Pumpkin Picking Adventures at the Farm

Today wasn't just a typical Sunday, it was literally SUNDAY FUNDAY! :) A group of family and friends went to a farm to do our annual pumpkin picking adventure. Boy was it a blast--don't take my word for it, check out the photos below and I'm sure you be easily convinced :)

I love this photo, my nephew and brother are having a jolly ol' time navigating through the pumpkin patch searching for the perfect one! The scenery was breathtaking---a light fog sat atop the beautiful Fall foliage in the background. Ahhhhh...nature is beautiful.

Nephew having a "baby talk" chit chat with Baby R in front of the corn stalks---Love this!

Doing some farm maintenance in our John Deere! (I wish haha)

Brother and nephew also went for a ride in a monster truck!

This cow was more of a piggy--she must have eaten 30

 carrots in the time that we were there!

We ended our day with a walk through a corn maze! We actually did get lost with a large group of others--which made it even more fun :)

After Pumpkin Picking Comes........Pumpkin Recipes/Cooking =D

xox

Good Eats: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

I made these cupcakes because anything Pumpkin makes me feel cozy and warm inside during the Fall Season :) I had no idea how they were going to come out as this was my first time making them, but they were BEYOND a huge success...16 were consumed in less than 24 hours! haha (not by only me of course, imagine!) lets get started so you can enjoy too:

 

Ingredients:  (yields about 16 cupcakes)

1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (found in those little plastic jars in the spice aisle of your supermarket)
1 cup of All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 cup white granulated sugar (the regular kind we all have in our kitchen!
1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4cup of Pure Pumpkin Puree (make sure its not pumpkin pie FILLING, there is a big difference!)
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1/2tsp of Baking Powder



Oven Temp : 350


1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, sugar and vegetable oil. Add the dry ingredients and keep whisking together until everything is well mixed. 

2. Grab your pre-lined cupcake tin and get your ice cream scooper out (these are also sold as cookie scoopers) and begin to scoop the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way up. 

3.Bake for about 20 mins, or until you stick a toothpick of small knife (which is what I had to do here!) can easily be inserted into the center of each cupcake and come out clean! This means they are done and ready for cooling. 

4. Take the cupcakes out of the tray and allow them to cool before frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting...homemade!

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp. Milk

4 oz of Cream Cheese, at room temperature

4 Cups of Confectioners Sugar

2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
½ tsp of Vanilla Extract

1. In a large bowl you are going to want to whisk everything together EXCEPT the milk. Make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together with no lumps and bumps. I find that adding the confectioners sugar a cup at a time really helps this all come together smoothly :)

2. Lastly, add the milk and mix together again, just until everything is combined. Cover this frosting mixture with plastic wrap and set aside, I set mine in the fridge just because its a habit of mine haha but you don't have to--outside the fridge will work just as well.You are going to want to leave it be for about 45 mins.  

3.You are now ready to frost your cupcakes! For this, I use the back of a teaspoon, I find that it makes spreading and smoothing out the frosting onto the cupcake SUPER easy.  Also note that in the picture above you can see that I haven't mounded on the frosting, unless you are a frosting fanatic, I think that a little frosting really adds just the "icing on the cupcake" haha You don't want the icing to overpower the delicious pumpkin spice flavors that you have in the actual cake part. Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon etc, those flavors will come through beautifully if you trust me on this! :)

There you have it--I hope if you are reading this that your mouth is watering and you're thinking of when you're going to whip these babies up, just posting this made me want to make another batch! Enjoy! 

Pumpkins and Cream Cheese, 

xox

Fall Season Meets Beauty Routine

 With the fall weather approaching, there are a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to skin care. 

1. The cooler air and the heat you may be forced to blast in your car as the nights get rather brisk, are two things that can severely dry out your skin! Be sure to alter how much you moisturize to compensate for this, no one likes dry crackly skin.

2. Remember to also maintain using SPF in your skincare somewhere.  Just because you don't see or feel the sun, doesn't mean its harmful rays don't exist!

3. What did you all do this summer? Probably something that consisted of loads of sunscreen from sunbathing and makeup for those fun warm nights out on weekends right? Well now is the time, as the weather is changing and those warm nights are coming to an end, to exfoliate your skin and do a nice deep cleanse. You want to make sure you dig deep down in your pores to remove any excess residue left behind from this warm humid summer season.

That all being said, there are a few fun ways to incorporate one of my favorite sights to see in the fall, Pumpkins, into your daily beauty routine! :)

 

Vitamins A & C are collagen building and Zinc is a great helper to fight off those blemishes, and guess what?! these things are all found in pumpkins! 

Here is a QUICK and super EASY recipe for a killer pumpkin treat for your lovely skin : 

1. Firstly, you want to carve out the seeds from your pumpkin.  

2. Slice your pumpkin into smaller pieces and peel the skin off.

3. Place these pumpkin pieces into a steamer or colander (whatever you have on hand), and steam over some boiling hot water for about 45-50 mins (pretty much until tender, which you can make sure of with your fork!)

4. After the pumpkin pieces are nice and tender, puree them in your food processor. 

5. Let this puree mix cool off, after all we don't want to place something super hot on our faces! haha 

-2 Tsp. of the cooled pumpkin puree

-1/2 tsp honey (I use organic honey because remember this is going to be absorbed into your skin!)

-1/4 tsp milk

-1/2 tsp. brown sugar (this adds to make a wonderful exfoliant!)

* if you have oily skin, leave out the brown sugar and use 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar, it works wonders ;)

Leave this mask on for 10-15 mins, rinse off, pat dry with towel and you are on your way to better looking skin, in just 15 mins! :)

Another quick treat for your skin, that is so delicious sounding you may want to eat it! : 

1. In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups canned pumpkin, 4 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt, 4 tablespoons honey, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
2. Slather this on your entire face, leaving your eyes out as always (they are super delicate!).
3. Leave this on for 10 minutes and then proceed to rinse as normal and pat dry.


A Great body exfoliant:

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Combine all of the above ingredients and while in the shower, take a moist washcloth and proceed to scoop a table spoon at a time and scrub this all over your body starting by your feet and stopping at your neck.  (we use the other scrub above for the face :)
2. Be sure to work this into your skin in circular motions.
3. Rinse this off with warm water and I guarantee your skin looks and feels amazing!

While doing research and testing these scrubs and masks out myself, I found that pumpkin really works wonders on the skin, no it's not only good for making jack-o-lanterns and  making your front steps look pretty.  I always love finding ways to use all natural ingredients in my beauty regimen because what you put in and on your body is what you get out of it. If you want radiant healthy skin, eat healthy and use healthy beauty products right? :)

Hope you all have a wonderful start to the fall season, and to any of my readers who are still enjoying wonderful weather for the next couple of months, I envy you! haha

Pumpkin Patches and Beautiful Faces,

xox