an unexpected break

Recently, I have found that when I sit down to write, I freeze; nothing seems to want to come out.
It's sad. 
Actually,  it's really sad. 
And, the more I try and force myself to get something out and write, the more frustrated I get when I can't and what fun is something when you are doing it completely frustrated? 


So... I am taking a small break. 
I just need to take a step away and refresh my mind. I hope you can all understand... 

be back soon, I promise.
 And, with this little number's recipe. :)






(and, yes. that is my counter. however, my kitchen NEVER looks that messy. I was on a baking/cooking mission that day. honest. i'm an o.c.d, crazy clean freak :) )

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Cinnamon-Spice Apple Muffins

How monumental are season changes? The feeling reminds me of starting a new book; the smell, pages, the story, it's new. And, there is that excited kind-of feeling to see what this story, or season, unfolds.

Today is the official day of Autumn, and what better way to welcome this beautiful season than with a spiced muffin and a warm cup of tea with honey.

Welcome, Autumn. We have all missed you so.

Cinnamon-Spice Apple Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 1/2 cup chopped apples

Preheat oven to 375F and line your muffin pan with liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat butter, sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Then, add maple syrup. Fold in apples. Add your flour mixture into the wet mixture, in increments. Pour batter into lined muffin pan. Sprinkle your streusel (recipe found here!) over the tops of the batter (do not be afraid to use heaping amounts of streusel, it really completes this muffin). Bake for 20 minutes, or until tester comes out with very little crumbs. 

Now, enjoy your Fall breakfast.

*ps. no healthy substitutions in this recipe, it's Fall! The more butter, the better. :)

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little bro.

an incredible brother. son. friend. athlete. leader. and come January, Navy Seal candidate. You are one strong, valiant, special, loving, inspirational, funny, friendly heck-of-a guy, and I am so proud of you.

Happy birthday.

I love you, bro. (tons)

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Chocolate bottomed Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, remember my "day where I just needed a cookie" ? Well, I may have taken it a little too seriously and made everyday, no matter the mood, a "day where I just need a cookie". Eek!!

While the guilt still slightly sits on my shoulders, I cannot help but smile at these incredible cookies I did come up with while partaking in this "cookie-fiasco". Having a cookie turn out to be exactly, and sometimes even better, than what I was hoping for, makes it a day worth living, for me. It has to be one of the best feelings in my book.  

This cookie is special. Why? While I may have been the one to actually prepare this simple, yet extravagant little treat, I was not the only brains behind it. The partner in crime of mine was: My boyfriend.  

Most of the time when I head into the kitchen, by the time my supplies are perfectly organized on my sweet, little baking nook, and my apron is tied, I already have an idea of what I want to bake. This is because on a normal day of baking, it is not unlikely that my brian is overflowing with ideas from the moment I awake, making a mental 'to bake' list far before I reach the kitchen. Those days are the best days. 

Then there are the days where my brain goes blank. Absolutely blank. This is when I turn to my sweet tooth, anything edible loving, male roommates; it's simple, I just ask "if you could have any treat or dessert today, what would it be?", and normally after just a few moments they have come up with over-the-top treat that sometimes seems impossible to make. But, I do my best. My boyfriend came to the rescue this time, sweetly requesting this little beauty. I smiled when he presented his idea; the cookie just sounded perfect.

Taking your traditional chocolate chip cookie, we put a minor spin on things and upped it in class. Yes, this, to us, is a first class chocolate chip cookie. I hope you agree. 

Chocolate bottomed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
2 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Lay Silpat on your baking sheet, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl cream melted butter, peanut butter brown sugar and sugar until well combined.

Beat in maple syrup, egg, and egg yolk into the butter/sugar mixture until creamy. Add your flour mixture to the wet mixture, gradually and stirring until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips. Drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto baking sheet, and bake for 10-13 minutes. Once finished, cool on wire rack. 

