I would have had to deal with people like me). She called to chat about it, I've known her for several years and like each other. I was clear in my debate with the administration stance and countered her points solidly. She called me back several hours later with the situation determined that if I have an issue with it then I probably wasn't alone. I wasn't: there were several other calls and e-mails - none as persausive as mine of course - and they decided we shouldn't do it this way. Me: 1 School: 0

I PROTEST!!

I need to vent a little before a Friday morning meeting where I could vent but it could get ugly. So, if I vent now maybe it will go better and you, my loyal friends and family, can direct my rant in a more positive, if not constructive, direction.

I received a call from the Head Room Parent about a new part of the Room Mom job. She said each grade would be in charge of hosting a "Hospitality Lunch" for the teachers once during the year. This may not seem like much but here's the crux of it for me ... no one asked me if I want to do this. I am fairly certain I live in a democracy where volunteers cannot be pressed into involuntary service. The room moms at our school are there to facilitate teacher needs and coordinate other parents as needed. A luncheon for 60 people is not a teacher need - maybe a want but definitely not a need.

Here is the Friday morning room parent meeting in my head (dream sequence here).... Welcome, blah, blah. Thank you, blah, blah. Packets with teacher requests, budget, etc. blah, blah. There is a new job we want you to do which is to host a hospitality luncheon for all the teachers one month as a service (my hand flies up here) to your (head room parents eyes light on me and she visibly sags) teacher. Yes, Mrs. Voydat? (I stand looking questioningly at the head room parent.) Me: Excuse my interruption but I don't remember this being on the list of things to do for the teacher's last year or any of the other 8 years I have been a room parent or on the website this year. Can you tell me who made the decision to add to our responisibilities without talking to us first? HRP: The proposal was brought to the administration who decided it was a good idea and then implemented it. Me: Implemented it without asking us if this would overly burden our already busy schedules? Or add it to the duty description so we could weigh whether or not we had time to do this job along with our duty of meeting our teacher's needs, correct? HRP: That's not how we see it. (end dream sequence) There were other more snippy remarks made in my head and other scenarios. But, it goes along this same vein.

I'm not opposed to the hospitality luncheon but I want no part of it. I did it for 6 years and am done. If we don't have enough parents volunteering doesn't that mean that it doesn't mean anything to the parents and maybe we should just do away with it?

I'm here to wave my banner of protest and say, "I will not be made a hostess!!".