Pumpkin Pie Muffins

SSG loves pumpkin flavored anything--pumpkin breads, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin shakes, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin muffins. She's like the Bubba Gump of pumpkin.

So SSG was just WAITING for October because baking pumpkin muffins ... say in July ... just doesn't seem right. These muffins were the perfect way to ease in before the sugar ante gets continually upped as it gets closer to the holidays. So that by December 24th you're dumping chocolate chips in a huge loaf of pumpkin bread and topping it with a cinnamon and sugar mixture before deciding to turn the whole thing into bread pudding by adding heavy cream, eggs and even more sugar. So you can have it for breakfast. Because its Christmas. Or maybe that's just SSG?

Anyhoo. There's not too much sugar in these babies and with a small amount of molasses they came out with a slightly gingerbready flavor and texture which will make them perfect right through the holidays. (When you can feel free to add enough sugar to put you in a coma until January 1st.)

When I was munching away, my first though was "hmmm ... they need more spices." I went through the reviews online and sure enough, a lot of people said to double them. SSG used all purpose flour (who has WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR in their pantry?!) and didn't add the pumpkin seeds. Because ... well, SSG's pumpkin came from a can.

Pumpkin Pie Muffin Recipe

Hope you're all having sweet Sundays!

Simple Saturday Morning Spent ...

Normally SSG posts about her mornings MUCH earlier. But THIS morning she found it hard to pull her self up off the snuggly corner on her couch where she sat curled up with her dog and cat listening to the thunder and tap tap tapping of the rain on the window.

Hope you all have cozy weekends ahead.

Friday Favorites

One of the most satisfying things about this whole budget/meal planning business is looking at what is currently in the fridge/freezer and seeing how it can be reworked into something new.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But SSG doesn't sweat it too much since a few months ago the food would have gone straight to the trash without so much as a second thought.

This week, one of SSG's "hmm ... let's see how this goes" recipes actually worked. She took a few wilted carrots from her vegetable crisper, tossed them with a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil, drizzled a bit of honey over everything then sprinkled in a big pinch of cardamom and salt before chucking the whole thing in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Let SSG just say, "big bag of carrots" is the first thing written on her list of things to buy this weekend.

And she's probably going to have the best vision ever.

SSG's a Shorty

Every morning SSG goes down to the Starbucks in her building with some of the guys she works with. SSG thinks she's 5'5 but second guesses herself when even in heels she has to look UP to talk to those fools.

But that's not the short we're talking about here, THIS is the short we're talking about ...

SSG discovered that Starbucks still has a SHORT size! It's not on the menu but is 8 ounces compared to the tall (12 oz), grande (16 oz) and venti (20 oz).

SSG usually has a cup of coffee at home before she heads into work, so by the time the Starbucks run rolls along, she's really just going downstairs for a break ... and let's be honest ... to check out the cute boys that FLOOD that place every morning.

Most days SSG gets an americano, which is just a shot or two of espresso mixed with hot water, but occasionally (usually on conference call days) one of the fun seasonal drinks like a Pumpkin Spice Latte sounds good.

Before, SSG would just order a grande, fork over her $5, drink 3/4 of it and call it a day.

ENTER, the SHORT.

It's cheaper and SSG is actually able to finish it.

Just out of curiosity, SSG checked the calorie count. A grande pumpkin spice latte with whole milk & whipped cream (which is how it comes standard) is 410 calories. A short with nonfat milk & whipped cream is only 180. And it's only $3. AND you still get the whipped cream, which let's face it is the only reason to get any kind of fru fru coffee. They really should just offer a cup of whipped cream and flavored sprinkles on their menu.

A Peppermint Mocha ... grande with whole milk & whipped cream is 430 calories. A short with nonfat milk and whipped cream is 200. A short gingerbread latte with nonfat milk & whipped cream is 170.

SSG has decided being a shorty suits her just fine.

Curious as to what your drink looks like? Check out the 'bucks nutrition info site here.

