Pumpkin Cacao Muffins + A Giveaway!

Yesterday was the first day of fall and I wasn't going to get excited or anything until I walked outside and there.was.a.BREEZE. A real, cool, dare I say chilly breeze. Can we just ignore the middle part of the day that lapsed back into summer? Because the evening was cool and perfect as well and let's be honest, breezes are a clear sign of fall. And fall = pumpkins. And pumpkin = all the baking things. 

Now, you may be wondering....can this girl spell? Doesn't she know it's cocOA, not cocAO powder? Well, you'd be right, except that cacao is actually chocolate in it's raw, unprocessed form. It's basically the same thing as unsweetened Hershey's cocoa powder but with a TON more nutritional value. Filled with magnesium, fiber, calcium, and loaded with antioxidants.  It's classified as a super food. Just tell yourself: I'm eating a superfood muffin this morning. 

Now don't you feel better about the day already? 

Not that you had to convince yourself that pumpkin and chocolate were a good idea. 

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients: 

Dry

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

¾ cup organic cane sugar

2 tablespoons cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch of nutmeg

Wet

2 eggs

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin purée

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 f 

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. 

In a stand mixer* with the flat beater attachment, add eggs, coconut oil and

vanilla and mix on medium speed until completely combined. Turn mixer off and add

pumpkin purée. Turn back on to medium and blend until smooth. 

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time. Use a rubber spatula to push

down any ingredients that lifted on the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed until smooth. 

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and using a 1/3 measuring cup fill the tins with batter.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done!

*you can also use a hand mixer or whisk if you don't have a stand mixer. 

***

In the spirit of loving food I am teaming up with some lovely ladies and giving away 2 cookbooks and a copy of a recent favorite book, Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenrieder. I'll admit, I'm drooling over these two cookbooks myself. They have the most beautiful stories to accompany their show stopping recipes!

Oh Simple Thoughts / Gather Around Our Table / 23 Magnolia Street / Life with the Casterlines / Elah Tree / Sew My Soul / With Flowers in my Hair / Seasons with the Strattons / Wetherills Say I Do / Tiny Painter / Newly Nabors / Butcher's Niche 

The winner will be announced this Friday so stay tuned and play fair! All entries will be verified. Have fun!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dinner: A Love Story

I have a love affair with Dinner: A Love Story. Last summer I was on Summer Project in Breckenridge, CO with a $30 gift card and a newly pregnant belly. As I browsed this quaint and eclectic store on Breck's Main Street, I tossed around the idea of a new scarf, an iPhone case, or anything from their adorable handmade children's section. Then I found, tucked away in the corner, a stack of about 10 cookbooks. My heart peeked up a little, kind of like a dog's ears do when they hear something interesting, and I started browsing. 

I immediately fell in love when I read the words "Dinner: A Love Story." Um, YES and Amen. An internal happy dialogue with the book begins: "Dinner. A love story? You're describing my life right now, book!" I thumbed through the pages and fell more and more in love. A gift card well spent, my friends.

Jenny Rosenstrach's NEW book "Dinner: The Playbook" comes out TODAY (!!!!) so in honor of this amazing day in history, here are my thoughts. For every friend who left a comment on insta inquiring about this book and who complimented the yummy food when you joined us for dinner, here it is.

Because I'm a lover of videos, here's Jenny's video explanation of the book //

Isn't she romantic about family dinner? Yet realistic and helpful all at the same time? In a world where you can download any recipe, I still appreciate the written word and see a huge amount of benefit in having a book to hold. You can write in it and take notes on each recipe, as I did, and it is something tangible to be passed down to the next generation. That's something you just can't do with a Pinterest board. 

Great Grandma Turano’s Meatballs

Jenny Rosenstrach wants to make family dinner a ritual in your home, and she does an incredible job both inspiring you to do it and giving you the practicals on how to get it done. It's definitely worth reading cover to cover. I first dug into it as if it were a novel, lusting over her scrumptious colored photography and relishing the peek into new motherhood I was about to embark on. I then went back through and cooked meal after meal, page after page, all the way through. I'll be honest, more traditional cookbooks turn me off. I really am only interested in a few things: breakfast, dessert and most importantly: dinner. When I want a recipe, it's almost always for dinner. Are you the same way? Where other cookbooks leave me lacking, Dinner: A Love Story delivers simple and authentic recipes that could happen in anyone's kitchen from the beginner to the pro. She also throws a few cocktails in there as well as tips and recipes for entertaining. 

Chicken Pot Pie.....one of our household staples

I felt challenged by Jenny to stock my pantry with spices I had never used before. She admonishes her readers to take the risk of buying those ingredients that would usually be a "page-turner" for you. You know we all have them, the ingredients we see that make us turn the page or click away from a recipe. I used to be just as guilty of this (and sometimes still am) when I see ingredients that just don't seem to fit into our daily cooking profile. I loved that she asserts that if we have these ingredients in our kitchen, we are more likely to use them, making our cooking more adventurous and allowing us the joy of the experience. This has been so true for me as I grow as a cook and expand the flavors we know and like!

For a good portion of 2013, this book was my dinner time inspiration, my reading material by the pool, and my guide for "nesting recipes" when my little one was born. I flipped through it's pages multiple times as I read it like a novel, cooked through it like a manual, and referenced it like a dinner encyclopedia. In fact I've used it so much the binding fell apart! It's safely bunched together on my kitchen recipe stand, as we just made Chicken Curry with Apples last week. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is learning the beauty of sharing a meal with the ones they love. Maybe you're new to cooking your own meals. Maybe you just ventured into preparing healthier options, or maybe you just want a book full of tried and true, real life recipes you can enjoy. Either way, this cookbook is for you. 

I purchased this cookbook on my own, and was not compensated for this post. These are simply my honest thoughts in hopes that you too can benefit. *All photos taken from http://www.dinneralovestory.com/

Currently // Vol. 3

thinking about //

My cookbook. (Surprise! I'm writing a book. Or was that cat already out of the bag?) Well, to be more specific, the book and the blog. How do they fit together? What's my voice and where am I going? And oh by the way, how do you go about starting as huge and overwhelming a project as writing a book?! Before the pen hits the pad of paper (or my fingers click to the keyboard) I need to let all my passions and thoughts gain a little bit more focus. 

reading //

In preparation for such an all-encompassing task, I'm reading "Will Write for Food" by Dianne Jacob. Basically what I've learned so far is that I'm doing it all wrong. Hooray for the first chapter! But really...I'm digging into it and feverishly taking notes. I have much to learn, y'all. 

listening // 

To grasshoppers bang on the glass windows......ick. 

watching //

Old videos from my time in Italy a couple years ago. It's safe to say an Italy inspired food week is coming to the blog soon! 

thankful // 

For sweet graces from God that allowed Jordan and I to get away for a special fancy date night this weekend. This is something we are not afforded often these days and we soaked in every precious minute of it. I meant to take pictures the entire night but was too wrapped up in my man to remember! Don't you love when life is a little too sweet to stop and snap a picture? Just imagine giggles and feasting on Brazilian meats followed by a tour of Whole Foods and devouring a pint of dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Mmmm...


Linking up with A Mama Collective this morning and hoping you'll join in to. What's new with you?

"Currently // Vol. 3"  is part of a blog relaunch series entitled 

"31 Days of Responding to Him" 

Follow along here