This coming Saturday my community is holding a pre-Thanksgiving celebration for families in need.  I will be in charge of teaching the children how to bake and decorate cupcakes.  This is the recipe I came up with along with the finishing decorating look that screams the colors of fall.  Note to reader: These cupcakes are friggin’ delish and a perfect alternative to pumpkin pie for your T-giving dinner!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley 

Ingredients for Pumpkin Coconut Mini Cupcakes:

3 – cups of sugar

4 – eggs

1 – 15 ounce can Libby’s Pumpkin Puree

1 – cup vegetable oil

2/3 – cup water

3 1/2 – cups all purpose flour

1 – teaspoon salt

2 – teaspoons baking soda

1 – teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 – teaspoons ground ginger

1 – cup shredded sweetened coconut

Ingredients for Cream Cheese frosting:

8 – ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

1 – cup butter (room temperature)

1 – teaspoon vanilla extract

2 – cups confections sugar (powdered sugar)

Optional:

1/2 -cup dried cranberries

1/2 – cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Line mini cupcake sheet with cupcake baking cups. Set to the side.

In a mixer combine sugar, eggs, Libby’s pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and water. Mix until well combined about 2 to 3 minutes.

    

Meanwhile in a medium bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger together. Once all dry ingredients are combined add in coconut and mix well.

Now add flour/coconut mixture to the pumpkin mixture a little at a time with the mixer set to medium low. Make sure to mix well.

    

Fill each mini cupcake baking cup with 1 tablespoon of mixture. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Once cupcakes cool…. make the cream cheese frosting.

In a mixer combine cream cheese and butter, and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add vanilla and mix till combined. Last add in confectioners sugar a little at a time till completely combined.  Spread cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake and decorate with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds for a festive holiday look.  ENJOY!

Makes 72 mini cupcakes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

While the rest of the United States was busy dressing up for Halloween parties on Saturday night, my little family and I decided on some crafty fun.  We carved our pumpkin and scooped out the seeds to make spicy curry pumpkin seeds.  We had a few left over kernels and went big in the maraca direction making noisemakers!

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez and Nicole Presley

Here’s how we did it….

Ingredients for spicy curry pumpkin seeds:

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds

enough water to fill a pot halfway

3 tablespoons of salt

juice from 1 1/2 limes.  Should make about 3 tablespoons

1/4 teaspoon yellow curry powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/4 teaspoon Tajin (chile and lime pepper)

non-stick cooking spray.

First cut into pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds…

Pour water into a medium sauce pan to fill halfway, then add salt. Bring salted water to a boil over medium flame.  While you are waiting for your water to boil.  Clean gunk off of pumpkin seeds by running under water.

Once water is boiling add pumpkin seeds and boil for 7 to 8 minutes.  Remove from flame and allow seeds to soak in hot water for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Then drain seeds and dry off on a paper towel.

Next mix  lime juice, yellow curry, chipotle pepper, Lawry’s, and Tajin in a small bowl together well.  Then add in dried off pumpkin seeds.  Mix to coat.

Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray and spread the coated pumpkin seeds on top in a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden/dry. Keep an eye on your pumpkin seeds because they have a tendency to burn quickly.

Things needed for maracas:

– Empty 8oz. water bottle

– A round stick to fit opening of bottle

– Pumpkin seeds ( about 10 to 15)

– White spray paint

– Glue water (1 part glue, 1 part water)

– Felt

– Tissue paper

– Construction paper

– Foil tape

– Aluminum foil

– Sharpies

– White water-color paint

Start by spray painting the outside of the water bottle white.  Allow it to dry a bit, then add pumpkin seeds inside.

Next take some glue and apply to the inside rim of the bottle.  Then insert the round stick for a firm fit.  Last wrap the foil tape around the opening and the stick.

What you do after this is entirely up to you.  Create your spooky maracas anyway you wish.  I used tissue paper to create the color of skin I desired.  Take your gluewater and brush it on the entire bottle, then take strips of tissue paper and place them around the bottle.  Next brush gluewater over the tissue strips.  Repeat till you reach the desired hue.  Then decorate it with felt, construction paper, paint, aluminum foil or sharpies to create the face of the maraca….. Here are a few examples of what we did.

Happy Halloween! Hope it’s a SCARY one!