Happy Day After Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. I had a beautiful day with my family, and it snowed!

Here's a song for you all for the day after Christmas. I love the message in it.

Christmas Joy!

I feel like I need to give myself a big dose of Christmas joy today. I'm going to start by watching this video a few times.

Pumpkin Pie With a Twist

I've been hungry for pumpkin pie for a month or more, so this past weekend, I finally baked one to quell my craving.

If you are making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner, consider this recipe. It is delicious. Maybe one of the best pumpkin pies I have ever eaten. What makes it so delicious? How about some eggnog in place of the usual evaporated milk. Give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Spiced Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

1 9" pie shell
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 1/4 cups eggnog
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all the ingredients together and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45-50 minutes longer or until done. Let cool. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!

Notes:
*I just used a basic shortening pie crust, but I grated some nutmeg into the flour to give it an extra boost of flavor and to tie in with the eggnog theme.
*I also used half brown sugar and half white, because I always do that with pumpkin pies.
*Since it was on sale at the grocery store, I used Southern Comfort Spiced Vanilla Eggnog.
*And, I did not eat the whole thing myself. I shared.

What's For Breakfast? Cheddar-Pumpkin Muffins

It's been cold here in Colorado this week. Really cold. So, accordingly, I've been doing lots of cold weather things such as snuggling under warm blankets, watching Christmas movies, drinking lots of hot tea, and baking.

A couple of mornings ago I made some delicious cheddar-pumpkin muffins for breakfast. I found this recipe in a cookbook called Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. They aren't your typical muffins, they have more of a biscuit consistency, but their slight sweetness, countered with a kick from some pepper make them worth trying.

Pumpkin-Cheddar Muffins
1 cup pumpkin
3 Tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted & cooled
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 oz grated cheddar cheese

Whisk pumpkin and sour cream. Add eggs and butter. Whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in 3/4 of the cheese. Divide among muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Let sit for 10 min before removing from tin. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.