Coming back and cooking too!

So I have been gone for over a year and every month I say, "i'm gonna start blogging again"and then i never do. Not sure why but not going worry about it. I have ventured into the world of cooking and I have to say, I like it way more than I thought I would. What I love about baking is how precise and beautiful sweet treats are. What scared me about cooking is the lack of precision and structure. Looking at it from a psychological standpoint, it was lack of structure that scared me most about life. I suppose, wisdom and maturity married to letting go and trusting allowed me to release the fear and thus embrace the spontaneous artfulness of living and thus cooking!!

Here is an AMAZING summer salad to get back into the blogging of things!! We first had this salad while on a ski trip to Sun Valley. A special thanks to Uncle Bill and John for this yumminess.

2 Cups Fresh Spinach (washed and dried)
2 Cups Arugula
2-3 Fresh Avocado
4-5 Cuties
Brianna's HOney Mustard Dijon Dressing

I usually don't like honey mustard dressing but this one is worth trying with this salad!!!
1. Clean and dry the greens.
2. Slice the avocado into large chucks on top of the greens
3. Peel the cuties and top the salad with them
4. dress the salad. You can use any dressing you like.

Sun Valley 2012

Awww, Firsts...

I likened my next journey with sugar to all those first's in my life. Do you remember your first day of school? Or how about your first kiss? The anticipatory feelings of not knowing what the outcome will be but excited to get there. Sometimes your disappointed and the kiss just isn't that great or that first day of school felt more like prison than the fun place you expected. However on the other hand you may just be pleasantly surprised and your first kiss 20 years later still brings butterfly's to your stomach and perhaps your best friend today is the girl you sat next to on the first day of school...So what does all of this have to do with baking? Two words: CUPCAKE POPS!

I saw them on Bakerella's website and thought they were the cutest little things. I, like many before me, had some hesitation at first. I didn't know what to expect. Where they going to be perfect and taste as good as they looked? I didn't know but was about to find out...the result ladies and gentlemen was 'asi asi' or okay okay in english. They tasted great according to a trusty taste tester and as for how they look, I have a few techniques that I am looking forward to trying the next go around.

The lovely neighbor whom Teddy and I both have become friendly over the last year is moving :-( We sent her off right...with a sweet treat in hand!

Almost Gluten Free Vegan Cupcake

Most people know that I love to bake but few know that I have an allergy to flour, wheat, etc. That's right, I bake and never actually get to taste my sweet treats. I am blessed to have a wonderful BF and plenty of friends who serve as my taste-testers (none of them seem to mind the daunting task).

I received the Babycakes NYC cookbook for my birthday and couldn't have been more excited to get started with my gluten free(GF) baking. I started with the red velvet cupcakes which believe it or not turned out pretty good. Some of my taste testers weren't very keen on the idea at first but after one bite I had them sold. I do have to say that this cupcake isn't exactly gluten free because the recipe calls for whole spelt flour. Some people with wheat allergies can handle spelt but I know for most, the spelt flour just wouldn't make the cut as being GF. Never the less I tasted the cupcake and much to my delight I enjoyed my first two cupcakes since learning of my allergy.

Babycakes Red Velvet Cupcake