While cookies cool, pour 2 cups chocolate chips into a double broiler. Stirring continuously until melted. Take a knife or plastic frosting spreader, and spread chocolate onto bottoms of cooled cookies. Place back on wire rack, chocolate side up, until chocolate sets. **You can also place them in the freezer of fridge for quicker setting, and a more of a dessert/cold cookie.

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Our Saturday in Ojai.

Saturday I spent the whole day with my family. Where we… followed our biker fam up to Ojai for bar food and beers, pet beautiful "off limit" Horse's because well, we love them; posed for photos in the middle of the street; gazed at the beauty of this little country, mountain town and all it's trees (i have been in love with Ojai since I was a little girl); celebrated my brother's 19th birthday with a shopping spree; watched movies with just my siblings; laughed until we cried; heard way too many curse words (Traci); smiled so much our faces hurt; had lots of "Rachel, I remember when were 5 years old, you used to…." conversations, and smothered each other in hugs. 

This day was one of the best family days I have ever had.

It was different.
A good different.
It was like no one else existed that day, except us.

1) Ojai street.

2) Our biker family.

3) My Uncle and pretty Aunt. ps. check out her sparkly helmet. pinky up!

4) My gorgeous grandmother.

5) Pretty Aunt and Pretty Mama.

6) What was going to be a pose.

7) My sister and her new man.

8) Sweetest horse, ever.

9) We entertained all in the car ride home.

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SURPRISE PARTY!

I am so so pleased to be one of the 40+ bloggers chosen to participate in Megan and Katie's "Surprise Party!"!  Recently, these lovely ladies have put together this event to announce and share with all of you something they have both worked incredibly hard on and I know will be a significantly popular and successful venture! You can check out the many posts and hear this BIG news about their new endeavor by heading over to The Fresh Exchange and The Pink and Blue Blog! There are also MANY wonderful giveaways you do not want to miss out on! 

Oh, and while you are see you if you can find MY post? :) You have seen these yummy treats before, they have been deemed my favorite.

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Gluten-free Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Breakfast.

Breakfast, not only to me, is the most important meal of your day. Why? Plenty reasons, but just to name a few…

Eating something within the hour you awake, normally 'breakfast', gives your body the heads up that it is being fueled and will be fueled throughout the day. When your body is not fueled consistently, your body assumes it is not going to be taken care of and it needs to do it themselves, so it will start attacking the 'storage' areas of your body; starting with your muscles. Yuck!

Performance. When you fuel your body in the morning, you are less likely to become lethargic or have that midday sleepiness. 

It is more likely that people who eat a breakfast in the morning regularly (and I am talking about close to the time you have awaken, not 4 hours later for a brunch date), make good dietary choices throughout their day for their body has surpassed any type of "craving".

Weight loss. Some people believe that if they skip breakfast it will help them lose the weight because well, they skipped all of those calories. WRONG! You are actually putting your body at risk of a possible weight gain. Why? Again, your body assumes it needs to take care of itself and starts feeding on it's own, with your insides. You are MORE likely to have cravings throughout the day, especially sugar. And, your metabolism will eventually slow it's pace, making weight loss more of a struggle. 

And, breakfast is SO good. SO SO good. 

Have I convinced you non-breakfast eaters enough? How about you try out my gluten-free blueberry lemon muffins, and then get back to me. :) They sure convinced my boyfriend. 

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

3/4 -1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/2 cup +2 teaspoons oat flour (or gluten free rolled oats ground up into a "meal" consistency)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, whisked

1/2 cup almond milk

zest of a lemon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons agave

Preheat oven to 350F. Line your muffin pan with liners. In a medium bowl, whisk almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, almond milk, lemon zest, lemon juice and agave. Combine the flour mixture with your wet mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Fill your muffin tins with batter. Then, top the batter with your streusel topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick tester comes out clean.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup Gluten Free multi-purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing (with your hands, preferably) until it resembles a crumbly texture. Sprinkle on top of each muffin before baking.

**Yes, there are multiple flours used in this recipe to keep with gluten-free theme. Each matches the type of consistency necessary.

