It's that time again...

It's definitely feeling a bit cool around here and I'm feeling the need to break out the Fall decorations already. I've seen on other blogs that I'm not alone and that makes me smile. I love it that other people love Halloween just as much as I do. Too bad no one that lives around me seems to feel that way. So last night I dug out my decorations and I'll be spending the day poking around them. I don't want to go overboard just yet, but a few decorations never hurt anyone, right?

So first I'm starting on the door - just an innocent pumpkin wreath. Believe it or not - my mom made this from deconstructing a store bought wreath that had even MORE pumpkins on it - lots more, but litte else. She took the best pumpkins and added little bittersweet blossoms and leaves and some other type of fall berries and made this beautiful wreath from it. I love it so much - every year it graces our front door through Thanksgiving. I almost hate to take it down for the Christmas wreath.

And then, last night, I decided it was time for some pumpkin muffins. Yum! The smell drives the whole house crazy as they bake. These are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins. Now, if that sounds weird, I totally understand. A friend of mine gave me one a few years ago and I thought it sounded gross until I took a bite. Whoa! Delicious. I put a little less chocolate in them and added nuts and they are now even better.

Here's my recipe:

3 cups flour

2 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t salt

4 eggs slightly beaten

2 cups sugar

1 can pumpkin

1 cup veg. oil

2 cups chocolate chips (or less according to taste)

1 cup walnuts

Mix the dry ingredients together in medium bowl, set aside. Mix the eggs and sugar together, then add pumpkin, then oil - mix well. Then add the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add chocolate and nuts. Use paper liners for the muffins and fill about half way or 2/3 way in cups and bake. Makes about 36 muffins.

These taste even better the next day as the spices seem to get stronger. Mmm...