3 INGREDIENT PUMPKIN MOUSSE

You guys all know that I love brunch. I love everything it stands for: delicious breakfast foods, delicious breakfast drinks, lazy weekends & of course, favorite family & friends to brunch with. This weekend my sister invited my mom & me over for a little brunch. I brought the turkey & bread for Monte Cristos, she provided the Bloody Mary's & our mom brought the Pumpkin Mousse.  

My mom is super fit. So naturally she had the ingredients for a low-fat pumpkin mousse. I don't know the nutritional facts exactly, but it's gotta be nearly fat free. 

You will need:

• 1 can pumpkin 
• 1 tub lite whipped topping
• 1 package (dry) sugar free vanilla instant pudding

Dump it all together in a mixing bowl.

Mix......

& serve! So easy? I know. It's the perfect thing to bring to a get-together on the go. & so seasonal, to boot! I topped it with a little cinnamon, but that was mostly to make it look beautiful for you guys ;D

P.S. Sorry (but only a tiny bit) for the pumpkin posts overload. Like I've told you before, for some reason my family really loves pumpkin. Like, really. I promise I'll slow down a little now that it's almost Halloween!! Xoxo guys, & thanks for reading!

ENGAGED(!!!) PHOTOS: MEGAN + SAM

I'm in love! With Megan & Sam! Many moons ago Megan & I went to Saint Ursula together. Then we both headed west to Miami University (you remember... the place of a million memories). Well, fast forward a few years & I had the lovely pleasure of spending a morning with Megan & fiance, Sam.

They are the most dreamy couple I know & these are just a few of the hundreds of pictures that show it. I loved traipsing through another fall day with true love to capture a few precious moments. 

So here's their story: Megan & Sam met their senior year of high school. She was watching a soccer game with friends & somehow against the odds ended up wearing his jersey. But Sam didn't ask for Megan's name that day. That's where fate jumped in. Several months later, Megan accompanied a friend to a graduation party in Harrison. Lo & behold, it was Sam's. Five years later: we're taking their engagement photos.

Oh they just take my breath away! This is the sweetest couple in the entire world, I swear. Sometimes, scouting ahead for the perfect lighting, I would turn 'round to say something & spot Sam stealing a kiss. I absolutely loved getting to know these two.

& don't you just adore Megan's Burberry shawl?! She said she got it at Steinmart (score!). If any of you see it there.. I probably wear a medium... & I like really love it. Like, so much.

I could've posted about a million more photos (at very least, 50) but I'll save those for the lovebirds. Megan & Sam, thank you for letting me be a part of this special time in your life. You are the sweetest.

& darling Magical Simplicity readers, I hope you enjoyed a peek of this dreamy photo shoot! Now, back to our super-fall week! xoxo. p.s. our mega gorgeous Pride & Prejudice-esque photo location is a secret gem in Indian Hill: Rheinstrom Park [map]. 

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

So a friend of mine recently described jack-o-lanterns as "so magical, but when you're actually doing it... that's some really hard work!" She does have a point... There are so many guts & messes & small intricate designs. But, it is worth it. Why? Because in addition to a ghoulish gourd on your door step, what makes a jack-o-lantern so worth it is the tasty secret inside. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

You will need: 

• A pumpkin
• Salt
• Water
• Olive Oil

Okay, so first you're going to want to preheat the oven to 375. Empty out your pumpkin. Just scoop all the guts & all the seeds out and dump them in a bowl of water. The guts will (mostly) fall to the bottom while the seeds will float to the top. 

Scoop the seeds into a colander to get the excess guts, boil the seeds in salt water for 10 minutes. Spread them out in a single layer over a greased cookie sheet. Pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with olive oil & more salt. (I saw this post after I made these. She has you toss the seeds in oil rather than sprinkle. I think I like that better. It will lead to more thorough coverage.) 

Bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping somewhere in the middle. Voila! Crunchy, perfect, delicious browned pumpkin seeds. 

The taste instantly sends me back about 15 years, running around as a fairy princess, or a bunch of grapes (purple balloons pinned to my sweatshirt & leggings with a twig in my hair!) or one of my mom's many homemade costumes. & is it just me, or do pumpkin seeds kind of taste like popcorn? Xoxo, everyone. Thanks so much for reading!

