Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes

We are an Oreo family.  It doesn't matter what kind or flavor - all that matter is that we have some.  Actual Oreos or the store brand - doesn't matter.  They are the usual request for snacks in our house.  You get the idea.....  It all goes back to when Prince Charming was a teenager and his parents would buy a package of Oreos and they would be gone in one night.  His parents couldn't figure out what happened to them and then they figured it out.  Prince Charming's dad still tells that story!

This week I wanted to surprise my family with a new treat and found this on allrecipes.com and I'm happy to report that they received a thumbs up!  Here is Prince Charming with one last night.

Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes

1 (18.25 oz.) package chocolate cake mix
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tblsp sugar
48 mini Oreo bite size chocolate cookies
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping (I used regular frosting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cake batter as directed on package; set aside.  Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended. Spoon cake batter in each of 24 muffin cups, filling each cup about half full.  Top each with about 1/2 tblsp. of cream cheese mixture and 1 cookie.  Cover evenly with remaining cake batter. Bake 19 to 22 minutes.  Cool and top with whipped topping and remaining cookie.  There may be an indentation in top of cupcake after baking.

I used to be all "garanimal" in my closet. I liked the same colors grouped together - I can be really particular about some things, but yet other things don't bother me. Prince Charming says I'm somewhat "Rain Man" like. Sometimes I want everything to be perfect. And I mean perfect... The good thing is that the older I get, the less it bothers me. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Ok, the mixture of clothes in the closet don't look as jumbled in the picture as they do in real life. 

I'm soooo ready for the Covered Bridge Festival. This is shopping weather!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins

I found this recipe on another blog and made it this weekend - yummy!!!

Check out Colleen's blog - http://andbabymakesfive-colleen.blogspot.com/.  She does a Friday recipe exchange and one day I'll figure out how to link and post to it.  I've found some really good recipes by visiting her site.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins
(based on a recipe from Allrecipes)

3/4 cup wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/2 
tsp. nutmeg)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup butterscotch chips

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugars, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree, and melted butter. Stir into dry mixture and add butterscotch chips.  Pour into greased or lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes. Makes roughly 18 standard-sized muffins.

We're growing pineapples!

I forgot to put this picture in the Florida Part 2 post. A few years ago, Boscoe, George and I went to visit my parents after school was out. Short story - we bought a pineapple, the boys asked Grandma if they could plant it and presto ..... she now has a pineapple growing in her backyard. I can't remember how many years it takes to grow a pineapple, but we're on our way.