Pumpkin Bread Pudding

The best way to use day old French baguette.
Cube it and toss it in the mixture. 

Fall may be over, but until the supermarkets stop selling yams and pumpkins, I plan to continue taking advantage of my favorite seasonal flavors. I love the classic flavor of bread pudding, so I decided to add a little kick to it by infusing pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors for a festive feel. I omitted raisins and didn't make the accompanying caramel sauce because the sweetness level was perfect as is. I'll probably be stocking up on pumpkin puree to recreate this recipe again before next fall. 

Next time, I'll try pairing the warm pudding
with some vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Muffins

homemade pumpkin spice mix - cinnamon,
fresh ground nutmeg.

Nothing says autumn like pumpkin flavored muffins, lattes, and pies. As always, I kicked off the start of my favorite season by celebrating Starbucks' yearly revival of pumpkin spice lattes. To continue the celebration, I made these pumpkin (chocolate chip) muffins which pack some major spicy warmth and make your kitchen smell like fall on steroids. I gave these muffins an extra little oomph by making my own custom pumpkin spice mix: 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg = spice perfection. Next up on my list - pumpkin pie and pumpkin carving. 

divide batter evenly. sprinkle tops with
cinnamon sugar.(i added some chocolate chips to
a few of the muffins for a surprise).

warm out of the oven.