{And the leaves are falling}

Oh, dear ones. It's Autumn. I can smell it. The air is crisp and the leaves are crunchy. I've been doing my share of baking and other Fall Festivities. This week I mastered (on my first try, might I add) cinnamon rolls. Thanks to my wicked sweet Pin Board so appropriately donning the nametag of "Foodie," I will never be lacking recipes.

I used this recipe. And I highly reccomend it. I used regular yeast since I don't have a bread machine, like the rest of the shwanky population. For us poor people, the regular yeast and letting it rise above the radiators worked perfectly.

{Gluten Free}

Dear Gluten,

I'm tired of you not helping my body feel good. I'm better off without you. 

Farewell,

A

It seems like so many people are either developing an intolerance for gluten, or are dieting against it. At first I didn't really understand what the problem was. And then I so very much became aware. One of my dearest friends is a Celiac, and through her I started learning how easy it is (mostly) to cut out so much gluten from our diets. At first, I was convinced she couldn't eat anything! Now her and I are together so often it has become so natural for me to be very conscious about gluten. Recently, I've started cutting out all gluten from my diet. And amazingly, I haven't missed a thing. I feel healthier, more energetic, and overall, just better. My body just feels good. I knew it was a good thing when one night, after not having consumed gluten for a number of days, just felt gross when I was eating it. I felt like my body just didn't need it. I can't really even describe it. I just didn't need it.

The moral of the story is this. Being gluten free is a lot easier than I thought it would. I would absolutely love to continue this lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way opposed to gluten, and when gladly consume it anytime I'm near a yummy breadstick. However, I'm cutting it out for the most part of my daily life. I want to live a healthy life. Remeber the Fall, and how I was so very sick and was in the ICU? Well, I learned some things about my body then. It's demanding some healthiness from me, and it truly deserves it.

So to celebrate... here's the world's best gluten free cookie recipe... Seriously, you won't even know there isn't any flour (or dairy, for that matter) in this! Yum! Enjoy. :)

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup peanut butter (I like using crunchy... it gives the cookies even more texture)

3/4 Cup white sugar

1 Lg. egg

1 Tsp. vanilla

1/2 Tsp. baking soda

1/2 Cup chocolate chip (I prefer semi sweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until creamy. Add chocolate chips. Spoon into 1 inch balls on a pre-greased cookie sheet. Bake on center rack for about 9 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Note: when these cookies come out they usually need to cool for a while to "set." When they first come out they tend to be very, very soft and delicate.

{Cupcake Fondue}

So basically I can't wait to try this. Happy March!

Cupcake Fondue

You will need:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup liquid (orange juice, fruit juice, milk, or water)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- Miniature-size cupcakes in the flavor of your choice, 
  cooled and unfrosted
- Assorted sprinkles, chopped nuts, and other toppings

1. Make a batch of your favorite mini cupcakes – homemade or from a mix. Make them nice and small so you don’t feel guilty about enjoying 2 or 3 of them. If you use paper liners for baking, remove them after the cupcakes have cooled. Pound cake or any other firm cake works well for skewering, but any cake will do. I used a simple yellow box-mix cake. Allow to cool completely before dipping.

2.  Make the fondue: Whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, and corn syrup.  Adjust the consistency with a drop of liquid or a dash more powdered sugar until you get have a smooth, thick glaze.  I used orange juice for the liquid portion to give it a citrus flavor and cheese-like yellow fondue color.  You could also use grape juice for a pastel purple, or milk/water and add your own coloring.

3.  Pour frosting into the fondue pot.  There’s really no need to heat the mixture, but you can keep a small tea light or very low flame underneath just for looks!  Display sprinkles and toppings in small ramekins or portion cups and arrange around the fondue pot.  Skewer cupcakes in the side and dip the top half into the fondue, then flip the cupcake over and the frosting will drip nicely down the sides.  Sprinkle liberally with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Courtesy of bake it pretty

{Layer Cake Shop}

Will someone please have a woodland party so I can make cuppie cakes with this awesome loot?! Found from my newfound fave shop called Layer Cake Shop.