**ps. this is another new cake stand that will be up in the shop... once I open up. It is quite the project, but I am working on it!

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Carrot Fries.

BBQ dinner parties have become quite the trend in our home this Summer. Normally, Sunday early evenings are our go-to days for it is the perfect way to end and start off a week. Now, however, it doesn't matter what the day, we BBQ when we want! (which seems to be a lot, lately)

It is quite the event: Early evening cocktails (champagne and beer, big time cocktails those are), catching up and winding down with friends, sharing the colorful sunset views from our mini-balcony as our grilling process culminates, then we feast. 

The table setting is picturesque. Filled with mass amounts of grilled vegetables, delicately sliced meats and fish (for me!), water and wine, with candles and flowers to top it off. There is a smokey (good smokey), garlic-y aroma that fills our house, giving you that full feel of comfort. .....Doesn't it sound great? It is. You should join us sometime.

For a wee taste of what our grill nights are like, here is our top favorite dish! (and, you don't even need a grill. :) )

Carrot Fries

1 bag of long carrots; depends on how many people there are or want them. 3 of us need more than 1 bag. I wasn't kidding when I said they were our top favorite.

Olive oil

Garlic salt

Pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Wash and peel your carrots. 

2) Cut into about 3-inch long by 1/4-inch wide carrot sticks

3) Place carrot sticks onto a large bowl. Pour olive oil (I use about 2 tablespoons; use to taste) over carrots, and mix to coat.

4) Sprinkle carrots with your choice of seasoning and toss.

5) Place carrots flat on Silpat lined baking sheet. Once laid out, sprinkle one more time with seasoning.

6) Place in oven for 15-20 minutes. Every 7-10 minutes, toss/move carrots around on baking sheet so they do not burn. If you like a more crisp carrot fry, bake for 20. If you like them softer, bake for 15. (Keep checking after 13-15.)

And, serve. 

Who says there is no such thing as a healthy fry? 

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Gingersnaps; because I want Autumn to happen, now.

Okay, so remember when I said I didn't want Summer to end? Well, I did. Until this incredibly uncomfortable heat wave decided to come hang out. (I know it get's wayyy hotter than it is here and I may be being a bit of a baby.)

For a moment, I wasn't anticipating Autumn as I normally would be by this time of year. The Summer weather had been absolutely lovely this year, and I wanted it to last forever. Well, that was then. And, now. Now I remember why I always anticipate Autumn this time of year. Now I am 100% okay with Summer being over. Now I want to wear boots, and drink tea, and layer my clothes. Now, I want Autumn to be here.

I made Gingersnaps in hopes that maybe Autumn would show itself a little sooner if we all started celebrating it? While I am still keeping my fingers crossed, these cookies very much got me excited for next season's arrival.

Gingersnaps

3 cups whole grain flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons groung cloves

4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup packed organic brown sugar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup organic, unsulfured molasses

1 egg

1/3 cup organic sugar

2 tablespoons organic flaxseed

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, olive oil, molasses and egg; Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine whole grain flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add the flour mixture to your wet mixture; Mixing until well incorporated. Roll batter into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball (if you would like large cookies, roll to about the size of a little larger than a golf ball). Roll dough-balls into your sugar and flax mixture. Place dough on Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes! 

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long weekend.

1) Favorite flowers as a " Just Because"

2) Girls night with my pup

3) Big, new batch of cake stands and cookies! (up this week on the blog! & a possible giveaway!)

4) Carrot Fries for dinner

5) Storm weather skies in Long Beach

This weekend was incredible; Full of love and laughter, baked goods and grilled dinners, card playing and dub-dancing, late morning snoozing and midday bike rides. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect few days off. 

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Eat.

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

I saw this on my lovely friend, Camilla's blog yesterday and couldn't pass up sharing it. This video exudes beauty; Food is beautiful. It makes me want to travel everywhere and eat everything. ( Too bad I am the pickiest person on this earth. )

Such an inspiring piece of art. I cannot stop watching.

Thanks for sharing, Camilla!

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