Gobble Gobble Gobble...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

As I'm sure you will all hear throughout the rest of this unbearable winter season, I'm not a huge fan of cold weather or wintertime in general. Those feelings, however, take a vacation on days like today. I love Thanksgiving! It's the beginning of the holiday season (which I also have mixed feelings about), you get to eat as much creamy fattening food as you want and no one can say anything about it, and it's a time for my family, who doesn't get together too too often, to spend some time with each other. I'm going to take the day today to reflect on what I'm thankful for this year and do a post on that tomorrow. But, I will leave you with some of the preparation pics and a delicious Carrot Cheesecake Muffin recipe that one of my sorority sisters sent to me!

Mixing up the batter - isn't her little hat so cute?!?!

Before going in the oven...

...and after! All ready to take to Antonio's family's house for Thanksgiving!!!

Carrot Cheesecake Muffins

Muffins:

1 pkg Pillbury Carrot Cake Mix (should make about 24 muffins)

1 cup Water (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup Milk)

1/2 cup of oil

3 eggs

Fillings:

1 pkg of cream cheese (Reg works welll/taste better than non fat)

1 egg

*grated lemon peel and sugar to taste

Topping:

3-4 tbsps of melted butter

1/4 cup of chopped nut of your choice (I used Pecans)

Directions:

1. Heat the over to 350. Spray the muffin cups with no-sticks spray or use cupcake shelves.

2. Cut the cream cheese into squares, and beat in a bowl on medium until soft. Add egg, sugar and lemon peel, beat until smooth. Set aside.

3. Empty cake mix into a large bowl, then remove 3/4 cup of dry mix into a small bowl to make topping later.

4. Add Water (or combination of water, milk), oil, and eggs to the remaining mix in the large bowl. Blend until it's smooth and no longer lumpy.

5. Fill each muffin cup 1/2 full.

6. Put 1 full tbsp of cream cheese mix in the center of each muffin.

7. Add chopped nut then butter to the reserved dry mix in the small bowl. Stir with fork until crumbly. (It's okay if some of the dry mix doesn't mix with the melted butter.)

8. Crumble about 1 tbsp over each muffin.

9. Bake for 25 mins. Cool 10 mins in the pan, then remove and place on the baking rack to finish cooling.