Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

In honor of Halloween, I killed a pumpkin.

Don't worry-- it didn't feel a thing!

Now I'm going to give you a couple of ideas on what to do with a fresh pumpkin, but pretty much all roads lead to one basic thing-- a roasted pumpkin.

With a roasted pumpkin you can do pretty much anything (soup, pie, cake, risotto). Of course, you can also buy pumpkin in a jar. But if you are so inclined to roast your own pumpkin, then I'll tell you how to do it.

Megan's Liquid Gel Dishwasher Detergent (Borax Free)

A wonderful reader, Megan, suggested that I try a liquid dishwasher detergent in lieu of my Non-Borax Powdered Detergent. To that I said challenge accepted!! I love when you guys give me thing to try!

I gave it a shot when I ran out of my powdered dishwasher detergent and I have to say that I am very impressed. I thought it performed very well compared to the powdered formula which I posted about earlier in the year. The plus is that the ingredients are easier to find and it's a bit gentler without the citric acid.

Ahhhh! I love options!

Megan's Liquid-Gel Dishwasher Detergent 
Makes ~4 cups (64 TBSP)

• 3 TBSP Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
• 3 cups warm water
• 1 cup Washing Soda 
• You can find this for only a few dollars at most Walmarts or many grocery stores in the laundry aisle.

Simply add the ingredients in a jar and shake until the washing soda dissolves. Shake it. Seriously. Shake it. A lot.

Gluten Free Bakery in Orlando

Sometimes life gives you something exactly when you need it exactly when you need it. In my case it was cupcakes.

One cupcake is gluten free and the other is not

I am so incredibly excited to share this wonderful bakery find with you today! I HOPE you live in or near Central Florida or are planning to visit because you will want to stop by and see Leah from Four 0 Seven Bakery.

Spice It Up: 9 Jalapeño Recipes (Gluten Free)

Recently I have come into the possession of quite a few jalapeños from SpaceGirl Organics. For a while The Man and I brainstormed about what I would do with all of these jalapeños, but somehow the ideas kept coming! We started by talking about salsas, sauces, stuffed peppers, and then moved on to ideas about jalapeño breads, jalapeños for breakfast, pickled peppers, jams, and could we do a dessert?! Oh, and what about a margarita with a kick?! The ideas kept coming! We reined ourselves in a bit and decided to stick with some tried and true recipes. We hope you like it!!

Bock Bock... It's Time For Some Organic Chicken Stock!

I have to admit that I can be a bit lazy so I often try to find short cuts to make my life easier, but somethings just deserve to be done right. You know like how a man treats a woman (wink wink), a good piece of dark chocolate, making French pastries and cooking homemade chicken stock.

Lucky for us making chicken stock isn't actually hard. It just takes time. But it makes a world of difference in the flavor profile of what you're cooking.

And the best part is you can give away your recipe and don't tell them that you made your own chicken stock-- they will never be able to recreate it and you will be held up as a goddess of soup/risotto/gravy/whatever. Yay!!

It's always nice to be adored.

This is such a culinary staple and it is probably the easiest thing in the world to make. Homemade chicken stock is heaven in a tiny little bowl and it can take your dishes from yum to YUM!!

Eating Gluten Free or Paleo on Vacation

How hard is it to eat right on a vacation? Practically impossible!! I know that by the end of my last vacation (a cruise) I came back weighing 5 lbs more than when I left! Eck!

Not only does my family have to worry about eating healthily, but also about food allergies, particularly gluten.

We've been Paleo for months now and love it! But when we did the Paleo elimination challenge we realized that we were definitely had a big problem with gluten. Luckily, we have found that it's not too hard to avoid gluten... as long as I cook! I wanted to make sure that we didn't take steps backwards in our health by eating out on this vacation!

Unfortunately, there aren't many paleo or organic restaurants so I researched gluten free eating establishments on our route from FL to TN. I wanted to make sure that we had places all up and down the road so we always had a place to go! I think that knowing that you can find a place that avoids your allergen or accommodate your diet is so important!!

Saucy Pork Chops Inspired by Julia Child (Paleo)

I'm literally in the car on my way home from my vaca, but I thought I'd post this recipe for you guys while I'm on the road! We are in southern TN close to the GA border and this is what it look like outside my window:

It's a beautiful view, but it's been beautiful for a few hours so I am getting bored which made me hungry which made me think about my blog.

Oh, ADHD, how I love your tricky ways!

Being hungry made me think about how much I love, love, love French cooking. It's so rich and buttery! Mmmm!! Delicious! Did I mention I love french cooking?! I hate to admit it but I like to talk like Julia Child when I'm cooking, especially about anything that has to do with butter, bacon or wine.

How? Well, it's easy. You say something like "If you're afraid of butter, use cream" while waving a wooden spoon around wildly in one hand while you have a glass of wine in the other.

"Always cook with wine and sometimes put it in the food"!

 That Julia was one smart lady.

One of my favorite Julia dishes is her classic Beef Bourguignon. The meat melts in your mouth with a wonderful tang from the tomatoes, the sweetness from the wine and the delicious fresh herbs! It's hearty and rich and it makes you feel like your participating in something special by simply eating it.

But there are a lot of steps and it can take an afternoon to make. Don't get me wrong-- it's totally worth it, but ain't nobody got time for dat.

So I took inspiration for Julia's Beef Bourguignon and I decided to make a dish with a lot of the same flavor base, but with only about an hour of cook time, plus it's paleo friendly! I hope you like it!

Happy Blogging Anniversary to Meeeeee!!! (And A Vacation!!!)

It's October!! My blog has officially been up for a year!! Wow! I can't believe that it's been a YEAR! It seems like it was just a couple of months ago that I started writing.

Guys, seriously, I feel so blessed from the outpouring of support during this first year and I can't thank you guys enough!

::hugs::
::blowing kisses::
::more hugs::

Coincidentally, my cousin is getting married so I get to take a mini-vaca for my one year anniversary! I'm super excited!!! I'm going to Music City-- Nashville, TN! I've actually have never been and my first priority will be hearing some live music while sipping on some fine wine. I already have a speakeasy on my radar. I am prepared!!!

PLUS my Mom and I thought it would be fun to do a little road trip through the great south via Savannah, GA, Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC to Nashville and then come back to FL via Atlanta, GA. I'm sooooooo excited I can't even tell you! So we get to do some mommy-daughter bonding without any men to do stuff like tell us that we are going the wrong way. Psh!! Who needs men?! We do have horrible navigation skills. It'll be interesting to see where we actually end up. ;)

I'll post pictures when I get back and tell you a) if we actually make it to Nashville and b) how my first paleo/gluten free road trip goes! Wish me luck! :) So I'll be off the radar until next week!