HALLOWEEN WEEK!

Halloween! Halloween! I used to love Halloween when I was a kid. I mean, not surprising really: candy (I love) + dressing up (I love) + usually a sleep over (because I went to a Catholic School, November 1st is All Saints Day). What's not to like?

This week I have a TON of Fall/Halloween posts for you guys. Starting with just a preview: jack o lanterns. 

Can you tell which one is mine? (It's the one on the right) (Though I love the one on the left) (It's an emoji) ;D

P.S. Anyone have a tip on how to remove my permanent marker trace before trick or treaters spot my cheat? 

& what to do with all those guts/pumpkin seeds? Why... you roast them. I'll show you tomorrow :) I hope that you all have the best halloween week. Are y'all dressing up this year? What shall you be? I need suggestions!! xoxo

FALL IN LOVE: RACHEL + CASEY PHOTOS

This weekend I had the most magical request from two of my loveliest friends. Rachel & Casey recently got engaged & were looking for someone to photograph their save the date pictures. As you know, I love love & so happily obliged.  

Now, I've never taken photos for anyone before (except for my blogging partner in crime, Cincin-Natalie, from time to time) but guys it was so fun. I'm serious. So. Fun. The leaves were stunning & it definitely helps that I was third wheelin' with two of my great friends. I think you could hear our laughter through the entire forest. 

I'm just so flattered that these lovebirds asked me to play a small role in this special time of their life. Thanks you two. You're just plain awesome.

& to all of you lovely Magical Simplicity Readers, I've missed you! I've been traveling a lot, but I'm back now for a solid two weeks :) I hope you are all having the most magical fall! xoxo, & thanks for reading. 

[SUPER EASY] PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Fall means pumpkin! Everywhere! Pumpkin spice. Pumpkin cheesecake. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Beer! & my personal favorite.... PUMPKIN MUFFINS!!!! Why do we all love pumpkin? (Because its naturally fat free?) (Because its so delicious?) (Because it reminds us of jack-o-lanterns?) I don't know for sure. But we sure do love it. 

My mom has been making these pumpkin muffins since I was in high school. They are soooo super easy. Only three ingredients, actually. Let's get to it.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a few muffin tins. (I had enough batter for 24 mini muffins & 12 normal sized.) (& there could've been more.. I didn't try very hard because I wanted to lick the bowl.)

This recipe literally calls for three ingredients. Pictured above: 

• 1 dry package of spice cake mix
• 1 18oz can of PURE pumpkin (not pie filling!)
• 1 cup water (pictured below)
• Optional: Mix ins. You're going to want to add chocolate chips.

By the way, without the mix ins, we found this recipe all those years ago on Weight Watchers (here). BUT.. trust me on adding those chocolate chips. It's really delicious. 

Use a hand mixer to blend three ingredients (1 package spice cake mix, 1 can of pumpkin, 1 c water). Or, if you don't have a hand mixer (I made these stranded away from The Studio with over-the-weekend car malfunctions), you can hand whisk :)

Then, if you're adding "mix ins" you'll want to divide your batter. I always add Ghiardelli Dark Chocolate Chips to mine. My mom used to add frozen blueberries instead. You can see my three batters below.

Spoon your batter into muffin tins.

& bake for 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick (fork) comes out clean. Weird side note, my mini muffins took nearly as long to bake as the large!

As you know, I swoon for baked goods (you also need to try this yogurt banana bread & these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies). But I swoon most for the easiest ones. Happy Pumpkin-ing my loves!  Let me know if you try these out & thank you for stopping by Magical Simplicity!

PHOTOS FROM GORMAN HERITAGE FARM

I put the Sunflower Festival on our calendar 5 weeks early. I absolutely did NOT want to miss it. 

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate & by the time this year's sunflower festival rolled around at Gorman Heritage Farm, the field was pretty... dead. That's okay though, because I got a lot of sunflower pictures earlier this fall (see those here). But Gorman Heritage Farm was still pretty cool! Smack dab in the middle of Evendale [map] are a few acres of an educational farm. I can't talk too much shop about farms (without totally embarrassing myself), so I will let my photos tell you. 

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! It is definitely fall!! & speaking of fall, I have a fun fall recipe ready for you guys tomorrow. Check back :) XOXO & thanks for reading!