Happy Friday!
I was asked recently to try G.H. Cretors gluten free AND GMO free popcorn.
How could I ever say no?
My stars, this popcorn is AMAZING.
I'll have you know they sent me 5 full size bags and within one day 3 bags were gone.
It's that good.
They have caramel corn and cheesy corn.
But wait!
They have the Chicago Mix which is both flavors in one bag.
Insanely good. You will never go back to any other bagged popcorn again.
Best parts?
GMO free
Gluten free
and all natural ingredients, no chemicals, no crap, no fillers. Thank you!
Where can you find them? Click here.
And you can also order online at ghcretors.com
Seriously, the best cheese popcorn I've ever had (and no crap or chemicals in there).
Stay tuned!
They've agreed to a giveaway!
And right now they are having a giveaway on their Facebook page.
Go enter!
My last ice cream of the season. Everyone is closing up shop. I'm sad. I want summer back.
From Twin Acres in Sandwich, MA.
My tater tot.
I know, I try and stay away from cheesy pet photos, but come on, look at that face!
Have you seen this at Trader Joe's?
GAH!
Don't buy it--it's so good!
Let's be honest, most of the Trader Joe salads and sushi are horrid, but this salad was pretty good,
and is my latest crush. What makes it is that peanut dressing.
My latest crush.
My current handbag is falling apart; I am almost to the point of using tape. Sad.
This bag from Burberry. Way out of my price range, but isn't she pretty?
Cookbook find of the week: The Sardinian Cookbook
A great little cookbook of some the best Sardinian recipes, perfect for upcoming winter.
A little sneak peak. Really good recipes inside. Nothing too crazy or complicated to make.
My friend Heather from Sprinkle Bakes made this corpse bride blue velvet cake with tutorial.
Her talent is astounding. Look at the details!
Love lofthouse style cookies? Ever have them done in a peanut butter version?
Me either.
Head over to Averie Cooks and see how!
Around the Web:
Vegan Nutella? Why yes please.
Buttermilk chocolate chip crumb cupcakes -- Hello!
Sometimes people are really cruel (be nice to people)
Great smoothie recipe, I tried this but used kale instead of spinach.
Apple cider pancakes--I mean it's Fall right?
What I wish everyone knew about Parkinson's Disease (very informative)
Health benefits of berries. I can attest to this as I do eat 2 cups of berries (raw) 5 days a week
BUT they left out overall body inflammation
The authors that wrote at "standing desks"? (I just loved reading this)
Bicoastal cookie!
Lobmyer experimental sweet factory (art made out of sweets), kind of cool.
Get your toasted pita ready: thai red curry pumpkin hummus
Increase your serotonin with these foods
Waffle baked grilled cheese sandwich
The 2013 Carnegie International Art Museum is open!
You can now make your own Gorditas!
I just love her food blog: creme fraiche, cornmeal & pumpkin coffee cake
Trim your own hair. I am so guilty of doing this the wrong way. Here's the right way.
True Love. (get your Kleenex out)
Power breakfast for your heart. (Love Dr. Weil).
Telekinetic Coffee Shop!
9 items a foodie should always pack while traveling
You should learn more about the MANY health benefits of sea vegetables
Pumpkin donut holes stuffed w/ cream cheese
How to tell if an egg is bad before/after cracking it?
Pumpkin Cake in the shape of a pumpkin (a lot easier than I thought)
11 year old Sean Lew with incredible dance moves and plays it smart by keeping himself in the front of the dance line.
Acorn squash & pecan waffles
How to make cut flowers last
I do this! It has helped my compressed back! The 10-minute morning wake-up sequence
Blocking sugar intake can reduce cancer risk & progression
Lofthouse style pumpkin cookies
Hiker finds over $300,000 worth of treasure in The Alps
Gah! PizzaCroissants!
Pumpkin snickerdoodle blondies
Pumpkin-browned butter & malt donuts!
8 yoga poses to help with cervical spine & neck issues (already printed these out)
Drive for a cure. God Bless you Steve & Hope Dezember; may you never lose your DRIVE.
I love one-pan easy pasta dishes. This one from Martha.
Tomato-mustard tart (from clotide dusoulier)
Lack of sleep negatively affects weight loss
Pumpkin s'mores bars
What are flavonoids?
How to organize those annoying plastic food containers!
How to deal with people who make your workplace difficult
Malaria vaccine on the way? (let's hope so)
Fall Foliage travel guide (I think this is the peak weekend, right?)
