See Fish Bake

By Amy - the former home economics teacher and unhealthy cook

So it's that time of year again. We are fully experiencing the splendor of fall where I live. That also means it is the beginning of the baking season! From now until just before Thanksgiving I will be endlessly making buttermilk cornbread, tomato soup, beef stew, mac and cheese, hot chocolate, apple pie (actually my husband makes that but I eat it), chili, and PUMPKIN MUFFINS. I have been told that you cannot call something a muffin if it includes frosting, but by calling it a muffin I feel better watching my kids consume tasty bite after tasty bite. If it's homemade you can eat as much as you want right? Somehow the sugar and fat must be minimized if you make it at home.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
WITH CREAM CHEESE AND VANILLA BEAN FROSTING

Pumpkin Bread
Cream the following ingredients:
3 c. of white sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 can of pumpkin, 15 ounces or whatever is closest

Sift together the following ingredients:
(I never sift them because I am a lazy baker -- I don't even usually measure, but I did today to make sure it was right)
3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. allspice
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves

Add the dry ingredients alternately with 2/3 cup of water. Mix well after each addition. Don't over mix because it causes your muffins or bread to peak and/or crack. Fill muffin liners 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (I feel like such a hypocrite giving you my home ec style instructions when I follow none of them -- I actually just touch the tops to see if they are done). This also makes two large loaves and they take about 75-90 minutes to bake.

Frosting
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 block of cream cheese, softened
4-5 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk or more if you need
1 t. vanilla bean paste (You don't need this; I just think it is fancy.)

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar until you like the taste. Add milk if necessary and vanilla bean paste if desired. You can frost them however you want. I cut the corner off of a plastic bag and pipe it into little circles.

Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
So I love this stuff. You can use it interchangeably with vanilla ( it is more expensive) and it gives you the vanilla bean flecks I think look cool. It is much easier than simmering vanilla beans in milk and scraping them out. I use it all the time. I can find it at the higher-end grocery store here and they have it at Williams-Sonoma.

This recipe is adapted from the back of a Del Monte pumpkin can.