Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream-Cheese Frosting

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I haven’t put a new post up since Halloween. I know I’m a bad blogger! Let cross our fingers now that were done having company for a while, and I can get things back in order with my blog. Not that I don't LOVE having company. I think I’m also just about ready to post some pictures of our house up. Don’t mind the fact that we still have not really put pictures on the wall. It’s much more difficult to find places for things now then ever before. Who knows maybe it’s because we bought this house, or maybe because it’s sort of on the back burner as far as priority. This posting is dedicated to the fact that my husband Jake hates pie, which is almost un-American if you ask me. I have decided that I’m still making a pumpkin pie for me to eat on Thanksgiving, but the nice wife that I am that I will also be making some yummy sweet potato cupcakes for the hubby that are topped with brown-butter cream cheese frosting. These are both something new for me. I have searched the internet and do what I do best take bits and pieces of things and come up with my own recipe. I have walked you through the process and below you will find the recipe for these yummy cupcakes. I hope that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and don’t forget to be THANKFUL!

I’m thankful for so many things in my life. I’m thankful for having my little family all together, healthy and strong. I’m thankful for the food in our bellies, the roof over our head and clothes on our back. I’m thankful for great friends and family. I’m thankful for the new experiences that we have been given, but most of all I’m thankful for the love I’m shown everyday by my amazing husband and daughter.

Sweet Potatoes cupcakes~

2 cups & 4 tablespoons baking flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
17 oz. sweet potato puree
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the sweet potatoes and vanilla extract, beating just until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting~

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar

What you do is put a stick of butter in a sauce pan and let it get brown, but not dark. It should be a nice golden color. Make sure that you let your butter cool before mixing it with the cream cheese. In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and browned butter until well combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and powdered sugar and mix until smooth. I’m sure that your wondering how you make brown butter.

She is so cute I couldn't help, but put a picture of her from today having some toast with breakfast.

Trick or Treat

I made some yummy pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting

Helping Mommy & Daddy decorate Jack O' Lanterns.

Helping Daddy out.

Look at the loves of my life.

Dig out those guts.

They look identical. I sometimes wonder if she has any of my genetics.

The little cow ready to get some candy.

Just before a massive sneeze. Thanks Mommy for blinding me with your flash.

She loves trick or treating!

This is her upset that I told her were going home.

I’m a few days late on our Halloween post. I guess better late then never! I hope that everyone had an amazing Halloween and ate lots of candy. Reagan had so much fun with her first trick or treating experience. She picked out her Halloween costume back in September as we were strolling through Costco. She fell in love with cows, while we were living in England. We used to plan our days around when the cows were walking up to get milked. It was no surprise that she had to have the cow costume for her Halloween costume. I think that her favorite thing about Halloween was carrying a pumpkin bucket around and people putting something in it. I was hoping to get another year of her not getting candy, but while Mommy was not looking Daddy gave her some candy.

Jake and I officially carved Jack O’ lanterns this year. In the almost 10 years we have been together we have never carved pumpkins before. Jake had the great idea of doing Sesame Street characters, from one of those carving books. The bad thing was that we didn’t have giant pumpkins, which made for carving extremely hard. We had to shrink the pictures down to fit on our pumpkins. In the end Jake’s was the only one that turned out great. What can I say he is a perfectionist, while I rushed through my carving experience. My Bert was okay, but didn’t stand a chance next to Jake’s. I then broke the knife while trying to carve Reagan’s pumpkin with an Elmo face. I didn’t get a finished picture, but you’re not missing much of anything.

Were getting a bit more settled in our house, and it’s starting to look more like a home. I’m hoping that by Thanksgiving it will be put together! I can’t believe that the holidays are upon us!

Baby on the Brain.....

I wouldn't change a thing about my days! We all get a little angry at times.

Its official I have baby on the brain. It took us forever to get pregnant with Reagan, or at least that is how it felt for this Mamma. It was month after month of crying over no baby in my belly. I couldn’t understand why not me. It seemed like everyone around me was getting pregnant. I would go out in town, and I felt like there were new babies and pregnant mammas all around me. I couldn’t help, but feel like the Mother Nature wasn’t on my side. After I found out that I was pregnant with Reagan I swore that she would be our one, and only. We had finally struck gold. Jake also agreed that Reagan would be it, but I think it was because he couldn’t handle facing his wife in pain over not being pregnant. He would hold me and promise that soon it would be our turn. When Reagan was 4 months old I told Jake that I wanted another baby, and that I wasn’t done. I think he thought I was a little nuts, but I couldn’t imagine Reagan being our only one. I felt like our family wasn’t yet complete. Have you ever done something and it just came so natural, as if you had been doing it forever. That is how I feel about being a Mom. I feel like it just comes natural. It’s the best thing that I have done with my life. I’m exhausted and at my wits end at times, but I love every second of it. I may have days that Reagan won’t stop screaming and didn’t sleep well, but I still feel good about being a Mom. I love every day that I get to spend with her. She is such a blessing to both Jake and I. I’m ready to do it all over again. I'm ready for the blow out poo and managing a buys toddler all at the same time. I’m just not sure if my body agrees. I try not to get down over the fact that I feel like I’m somewhat reliving the past. That I see babies, pregnant mommies & everyone that was pregnant when I was before is starting to get pregnant again. I think the reason I’m not crying over that fact that I’m not pregnant again is because I feel blessed that I have one great kid. I hate the thought that she might be it, but I believe that what God has in store for us is what we’ll get. I’m not giving up without a fight though.

Fall is in the air....

We took Reagan to her first official pumpkin patch visit. It was no Washington pumpkin patch, but Reagan thought it was great. She went running as soon as she saw some of the farm animals on display. She was not as much entertained by the pumpkins, but we still managed to collect a few pumpkins for our family. We decided that were going to carve our pumpkins into Sesame Street characters. You’ll have to stay posted to how they turn out. We have never done one of the kits, but decided to give it a try this year. In the almost 10 years that Jake and I have been together we have never been to the pumpkin patch, or carved pumpkins. Jake was baffled when I told him. Reagan is going to dress up and collect some candy for her parents this Halloween. She is going to be a cow and only because that is what she wanted to be. I’m sure she is going to walk around mooing the night away. I hope you like our pictures, and stay tuned for how the pumpkins turned out.