Pumpkins

With Halloween, Thanksgiving and fall upon us pumpkins are a popular item for baking and decorating.

If you didn’t plant a garden this year I’m sure you and your kids are looking for some pumpkins to pick elsewhere. In the Berry Picking story posted this summer at Nature For Kids  Rebecca Renfroe shared a great website with everyone, pickyourown.org. At pickyourown.org you can find pumpkin patches near you.  It also includes a list of holiday corn mazes!

So take your kids outside to hunt for pumpkins and breathe in that fall air!

Today at Nature For Kids I also wanted to share with you my favorite pumpkin carving and pumpkin recipe. Take a look…

I love Sunset Magazine. It’s full of gardening, cooking and decorating ideas that are just my style. I collect pictures and articles that inspire me. One of the pictures I collected was of this pumpkin owl carving. Have a hoot doing this one!

Now for my favorite pumpkin recipe…

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Cranberries

(now that’s a mouthful)

Mmmmm Yummo! My kids love helping bake in the kitchen, especially if it involves frosting!

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

15 oz. prepared pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. In a mixing bowl combine all other ingredients. After it’s mixed well add the dry ingredients slowly. Spoon into muffin cups 3/4 full. I use a mini muffin pan lined with paper cups for easy cleanup. My kids like the smaller cupcakes more and they’re great for parties. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes (plus or minus). They’re done when you touch the center of the cupcake and it springs back.   

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1tsp vanilla

1 lb or 4 cups powdered sugar

Mix ingredients slowly then add evaporated milk until it’s a fluffy consistency. Place inside a decorating bag with a star tip. Start on the outer edge of the cupcake and spiral inward.

Candied Cranberry Recipe 

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cranberries

Prick each cranberry twice with a needle. Boil the sugar in water until it spins a thread. Put in the cranberries and cook them gently until syrup jellies. Remove berries one at a time and place on wax paper. Let stand until dry. Dip the berries in granulated sugar. Different from the picture above, I only place one berry on each mini cupcake.

pumpkins, pumpkin patch, nature for kids, nature, kids, halloween, Thanksgiving, fall, corn maze, pumpkin carving, pumpkin recipe, cupcake

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