pumpkin yum

i really love food.  a lot.
since i stopped eating highly processed foods and have been avoiding wheat, i have had to let go of many treats.  i don't miss the actual food items per se (cupcake?  meh.  pass.) but I do miss some of the flavors that are treat flavors.

pumpkin pie is a flavor i really love.  at thanksgiving i made a pie with GF crust made from almond meal.  it tasted good but the crust was kinda lame.  it got too brown and didn't hold the pie effectively, which is what a crust ought to do.  i am still working on GF pie crust because i like savory pies to, but i solved the pumpkin pie flavored treat problem in a way that is natural and super yum!

i adapted a recipe i found on the web to my pumpkiny needs.  the original features no spices and uses carrots.  any squash or root veggie you can cook and mash would work for a variation of this.




pumpkin pie powerballs
adapted from  zuzana's powerballs via bodyrock.tv.

dry:
1 cup GF oats, ground to coarse flour/meal
2 cups almond meal
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or to taste)
3 tsp baking powder

wet:
4 tblsp honey
4 tblsp virgin coconut oil, liquified
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

coating:
1/3 cup almonds, crushed
1/4-1/3 cup sunflower seeds, crushed

• preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• crush almonds and sunflower seeds together for coating, set aside.
• combine all dry ingredients, set aside.
• combine all wet ingredients, then incorporate into the dry ingredients.  the batter will be somewhat sticky.
• scoop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter and gently roll into balls.  roll balls in the nut and seed coating and place on a cooking sheet covered in parchment.  i used a silpat.
• bake for 25 minutes.
• remove from oven and let cool so the balls will hold their shape.

yield: 38

calories: approx 75 per ball

these are super yum.  

if you go off the deep end and eat three it will equal as many calories as a candy bar but full of happy vitamins A, E, a few Bs, plus fiber with far less sugar.  snack happy!

for mark

my FBiL* is obviously concerned about my long term career prospects. he commented yesterday that i am jeopardizing my vegetarian food blogger career by not taking photos of my delicious breakfasts.

i am pretty sure i am not going to switch from one low paying, high commitment job to another.... especially when my pictorial skills (and cooking skills!) are not near my two current favs.... 101 cookbooks and bittersweet.

but i will share a few pictures because i actually cooked (for real!) last night. above we have a mixed greens salad with avocado, blackberries, and blue cheese dressing.

to the right we have my "mac and cheese". it is composed of organic whole wheat penne pasta, tomatoes, and a cheese sauce composed of four cheeses and vegetable broth. the whole mixture is topped off with italian style breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of oregano.

delicious!

*FBiL = Fake Brother-in-Law

eat this.

i made a delicious breakfast this morning. everyone should try it.... well, everyone who likes hot cereals and berries.

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa.

no pictures.
because i am an overeager little breakfast eater!

hey big spender

the picture is a mitten i finished a few weeks ago. i just like it and wanted to share. it doesn't have a mate yet. boo on me.

ahem.
i'm going to talk about myself for a bit. there aren't really rules for the blogging i do here, so hang in there with me while i have some me time.

life has been super crazy, and i have felt much more like a worker bee than a person for the last 4-6 weeks. so i went out and got a little indulgent to help make me feel a little more like a person. my idea of "indulgent" is laughable, but i am on an artist's budget, you know.

ahh, cotton knit. how i love thee. i hit target this week and got myself some new shirts on sale. 1 black tee, 1 black tank, 2 (very acidic happy!) green tees, and a new skully shirt. i think the last time i bought myself new clothes was back in october or november, and it is starting to show.

i really need new jeans, but with the weather finally turning and my skirts looking longingly up at me from my drawer, i may be able to put that off until the fall clothing urge hits again. new black tees make it that much easier to resist the temptation.

that and the fact that trying to simultaneously be a woman who feels good about herself and try on jeans is a near impossible feat, i think i will save the heroics for the future.

my real splurge was a few new books.

that's right, i am reading again.
i started out by icking up Tropic of Cancer again, and i have made some progress this time around. i had to put it back on hold lately because my head has been too full for a stream of consciousness frolic through Paris that utterly lacks a plot.

instead have been reading the copy of High Fidelity that rW gave me. he was going to lend me his copy and instead surprised me with my very own. i love the film, so it is safe to say the gift will get well used in my "rereading" cycles. it is a fast read, and it is very fun to see the differences between the book (set in london) and the movie (americanized and set in chicago).

now.
the books i got myself.
i picked up a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's because i was inspired by gwen.
i bought the compact hardback for a few bucks more because there are 3 other Capote short stories in that edition. i am warming up for when i finally let myself read In Cold Blood. i know i can't do it until i am low stress enough not to get all worked up by the violent and horrible parts.

moving on.
new knitting/crochet book! i bought a sock book.... Stitch Style Socks. i don't actually own any sock books. all of my socks have been knit from free patterns or books that contain all variety of patterns. i have just never found one that is overall special enough to make me want to buy it. this one grabbed me with the cover project--houndstooth check socks. there are also some neat slippers, a pair of chunky cabled leg warmers, and knee-high skull socks. lots of fair isle and intarsia in this book, which are two techniques i want to get into more.

finally, something frivolous.
Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World's Most Colorful Despots. this one is pure fun for designer. it is gross, opulent, and over the top. it seems sick to want to see pictures and read about Nicolae Ceausescu's bathroom or Manuel Noriega's christmas tree, but it takes design and mindless fun to a whole new level for me. plus, sometimes you just need something to be outraged about.

(and to tell the truth, it was $3 in the bargain bin.)

in addition to reading more, have also taken up cross stitch again because i have a project i want to make for a future new person. i forgot how fun it can be! i'll post pictures on my needle craft once i extract a promise from someone that he won't ruin the surprise for his wifey. ahem. (you know who you are!)

static transmission

kitty is off trying to make some bank. this is accomplished by helping a friend get her beast of a show through tech. there will be very little knitting and even less of an update, i am sad to say. we all have to make sacrifices.

but for now, know that there is a new AntiCraft edition out. as i have said in the past, there isn't much crafty i want to make... even though i am glad to know these things are being made by someone, somewhere. i do however, want these delicious treats featured in the current issue.

no time to make them at this moment, damnitall. i will marry the person who presents them to me in my hour of tech-related need. failing that... i would at least be their friend forever.