This past Friday, my workplace had a “dessert-off” where employees could bring in their desserts and our three anonymous judges would taste test, determining which dessert they liked the most. My pumpkin cupcakes came in 3rd place.
Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe
Makes 24
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (or just use your own homemade puree)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester (AKA toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Once cool, top with your choice of frosting (I picked cream cheese).
Try it out for yourself and let me know how it turns out!
Ben and I went pumpkin picking with the UNC Kenan-Flagler partner group Kenan Connection. There’s this cute little farm in Raleigh, NC called “Page Farms” that we went to.
Page Farms Pumpkin Patch
After an adorable and short hay ride from the farm to the pumpkin field, we arrived to a wide array of pumpkins. A lot of the kids and families that had attended ran for the larger pumpkins to carve, but Ben and I were on a mission to find the perfect pumpkins to puree.
We picked out the smallest pumpkins we could find! The first one we found immediately. It was in plain sight as soon as we got off the wagon. There were no weird bumps or lumps in it to be seen, and it was already removed from the vines.
Ben and Me at Page Farms with our Pumpkins
The second one we had issues finding. We had to really go into the pumpkin patch and dig around a little. Once we found it, Ben, being the strong guy he is, manage to rip it away from the vines after a bit of pulling and twisting.
We took our pumpkins, hopped on the hayride back to the farm and headed back home.
After setting these bad boys on my kitchen table, I quickly got to work on making pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin Puree Recipe Ingredients: 2 small pumpkins; 1 cup of water
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Cut out top of pumpkins like you would to carve a pumpkin
Cut pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds. If you want to roast the seeds, save them for later.
Cut the halves down to quarters.
Pour 1/2 cup of water into each pan.
Lay pumpkins down (skin touching water) in the pans.
Cover pans and pumpkins with foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until tender. You should be able to poke the pumpkin meat with a fork easily.
Scrape pumpkin meat from shells, and puree in the blender. I found that using a paring knife worked best – simply peel off the pumpkin skin with your paring knife to get the most out of your pumpkin meat.
Puree pumpkin meat in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water if it’s not coming out smooth.
Keep in mind that it is a messy recipe, but it is so worth it! You can make all sorts of pumpkin treats with your puree.
Let me know in the comments below what you use pumpkin puree for!
Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday.
Yes, even when I was single, and no, I am not lying.
Being a writer, I suppose it is a given that I’m a romantic. But I am also a planner. I ordered my partner’s gifts back in November, wrapped them in January, and am totally psyched to spend my favorite holiday with my favorite person. Still, I love looking over Valentine’s Day ideas and getting some last minute advice to make my special someone that much happier on the big day.
To help combat the fiasco of ideas on the internet, I decided to come up with a list of my own cute surprises that have been greatly appreciated by my very own valentine:
Writing out reasons why you love your partner allows them to read your kind words every day as they get ready for work and for bed. Don’t you love to hear it when your partner compliments you? Do the same for them!
List all of the reasons you can think. Or, if they only have a mirror in the bathroom, write out 5 reasons and replace them with new reasons each week.
I know that when my boyfriend discovers a new batch of reasons I love him (the reasons are endless, of course), he gets a huge grin on his face. It’s the best feeling in the world when I know I’ve made my partner’s day.
Pick up a dry-erase marker (DO NOT ATTEMPT WITH A PERMANENT MARKER), and start writing on their mirror. They’ll check it the next time they’re looking at their reflection in the mirror and love you all the more for it.
2. Make a Meal for Them
We have a huge advantage this year with Valentine’s Day being on a Sunday: brunch! I love brunch. I have never met anyone that doesn’t love brunch, and I’m pretty sure that your lover would love brunch too.
You can’t cook? Take your sweetheart out to brunch. Most restaurants are cheaper in the morning and early afternoon than at night. Save major bucks on this thoughtful surprise and earn their appreciation in one fell-swoop.
If you can cook, whip up some pancakes, eggs and bacon for a nice Valentine’s Day brunch. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but I believe the way to anyone’s heart is through good food. Surprise your love by making breakfast for them.
