Maple Pumpkin Muffins

I made these muffins this morning for breakfast and they were a hit. My kids loved them and I thought they were pretty tasty as well. They will be added to my pile of recipes we love.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 T. Maple extract
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour(I used half whole wheat half all purpose)
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, maple, syrup, sour cream, butter, and eggs until well combined. Add the extracts. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix just until combined. Fill your greased or lined muffin tins 2/3 the way full with batter then sprinkle each with crumb topping(recipe below) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Crumb topping:
6 T. flour
6 T. sugar
4 T. nuts, chopped(i used pecans)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T. butter

Mix all these together with two knives or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Italian Tortellini Soup

For a church activity I had to make some soup. I decide to make some tortellini soup. I found a few recipes for it but decide to make up my own. This turned out really well and I got asked for the recipe many times.

Italian Tortellini Soup

1 lb hamburger

2 T. garlic

1 onion chopped

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper or I used about 10 mini sweet peppers(yellow, red, and orange)

1-2 cups carrots, chopped

2-3 zucchini, chopped

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes

1 (6 0z) can tomatoe paste

8 cups beef broth(or 8 cups water and 10 tsp beef bouillon)

4 cubes beef bouillon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 T, parsley

1 tsp basil

1 pkg. Good Seasonings Italian dressing mix or Roasted red pepper and basil dip (if you can find it just use one or the other)

1 can tomato soup(normal size can)

1 to 2 cans Drained pinto beans

20 oz of cheese tortellini (cooked)

Brown your hamburger. Drain the grease. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot, and peppers Saute until veggies are starting to get tender. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the tortellini and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until veggies are cooked all the way. (I simmered mine for about 1 hour) Then add the tortellini and serve with bread or rolls.