Jill from Mom’s Cup of Ambition is here again and has a delicious recipe to share today.  So, on to the good stuff!  Take it away, Jill!

Hey everyone.  Today we have the treat to meet another contributor!  Christina from Sweet Haute is here to share a fun little project with us.  So, let’s get right to it.

Supplies:
Nutter Butter Cookies
Sandies Fudge Dipped Cookies (optional)
Cookie Frosting
Hershey Kisses
Chocolate Chips

Too cute, aren’t they?!  What a great little treat for the kids (and adults) you’ll be entertaining this Fall season.  Thanks for sharing Christina!  Go check out all the awesome things Christina has going on at Sweet Haute!

I would like to introduce you to another amazing contributor!  Amanda is here to share a delicious recipe with us.  How does Pumpkin Streusel Muffins sound!?  Well, let’s get party started!  Take it away, Amanda!

Hey there!  I’m Amanda Fisher & I blog at Our Grace Filled Life.  My interests are all over the place, so you see a bit of everything there, but my favorite things to blog about are food, healthy living, furniture makeovers, home renovation & adoption. Today, I am super honored to be here & sharing one of my favorite Fall treats with you!  I look forward to pumpkin season all year round.  On occasion, my love of pumpkin even flows into other seasons {gasp! :)}.  Pumpkin really is best enjoyed in the Fall though, there’s just something very comforting about savoring a pumpkin treat with a little chill in the air.

For many years, I strictly used store-bought canned pumpkin, thinking that making homemade pumpkin puree was too difficult, too time consuming or simply wouldn’t taste as good.  Last year though, I ran across this tutorial from The Pioneer Woman & figured I’d give it a shot.  It really didn’t look too hard & because I try to make most everything else from scratch, it seemed silly that I’d never even tried it.  So, I gave it a shot & was pleasantly surprised by the results.  It really wasn’t difficult to do & we loved the flavor.  We’d also grown a few pie pumpkins in our garden last year, so it was fun knowing we’d made our own food from start to finish.

Whatever type of pumpkin you use, store-bought or homemade, I think you’re going to LOVE these muffins.  I’m a big fan of using whole grains & sweeteners that are as unprocessed as possible, so I’ve included a couple of different options for some of the ingredients so that you can use what you have on hand or are able to find.  Hope you enjoy!

1. 1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree {canned or homemade}
2. 1/4 c. applesauce
3. 1/3 c. sucanat or brown sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 1 t vanilla
6. 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
7. 2 t baking powder
8. 1 t pumpkin pie spice
9. 1/2 t sea salt
10. 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. 4 T butter, softened
2. 1/4 c. sucanat or brown sugar
3. 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
4. 1/3 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
3. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together pumpkin, applesauce, egg & vanilla.
4. Add in flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice & sea salt & stir until just mixed.
5. Gently fold in chopped nuts.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill prepared muffin tin with batter, filling each liner just 2/3 of the way full.
7. In another bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. The mixture should be nice & crumbly.
8. Using your hands, divy out the topping onto the waiting muffins.
9. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until the middles are set.
10. Enjoy!!

Today, Jillian from Mom’s Cup of Ambition is here to share a delicious recipe with us.  I do some very basic canning and making of jam and love it.  I will definitely have to remember this delicious recipe for future use!  So, here’s Jillian:

Mango Mint Freezer Jam Homemade jam is delicious – unlike most of the stuff you buy in the store it actually tastes like fruit. This mango mint freezer jam is a good one to keep in mind because it’s super easy, and it isn’t season dependent like many fruit and berry based jams. You can enjoy it as a spread, give it as a gift, or use it as a topping over yogurt.

I use Ball brand freezer jam containers when I make this, but you can use anything that is freezer safe. This recipe makes two 8 oz (1/2 pint) containers of jam, but it scales very well if you’d like to make more. When you fill your containers, make sure to leave room for the jam to expand – a half inch is a good rule of thumb.

Ingredients:
– 1 2/3 cups frozen, chopped mango, defrosted
– 2/3 cups granulated sugar
– 2 tablespoons instant pectin
– 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

Directions:
– In a large bowl, mix the sugar and pectin together.
– Crush the mango using a potato masher, and add it to the sugar and pectin. Stir for three minutes.
– Add the mint and stir to incorporate.
– Ladle the fruit mixture into clean freezer safe jars. Let the jam stand for 30 minutes before serving.
– At this point you can refrigerate your jam for up to three weeks, or freeze it for up to a year.

The weather here is still a warm, dry high 80’s to low 90’s with an occasional warm breeze.  But I’m not letting that stop me from doing a little Fall celebrating.  It’s been a while since I posted a recipe and I’ve got the perfect one today.  Who doesn’t love pumpkin, chocolate chips and cookies… (crazy people, that’s who… only joking, mostly)?

– Let cool and store in an airtight container.  Keeps for a week, probably longer.  They didn’t stick around much longer than that so I can’t vouch for that though. =)