Keeping things simple with a smidge of Southern charm
Ever get good news that just makes you want to drop everything and do a big ‘ol happy dance? I’m currently dancing up a storm in my office right now, because Carter’s just dropped an announcement that their Semi-Annual Big Baby Sale is happening now…and that’s not all!
…
Yesterday morning when I stepped out onto my front porch, I was greeted by the most wonderful crisp and cool fall air and a perfect breeze to let me know that autumn is well on it’s way! It was such a nice surprise to feel the air turn a bit cool, because it’s typically still very hot and humid here in south Alabama during this time of year.
While my local weatherman told me this morning that those cool temps will soon be replaced with heat once again by the end of the week, I’m rejoicing in the season change by breaking out my favorite ingredient ever to help me ring in the fall season: Pumpkin Spice!
It’s no secret that ya girl loves some sweets, and yesterday my sweet tooth was steering my mind in the direction of combining two of my greatest food loves (chocolate and pumpkin) into a decadent candy confection: White Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Truffles.
I make truffles every single year around Christmas time. They make a wonderful homemade gift to give to friends and family! But something deep down in my soul was telling me that I just couldn’t wait until Christmas time to make truffles again, so creating this perfectly fall version of a chocolate covered truffle was definitely on my agenda.
I immediately started plundering through the baking section in my pantry to see what ingredients I needed to stock up on before whipping up a batch of these sweet pumpkin-y treats.
I already had a few cans of pumpkin on deck, but I knew I’d certainly need more to get me through the fall season. I also needed to pick up some graham crackers, white chocolate chips and Crisco® Refined Organic Coconut Oil (a key ingredient that I use in all of my truffle recipes to help achieve a perfectly creamy filling and a smooth chocolat-y shell on the outside!
Little miss T and I loaded up into the car and headed to our favorite hangout spot (Hello, Target!) to pick up a few of the essentials we needed, including the Crisco® Refined Organic Coconut Oil found in the baking needs aisle. I’ve been using coconut oil in numerous ways for years, and it’s absolutely a staple item in my home that I simply cannot do without.
I love Crisco® Refined Organic Coconut Oil because it serves as an amazing organic substitute for butter, margarine or other oils. I prefer to use the refined variety in cooking because it has no flavor or aroma, so it’s perfect to add into recipes without altering the flavor or smell. You can also find Crisco® Unrefined Organic Coconut Oil at target, which I also love to use in recipes where I want it’s distinct coconut flavor to shine.
Once I got home from Target, I put T down for a nap and got busy in the kitchen whipping up a batch of pumpkin truffles so I could have them ready to devour before she woke up. She 100% takes after me when it comes to loving sweets, and I knew she’d be all about these delicious bites!
In a large mixing bowl, I combined cream cheese, powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, melted white chocolate chips and the Crisco® Refined Coconut Oil into a large mixing bowl (see full recipe instructions below) and began rolling out the truffle balls.
I melted about 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and added about 2 tsp of Crisco® Refined Coconut Oil into the chocolate to help it thin a bit so it would be perfectly smooth and not clumpy when coating the truffles.
I dipped each truffle into the chocolate and coated them using a spoon. I sat them onto a wire rack to dry, adding a smidge of graham cracker and cinnamon garnish to each one before the chocolate completely dried.
Since I had a little bit of melted chocolate left over, I drizzled a little bit over each one for good measure. Here’s a free printable version of my recipe if you’d like to give it a try!
These White Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Truffles are decadent and rich, and offered the perfect amount of pumpkin and pumpkin spice to make me really get into a fall-ish state of mind! When my daughter woke up, she wasted no time in digging right in to my stash of truffles. She loved them so much, she requested a second and third one! I store them in my refrigerator to keep them nice and firm, and they’re the perfect pick-me-up treat to nibble on throughout the day!
Have you transitioned into fall mode yet? What are some other fall-inspired treats that you love to make and share during this time of year? Leave a comment below and share the love!
Deer season is very quickly approaching, and pretty soon my husband will be disappearing into the woods to hunt with his eye on the prize of bringing home a few deer throughout the season to help us keep our freezer filled with different cuts of meat. It’s very rare for us to buy very much meat at the grocery store. My husband and his father kill, clean and package all of the meat we need for the entire year, and it is such a blessing!