And check out the newest (and funniest) daddy blogger: Daddy Scratches.com (HILARIOUS!)
Massachusetts Residents!
Please help us spread the word about repealing the Mass Gas Tax.
If they get enough signatures we can repeal this.
Did you know that the Mass Gas Tax is set to automatically go up for the next 3 years?
Yes, sad but true. Please visit this website, find out how to add your signature and let's get rid
of this stupid law.
tankthegastax.org
Have a wonderful weekend!
10/11/13
friday links
10/8/13
pumpkin bread balls
Pumpkin bread balls.
Why not?
I mean seriously why not.
I do tire of plain pumpkin bread, it gets a little boring.
Having made banana bread balls with huge success, why not pumpkin bread.
The only thing I did differently with the pumpkin bread cake balls is I did not dip them in chocolatesince I'm not a fan of pumpkin and chocolate together.
But if you are a fan of it then go right ahead.
These are really easy to make too; FAR EASIER than cake balls.
Cake balls they fall apart when you roll them and when you dip them in chocolate.
Banana bread balls and pumpkin bread balls are much heartier and can stand up to a chocolate
bath.
I dipped the pumpkin bread balls in a simple glaze, which will not harder BTW because pumpkin bread is very moist, but it gives it a nice layer of sweet.
Then coat in powdered sugar.
If you do want a "crunch" on your pumpkin bread balls then dip then in dark or white chocolate.
These do not keep well the next day; they are a "one day wonder".
Be oh so tasty during that "one day wonder".
Take a perfectly good baked loaf of pumpkin bread, mix with cream cheese, wrap and chill.
A nice pumpkin pie glaze bath.
Taste-testing in progress. See I look out for you by taste-testing everything (at least 5x).
And a final roll in powdered sugar to make em look fancy.
Next time I make these, I will dip them in chocolate and report back.
pumpkin bread balls
recipe from vanillasugarblog.com
print recipe
1 baked loaf pumpkin bread (8 or 9-inch loaf)
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temp
glaze bath:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 TB whole milk
pinch of sea salt
dash or two of pumpkin pie spice
plus extra powdered sugar for dusting, decorative
chocolate bath:
white or dark melted chocolate
chopped nuts or sprinkles for decoration, optional
Cook Notes:
The glaze does NOT harden on the balls because the pumpkin bread is moist.
So after they dried a bit after the glaze dip, I just rolled them in powdered sugar for a nice decorative touch.
They do not keep well the next day; still tasty but very moist.
If you want a "crunchy" coating then dip them in white, milk or dark chocolate.
Once bread is cooled. Crumble it up in a large bowl until you have crumbs—no large chunks should be remaining.
Add in the softened cream cheese. Mix well. I used my hands to mix this really well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let set up, harden (I did this overnight--recipe from vanillasugarblog.com).
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out 1 or 2 inch balls, roll into fairly uniform balls. If using a medium size ice cream scoop makes it easier then go ahead. Remember you don’t want balls any larger than 2 inches.
Once all balls are done, place in fridge to chill.
If you are doing them plain with no chocolate dipping then prepare the glaze. If you are doing chocolate dipping then temper milk, white or dark chocolate. About 2+ cups of milk/dark/white chocolate chips.
You might need a bit more.
Once chocolate is tempered, using a plastic fork or chopsticks, dip balls into chocolate and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Sprinkle the balls with the chopped nuts or sprinkles while chocolate is still soft.
It takes a while for the chocolate to harden or you can place them in the fridge to speed up the process.
They keep covered in air tight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
Should make about 25 balls; dependent on the size you roll them.
If you are doing the glaze, in a shallow bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the milk and a pinch of salt.
Mix until well combined. Dip the balls in the glaze, and place on a wire rack lined with parchment paper. The glaze will not harden because the pumpkin bread is moist. So for decorative purposes, after they were done drying I rolled them in powdered sugar.
10/6/13
pumpkin pancakes
OK so I didn't re-invent the wheel with these pumpkin pancakes.
But I had to share them because they are DELISH.
Had no idea the Trader Joe's buttermilk pancake mix was so tasty.
So I figured why not share?
You all love when I share what's good and what stinks at Trader Joe's...right?
Plus it's one bowl easy.
No recipe really.
I just added in a half of can of plain pumpkin puree for every 1 & 1/2 cups to 2 cups of pancake batter, PLUS a few dashes of pumpkin pie spices, then fry in melted butter baby!
Frying the pancakes in melted butter makes all the difference to me.
