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Haven't felt like I've had much to say lately and my days at home definitely get filled up with school work = no blog posts. But, with my most favorite season of the year sort-of gracing us with it's presence here is Southeast TX (or maybe it is just teasing us), I wanted to post a couple of recipes that I have tried recently. I definitely associate fall with comfort food, so these are probably not all that healthy for you (but they sure taste yummy!).

Pumpkin Cupcakes (I love anything with pumpkin in it, but not necessarily pumpkin pie - weird!)
Source: Real Simple
1 box yellow cake mix (I like the butter recipe kind)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz. can of pumpkin puree
Follow the directions on your cake mix box (adding all ingredients needed in the cake mix) and mix in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners and bake for 18 - 22 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting (I used store-bought frosting, but this looks like a very simple recipe)
2 8-oz. bars of cream cheese
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until creamy and frost cupcakes when cool. Top each cupcake with a couple of candy corns.

Pork with Blackberry Sauce
Source: Better Homes and Gardens (modified for crockpot by me)
1 - 2 lbs. pork tenderloin (I used a pork roast, as the tenderloin was kind of expensive)
1/4 - 1/2 cup of blackberry preserves (depending on how sweet you would like it)
1 cup apple juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I didn't have any Dijon, so I opted for dry mustard - 1 tsp.)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1/2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary (I didn't have any of this, but think how good that would be!)
Let this cook for 6-8 hrs. on low in your crockpot. You could leave your roast whole and slice to serve or shred it to put on sandwiches (or corn tortillas - that was how I served the leftovers!)
This will make your whole house smell like fall! :)