Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

So is anybody ready for the fall like I am? I am so ready for cooler weather and ready to have this baby althought I still have 3 months to go. Yesterday the kids and I decided to make something with Pumpkin in it to get us ready for the fall. I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe and I knew I had to try them out. These were so yummy!! If you like things with pumpkin in them you must give these a try. They are definitely worth it!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins adapted from My kitchen Cafe
3 cups flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree

For Filling:
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For Streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 T. cold butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or foil sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until hardened, about 1-2 hours.

To make the muffins, mix the eggs, oil, sugars, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel, combine all the ingrediesnt and mix with two forks or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin pans with paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Slice the cream cheese log into pieces and place a slice on the top of the batter in the muffin well and gently press down a little. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the muffins tins and place on top of the cream cheese slice. Sprinkle each muffin with streusel topping. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs on it. Let cool then eat. The recipe says it make 24 muffins but mine made 24 regular sized ones and 6 large ones!!

Chicken Fajitas

I had a red a yellow pepper that I needed to use hanging out in our fridge so I decided to make Fajitas last night. I found an excellent marinade recipe for the chicken from My Kitchen Cafe and from Our Best Bites. The recipes were almost identical so I am going to give credit to the both of them. My family loved these!! Super simple and just serve with tortillas and Spanish rice and refried beans.

Chicken Fajitas
1 1/2 lbs chicken sliced in strips(about 5-6 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice(about3-4 limes)
1/2 cup water
4 T. oil
4 clove garlic, minced
6 tsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp liquid smoke(find by bbq sauce in walmart or any grocery store)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl . Place the chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the top of chicken. Seal the bag and let marinate in fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight. the longer it marinades the better the flavor.

When ready for dinner slice 2 peppers any color and 1 large onion. Heat 1 T. of oil in a skillet and cook the onions and peppers together until desired tenderness. In another skillet cook the strips of chicken until cooked through. YOu can mix the meat and veggies together or just let everyone get how much they want of each on their tortilla. We served these with rice, beans, lime wedges, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and pico de gallo. So yummy!!!!

Indian Butter Chicken

We love Indian food and when I saw this recipe over at This Week For Dinner I knew we had to try it out. Boy was it yummy!!! It takes a little time because you have to marinate the chicken overnight but it is well worth the effort. Serve with basmati rice and Naan. It is so great!!

Indian Butter Chicken adapted from This Week for Dinner

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 T. Lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic

1 inch ginger root grated

1 T. cumin

1 tsp. corriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breast(stab them a bunch with a fork and make some gashes in them with a sharp knife)

The night before you want to make butter chicken for dinner, mix all the above ingredients in bowl, cover and marinate overnight. To cook the chicken pat off the marinade, brush the chicken with oil and place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Let it cool then cut into chunks.

Butter Chicken sauce:

1 onion, chopped

1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated

1 T minced garlic

1 green chili, chopped

1 gr pepper chopped

1 stick butter, divided-3 T. and 5 T.

1 Large can(28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz)can diced tomatoes

5 tsp garam masala

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp corriander

3 shakes cinnamon

1(6 oz)can tomato paste

1 (14 oz) can veggie or chicken broth

1 cup cream

Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, gr chili, and green pepper in the 3 T butter until veggies are tender. Add the tomatoes and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add all the spices and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and broth. With an immersion blender(braun or blender) blend the ingredients until smooth then return to pan(if using blender)or return to a simmer if used immersion blender. Add the cooked chicken, cream, and butter. Serve over basmati rice and with naan bread.