Just in time for the holidays, my mama comes through with her recipe. I took this photo in the car as I ate a nice leftover shortbread breakfast!!

Gluten Free Shortbread

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)

mix all well, press into shortbread pan(s)  bake @ 325 degrees for 35 minutes

This post is dedicated to Jen, for her endless baby applesauce jokes. This one’s for grownups, though. Or, you know, maybe some teething babies. (Kidding!)

8 apples, peeled, cored & diced
1/4 c. water

boil to soften, then lower heat

add

1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp bourbon
2 tbsp maple syrup
dash of cardamom
cinnamon to taste
dash of sea salt

stir and mash

Then clearly, the only thing to do is to eat it warm over vanilla ice cream made by a local creamery. Vermont hates my pants. Or my pants hate Vermont.

So we invited Kate and Kali over and I basically ditched all my other food restrictions for the night (gluten is the only 100% have to avoid it one) & we stuffed our faces like kings. California-Italian kings.

Holly made:

Chive blossom, maple uncured bacon, and fig pizza.

Classic red sauce, spinach, zucchini, mozzarella pizza.

Blanco pizza with morels in cream sauce, sage, mozzarella. (this one was !!!!!! the best)

Dulce de leche ice cream with maple caramelized figs and maple whipped cream.

There was also wine and chocolate. I think I crawled into bed rubbing my belly like a buddha.

(Sorry, as it got late our weird yellow-tinted shade in the dining room made the photos funny.)

I’m sorry for all the super short posts lately, but things and projects are brewing and it’s taking up all my time! Between extra long days at work and hopefully putting some long term life goals into place, there’s been no time for me-work! I have a list of sewing projects and menu-recipes to try out that have been taking a back burner. So, for now, a quickie!

This is my favorite smoothie, I call it the “christmas smoothie” because of the spices, but it’s so good on a summer morning.

1 frozen banana, chopped up
one big scoop of yogurt (I like greek)
one big scoop of almond butter
a dash of cardamom
a dash of vanilla
a dash of “pumpkin pie spice”
about 3/4 cup of almond milk

Blend & enjoy! You can add dates for variation, too, or maca or ground flax seed for extra boosts!

We got a tiny ice cream maker for our wedding, and though it only makes 2 servings and they’re usually very soft, I can’t resist experimenting with it when my sweet cravings make me crazy.

For this one:

2 yellow nectarines, 1 tbsp maple syrup (more if you like sweeter) & a dash of lemon cooked just enough to make it soft and bubbly. Put in freezer to cool. Put 1 can light coconut milk, 1 tbsp vanilla, a dash of sea salt & a dash of cardamom in the blender. Toss in nectarine mixture, blend. Put back in freezer to cool, pop in ice cream maker, garnish with mint. The end. Yum.