Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Caramel Buttercream Frosting

• • 7 oz sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 4 oz butter, room temperature
  • sprinkle sea salt
  • 4.5 oz confectioners sugar, sifted
  1.  Beat butter and salt in a stand mixer until smooth.
• 2.  Combine sugar and water in saucepan with thick bottom over med-low heat.  Dissolve sugar, increase heat to med-high.  Boil water and sugar until syrup turns deep amber.  Swirl pan around smoothly and vigorously as needed, don't stir.  About 6-7 minutes it should take.  Take off heat when it is the right color.  Add cream and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The mixture will foam up then reside.  Continue to stir until it is dissolved and incorporated.  Whisk egg yolks in bowl.  Add the caramel to the yolks gradually then allow to cool.   
• 3.  Add the cooled caramel mixture to the butter mixture until fluffy.  On slow speed, mix in powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.  It will thicken as it stands.  About an hour and you should be able to spread it on Pumpkin Cupcakes.

Pumpkin Bread/Muffins/Cupcakes

This pumpkin bread/muffin/cupcake batter is very versatile. They can be made into loaves for fall favorite Pumpkin Bread, topped with Caramel Buttercream, or left with no frosting for great muffins topped with Maple Cayenne Butter. You can add nuts or chocolate chips for even fill them with cream cheese filling for a fall spin on my hubby's favorite Black Bottom Cupcakes. There are several recipes attached, but they should be mixed and matched for your favorite combo. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes 
10 oz sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I like large cinnamon from the asian market, and then grate it)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (use whole, please!)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I use whole, ground with mortar & pestle, then sifted)
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
7.5 oz dark brown sugar
7 oz sugar
8 oz butter, melted and cooled (microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power, then stir to melt remaining) 4 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
16 oz pumpkin puree (see recipe here)

1. Whisk dry ingredients including spices in a pretty large bowl, make a well in the middle, and set aside
2. In stand mixer, mix together sugars, then add cooled butter. Cream together.
3. Beat eggs yolks together slightly and pour vanilla in. No need to mix together. Add to creamed butter mixture.
4. Once the mixture is well incorporated into the creamed butter, pour into dry ingredients. Incorporate the wet and dry carefully, with a wooden spoon, until mixed well. Don't beat it to hell.
5. Put egg whites in the bowl the batter just came out of and attach whisk attachment. Whisk whites until stiff.
6. Stir pumpkin puree into cupcake mixture while the whites are stiffening. Stir until well incorporated. Don't beat to hell.
7. Gently fold in stiff whites.
 Now you have cupcake/muffin/bread batter. YUM

Pumpkin Puree

Since we like to make things from scratch when possible (and especially when so easy,) first make some pumpkin puree.  Or take some out of the freezer to defrost if you have already done this.

Pumpkin Puree 
2 small or 1 large pumpkin*
*research will tell you the smaller, duller pumpkins are best for baking.  I went will large and they turned out great with just the right amount of moisture.  However, there were not enough seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds!

• 1.  Cut the pumpkin in half, vertically, right through the stem and down.
• 2.  Flat side down, lop off the stem(s) 
• 3.  With a metal spoon, scrape out innards and put in a colander.  Set aside.
• 4.  Cut halves into wedges.  About 2-3 inches wide by 5-6 inches long.  No need to be neat, just cut.
• 5.  Place on baking sheet lined with parchment, skin down.  
• 6.  Bake in oven for about 45-60 minutes.  You should be able to slide your fork in with no resistance.
• I had selected a large pumpkin, so it took two batches.  I chose to refrigerate the second batch in large ziplock bags overnight before processing.  It worked just fine.  Alternatively, cool the pumpkin until you can handle it and process right away.
  
  
  Just peel the skin off and discard.  Cut the slices further if you need to.  I used an immersion blender to puree.  You have other choices including a food processor, blender, ricer, mill, or good ole potato masher.
  
  
  If you are like me, you have waited until you needed some to go through this rigamarole, so hold out whatever you need for your recipe, then dole out the rest into quart bags.  I did a cup and a half at a time.  This way I will have a little more than the 10.5 oz that most recipes call for, in case I want a Pumpkin Chai.  Place the bags in the freezer if you are not going to use it all up in a couple days.

Who Gives A Hoot?

Here is a cute owl card that I made for Emma.  My mom ended up liking it so much she asked me to make several for her to give out to coworkers and friends.  That was a nice project.  Here are them all finished.  Aren't they cute all lined up?  They are all hand cut and finished.  I like the wings.

Emma Grace

Emma is growing up so fast and is getting so busy.  She started 6th grade and now she has begun Band and is running on the Cross Country team.  She goes to school at 7:30 in the morning and doesn't get home until 6:00 at night.  Sometimes she has track meets, too.  Then she empties the dishwasher and we eat dinner so by that time it is time for homework and bed. 

This is a picture of her at the listener appreciation concert this summer with the radio stations in Boise.  She had a great time, and we had fun together.  She is getting a little older and it is getting fun to spend time together.  We miss so much time when I am at work and when I am unhealthy.

I have set a goal to lose 135 lbs before she is 15.  I don't want her to be embarrased of me when she is a teenager, and I want to hang out with Owen and play sports with him.  This is a huge commitment and it is scary to think of the work it will take.  What else may change if I lose a third of my body weight?  What types of things in my life would be different I wonder...

Worst Day

Today was the day that we did not want to wake up to.  To begin with, it is the first day since Steve began his new job that the kids and I and Steve all were going in different directions.  We attempted to prepare but I have not yet read this chapter in the worst case scenario handbook.  First, Steve called me to let me know that he had received notification from Owen's school and Owen has had several instances of bad behavior today.  He fell into another child which resulted in a head bashing into concrete, same thing with a drinking fountain, and then just all around horse-play later in the day.  This does not make for happy dad.  When I called to have my mom talk with Owen, I found that I had miscommunicated about pick up times and Steve did not pick Owen up from the neighbors house.  I found out that the rent check I wrote yesterday, thinking it would clear tomorrow, went through today and was returned.  Then, Steve got home and the power was turned off, saying we owed over $600.00.  We ended up going all night with no power because their systems were down.  Emma was not where she was supposed to be when Steve went to pick her up, and all the phones died with no power.  Whew...glad that one is over.

Pinterest Interest

I have been working on actually completing some Pinterest projects rather than just pinning them.  Here is a weekly menu board that I made for the kitchen to keep track of our weekly meals.  It isn't quite finished yet, I need to add two more tabs, but I think it is cute.  In the bottom box, there are tabs with several different meals to choose for each day of the week.  After we have them, we place the card in the top box.  This ensures we get variety and everyone gets their favorites.  It turned out really cute.

Here is Owen eating a recipe for Hazelnut Shortbread with Marscapone Frosting.  I put fresh peach slices on top- Yummy!

Secret Garden

Crafty

I like to spend my own time doing my own things and here is where I do it.  I get a lot of ideas from pinterest for crafts and projects.  Sometimes I just need to relax and make something.  I love the fact that I have my own space.  I like the windows and the light. 

His & Hers

We purchased his and hers Cimarron 1911 .45 ACP handguns for my birthday this year.  This was a turning point and we enjoy spending the time together going target shooting.  I am still practicing but I can be a pretty good shot.