Gobble, gobble, it's that time of year!

Can it be November already? Is there really one more month, and the end of the year is upon us?
Oh my! Today I'm going to share with you my special cornbread stuffing recipe.



Do you like cornbread? If the answer is YES, then you'll love this cornbread stuffing recipe. No reason to miss out on eating the stuffing this year at Thanksgiving. Why not make it gluten-free!!?! Everyone will be happy! The happy thing about this recipe is, you can make the cornbread a day or two in advance, and sneak a piece or two of the cornbread, making sure to save at least half of the batch for the stuffing.

Cornbread

One and a half cups cornmeal

1/2 cup cornflour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk OR buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons honey

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, and pour into greased pan: 8”x 8”

Bake for 30 minutes at 350, or until knife comes out clean.

Cornbread Stuffing

Once the cornbread has cooled (you can make it the day before), cut into small bite-size squares.

3 apples, diced
1 small purple onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 head of celery, chopped
1 fist full of cilantro, chopped
a few leaves of fresh sage, chopped
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
one teaspoon salt
one teaspoon cracked pepper, or red pepper

Mix all ingredients together, and stuff inside of your turkey!
Scoop out of the cooked turkey, once it's all done baking and simmering together. Serve as a side dish with your turkey dinner. It is delicious!

Try a loaf of Almond Bread

I would like to share this delicious loaf of Almond Bread I have made. I really think you should try and make one for yourself, too. It is toast worthy, tea worthy, sandwich worthy, snack worthy, and even company worthy. The thing I love about it most, is the amount of time it takes to whip this loaf up. It is a no yeast bread, so it rises as it bakes, and you don't have to wait for the bread to sit out and rise before you bake it. Feel free to double the recipe and make two, while you're at it. Why not? It's gone after one day, around our house. Little and big hands alike, reaching for more.



For someone like myself who is gluten intolerant, I am always on the lookout for a different kind of bread I can make. Sometimes I like to follow a recipe, and other times I like to play with the ingredients in my cupboard and see what I can come up with. For me, baking is an art form. I love to have fun while I'm in the kitchen. Cooking has never been a drudgery to me. In fact, I look forward to the change of the seasons when I can try new flavors and spices.

Almond Bread

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
¼ cup almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ½ tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup milk
¾ tablespoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 340

Grease a loaf pan with butter and dust with rice flour.
In mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Add the remaining ingredients. Turn the electric mixer on low. Turn the switch off and on, until ingredients stick together. Once the batter sticks together, turn the mixer on high, until the batter is smooth and creamy. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until done. Leave in pan to cool (about ten minutes), then remove and place on cooling rack.

Optional:
For almond raisin bread, add ¼ cup raisins.

Monday morning tea...cookies....and sunshine....

Monday morning turned out to be a cuppa tea morning ...... and a batch of cookies to go with.



Almond Tea cookies! They are the best!



Sprinkled with beautiful morning sunshine streaming in my windows.

You can see my recipe, here.

Tasting the Season

Did I mention before that I love Autumn! My oven has been running every day (more than once, that is). Well, my oven is on every day, but now it runs more than once. Cookies, pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chicken pot pies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin custard, you know, anything warm, bubbly, hot and flavorful.



The kids love to roll out cookie dough. It is oh so fun to dump over the contents of the cookie cutter box full of fun shaped cutters. Sifting through the pile of shapes, until they find just the right ones for the occasion. Yesterday, it was leaves, pumpkins, squirrels, mushrooms and gnomes.



These Pumpkin Spice cupcakes didn't last long. Nothing better than homemade cream cheese frosting. It's the easiest thing to make.....cream cheese, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.


Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (gluten-free)

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin (I like Libby's brand, because it is gluten-free)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ginger (ground)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
dash of nutmeg
dash of cardamom

Mix all ingredients until batter is smooth. (I prefer to use my electric mixer) Pour batter 3/4 full into cupcake molds. Bake at 345 degrees Fahrenheit. 20-25 minutes.

Shop Update

I have put one of my favorite quilts up for sale in my etsy shop. It will be very hard to part with this gorgeous quilt, but I already have quite a few quilts stacking up around here. It is perfect for the upcoming cooler weather. It fits on a twin sized bed, or works for a cozy lap quilt......not to mention you can drape it over your favorite chair or sofa. The possibilities are endless.









Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm enjoying (LOVING) the cooler weather!!!!

Harvest Moon and Rustic Apple Tarts

Signs of the season......

Lovin' this October moon.



Yummy little rustic apple tarts made by the cutest little hands I know.





Even better yet, they are totally gluten-free!



Bite, chomp, munch, swallow, bite, chomp, munch, swallow.....all gone! (Nevermind the fork, Mom!) They were soooo good. Next time we make them, we'll put a blob of whipped cream on top. Appley, cinnamony, goodness. Perfect little Fall treats. They are small, yet rewarding.... because, they bake quickly in the oven for little ones who are anxious to get snacking.

I just love Fall!



......... and I just love Laura Gunn's gorgeous Lantern Bloom fabrics, so much!

I've been making some Fall table runners, and having a lot of fun with her gorgeous fabrics. Laura is a brilliant painter and artist. Her paintings have been wonderfully printed onto fabric, and the depth, texture and feeling in these fabrics is amazing.



Just look at the rich colors and depth. It wasn't hard to come up with a fun and playful pattern, to pull these fabrics into a delightful table runner.



What shall I make next, with the left over fabric? I have several things in mind....a fun bag, another runner, and some little girls clothing. It means even more to me to have grown up in the same town as Laura, and graduated from the same High School. Yay! Going to put together a Fall bouquet of Lantern blossoms to go with the new table runner..........I saw some cut fresh cut blossoms at the grocery store, last night. They didn't look half bad! Has anyone ever attempted to dry them upside down and preserve them? In fact, I know where to pick some branches, that are grown locally.......I just might have to look into this! I told you I love this time of year. Crisp cool mornings, and perfectly sunny and warm afternoons. Just right. Just like Fall.