Thursday, December 24, 2015
BEST EVER PUMPKIN MUFFINS RECIPE
My two precious granddaughters Facetimed me yesterday morning and all of their excitement got me out of my chair to bake some yummy muffins. The smell in the house was wonderful and they are perfect for a snack with a cup of tea.
This was my first time baking these muffins and I did have to modify them to make them gluten free. I am never quite sure how changing a recipe so that it is gluten free will turn out, but this one was wonderful. Here are some of the ingredients I used if you are interested in gluten free or want to use more organic ingredients.
BEST EVER PUMPKIN MUFFINS
If your coconut oil is solid, warm it up a bit so that it is in liquid form.
BEST EVER PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place 12 paper liners into each well of your standard size muffin baking pan.
- Measure out the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together. Do not over mix, just stir until everything is incorporated into the batter.
- It is helpful to use a large scoop (like an ice cream scoop) to evenly distribute the batter into each well. They will be nearly full. This will help give your muffins a nice puffy dome.
- Bake your muffins for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Notes
If your coconut oil is solid, warm it up a bit so that it is in liquid form.
As you can see I made plenty just in case you dropped by. Oh wait, Tessa is on her way over and she has a pretty healthy appetite when homemade muffins are involved. Gotta go. I need to find a good hiding place.
Monday, November 30, 2015
FINDING A PLACE OF SERENITY
We all need a place of serenity. A place where we can go and find calm in the moment. That place can be anywhere.
For me, my place of serenity is the greenhouses where I spent many wonderful days as a child. It is a place that I can enter and feel a sense of calm wash over me.
It is a place where the smell of clean earth mixes with the aroma of growing flowers.
It is a place where the very old mixes seamlessly with the new.
It is a place where my grandchild can feel right at home playing where her grandmother and great grandmother played before her.
It's a place where everything old seems new again.
My youngest daughter calls it her happy place. I call it memories of home.
Where is your place of serenity?
For me, my place of serenity is the greenhouses where I spent many wonderful days as a child. It is a place that I can enter and feel a sense of calm wash over me.
It is a place where the smell of clean earth mixes with the aroma of growing flowers.
It is a place where the very old mixes seamlessly with the new.
It is a place where my grandchild can feel right at home playing where her grandmother and great grandmother played before her.
It's a place where everything old seems new again.
My youngest daughter calls it her happy place. I call it memories of home.
Where is your place of serenity?
Monday, November 9, 2015
SHE SELLS SHE SHEDS BY THE.....
Well, never mind. I couldn't resist, but I have finally found a new fad I can really get behind. (I know that we are heading into the colder months, but in my opinion it is never too early to start thinking ahead to spring.)
I am pretty sick of hearing about man caves, so I say move over man caves, bring on the she sheds.
Can you say SWOON? If I had this "shed" I might never enter the house again.
How cute is this? It makes me want to throw on some gardening gloves and start potting plants right this minute. (It is definitely helping me to ignore today's cold rainy weather)
I have always been a firm believer that I was meant to have an English country garden. My family should never have left "Old Blighty". They failed to look into the future and ask me my opinion.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to take your sewing outside into a dedicated shed just for that purpose. It might put me back in the mood.
I would love to have a backyard greenhouse (if I had a backyard) and if it was also a she shed getaway, that would be even better.
So what do you think? Is it ever too early to start thinking about spring. Do you get those seed catalogs out early. Would you love to have a she shed as much as I would?
Photo Credits:
1) House to Home
2) Wooden House
3) Lushome
4) Ciao Newport Beach
5) Lighter Side of Real Estate
I am pretty sick of hearing about man caves, so I say move over man caves, bring on the she sheds.
Can you say SWOON? If I had this "shed" I might never enter the house again.
How cute is this? It makes me want to throw on some gardening gloves and start potting plants right this minute. (It is definitely helping me to ignore today's cold rainy weather)
I have always been a firm believer that I was meant to have an English country garden. My family should never have left "Old Blighty". They failed to look into the future and ask me my opinion.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to take your sewing outside into a dedicated shed just for that purpose. It might put me back in the mood.
I would love to have a backyard greenhouse (if I had a backyard) and if it was also a she shed getaway, that would be even better.
So what do you think? Is it ever too early to start thinking about spring. Do you get those seed catalogs out early. Would you love to have a she shed as much as I would?
Photo Credits:
1) House to Home
2) Wooden House
3) Lushome
4) Ciao Newport Beach
5) Lighter Side of Real Estate
P.S. Thank you so much to everyone who left comments on my Friday post. Mom and I both appreciated the stories you shared and your sweet words of encouragement.
