Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I have Pinterest to thank for this one. Pinterest can definitely be time-waster, but when I find a great recipe like this one, it makes it all seem worth it, right? (That way I can justify to myself continuing to spend time on Pinterest.)  :)

I have a recipe for Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting which I always make at least once each fall, which I love. However, when I saw a recipe adding cinnamon to the cream cheese frosting, I decided I had to try these. I'm glad I did; they were delicious!

This recipe comes from Taste of Home. I used their original recipe this time, but would also like to try what looks like a slightly healthier version here, from Dulce Delicious. She also has some great pictures of the cupcakes, so check out her blog.

Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk, just put 1 TBSP lemon juice in a measuring cup, and add enough milk to make one cup; let sit for a few minutes.)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and ginger; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes* or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (I reduced this to about 5 tablespoons, and it still turned out great)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen

*I made mini cupcakes, and baking them 14-15 minutes in my oven was just right.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

This one comes from Our Best Bites. Here is a link to the original recipe. I'll list it below as well, along with a few of my own comments/adjustments.

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini (find them in the dry pasta aisle) (I have not been able to find the dry tortellini. I have always used tortellini from the refrigerated section; there are usually a few different varieties available.)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil (I prefer fresh if I have it, either to replace all of the basil, or just add fresh basil on top after everything is done baking.)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy) (I don't do well with spicy food, and 1/4 tsp added some flavor without making it seem spicy at all.)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
(Next time, I think it would taste great to add some chopped artichoke hearts as well.)
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon.  (Last time I didn't have a fresh lemon, so I just used bottled lemon juice, and omitted the lemon zest. It had less lemon flavor, but that was OK with us.) Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.  (This one is a note from the original recipe, not me: Note:  I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes.  If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) .  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, (artichoke hearts, if adding), 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

Mexican Beef Pile-ups

My sister Heather was recently asking for some quick dinner ideas. This recipe is a favorite of my sister Kathy's family. It comes from the Ivory "Favorites" cookbook. It's similar to a taco salad, and you can of course vary the ingredients to suit your personal taste.

You can speed up the dinner-time prep for this recipe by making the meat portion a day in advance. Or, just heat ingredients until warm. The flavors intensify if it simmers for awhile, but can be served as soon as it's warm in a pinch. I'm sure you could also put the first group of ingredients in a crock pot on low for several hours as well.

This recipe also serves a pretty big crowd. You can reduce the amounts, or freeze some for later meals. 

Mexican Beef Pile-ups

Meat mixture:
3 pounds ground beef
3 cups water
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
1 package enchilada seasoning mix
1 (14-ounce) can enchilada sauce
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste

Cook ground beef and drain fat. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 2 to 3 hours on top of stove or in oven at 300 degrees.

Pile-up your meal in this order:
white rice
corn chips
meat mixture
Cheddar cheese, grated
green onions, chopped
olives, sliced
tomatoes, diced
avocados, chopped
lettuce, shredded
sour cream
salsa