The Simply Savvy Budget Dining Room Makeover Weekend 2

So if you have visited SSG's house at any point in time over the last two (ish) years, there has been DANGER lurking.

And not death by licking or suffocation from pet hair, though Fisher is a worthy foe in both areas ...

i danejeyrus

No, no. If you have sat at SSG's dining room table, it's a wonder you're still alive.

SSG put the table together herself. And you COULD TELL. SSG paid close attention to the directions on putting the first chair together and then is pretty sure she winged (wang?) it for the other three.

Wobbly?

Doesn't begin to describe. There were entire sections of chairs that not only had screws loose, but DIDN'T EVEN HAVE SCREWS! SSG checked her handy tool box full of stuff she has no idea how she has (where did YOU come from electrical tape?!). Sure enough, there was a LARGE number of screws that looked oddly similar to those that happened to make it into the chairs a couple of years ago.

SSG is sure that at some point she thought to herself "Hmmm ... why are there so many left over screws? Maybe I should keep them?" And THANK GAH she did. If any of those chairs could no longer be held together with one screw and a prayer, it's a long fall from those pub chairs onto the floor.

But REST ASSURED future Chez Simply Savvy visitors, SSG has rectified the situation.

This weekend SSG finished (ahem) putting together her chairs, steam cleaned the carpet, scrubbed the baseboards with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and brought the chandelier down from the ceiling. If the local precinct is lacking for an interview room, SSG's dining room table could do the trick. Those lights are BRIGHT and they're at just the right angle to shine right in your face.

SSG decided to push spray painting the table to next weekend when she paints an accent wall and thinks she's going to keep the rug in the living room to match with some curtain panels she remembers she has upstairs in her linen closet. But let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we? November is assigned to the living room ... please excuse SSG while she crawls under the dining room table and hides.

The basket worked well, but SSG has caught herself throwing random stuff in it that she doesn't know what to do with ... so she's not sure how long it will stay there. She's worried it will become a dumping ground for clutter. And really?

That's what closets are for.

Repurposing

When one, ahem, has been spending so much time sorting through her clutter, everything she brings into the house gets RUTHLESS scrutiny.

Will it get used?

How often?

Where will it go?

Are you sure there's space there?

(No, moving six other things to make space doesn't count. And no you can't put the six things in a pile in another room until you figure it out.)

Will you cry if you have to leave without it?

So this little white pitcher came from SSG's neighbor's house during a neighborhood garage sale a few months ago. It was $2.

It has been sitting on a shelf in her kitchen for the past couple months. SSG LOVES it. It makes her think of being in Provence last fall and pouring fresh squeezed orange juice from a similar pitcher each morning at the breakfast table.

But SSG doesn't normally pour herself a pitcher full of OJ in the mornings. Nor does she whip up foamy milk in the pitcher to pour into hot cocoa ... though she should absolutely rethink her morning routine after typing that sentence.

Anyhoo ... she has been looking at this pitcher a lot lately, wondering if she should get rid of it. But REALLY didn't want to.

Over the weekend SSG brought home some chrysanthemums and was about ready to get a vase down out of the cupboard when she spied the little pitcher. Et voila!

It was a good lesson for SSG ... that there is always room and a use for things we really, really love.

But unfortunately, that hot cocoa is just going to have to wait a little while longer.

$40 Foodie & Menu for the Week

SSG only wanted three things this week ... well, three things related to her menu plan.

1) To use up what she already had in her fridge.

2) To spend < $35 to stay on budget for the month.

3) To have lots and lots of salad. With Ranch.

Luckily she was able to accomplish all three! Woo hoo!

I made two stops ...

Trader Joes: $22.86

Albertson's: $8.78

Menu for the week:

Sunday: Baked potato soup

Monday: Breakfast for dinner

Tuesday: Mac & Cheese (from the freezer) & Salad

Wednesday: Spinach, mushroom & parmesan mini frittatas with salad

Thursday: Tuscan Bean Soup (from the freezer) & salad

Hope you guys have great weeks!