Devilish Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

YUM.

Ok, I know they aren't the prettiest muffins {hence the attempts at throwing a little confectioners sugar at them to make them a little prettier}...but you will completely forget about that when I tell you that

1 Muffin is only 180 calories and 2.5 grams of fat!!!

They are DELICIOUS and could not be easier to make.

*just a note...the dominate flavor in these is CHOCOLATE...with just a hint of pumpkin.

My friend Tracy told me about these muffins awhile back and after two cups of coffee this morning, I was motivated enough to try them! It did help that it was only two ingredients mixed in a bowl. I mean...seriously?

They are best when paired with coffee...and nibbling at them when you are sitting in front of the computer catching up on your favorite blogs! :)

Ingredients

• 1 box devils food cake mix

• 1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin

(not pie filling!)

Directions

Mix together. Do not add anything else that is mentioned on the box. It only takes these 2 ingredients. That's all. Mixture will be very thick (and you will be tempted to add something, but don't.) Place in muffin tins, sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. This makes 12 muffins.

*I added pecans to mine this morning...and next time I might throw in a few chocolate chips!

If you try them, let me know what you think!

Quite possilbly the easiest, best soup ever!

SHERRIED TOMATO SOUP

So I have only posted two recipes...this being the second...my first was my Potato Cheese Soup. Do you see a trend? Yes, I {love} soup! I got the recipe for the soup below from The Pioneer Woman. I will have to talk about her in another post...maybe two...well, who I am I kidding, I could write about her all day long. She is seriously my hero. I have been sick for days and to me, there is nothing that can make you feel better when you are sick but soup. And bread, of course.

This recipe is THE easiest and the most delicious tomato soup you will ever taste. I paired it tonight with cheese bread. Provolone or Mozzarella would have been my first choice, but all I had was Monterey Jack with Jalapenos and I figured 'what the heck'...and it was heaven. Serving it along side of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is also delicious!!

Trust me, if you have 30 minutes, you have enough time for this soup.

Nothing this decadent should be this easy!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Difficulty: SUPER Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients


6 Tablespoons Melted Butter


1 whole Medium Onion, Diced


1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice


2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes


1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base


3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar


1 pinch(es) Salt


Black Pepper To Taste


1 cup Cooking Sherry


1-½ cup Heavy Cream


Chopped Fresh Parsley


Chopped Fresh Basil


Instructions


Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

You are probably saying is that it? Yep...that is it. Now go make it and enjoy!

POTATO CHEESE SOUP

So I have never posted a recipe before, but I absolutely love to cook and thought it would be a good idea to start sharing recipes! It is a cold day here in Atlanta...it even snowed here a little this morning! One of my favorite things to cook on days like this is soup. Nothing can warm you up and make you feel cozy like homemade soup can! This Potato Cheese Soup came out so, so good and I think you will love it!

Ingredients

3 large russet potatoes

2 tablespoons finely minced celery

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

1 tablespoon grated carrot

2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

2 slices bacon, cooked and drained

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

Directions

-Peel potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces.

-Make sure vegetables are minced into very small pieces- carrot should be grated, not shredded.

-In a large saucepan, combine vegetables with chicken stock, salt, and vinegar over medium heat.

-Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

-In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and milk.

-Remove saucepan with vegetables from heat and add flour and milk mixture.

-Return pan back to heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes or until soup has thickened.

-Add 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese to soup and simmer until melted.

-By now the potatoes should be tender and falling apart.

-If not, continue cooking until soup is as thick as you like it.

*I love creamy, thick soup...but this next step is optional!

-Remove 1/2 of the potatoes from the pot with a ladel and set aside in medium bowl. Using an emulsion blender, puree soup in pot until you’ve reached the desired consistency. If you don’t have an emulsion blender, let the soup cool for about 30 minutes and, working in two or three batches, puree some of the soup in a conventional blender until smooth. Place pureed soup in a bowl and puree the remainder in the pot

-put remaining potatos back into the pot and stir

-To serve, divide soup into 2 bowls.

-Divide remaining 1 tablespoons of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheeses and sprinkle on the soup.

-Crumble bacon and sprinkle evenly over the cheese.

-Top off each bowl of soup with chopped green onion.

YUM..this soup is SO good. If you try it, I would love to hear how it came out!