First, you make homemade pimento cheese for a little taste of home.

Then you decide the next day to make some mini pumpkin muffins because you have to test different recipes for your potential fledgling business this year. Yes, I bought a mini muffin pan because I figured it would be easier to for guinea-pig purposes and sampling. Also? I have always kind of wanted a mini muffin pan. What? They’re cute.

I realize that with Valentine’s Day coming on—and with it, the nearing arrival of spring—pumpkin is probably out of fashion. Well, I have a backlog of all kinds of recipes and dammit, I just now got around to doing pumpkin. In fact, expect a pumpkin waffle surprise later this week when I inaugurate my fancy-pants waffle maker. Anyway, giving credit where credit is due, I found the recipe for the muffins on Smitten Kitchen. Honestly, Deb, if you ever read this, I should probably be paying you royalties by now, I invoke your name so much. No foolin’. These did out lovely, by the way. Now I’d like to figure out how to put a cream cheese swirl in them.

Pimento Cheese

adapted from “The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook”, by Paula H. Deen (Random House, 1998)

3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup packed, coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup packed, coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

3 tbl. minced pimentos (sweet pickled red or cherry peppers)

1 tsp. grated onion

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well-blended. Add more mayonnaise as needed to make mixture hold together. Add salt and pepper to taste (it should be quite peppery) and use a sandwich spread or a filling for celery sticks. Can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.