Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Halloween, folks! And just like that, November will be here day after tomorrow and we will be THAT MUCH CLOSER to 2016. I feel like I comment every year (well, who am I kidding? More like every MONTH!) on how much faster time seems as I age, but I suppose I wouldn't comment if it weren't truer each year I live! Thankfully, cupcakes help to soften the blow.

I baked these for our annual charity fundraiser bake sale at work, and they completely sold out! I didn't even try one! #SelfControl #Willpower #NowIHaveToMakeThemAgain-- and on that note, SORRY for the weird photos. I made these at night and was photographing at like 10:30 pm, so I had to get creative with lighting since I don't have any fancy lighting equipment! Hopefully, you get the point here.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

It's finally starting to feel like October!! I couldn't be happier. My windows have been open all day long, and it's been a beautiful day! I was making pancakes for breakfast (an appropriate celebration to welcome the cooler weather), and was planning to eat them with syrup, like always, when my eye fell on two beautiful, crisp apples sitting on my counter! Of course, I couldn't leave them out of the celebration, so I promptly picked them up to put them to good use.

To me, there are few flavors that represent the onset of autumn more quintessentially than apples, particularly when paired with spicy cinnamon! Apples and cinnamon smell absolutely delicious together, and they taste so homey and welcoming; evoking warm, cozy memories of sweet days gone by.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

So if you'll remember, earlier in the year, I had the great good fortune to stumble upon a cookbook about Mac and Cheese. I stalked the book for a while, hoping that the price would drop, because I WANTED the book. I didn't need it--but man, I really wanted it.

One day, I was in the store checking out and it had dropped to less than $5.00! "My moment has come!!" I excitedly thought as I yanked it off the shelf and threw it in with the rest of my stuff. I carried the book home and read it cover to cover...and then it sat there for the next eight months. *Sigh* My life.

Naked Vanilla Layer Cake

Hi, guys. Well...it's mid-October and I'm posting for the first time since August. I am terribly sorry. I've been battling a combination of work and life busyness in tandem with the "I don't wannas!" But I've also been getting some exciting things together, and I look forward to sharing them with you.

In the meantime, all of my siblings celebrated birthdays last month, and mine is next Wednesday! Life just keeps on rolling while things are rolling. You know what I mean? Things change or stay the same, but life keeps moving.

Honey-Garlic Shrimp over Jasmine Rice with Sauteed Asparagus

You know, sometimes, important conversations require beautiful food. I invited my dad over for a chat today and wanted to make sure that the meal was beautiful and memorable, because I've never invited JUST him over. It was so fun! We had a great conversation and enjoyed this delicious, easy, healthy, and tasty meal.

I don't cook with shrimp that often, and I think the only reason I don't use them more is because they can be expensive. It's worth the occasional splurge, though, because they cook quickly, taste delicious, and are so healthy and versatile.

One-Pan Turkey Enchilada Pasta

And here we are, in August. How?! I last posted a month ago, and suddenly, we're in the middle of August! I'm obligated to say this: It's blazing outside...ugh. If every Texan you know isn't commenting about the weather in some capacity, they're doing it wrong!

So the last time I wrote, I had a zillion updates and reasons for neglecting you guys--and my blog. Today, there's really just one--I went to Belize a few weeks ago for a mission trip with a wonderful team from my church! We were there for eight days and spent time serving at an orphanage called Laugh Out Loud Children's Home. What a transformative, humbling experience we shared!

Elote: Mexican Street Corn

GUYS. Oh. My. Goodness. We are in JULY!! What the heck happened to JUNE? And where have I been for the past MONTH? And why have I neglected my BLOG?

There are good answers to all these questions, I promise. Here's the biggie: I totaled my car on May 31st...I hit a deer on my way home from church. The (pregnant) deer died...along with my beloved car...and thus began the circus of insurance claims, insurance settlements, Carfax searches, used car queries, test drives, pre-purchase inspections, and rental cars...the WORKS! THAT'S what happened to June. That's where I've been for the past month. And that's why my poor blog has sat, untouched, since May 21. I'm very sorry...but thanks for understanding!