Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping

I am loving my first fall in Paradise. Back home by now, it would be rainy and gloomy. Here the sun is still shining, but now there is a slight breeze. The air smells different, good different, and the leaves are beautiful shades of gold and orange. A girl can definitely get used to this. 

Whenever fall rolls around, I think of this recipe. Ok...ok, who am I kidding, I make these muffins all year-round. But they seem especially fitting when summer turns to fall. As these muffins bake, they fill your entire house with the delicious aroma of cinnamon and pumpkin. Every time I make these, I think about how incredible it would be to awake to the smell of them. So if you happen to have family or friends visiting... that you want to spoil...you should sneak to the kitchen (before they wake up) and get these little guys in the oven. You'd be the best hostess (or host) ever!

Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping and Cream Cheese Drizzle 

Adapted from Stephanie's Kitchen

For the muffins:

3 cups All-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup canned pumpkin

For the crumble:

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

A Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Thank You

We had some very ripe bananas sitting in our kitchen, so I decided to make some bread to share with family. I love this recipe. My mom and I have been making it for years. You will absolutely love the smell of vanilla and cinnamon as it bakes. It's amazing for breakfast or a midnight snack.

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Eat Up Slim Down

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You'll need a 8" x 4" loaf pan. You can either coat it with non-stick spray or line it with parchment paper. I decided to use parchment paper this time. I don't know why I don't do this every time, it's so much easier to get the load out and the pan stays clean.

First mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the egg whites. Add in the melted butter and vanilla yogurt.

Take a fork and mash up the bananas, then add them to the yogurt mixture. Now, slowly stir in the dry ingredients little by little. Finally, the best part, fold in the chocolate chips!

Pour the batter into the pan. Make sure you use a spatula to get every last bit of the yummy goodness, because the batter will be sticky. Bake for 50-55 minutes. The bread should be golden brown when finished. Look how easy it comes out with parchment paper. It's as simple as peeling it back.

I decided to share the two loaves that I had made with family. Ryan's parents had just watched our little Doxie while we were out of town. Who doesn't love an edible thank you? First, I laid it out on some clean parchment paper and sliced it.

I had these pastry boxes that I had found at Michael's for nine cents! For some reason they were on clearance, so as usual, I loaded my basket with them, knowing I would find a use for them at some point. I lined the pastry box with pretty tissue paper and finished off the loaf with some ribbon.

 Since it was a thank you for doggy-sitting, I used this great paper that I had also bought at Michael's on sale 6/$1. I backed it with some checkered paper then used double-stick tape to stick it to itself, making it easy to slide off the box and dive into the deliciousness inside.

With the second loaf, I saved half for us (I couldn't resist). The other half I decided to wrap up for Ryan's Noni (a play on the Italian word for grandmother).

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