Saturday, October 15, 2011

FALL LOVE




HOLD ON A MINUTE...
*Looks at the calender
WHAT?! It's OCTOBER?!
I don't even remember living through September... Yikes! I better get on it.
By "get on it" it I mean enjoy my favorite season of the year! Not that we get a whole lot of the real fall weather down here in the strangest city in the world, but I can still enjoy the flavors and colors of fall. No, not the fall colors like everyone else in the United States gets to enjoy with the fall foliage, but for me in the inspiration of let's say.... a leotard or a fall dress!

Fall is wonderful. My favorite colors, tastes and smells dazzle my senses. Gold, rust, dark green, deep red, for colors... PUMPKIN, apple, roasted root vegetables for flavors and the wonderful smell of autumn spices.

I go to New York on a week layoff in a couple weeks and I CANNOT wait. I hope that the colors are changing and I still get to get my fill of fall. For now, I'll just make some Pumpkin Cupcakes and sew some fall inspired clothes!

These cupcakes are delicious... They are insanely easy to adapt and make your own favorite recipe. I added mini chocolate chips to the batter because today is the Saturday of a very long week and we just need that BOOST to push us into our weekend... I think next time I would leave them out JUST because pumpkin can dominate as a flavor on it's own. It don't need no freakin' chocolate to steal the spotlight. The cream cheese frosting I made was SUPER DUPER DELICIOUS and I kind want to eat it on everything... Including steak and pizza. I threw in some freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon to the frosting and it tasted like a spoonful of fall.




Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes:
Makes 24
3/4 cup butter softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place baking cups in muffin pan.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine pumpkin, vanilla extract and milk in a separate bowl. Mix flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add to butter/sugar mixture alternately with pumpkin/milk batter, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Divide evenly among the cupcake liners and bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Fall Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 block cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1-2 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In an electric mixer, Cream together cream cheese and butter until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and the rest of the ingredients. Beat until combined.




As for the wardrobe, the biggest change for fall may be switching my shorts from a denim to corduroy... I'll take what I can get down here...You can't win em' all!

These are a pair of corduroy shorts I made from a vintage pattern.



As for the leo, a beautiful sweetheart neck line in a chocolate and rust color pallet. I LOVE IT. So Fall and feminine.



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