If they sleep in, that’s even better. Serve them breakfast in bed, and get ready for the adoration in their eyes.
Just make sure to tidy up once you’re finished…
“Here you go, Valentine!” you say as your partner looks just beyond you at the mountain of dishes in the sink, the pancake batter spilled on the counter, and the egg shells cracked on the table.
Talk about a mood killer.
Make sure you wash those dishes ASAP, so your love won’t have to lift a finger that morning. In fact, make sure you tidy up around the place so your love can focus on you the entire day.
Cleaning doesn’t have to be a major hassle. My rule of thumb is to wash as you go along so you don’t have a pile of dishes at the end.
Your love will adore you all the more for it.
3. Slip a Love Note into Your Valentine’s Briefcase
Okay, I always fail with this one. My boyfriend is the worst with surprises. Seriously. The worst.
He’ll go out of the room for a moment, and I’ll slip a little note in his briefcase. Almost immediately he’ll come back in the room and say, “Oh, I need to work on something really quick.” Then he proceeds to reach into his briefcase and…
Bam. Surprise ruined.
But if you have luck on your side, your partner won’t see it until they go into work the next day. Just make sure the note isn’t super embarrassing looking. Your Valentine might not appreciate extra attention at the office for a sparkly card or sequins popping out of their briefcase pockets while their coworkers snicker in the background.
4. Give Them a Massage
I love to give my boyfriend massages. And it’s not just because I get to see him shirtless (swoon). When I give him a massage, he is more relaxed, more cuddly and even more appreciative. I hear “you’re wonderful” almost every time I give him a massage.
If you want to hear your SO tell you how much they appreciate you, purchase some massage oil and get to work. There are tons of massage how-to’s online that you can take ideas from.
Don’t feel confident in your massaging abilities? Book a massage appointment for you and your partner. Go on Groupon to find major savings and deals, and get ready for some pampering.
5. Write a Love Poem
Being a writer, you would think that writing a poem would come easy. It doesn’t. It’s hard to write about the person you love. Picking words to perfectly capture your feelings about someone is practically impossible.
There have been days where I have stared at a blank page with my cursor flashing back at me as if to say, “Well? I’m waiting.”
Which is why they will love it. The thought that goes into writing a few words about your significant other will be appreciated. What person doesn’t like a poem written about them?
There is one catch: you need to make sure all of the words are spelled correctly. I had a friend receive a poem from a guy and he misspelled “Aphrodite” three different times in three different ways (Afrodite, Aphrodity and Afrodiety). A few misspelled words turned his thoughtful gift into a fiasco.
“Of a fine, stout love, it may. But if it is only a vague inclination, I am convinced that one poor sonnet will kill [love] stone dead.”Lesson learned: spellcheck is your best friend.
Make sure that the poem is personalized in some way. Love poems, in general, are easy to write. Personalized love poems, however, are difficult to master. Add a bit of your history as a couple to the poem for a more personalized love poem.
For more tips on how to write a love poem, check this out.
If you’re really not feeling up to writing a poem, look up a few of the classics to send him/her throughout the day. They will appreciate the sentiment and have a nice surprise in their messages.
6. Create an “I Love You” Alarm on Their Phone
Once again, my boyfriend is the worst with surprises. The absolute worst.
I tried this, thinking that at 8:00PM that night, he would be pleasantly surprised by an “I Love You” alarm. You know, it was just a little reminder that I love him. I thought it would be a nice change from the usual loving texts I send him. I wanted to make him smile. I figured it would be a cute surprise for him.
Nope. Of course not.
The second he came back in the room after I finished fiddling with his phone, he noticed the little alarm clock alert in the corner of his screen.
Yes, he ruined the whole surprise.
But, if your partner is easily surprised, create an alarm with the words “I Love You” at the time of your choosing.
This pleasant little alarm will put a pep in their step and remind them that you love them.
