Give Thanks

Thanksgiving.  A time to give thanks.  A time to reflect on all of the things in life we are thankful for.

Some of my favorite things this time of year include:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I begin my Thanksgiving Day by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and then move onto football.

All while drinking my pumpkin spiced latte.

By early afternoon I am getting the turkey ready to go. I'm not sure whether I'll spatchcock my turkey this year or roast it traditionally.

Most importantly, Thanksgiving is about spending time with friends and family.

Thanksgiving, a joyous time for the most part and if one has lost a close loved one, it could also be a time of sadness for many.  

Our family has suffered the loss of a close loved one just recently.  My father-in-law.  He is missed every day.    A huge void is felt on a daily basis.  

For me, the time of day where the void is strongly felt is in the morning.  Driving down the hill from our house on the drive to school with the kids or driving myself to work is where I would normally encounter George everyday.  A brief wave was shared not only in the morning, but on numerous occasions through out each day.  Day to day life on the ranch is not the same without him here. 

We will always cherish the memories we had with him.  George loved this ranch and the lifestyle it brought him and his entire family.  Although his human body is no longer with us, his presence is definitely felt here. Spontaneous occurrences trigger memories, daily.  He will be missed so much this holiday season.

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Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for Fall

With fall, comes one of my very favorite flavors....pumpkin.  Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin custards, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin ice cream....not to get side-tracked but have you ever tasted pumpkin ice cream?  It is now one of my favorite flavors.  Ever since finding it at Safeway by accident  over near their gelato counter, I love it.  I don't shop at Safeway all that often, maybe three times a month or so, but when I was at a brand new Safeway in our town, I found this creamy pumpkin ice cream in a pint container over in the deli section near the gelato bar.  I think I ate the entire thing all myself.  I would actually try to eat it when the kids weren't around because I didn't want to share!  Isn't that just horrible!  But it is that good.

So, I was craving pumpkin.  I came up with these little, mini muffins of joy.

Here's what you need....

Whisk the sugar, salt, oil, eggs and water all together.

So it looks like this.....

Add the remaining ingredients {see below for recipe}.

Fill a mini muffin baking tray with the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!

Okay, here's the recipe:

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup chocolate chips {or nuts}

Mix sugar, salt, oil, eggs, water all together in a bowl.  Then add spices, baking soda, flour , pumpkin and chocolate chips.  Grease a mini-muffin pan with Pam, fill with batter and bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.  These can be made ahead of time if you're having a party and frozen until you're ready to serve them.

Happy Saturday!

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