Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pumpkin Muffins-Toews Family Cookbook


Gripping the vinyl, I held the measuring tape up to my biggest, while she stood on her step stool. Busily "working" at the counter top, I tried not to disturb her too much. In my cheeriest voice, I told her, "Mama is feeling so much better, I'm going to cut you out a new..."

Alligator tears! Hysterics! Frightened pools of brownish green were lost. 

"I don't want you to CUT ME!" The wildest of the wild bawled. 

It took a good ten minutes, and a handful of chocolate chips, to explain I was cutting a dress out of fabric, not her. 

Communication might not be our strong point, but I tell you, we do work well together. 

The months following our tiniest's arrival, folks would drop baking off and I would grin and thank them. Little did they know my freezer was stocked to the nine's! So often I find myself at the 4:00 losing my mind hour, reaching for the flour. Nothing passes time smoother for the biggest and I, but to spend time together in the kitchen throwing cookies, muffins, cakes, our minds in the oven. We seriously almost baked daily back then. 

Tears, the worst behaviour, exhaustion, whatever you may call it, can be lulled to quietness by the whir of a mixer. 

"Taylin, what do you want to do today?"

"Let's do BAKING!"

Today we baked and in celebration of snow and cold whirling into these parts, pumpkin muffins warmed our home. They are simple, make a decent sized batch that freeze well, and most importantly they quiet the troops. 

My key phrase in life is when there is nothing else to blog about, blog about food. Hence the corn. Y'all have any ideas floating around in your brains about things you'd like to hear about, send a message and I don't mean of the texting sort. You know I don't roll like that. 
Best. breakfast. ever. 

Pumpkin Muffins---From the Toews Family Cookbook

4 eggs                                         2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar                                1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups oil                               1 cup chocolate chips
3 cups flour                                 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional (which I never plop in)
1 tsp cinnamon                            1 3/4-2 cups pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs slightly. Add sugar, oil and pumpkin. Beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and sprinkle tops with brown sugar. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

20 comments:

Airplane said...

Are you kidding me with that beautiful little girl!?!? What a sweetie! And what great memories you are building baking together!

Unknown said...

These look tasty!

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Yumm!! My niece brought pumpkin muffins tonight for a treat, I will have to try these ones too Love me some pumpkin!

Cartoon Characters said...

Yum. And by the way, I have family named "Toews" ;)

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

I'm about to go to the grocery store.. these are baking later today in my oven for sure.

Thanks for sharing this little slice of life with us today, Cheyenne... the best possible post one could write. And you are a writer, no fooling. More of this, I say :-)

Shirley said...

Mmmmmmmuffins! Pumpkin muffins.....

quintuplicatemom said...

Oh she's cute! Too funny on miscommunications, same here only in teenage form. Ouch. Bless you for falling back on food and cooking. I don't... maybe I'd write about cleaning or organizing!

Vicky said...

I came over for the recipe from Karen's and I'd have to agree with her- wow- cute story and you have a clear writer's voice :) I look forward to following along!

Crystal said...

sounds like a great recipe, I love stuff baked with pumpkin, so moist!!! I am planning on making a pumkin raisen bars with cream cheese icing later, not so good for you but oooh sooo tasty!!!!

LindaG said...

Great picture of your daughter, and thanks for the recipe!

basebell6 said...

i will be trying these tomorrow! i have pumpkin in the fridge that needs used up!

Gumbo Lily said...

Baking with kids is a great thing to do. Who doesn't like the magic of mixing ingredients, popping them into the oven, and then "ding ding" good things come out. Those muffins sound and look delish.

Jenn Jantz said...

I have such happy memories of "baking" with mum... She would let Jess and I use flour, oil, salt and pepper and bake we did:) Tay will have so many happy memories of you being fabulous you:) xo

Bonnie said...

I loooove pumpkin, anything pumpkin. In fact, I ate pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today. I'll have to try your pumpkin muffins. They look delicious and so does your 'biggest' but don't tell her that; she'll think I'd like to eat her.
I made your corn recipe to freeze. It was so good it almost didn't make it to the freezer.\

Libbie said...

I was thinking I needed to whip some pumpkin muffins up today for just that reason...to warm the home! :) It is getting cold here already too but no snow yet! I hope it's a month off yet....

I think I'll try your recipe...now if I just had some chocolate chips on hand...life would be perfect :)

Anonymous said...

Oh yum! Ha, I love the miss-communications! We had that one today - Me: I heard you! Gooner: No Mom, you didn't hurt me!

Rachel said...

Pumpkin muffins!!! YES! Nothing says fall more than pumpkins... and I got me some at the grocery store, I will be making puree, and then making these yummy muffins!
Thanks for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

Looks so yummy!!! I will have to try these soon!! Maybe tonight... maybe..... P.S. I'm reading that book you told me about - soooo good - lovin it! Thank you!

Lindsay said...

These are the best muffins EVER! I have my pumpkin in the oven, so you bet I will be making these! I made pumpkin pull-apart bread last night for this morning's breakfast. It doesn't pull apart as nicely after a little girl stabs it repeatedly with a steak knife in the center, but it still tastes wonderful.
I love baking with my kids- we do it a lot. My littlest now sees me put my apron on and points to her sisters' aprons hanging up because she wants to toddle around wearing one, too. :)

Connie said...

Cheyenne, I love reading your stories ... takes me back to the days when Caylee & Craig were little.

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