P-P-P-Pumpkins!!!

10-23-12

  Wahoo!!!! I successfully made my very first pumpkin pie, completely from scratch! That's right, SCRATCH, no canned pumpkin, no pre-made crust, and only honey as a sweetener! I made it last night and there is only one piece left. I'm currently cooling another crust so I can bake a second pie tonight :-P   It's a "chores around the house" day, so I figured I'd go ahead and post the pie recipe while I'm waiting on the laundry. My wonderful husband was a real gem and helped me every step of the way and I'm pretty well convinced that I'll never buy a pumpkin pie again (homemade is by far better and definitely worth the effort).  

  I'm super excited about all the people that I'm getting to come take a look at my blog and what I'm doing here. I added some pictures to some of my previous posts I hope you all enjoy.  I'm kinda flabbergasted...this morning I decided to weigh myself again (just for giggles) to find out how the last few days of Cinnamon Bun Muffins, Strawberry Sorbet, and Pumpkin Pie had affected me. Sorry to those people thinking I'd most definitely gained a pound or two...nope, I lost a whole pound! 0_o  I find that totally weird and against normal thought, but in fact I've lost yet another pound. I thought for sure I was at a plateau, perhaps I'm wrong. I'm the skinniest I've ever been in my entire life! I'm having a really hard time imagining that there is anything left to loose, but then I loose more weight and I continue to marvel at the oddity. Enough about that, on to the recipe!

Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 1-8"pie+1ramekin filling

Crust:

1-3/4  cup  Almond Flour

1/3    cup  Coconut Oil, melted

2     Tbsp  Honey

1      tsp  Vanilla Extract

1/4    tsp  Baking Soda

1/4    tsp  Ground Cinnamon

1/4    tsp  Ground Ginger

Dash        Salt

Filling:

2   cup  Pumpkin Puree (15oz canned)

1/2 cup  Water

3        Eggs

1   tsp  Vanilla Extract

1   tsp  Salt

1   tsp  Ground Cinnamon

1   tsp  Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp  Ground Clove

1/4 tsp  Ground Cardamom

1/2 tsp  Ground Nutmeg

1/2 tsp  Lemon Zest

1/2 cup  Honey

Crust:

1)  Mix all ingredients until just combined (I suggest mixing dry ingredients first and then adding the wet).

2)  Press dough into greased pie plate, spreading evenly up sides and across bottom of pan.

3)  Bake at 325^F for 10 Minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Filling:

1)  Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Combine thoroughly.

2)  Pour into pre-baked pie crust. You will end up with extra filling. Pour this into 1-2 greased ramekin(I used a small Pyrex dish). 

3)  Place pie and ramekins on baking sheet. Bake at 350^F for 30-40 minutes, or until center is slightly jiggly. (If crust edges brown too quickly, put strips of foil around the edges of the pie)

4)  Refrigerate until chilled, then serve.

Original Recipe Link:   http://www.againstallgrain.com/2011/11/22/grain-free-and-dairy-free-pumpkin-pie/

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

10-20-12

  Life's been busy, my in-laws were over the other night and we went to Ikea with them. It was nice to see them and spend time together. I've only tried three new recipes in the last few days. My favorite by far was a really delicious shortcake, I've had the link for a long time now and was so excited to finally get to try it. My hubby was a real sweetheart and helped me out, as it was a more labor intensive recipe, and I don't have four hands yet. :-P

 
Strawberry Shortcake Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen

2-1/2 cups Almond Flour
3/4   tsp  Baking Soda
1/4   tsp  Salt
2/3   cup  Honey
1/3   cup  Coconut Oil, melted
4    large Eggs, room temperature
1     Tbsp Lemon Juice
2     tsp  Vanilla Extract
1/2   tsp  Lemon Zest
1/2   cup  Strawberries, finely chopped
Frosting:
2          Egg Whites
1/3   cup  Honey
1/4   tsp  Lemon Juice
1-1/2 Tbsp Strawberry puree

Preheat Oven to 325^F.
1)  Combine honey, oil, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest in the blender. Puree on medium speed for 20 seconds or until frothy or smooth.
2)  Add dry ingredients and blend on high for 30-45 seconds. The batter should be very smooth and contain NO lumps. If needed, scrape down the sides with spatula and blend again for a few seconds until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
3)  Gently fold the chopped strawberries in by hand. Divide the batter evenly into lined or greased muffin pan, filling about 3/4 full.
4)  Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean. 
5)  Let the cupcakes cool completely on the counter or wire rack.
Frosting:
Begin making frosting after cupcakes have cooled completely.
1)  Bring your honey to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2)  Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy and you can just begin to see trail marks from your beaters. When you lift out the beaters, you should see the soft peaks.
3)  With the beaters running, slowly pour in the boiling honey in a steady stream. Continue beating for 6-8 minutes, until the meringue is cool to the touch.
4)  Gently fold in the strawberry puree, spread onto cupcakes with a knife. Serve Immediately. (keeps in fridge, on cupcakes, for 24hrs)

Original Recipe Link:  http://www.againstallgrain.com/2012/08/27/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes/                  

Using What's on Hand...

10-16-12

  One of my favorite things to do is find an ingredient in my kitchen that has just been sitting there, usually because someone is afraid to "eat the last one", or because it's too small of a quantity to use in one of my normal recipes. With this ingredient in mind, I then scour the internet for a recipe that utilizes that food item and anything else I have on hand. 

  Last night I was craving some bread, after eating the delicious squash soup, so I began to look for a recipe that would use the 1, overripe, banana sitting idle in the fruit bowl. It was quite a task, because most bread and cake recipes I found used 2-4 bananas. At long last though I found a recipe that served the purpose and sounded delicious! My Hubby and I worked together and made this dessert. When it came out of the oven, and cooled sufficiently, everyone tried a piece and thought it was super good! I was so glad the guys liked it so well (although I wonder if they were just happy to have a good homemade dessert again), however I didn't like it so well at first. The flavor was good, but the crumble on top was off for me and too dry. This morning I decided to have a piece again, but I drizzled some honey on top after warming it up, and enjoyed it so much more. I'd contemplated trying to alter the recipe the next time I make it, but decided, that with such an easy fix, I'd leave it as it is. 

Always,

Kittydid

Banana Spice Coffee Cake

Batter:

1       Banana, mashed

5       Eggs

1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract

1  Tbsp Honey

1.25cup Almond Flour

1.5 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted (plus more for greasing pan)

Topping:

1/2 cup Almond Flour

1   tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Ground Cloves

1.5 tsp Coconut Oil

Preheat oven to 350^F

Batter:

1)  In a large bowl mix together mashed banana, eggs, vanilla, and honey until all the wet ingredients are incorporated.

2)  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda.

3)  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until better forms. Stir in melted coconut oil to batter; mix well.

Topping:

4)  In a small bowl, blend together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and coconut oil. Blend until the mixture forms a crumb-like texture. Add 1/2 tsp more coconut oil if the crumb mixture doesn't form.

5)  Pour batter into greased 8x8 baking dish and sprinkle topping evenly across the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and then cut into squares and serve.  

Original Recipe Link:  http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2012/08/banana-spice-coffee-cake/