Autumn

Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

I have really been enjoying this autumn. It is my very favorite season, and it's been so nice to actually enjoy seeing leaves change color, after four years of very little fall color.

Here's a picture of one of the trees we recently planted. We've had a windy week and most of the leaves are gone now...but this is what we enjoyed all last week and this past weekend:

Things I'm loving right now:

• enjoying my usual Pumpkin Spice Lattes (and Starbucks new Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate...if you haven't tried it yet, you need to!).
• the way Nathanael loves to search for pumpkins while we drive...and the way he pronounces pumpkin melts this mommy's heart! "Puh-kin." (It's so cute since most of his words are articulately correct. example: The other day he said perfectly in true "Charlotte" style, "Salutations, Mommy.")
• making comfort food. Homemade macaroni and cheese. Casseroles. Pot pies.
• enjoying cool mornings and nights with warm-in-the-sunshine afternoons.
• watching my children for the first time ever romp outside in piles of leaves. and walking underneath them when they fall.

In honor of this favorite season of mine, I thought I'd share a recipe that I make at least once each autumn. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are SO very good. Now before you make this, you should know that you need every muffin tin you own and maybe one of your neighbors. It makes a ton. (I already halved the recipe and I get between 3 and 4 dozen muffins. If for some reason you need 8 dozen, just double my amounts.) And if you want to make them less sweet, you can always substitute raisins or your favorite nut for the chocolate chips. And they freeze well too!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
½ Tbsp. plus ¼ Tbsp. baking soda
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. plus ¼ tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup warm water
1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tins.

2. Beat together oil, brown sugar, and sugar. While mixing, add in eggs. Dissolve baking soda in half the amount of 1/3 cup water. Add to sugar mixture.

3. Slowly add flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon until fully mixed. Then add ½ cup warm water and mix.

4. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes.