Guest Post: Kim from Little Rays of Sunshine

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me! 

My name is Kim and I am a SAHM to our beautiful one-year-old daughter Emma, as well as to our spunky Yellow Lab Max. I am completely blessed to have no other job than taking care of my family each and every day.
 
However, it took a little time and a lot of heartache to finally get here. After two years of marriage, my husband and I embarked on what would be a painful journey to becoming parents. We endured four miscarriages before eventually finding the source of my early pregnancy issues. Fortunately,
it was an easy fix with a small and simple surgical procedure. Three months after undergoing surgery, we again became pregnant. This time, praise the Lord, we welcomed our precious baby girl into the world a mere nine months later!
 
While there are so many other little details that describe me—child of God, oldest of three
girls, reading enthusiast, Hokie for life, Irish and proud, super big appetite
and super huge sweet tooth, Virginia "southerner"—I start with the story of Emma because the past three years of my life have come to define me. Our journey to having her was my original motivation for starting a blog, and while it has seen a wonderfully fun transformation into a place where
recipes, crafts, and posts of all kinds are shared, I never want myself to lose sight of where I come from and what has brought me to this happiest of places today!

My blog is called Little Rays of Sunshine, and it is very appropriately named. My husband Scott and I feel like we are living every day in the sunshine of our little girl, watching her grow and change with each passing moment. It's so easy to get bogged down by the stresses of everyday life, but no matter
what each day might bring, Emma's beautiful face reminds us of the blessings we have in
this life. 

I am so excited to be sharing life with my readers as we live it, and while I know there will be days where I share the good, the bad, and the ugly, my hope is to find those little rays of sunshine to focus on and be grateful for. Whether it is new and tempting recipes, DIY craft ideas, or just a day full of pictures that capture my darling baby at her best, there are so many things that simply make
life worth living! I hope you will find as much joy in following us as I will in bringing you along for the ride! God is my source of strength in this life. I turn to my Him for all things, including this life verse that is near and dear to my heart: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~Proverbs 3:5-6

 Now, on to the cooking!

My absolute favorite kitchen tool 

has got to be my large, green, cast iron skillet. It cooks like none other. The best dinner in the entire world to whip up with this bad boy is a pan-seared steak. A lot of salt, a lot of
pepper, a good helping of butter, and bam. You have yourself an easy and delicious dinner! 

As much as I love cooking scrumptious meat for my hubby, though, I completely adore baking up a storm in our kitchen... whenever possible. We are now into one of the best times of year for baking--Fall! Fresh apples, spicy pumpkin, warm pies... it all makes me drool. The recipe I want to share with you now is a twist on my Grammy's cheesecake cups. Made with a traditional cream cheese filling and Nilla Wafer crust, these little treats are always gobbled up fast. I've recently been wanting to try my hand at making a pumpkin cheesecake, and after a brief moment of enlightenment, it dawned on me that this would be the perfect recipe to start with. It's quick, it's easy, and it's ALWAYS a winner.

It only took a few minor tweaks to turn these classic cheesecake cups into a Fall-worthy dessert. The Nilla Wafers were swapped with Gingersnaps, and the addition of both canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice turned this creamy cheesecake batter into one that boasts all the flavors of a scrumptious and satisfying pumpkin pie.

I hope you'll try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we have. There's no way to mess up and nothing to fear. The easy peasy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups are here! (Sorry. I'm a dork.)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups

2-8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 c canned pumpkin

24 gingersnap cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line muffin tins with foil liners and place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each one. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice; continue beating until well-incorporated and smooth.
4. Beat in the pumpkin until combined.
5. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges are firm and centers slightly jiggle. 
6. Remove the cheesecake cups from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Eat these tasty Fall treats to your heart's content and enjoy their decadent, pumpkin-y flavor!