…
I know what you’re probably thinking after reading the title to this post. You’re undoubtedly saying to yourself, “Is this woman really about to talk about constipation on her blog? Why on earth would she want to talk about that?!” And to be honest, that’s totally a fair question. I asked myself the same exact thing immediately after I typed out the title, and to be honest I’m still sort of asking myself that. However, I’ve always made it a point to be very transparent with my readers and to bring you guys information that I feel is relevant and useful, and I’m hoping that at least one of you can take something from this post that is beneficial to you.
Constipation isn’t a fun topic at all, but it’s something that has recently caused quite a negative stir in my personal life and made me shift gears and start thinking about the causes, symptoms and the things that can be done about it to live a more normal and healthy life – constipation free.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve struggled with digestive issues on and off. It seems like my body almost goes through cycles where I have zero to very little trouble, to long periods with IMMENSE issues with having a bowel movement. For example, in June I noticed my body shifting and heading towards another bout with serious constipation. (Just to put it into perspective for you, I would go 7 days without ever having a bowel movement.) Yeah, you guys. It was absolutely miserable!
During the month of June, I visited my local medical clinic not once, but TWICE to see if there was 1.) Anything serious going on and 2.) Figure out how to get my body back into a normal schedule. After a few tests that came back normal and a long spiel about how I just needed to incorporate more fiber and water into my diet (which I already knew to do and had been doing,) I was sent back home with little information and no relief.
Later that month I started taking a product sold by a popular direct sales company that is supposed to help regulate your bowel movements and promote a healthy gut. After about 2 weeks on the product (which is really high in magnesium) I finally started seeing results, but it wasn’t long before I felt my body take another shift and start having a negative reaction to that product. I felt so overwhelmed by all of these issues. I just wanted my body to work properly, and it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find a way to convince my body to work as it should.
…
Things have taken a rather large shift in our household over the last two months. We’ve got a rambunctious (but incredibly adorable) little rugrat running around the house that has been showing us a side of the “terrific twos” that has often left us scratching our heads and feeling utterly exhausted by the end of the day. On top of the temper-tantrums and meltdowns that we face on what seems like a minute-by-minute basis, we decided to throw potty training into the mix. (We needed one more thing to keep us on our toes!)
…
Two weeks ago I shared a super simple idea for turning prepackaged doughnut holes into fun little acorn shaped bites to celebrate the (soon-to-be) arrival of fall! It got a ton of love from you guys on Instagram, so I thought I’d continue to dance with the idea of making fun little acorn treats to spread a little more fall cheer! Ladies and gents, say hello to these scrumptious little easy fall acorn cookies!
…
Do you ever have those moments where you experience something throughout the course of your day and it immediately sends you flying down memory lane to an event that occurred in your life many years ago? I can’t help but smile from ear to ear during those sweet moments when something triggers a fun memory that takes me back to my childhood – especially when that memory involves food and family! I recently had an encounter with some pretty delicious candies that did just that, and inspired me to create these decadent Triple Caramel Candy Doughnuts to keep the smiles and memories going strong!
…
Hello there, friends! You’ll have to excuse me for just a minute. Both of my hands and my mouth are currently tied up from participating in some cookie-eating shenanigans, and I’m trying to keep it all under wraps and hidden from my toddler who is playing in the next room. She’s learned how to fine-tune her cookie-senses just like her mama, and she knows when there’s a cookie being eaten by somebody within a 50 yard radius. Trust and believe.
…
…
This one is for all of you warrior mamas out there who know the struggles (and the absolute joys) of motherhood, and how challenging and demanding it can be to raise tiny humans while simultaneously keeping it all together. You are amazing, and there is no telling where this world would be without the sacrificial and genuine love of a mother!
“Mama” is a title I always dreamed of having, and has been a badge that I’ve been wearing proudly for the last two years. It’s the most difficult and most rewarding job I’ve ever had, and even though the days are long and the the years are incredibly short, at the end of each day I still love to stand in awe at the beauty of my tiny little toddler….even though she just completely destroyed the entire living room with a single granola bar. Ah, #momlife.
…
