Pumpkin cookie verdict........and my messy home.

First of all, this is all that's left of the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I made last night........

They were different, but good. Not quite like a cookie though. They kind of had a cakey consistency. My son Brooks said they tasted like pumpkin bread.

I ended up using this recipe from allrecipes.com

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES III
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used about 2 1/4 cups whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I didn't have the walnuts, but I'm sure they would have been yummy!)

DIRECTIONS
1.Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, & egg. Stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, & salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk, and stir in. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture & mix well.
2.Add vanilla, chocolate chips, & nuts.
3.Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees F, for approximately 10 minutes, or until lightly brown & firm.

Since I still had half a can of pumpkin left over, and not very many cookies left, I decided to make another batch tonight. Only this time I used chopped pecans instead of chocolate chips. As much as I love dark chocolate, I actually like the pumpkin pecan cookies better. My kids are snapping them up as quickly as I can pull them out of the oven! I'll definitely keep this recipe around for a fun Fall treat!

After I took the photo of the cookies, I decided to take some pics of my kitchen, dining, and living room. I did not take the time to stage it and make it look pretty. I decided to instead show what it looks like on a normal basis, after school. I almost always have everything picked up and in it's proper place before bed, as I can't stand to wake up to clutter and mess, but for some reason right after school, until around 8:00 at night, it's a complete disaster. School papers, book bags, shoes, socks, BILLS :p, snacks,.....you name it. It's everywhere. I often wonder what the homes I drool over in my favorite blogs look like when they're not dressed up for a picture!

This is where I spend quite of bit of time. More than I really should. It's handy having it right in the kitchen, since most of the recipes I find are a result of Google. But it's not exactly pretty. Have I mentioned I HATE clutter! This area really does drive me nuts!

The view when you walk in my front door.

This is the reason I want a mudroom. I'm not a fan of walking in the house, and having to look at all the shoes, coats, hats, backpacks, sports equipment, ummm....leaves all over the floor......
Notice my dog peaking in the window at me. It's cold......He wants in. When he walks away, his nose print will be left on the window.

Where we eat, and talk about our day.

My itty bitty living room. I'm having a baby shower here for my neighbor next month. Not sure where I'm going to put everyone!

That's it! I'm wasting time, and even though my kids have just pile driven cookies, they're hungry for something a little more substantial. Off to figure out what that will be!