And bacon....bacon makes it.
Why yes, that is Trader Joe's black forest bacon.
It's good and fairly cheap.
10/4/13
friday links
Happy Friday kids!
Been spending as much time as I can at the beach swimming, surfing, etc...
Our weather here on cape cod has been amazing; non-stop sun for weeks on end.
We got very lucky this summer with abundant sunshine.
You need to see the beauty....
Love to see surfboards...I feel at home.
Surfer girls waiting on swells (waves).
Not a great day for surf BUT a perfect day for stand up paddleboard.
I'm saving my money for a new stand up board!
Hopefully next summer I'll have a new board!
Can you see the seal on the left side (middle)?
Ben & Jerry's has a new flavor: pumpkin cheesecake. I don't need to tell you how good it is right?
The pumpkin bread mix from Trader Joe's is REALLY good.
These are ok. What I love is the price, far cheaper than others.
These pumpkin-like blondies weren't that good.
Didn't taste like pumpkin, tasted like a spiced candle.
Strange.
Was asked to create a couple recipes for Kretschmer.
Any suggestions?
Kretschmer is an original superfood
"163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes". A cookbook for Paleo AND a slowcooker?
Yes please! Being able to keep the paleo eating going strong through the winter with this wonderful
cookbook.
"163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes" is loaded with creative Paleo recipes just for your slow
cooker.
Around the web:
s'mores swirl brownies
croque monsieur sliders! Must make these!
oatmeal-cherry jam bars
pumpkin beers to try this Fall
15 tips to naturally balance your hormones (good advice, especially #6 and #12)
Do you suffer from IT Band Syndrome? It might be your posture!
gluten free buckeye brownies!
5-minute DIY herb facial. Who knew it could be this easy?
when bacteria fights back: Q&A on the rising threat of drug-resistant microbes
mini pumpkin pie slice cookies (the best cookie decorating site)
cheeseburgers with mac & cheese buns!
why is my quinoa bitter?
the best anti-aging strategies are free
taste-test: nut milks from Three Trees
forks, knives & beakers: harold mcgee starts off his series at Harvard on cooking & science
tips for using apple cider in your baking
coconut chicken fingers (kicked up but still easy to make)
just in time for winter: turmeric tea
I LOVE butterscotch in pies.
chicken pot pie in whole wheat crust
simple homemade chicken soup: these are the kind of recipes I love
is there a website that reviews candy? YES. The candyblog.net
some of the most creative pumpkin recipes I've seen (thanks Kevin!)
DIY fresh ginger syrup. Perfection!
white chicken chili
now this is my kind of granola: homemade gingerbread granola
apple-cream cheese pie--what's not to love about this?
almond butter rice krispie treats! (bookmarked)
Books I'm swooning over:
I could easily become a master in french eating.
Mastering the art of french eating.
David's new book My Paris Kitchen is coming out soon!
Have a wonderful weekend!
10/1/13
pumpkin butter-cinnamon chip cookies
I got about 4-5 emails asking for more Trader Joe's pumpkin butter recipes after the pumpkin butter crunch bars were such a hit.
Seriously all I need is one email and I'm on it.
I love getting requests. And who knew pumpkin butter could be so much fun to bake with?
So these pumpkin butter cookies do have a slight crunch to them, they are NOT cake-like.I just hate the way that some pumpkin cookies are cake-like; just not into that.
The only cake-like cookies I like are devils' food.
These cookies are fairly easy to make. If you had to have a hard part? You have to let them chill
overnight to firm up--that's it.
So I added walnuts and cinnamon chips to this for some extra texture and crunch.
The cinnamon chips are a nice touch.
But be careful using cinnamon chips as too much in the batter and they taste chemically--just use
a little bit and you get that nice "cinnamon" taste in the background.
Sounds like we're talking about wine.....
Can you use pecans, sure.
What about chocolate chips? I wouldn't, but feel free to experiment!
Are these cookies overwhelmingly pumpkiny? Nooooooo! (thank goodness)
They have a slight crunch on the outside.
I made my cookies giant (shocker I know), but if you make them smaller they should have even
more of a crunch.
If you make them smaller, watch the baking times!
The cinnamon chips are so tasty in this batter.
Normally I hate cinnamon chips because they are so, well....chemically tasting? Is that a good
description? BUt in this batter they taste good.
Self explanatory baking times guide.
I had planned on taking more photos but I left the cookies alone for five hours and they were gone.
Poor babies.
