Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these a couple of weeks ago and they turned out yummy!  I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, but made several changes.  The recipe below is the "updated" version that turned out great!  A wonderful fall dessert!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk 3/4  of a 15 oz can pumpkin puree (more will make them more like a muffin, less will make them a little dry...depends on how you like them)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter, softened 3 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon **I followed these exact directions, but gradually added a little more powdered sugar until it was the consistency I could pipe.  It is sweet, so you just need a little icing piped on top!  I may add a little more cinnamon next time.

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  **I baked mine on convect @325**  Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2.	Beat 1/2 cup of oil, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. (mine did not take this long, so watch them!) Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4.	While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve!

Easy Cheese Ball

As promised, here is the Cheese Ball recipe I brought to Alyssa's shower.  Julia told me about it and it is from allrecipes.com.  It is super easy and would be a great appetizer before a holiday meal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a medium size bowl, mash cream cheese. Mix dressing mix and Cheddar cheese into the cream cheese. Shape the mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the chopped nuts. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. Yum! **This make a rather large cheese ball, so you could make the recipe and make two smaller balls and freeze one for later**

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a great recipe coming from someone who did not like Sweet Potatoes until I was forced to try these. I don't even like pecans! They are always a hit and you will not take home any leftovers.

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes (I always use the canned)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick of margarine, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans
1/3 stick margarine, melted

Mash the sweet potatoes. Add sugar, eggs, salt, margarine, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Put in shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Mix topping. Spread over sweet potatoes, mine always seems to be a little thicker than a spread. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Easy and Yummy Crockpot Dressing

This is one of my favorites! It reminds me of my Grandmothers which was a lot more detailed than this one.

2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix - Cook the cornbread and set aside

Mix together the following:

4 Eggs
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cans Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 stalk of Celery, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Crumble and add the cornbread to the mix

Pour into the crockpot and cook 2 hours on high or about 4 hours on low. Enjoy!