7. Steal Their Car and Put Gas in It
According to Buzzfeed, it’s a good way to surprise your boyfriend – but, as a woman, I know your girlfriend would appreciate it too. Who doesn’t love a full tank of gas courtesy of a loved one?
Steal their keys while they’re sleeping or busy with something else, and take their car for a spin to the gas station.
Extra Credit: Drive it through a car wash.
These are just a few of my suggestions! Leave a comment below with ideas to surprise your Valentine!
With all of these fantastic gift suggestions out there, I decided to compile a reasonable list of what to actually get your boyfriend for his birthday. Because after he blows out his candles, he should want to stick around instead of jumping out a window.
It is my firm belief that there is nothing sexier than a well dressed man in a suit and tie. If your guy has not so great taste in fashion or just needs more work clothes, a few quality button-up shirts and silky ties will do the trick.
Don’t know his style or his size quite yet? Make sure you get a gift receipt so if there’s anything that doesn’t suit him, he can just take it back and get the right size.
If you don’t have a lot of money to spare (we’ve all been there), get him a nice pair of cuff links. They are something he can wear every day and some websites will let you put his initials on them.
These are great if you are in the beginning stages of dating and don’t know what his measurements are to get a shirt or a pair of pants.
My brother can testify – there is nothing more exciting to a man than some cool gadget that they can show off to all of their friends. It doesn’t matter what piece of technology you get them (honest). As long as it looks cool, functions and is in high demand at the moment, your boyfriend will love it.
Technology is a gift you can give him at whatever stage you are at in the relationship. TIP: I don’t recommend getting him a plasma screen TV if you’ve only been dating a few months or so, but getting him some high tech earbuds or an accessory for his phone is definitely a good idea.
Figure out what kind of music he likes and score some tickets for a fantastic evening for the two of you. It’s even better if he likes classical: you can both dress up in your nicest outfits (maybe he’ll wear one of the shirts and ties you bought him) and have a romantic evening.
I cannot stand suggestions to “clean his house in lingerie” and “cook for him in a skimpy little outfit”. Logically speaking, if you were to try cooking in nothing more than your underwear, there is a high possibility of you accidentally getting burning hot oil in a few very uncomfortable places.
That being said, if you are in a tight financial spot or simply want an evening alone with him, then cook him a meal (with all of your clothes on, preferably).
I can’t tell you how many cooking fiascoes I have had (ugh, carrot cake problems). And that’s without the pressure of cooking for someone else. Make sure that you can actually cook. Find out his favorite foods and make sure you practice before trying to cook for him. Practice makes perfect and gives you a higher chance of not burning down his kitchen.
If your boyfriend is into sports, take him to his favorite football or baseball game. It’s okay if you don’t know the first thing about sports. The point isn’t for you to show off what you know – it’s to make sure your significant other has a good time.
If you have no clue what’s going on in the game, ask a couple of questions so he at least knows you’re interested and having a good time. If you’re a sports maniac, then hopefully you’ll have a good time too (unless you’re rooting for the opposing team, then things could get a little messy).
Have a scent you love? Buy your boyfriend some cologne that you adore.
If you’ve been having trouble weening him off of the old Axe spray (hello high school flashbacks), a cologne picked out specifically by you should do the trick. Make sure you coo about how much the scent turns you on and you can bet he’ll be wearing that stuff every day.
It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get him some nice cologne for as little as $15.00, depending on how much you want to get him.
See that your boyfriend’s watch is getting too worn? Go shopping for a new one. Make sure to keep the receipt, just in case he’d like something more his style.
Do not make a heart shaped collage with photos of the two of you. Do not make a pillow with your face on it. And, most importantly, do not make a scrapbook of all the reasons you love him.
Do bake him cookies. Do knit him a scarf. Do sew him some throw pillows (because guys usually don’t have them). Keep it simple. Keep it sane.
These are just a bunch of my ideas. Leave a comment down below with your suggestions!
be a nice change from the usual loving texts I send him. I wanted to make him smile. I figured it would be a cute surprise for him.
Elizabeth Yuen 