Looking for a dessert to satisfy your craving for fall? How about one that is literally fool-proof? If you can open cans, dump them in a pan and then set a timer and remove said pan when said timer dings, then you can make this and impress friends and family at your holiday gatherings. Also, it is quite easy to make a half recipe if you have a craving, but don't want to eat it for two weeks.

This recipe has been going around for a while and with half a cup of butter it's no surprise that it is a crowd pleaser. 

Do you have a favorite or signature dish that you bring to Thanksgiving/friendsgiving/or get togethers?

Ingredients:

1 (29 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 eggs

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 (12 fl oz) can evaporated milk

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 (18.5 oz) package spice cake mix

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, white sugar and milk. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Pour into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin filling. Sprinkle pecans over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over all.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Recipe via allrecipes.com

It is safe to say that fall is the universal favorite season. The bright colored leaves before they fall off, layers, scarves, boots, warm drinks, apple-cinnamon-pumpkin everything are all at the top of my list. If we're being honest here, I'm most excited for fall because my hair doesn't expand to five times its normal size the moment I step outside. The downside is now it's dark when I wake up and I continue to try to convince myself that my alarm is going off at the wrong time. But you want to know the best part of the season? The holidays are right around the corner. If you are just now planning for Halloween you are months behind. It's time to prepare for Christmas and, if you want to go all out, it's best to stock up for Fourth of July as well. 

My fall bucket list includes:

- Jump in a pile of crunchy leaves

- Stock up on flannel in all colors

- Decorate a pumpkin with glitter

- Make every possible pumpkin dessert

- Expand the traditional Thanksgiving meal

- Find a pumpkin patch and recreate Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin

- Constantly drive with the windows rolled down

- Buy a pumpkin-carmel-apple-cinnamon candle

- Instagram everything in lo-fi to bring out all of the season's colors

What do you look forward to this time of year?

When it is so hot you must order your PSL iced, then you have a problem. Social media has been out of control with fall drinks lately. I said it last September, and I'll say it again: Fall doesn't start until September 22. Let's enjoy summer because you know that when the snowpocolypse returns, you will be wishing you could wear your favorite shorts and drink your favorite flavored-tea-lemonade drink. And while fall is my favorite season, I will save that post and my favorite flavored latte until the appropriate time dictated by whoever/whatever set that date. There will be no pumpkin-spice candles, no carmel-apple scentsy and no "Great Pumpkin, Charlie-Brown" for this girl until then.

To top off my "it's still summer even if society says you must pack away your white jeans" tangent, I now live in a state of almost perpetual summer. Which is unfortunate since I absolutely love wearing boots and scarves and pea coats. I have no idea how to dress of fall/winter in Florida. Do you forget what time of the month it is and continue to wear shorts and sandals? At least that would cut down on the amount of times you have to rotate the clothes in your closet.

In conclusion, just because Labor Day has passed and football season is upon us, remember that it is still summer and don't wish away your time from season to season because before you know it 2015 will be here.

Do you have an opinion on this issue or is it just me? 

Need I say more? Nothings ushers in the fall season like pumpkin desserts. I personally don't understand why pumpkin dump cake can't be served year round, but some like to reserve our favorite orange (fruit? vegetable?) for October and November. Their loss.

So yes, I love pumpkin baked goods. And then when you add a Biscoff streusel topping, well then now we are talking about a culinary masterpiece. My only change to the recipe would be to put the creme cheese layer in the center of the muffin instead of on top under the streusel topping. 

Yet again, I've armed you with the best way to make new friends in the office. Trust me, if you leave a dozen of these on the break room table, they will be devoured by noon.

Recipe from Lil' Luna

Biscoff Streusel Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1½ c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

1 c. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

2 eggs

¼ c. vegetable oil

¼ c. unsweetened applesauce

¼ c. water

¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Streusel:

¼ c. all-purpose flour

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

¼ c. finely crushed Biscoff cookies

2 tbsp. Biscoff spread

3 tbsp. butter, cold

4 oz. original cream cheese, cold and cut into dime size slices

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one standard size muffin pan with liners* or lightly grease with baking spray, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with mixing speed on low, combine sugars, puree, vegetable oil, applesauce, water, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon. With mixing speed on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and set aside.

4. For the streusel, in a small mixing bowl combine sugars, flour, crushed cookies, and ground cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter and Biscoff spread. Continue working the mixture with the pastry blender until it resembles chunks about the size of a rice krispie.

5. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, dividing evenly. Top with slices of cream cheese, then sprinkle streusel over top. You will want to be generous with the streusel, but you may have a few tablespoons left over. Gently pat the streusel into the batter to help it bake into the muffin.

6. Place in the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back and the streusel is golden brown in color (note: baking times may vary depending on how much you streusel you add and the heat of your oven). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

via
The temperature is dropping,

the leaves are changing, 

which leads to long drives with the 

windows down. 

Here are a few of my 

songs for fall drives. 

                                                 

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Perhaps you thought of me this week as your Anthropologie catalogue arrived in your mailbox. Does it get any better than beautiful photos of sequined skirts against a Parisian backdrop? Well maybe getting an actual plane ticket to Paris would be better, and would cost only a little more than those fall dresses and coats that I have fallen in love with.

While my bank account may only allow me to splurge on one item (from the sale rack) this season, the Anthro catalogue has put me in the fall shopping mindset. On my radar: a new peacoat, preferably orange or cream with a fur collar, jewel tones, brocade skirts, bedazzled everything (in a classy way, obviously), and winter dresses.

Think Gatsby set in Paris. Of course, I couldn't wear all of this laying on my couch watching TV or scrolling through BuzzFeed. No, this wardrobe deserves the best backdrop possible. Perhaps I would do Europe take two, sans hiking backpack because I'm almost positive that all of Antho's clothes are dry clean only and if not, should never be washed in a bathroom sink.

Yes, I think to splurge on their fall collection, it would be a shame not to splurge on a Parisian getaway as well. It's only fair.

Alas, I will continue wearing my Nike shorts well into October because the thermometer has no intention of going down any time soon and I will admire the beautiful clothes from the store windows like usual. Perhaps I will buy another Antho coffee mug to ease the longing.

It rains a lot where we go to school- especially in the fall and the spring. This is, I feel, where one's college experience shows. 

And you thought I was joking about the rain... (iPhone picture. Sorry!)

You can always spot the freshman during the first big rain of the semester- they're the ones wearing flip-flops while it's absolutely pouring. Rookie mistake. Our own Emily made this exact mistake once and fell down an entire flight of wet stairs in front of about 90% of the student population (I'm definitely not exaggerating). The best way to avoid looking like a novice is  your trusty pair of rain boots. My personal preference? Hunter Wellingtons, of course. As the same brand worn by Princess Di and countless other celebs, my pair and I have traveled all across Europe and the United States and are still holding up just fine.

On the red carpet in Cannes with my Hunters. And Princess Di with hers. We're basically twins.

I would suggest buying a slightly larger size so you can wear them with warm socks in the winter. I went with the matte black for my first pair, but for my second, I couldn't say no to some of these options:

Sigh. Christmas?

All of those boots can be found here. What's your favorite brand of rain boots?