Happy Thanksgiving

While our Thanksgiving table is always full of traditional favorites, I also like to include something a little unexpected each year. This year I have made Pumpkin Toffee to add to the desert table. It is great on its own, can be sprinkled over pumpkin pie or cheesecake, and makes a fun gift to send home with your guests at the end of the evening.

In addition to Thanksgiving, this Pumpkin Toffee will be great to have on hand for the upcoming holidays. The recipe is gluten, egg and nut-free, which covers all of my neighbors allergies.

Now, I guess it is time to start thinking about the Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!



PUMPKIN SEED TOFFEE

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil in a 9 X 13 pan so the edges hang over the sides. Grease the aluminum foil with butter.

In a heavy saucepan heat:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Butter
3 Tablespoons Water
1 Cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1/8 Teaspoon Cloves
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Ginger
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Cook and stir constantly over medium heat for about ten minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 295 degrees. Remove from the heat and pour into prepared dish. Spread out evenly with a spatula. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Break into bite-size pieces and store in airtight container.

Happy Halloween

How adorable are these skeleton cookies? My sister always loved decorating cookies for the holidays. I loved how they looked, but I didn't really have the patience to sit for hours making detailed decorations when they were just going to be gobbled up. I love these skeletons because they are so cute, but really quick and easy to decorate.

Fun for all ages and perfect for every Halloween occassion. Even the smallest hands are capable of making a pretty great looking skeleton, so everyone can participate in the fun. Great for kids parties as well as adults. Serve a big tray of them or wrap up individually to send home with guests. They make a special gift for teachers or leave one at your best friends door. Wrap up carefully and bring a smile to your favorite college student or just surprise your little goblins!

The recipes used were Chocolate Cookie Cutouts (p.121) and Vanilla Frosting (p. 154) from my cookbook, or use your favorite recipes. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to make cookies. Once cookies have cooled, place frosting in a ziploc bag and snip a small hole in one corner. Hold the bag in hands to draw circle shapes with the frosting for the rib cage. Then make arms and legs. One quick circle completes the head and two dots for eyes complete your skeleton.

Quick, easy and adorable!

Happy Halloween!

Bake for a Friend

I love spending time with great friends. Often these moments are so great because they revolve around the delicious food that we were sharing in that moment. We laugh a little harder and stay a little longer when we are lingering over delicious food that has been lovingly prepared for us. Just this week I received a very kind thank you from a woman who shared this kind of moment with her friends.

Early in the summer I received an email from a woman who was throwing a shower for her girl friend. She was looking forward to this event, but naturally a little concerned given that her friend was gluten-intoherent. She wanted to try the Carrot Cake recipe from my cookbook and had a few questions before she got started.

I heard back from her this week and this is what she had to say. "I wanted to let you know how fantastic the carrot cake was for my shower! I bought a gluten free chocolate cake from a local bakery (very expensive) and your cake was WAY BETTER than that one! "

I was very happy to hear that her shower was such a success. It is always so rewarding to pull something from the oven that looks beautiful and that tastes amazing and then share with our friends and loved ones. I am about to do that very same thing. I have Buckwheat Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars baking in the oven that smell incredible! I know they will taste great and be even better when I share them with our friends coming over for a last minute Autumn get together.

So, who do you want to bake for?

Happy Autumn!

Gluten-Free Fair

Each year I look forward to seeing all of the new gluten-free products available. What better way to find out than to go to the annual Gluten-Free Fair. Each year gets bigger and better with so much to offer. This year the Gluten-Free Fair will be held at the Denver Merchandise Mart on August 21st. It is a great time to try samples of new products. You will find many local companies as well as national vendors to choose from. This event is free for the whole family to attend from 10am to 4pm.

Denver Merchandise Mart
451 E. 58th Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80216