Here in Columbus, there is a lot of snow on the ground. The temperatures have been consistently below freezing. It’s too cold to really enjoy any time spent outside. As a result, winter hibernation mode is seriously setting in. To me, this means lots of lazy weekends at home – reading blogs and books, playing games (video, board, tabletop), and enjoying comfort food. In short, winter is a perfect excuse to post this set of links:

• Video game cupcakes are nothing new. I made the ones pictured above a few years ago for a Super Bowl party. I know they aren’t standard Super Bowl party fare. But this is the same group of friends that has spent more than one New Years Eve playing Guitar Hero and Mario Kart. So I knew they would be appreciated. It was my first time using fondant, and taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of using flavorless red dye. For those that don’t know, red dye tends to be very bitter unless you use the flavorless version. I didn’t know this until my cute little cupcakes were topped with bitter red piranha plants. The cupcakes were still a hit. However, these game cupcakes that have been making the rounds on the internet beat my Mario cupcakes by a long shot.
• Jared and I often make homemade pizza on Sunday nights. To be honest, he makes the pizza crust. I just top it. One of these days, he’ll get around to posting his crust recipe on here. Until then, you’ll just have to trust me that it’s really good. Pizza on a Stick looks like a fun variation on regular pizza.
• What is a good weekend brunch without a cocktail? The problem is that mimosas seem very summery to me, and bloody marys are just plain nasty. Mele Kalikimaka Martinis would be a nice winter alternative, even after the holidays are over.
• On winter mornings, it’s always nice to have a healthy, homemade breakfast. Considering extra the drive-time that a winter commute can involve, it’s especially nice if that breakfast that can be eaten on the run or at the office. So I will definitely spend a Sunday afternoon making these Apple Walnut Spice Muffins very shortly.
• I do not give my slow cooker enough credit. Aside from Apple Butter Weekend, I really only pull it out a few times a year.  This winter, I have been trying to change that. I am continually surprised by the things one can make in a slow cooker. For example, it seems like a creamy soup would burn in the slow cooker. I hope this Crockpot Potato Soup recipe will prove me wrong when I try it.

Fall is here, meaning it’s time for apples and pumpkins. While those fruits lend themselves well to pies and cakes, sometimes I want something a little healthier. Last fall, I discovered this pumpkin muffin recipe from Kristen at Cheap, Healthy, Good. These muffins are high in fiber, low in calories and fat and taste good. Yes, it is possible!

Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping
Makes 12

Muffin Ingredients
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2/3 cup mashed pumpkin
1 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Topping Ingredients
8 pecan halves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, oat bran, brown sugar, and baking powder.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the pecan halves, butter, and remaining brown sugar and whole wheat flour. Mash with fork until crumbly.
5. Grease muffin tin or line with 12 paper liners. Fill each liner 3/4 full with batter. Sprinkle topping evenly on muffins. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

My thoughts & modifications:
1. I added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the batter and made a little extra streusel topping.
2. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, just combine cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. I actually prefer this since I can adjust the seasonings to suit my taste.
3. Do yourself a favor and use fresh pumpkins. They taste much better than canned. There are several ways to prepare them, all of which are quite easy. I wash mine, halve them and scoop out the seeds. Then I spray them with cooking spray and microwave them for 7-9 minutes. Let cool, scoop out the pulp and use it like you would canned. If you have leftover, pumpkin pulp freezes very well.

Recipe Source: Serious Eats