October numbers

Out of town guests: 4

Suitcases not yet completely unpacked from last week’s trip: 1

Emails awaiting attention in various inboxes (work, personal, blog): 550+

Assignments backlogged for self & team following last week’s conference: 25 (~800 pages of editing)

Outside temperature last night: 33F/1C

Beds still awaiting cold-weather covers: 2



Loads of wood ordered for the fireplace: 0

Rooms in the house requiring attention before we have company this weekend: all of ‘em

Hours of sleep last night: 5

Worksheets in categorized Master To Do list: 12

Days until Christmas: 56

But also:

Presentations/reports/workshops successfully developed/completed/delivered for last week’s conference: 6

Hours spent running the “pumpkin ring toss” for an endless line of excited kids at last weekend’s PTO Halloween party: 1.5

Pumpkins carved into jack’o’lanterns: 3

Front porches decorated: 1

Bags of candy stockpiled for handing out on Sunday night: 4

Kindergarteners chez RL thoroughly enjoying the trappings of their first-ever full-blown Halloween: 1 (not to mention 2 parents)

Halloweenie muffins
My budding recipe developer requested muffins when it was our turn to bring snack to school recently.

“Sure,” I said. “What kind do you want?”

“Can you please make pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins?” she asked.

No idea where she came up with that one. But with my trusty copy of Ratio in hand--why yes I can.

4 oz/100 g butter
8 oz/200 g all-purpose/plain flour
4 oz/100 g sugar
1 tsp/5 g salt
2 tsp/10 g baking powder
8 oz/200 ml milk*
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree**
1 cup chocolate chips
Cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Put butter to melt on stovetop or in microwave and set aside to cool. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a bowl or jug, combine milk, eggs and butter, whisking the eggs thoroughly. Make sure the pumpkin puree is sufficiently mashed up and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

Dump the wet into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin and chocolate chips, ensuring even distribution through the dough.

Scrape the dough into prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until a knife inserted in the center of one of the middle muffins comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

* I substituted Greek yogurt for half the milk and nobody noticed. Don’t tell the kindergarteners.
** Ditto butternut squash for the pumpkin.