Friday, October 16, 2015
FOUR STEPS TO BECOMING A FREE SPIRIT
When you have spent most of your life seeking the approval of others, living a life that you believe needs to be approved by others, or being a rule follower, it can be difficult to break out and be a free spirit.
I have actually been giving this quite a bit of thought lately, and have come to the conclusion that in order to have the life I want I am going to have to break the ties that bind and become more of a free spirit.
How do we become free spirits?
1) Is there something you feel passionate about, but haven't had the courage to take action on? Being a free spirit means that you may have to bypass practicality and instead follow your dreams. That may sound scary at times, but in the end, it can lead to true satisfaction and happiness.
2) Being a free spirit requires living in the moment. Instead of worrying about what others think of you or what is going to happen tomorrow take time to savor the moment you are in right now. Use all of your senses to enjoy where you are now. This is where meditation can help.
3) Embrace Humor. Have you ever noticed how freeing laughter is? We all get into uncomfortable situations, but free spirits may find themselves in more of those situations. Look for the humor in even the stickiest of situations. Laughter and humor will lighten your load.
4) Just let go and trust yourself. Trust that you know yourself better than anyone else does. Trust that you know what is best for you. Trust in your own path.
Do you consider yourself a free spirit or want to become more of one? If so, what are some of the things you are doing?
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How do we become free spirits?
1) Is there something you feel passionate about, but haven't had the courage to take action on? Being a free spirit means that you may have to bypass practicality and instead follow your dreams. That may sound scary at times, but in the end, it can lead to true satisfaction and happiness.
2) Being a free spirit requires living in the moment. Instead of worrying about what others think of you or what is going to happen tomorrow take time to savor the moment you are in right now. Use all of your senses to enjoy where you are now. This is where meditation can help.
3) Embrace Humor. Have you ever noticed how freeing laughter is? We all get into uncomfortable situations, but free spirits may find themselves in more of those situations. Look for the humor in even the stickiest of situations. Laughter and humor will lighten your load.
4) Just let go and trust yourself. Trust that you know yourself better than anyone else does. Trust that you know what is best for you. Trust in your own path.
Do you consider yourself a free spirit or want to become more of one? If so, what are some of the things you are doing?
Monday, October 5, 2015
EMBRACING THE AGING PROCESS
Let's face it, we are all getting older.
As I watch my daughters and grandchildren getting older it amazes me how quickly they change, and I see a reflection of my own aging in their faces.
We so often think of the negative aspects of aging, but there is so much to be positive about.
There is freedom that comes with aging.
We learn that we don't need everyone else's approval in order to live our lives the way we want.
We so often think of the negative aspects of aging, but there is so much to be positive about.
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We learn that we don't need everyone else's approval in order to live our lives the way we want.
We realize that we can dress how we want, think how we want, and make any changes we want without consulting with anyone else.
We also may realize that this is the way we should have been living our lives all along.
It can all be very freeing.
So I say let's embrace the aging process.
It can all be very freeing.
So I say let's embrace the aging process.
Let's look at ourselves with love. Let's focus on the positives.
Monday, September 28, 2015
CHANGING OF THE SEASONS
The seasons are changing. Summer has gone and fall is here. As hard as we may try to hold onto summer, we know that we have to let it go and embrace the new season.
The seasons of our lives change too, and although we often try to hang onto the past, in order to thrive we have to move into the new season.
This is a time of year where I always begin to feel nostalgia for things from my past. I always loved fall. Apple picking. The smell of baked goods. The leaves crunching under foot. A cozy fire on a cool night. The beauty of the changing leaves. Sitting around the dinner table with my family.
These are wonderful memories that I will hold close to my heart, but I know that I am in a new season, and although I may experience many of these things again I know that I will experience them differently.
Life is meant to be lived in the moment. So for me, I will miss summer as I miss past memories, but I will enjoy the fall and not worry about the cold winter coming.
As the sign says. It's fall y'all.
Have a great Monday.
The seasons of our lives change too, and although we often try to hang onto the past, in order to thrive we have to move into the new season.
This is a time of year where I always begin to feel nostalgia for things from my past. I always loved fall. Apple picking. The smell of baked goods. The leaves crunching under foot. A cozy fire on a cool night. The beauty of the changing leaves. Sitting around the dinner table with my family.
These are wonderful memories that I will hold close to my heart, but I know that I am in a new season, and although I may experience many of these things again I know that I will experience them differently.
Life is meant to be lived in the moment. So for me, I will miss summer as I miss past memories, but I will enjoy the fall and not worry about the cold winter coming.
As the sign says. It's fall y'all.
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