pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin

I made these pumpkin muffins the night before Thanksgiving.  Even though at 10pm I decided that it was to late to make the apple pie I promised to bring (that would wait till the morning), I thought "there's plenty of time for muffins!  And they can be breakfast!  Now I have to make them!"

Muffins are actually really easy to make, and this recipe from Smitten Kitchen made such lovely fluffy, light muffins... I think I need to make them again...

Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1) Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.
2) Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
3) Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
4) Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
5) Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

glass art

Wow, talk about fail! I thought I posted this ages ago and I only realized that I didn't because I was trying to find the photos again!

I saw the Dale Chihuly exhibit up in Boston last spring, but didn't take these photos of the exhibit, these were found online.  I really like Chihuly's work, back in the day he totally redefined glass as art, but out of all of his work I find his "baskets" the most inspiring.  Working and living in the Pacific Northwest, he fell in love with Pendleton trading blankets and Native American basketry (who can blame him?), and took inspiration in creating a series of glass baskets.





Cool right?

For more on the baskets go here.

window shopping: rings

Found these rings online the other week. 

I think I'm drawn to them because of the work I've been doing with stained glass. 

All these geometric shapes!

Find them here at mociun.

food: cornbread

This Sunday I decided to do something different - cook the recipe on the back of the cornmeal bag.

You see, I had this new cornmeal from Whole Foods (Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Meal) and fresh jalapenos from my Mom's garden and some cheddar that needed using up, so it was perfect!

It turned out so good, moist, a bit fiery but not too much, and just made us want to keep going back for more.  I tried to get a good photo of it, but by the time I realized I should get an image, we just had a line of cornbread left.

Jalapeño Cornbread

1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. oil (they say vegetable but I used olive oil)
1 cup white flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. butter or oil (I used olive oil)
1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2-4 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare an 8" square pan using oil or butter (I used butter).

Sauté the chopped onion in the oil until just limp, about five minutes.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl, blending well.  Separately beat together the eggs, milk and 3 tbsp. oil or butter.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients beating until just moistened.  Stir in the onions, 1 cup of the cheese and the jalapeños.  Pour into the prepared pan and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crusty brown.

Try not to eat it in one day.  Maybe.

inspire: block prints

 I really like these block-printed designs on linen.

I think it's the simple geometric designs and bold colors that draw me in.  I am definitely going through a phase for geometry at the moment if you can't tell from my work.

These must be really fun to make.  Which reminds me... Mom in October we need to tackle those fish!!!

willow ship via Design*Sponge