TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

I intended to make these all week. But that would have required the trip to the grocery that I've been delaying. Our cereal shelf, which normally looks like it was ripped from the set of Seinfeld, is nearly bare of it's yummy TJ treats. The kids have been eating (organic) pop tarts for breakfast on occasion. My avoidance has reached new heights.

Last night, I was planning to drop J. at lacrosse, zip over to the bank and then make a quick stop at the new Whole Foods for the missing pumpkin and a few lemons. By the time we were ready to go, the 50 degree air had given over to cold, steady rain. We stopped at the lax field, determined that there was no practice and headed to the bank. In the parking lot, I started searching for my pen the checks that I needed to deposit. In our mad dash to ensure mouthguard, shoulder pads, water bottle, gloves, elbow pads, jersey, helmet, and stick we forgot ---wallet. Back home, I was wealthier for skipping the stop at "Whole Paycheck" .

Once home, I began adjusting the ingredient list. I microwaved a baby pumpkin from the CSA box. It provided a scant 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin. I augmented that with some TJ's pumpkin butter. Given our fondness for ginger, I also minced some crystallized ginger and added it to the batter. "Fake" buttermilk (milk + vinegar * 5 minutes) stood in for the real thing.

In the end -- a nice muffin. I enjoyed the sunflower seeds on top. A. wished for a stronger pumpkin flavor, which I might have gotten from canned pumpkin or by oven roasting the fresh instead of microwaving it.