Gluten Free Happy Cookies | Maple Walnut Cookies

This recipe is from my lovely friend, Mary, and her family. They are really called Maple Walnut Cookies but they changed the name to "Happy Cookies" because they are so good and will make you smile!

Ingredients

2 ½ cup Walnuts

1 cup Gluten-free oats

1/3 cup Flaxseed Meal

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Vanilla

½ cup plus 2 Tbs Maple Syrup or Honey or Agave Nectar

(or a mixture of all three)

1/3 cup Carob or Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a food processor, grind the walnuts into a coarse meal. Add the oatmeal and grind again in food processor. Add the flaxseed meal. Dump the contents of the food processor into a medium size mixing bowl and add salt, vanilla, and maple syrup/honey/agave nectar. Mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate/carob chips.


Drop dough on cookie sheet with a spoon and flatten with a fork or the back of the spoon.


Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Make sure to check the cookies often. Take them out of the oven before they look completely cooked. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Store in a container with a lid so the cookies don’t dry out.



Blogging Hiatus | New Pizza Recipe

Hello Blogger Friends!

I took a little break from blogging! We're busy preparing for baby and I'm finishing up my last few weeks at work before I take maternity leave.

I've been knitting away on baby projects and getting her little room ready!

My dear friend Mary Banducci took some of my maternity photos last weekend! You can see more of her work here.

I have been experimenting with new bread recipes after my friend, Kristi, let me borrow this book:

(she also knitted those cute little booties above)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

My bread was turning into hard dense loaves until I tried this method! And it's the easiest way of making bread I've ever tried! I highly recommend you give it a try.

We made pizza the other day and I used the "Olive Oil Dough" recipe from this book! It was so delicious! The perfect crust...not too thick, not too thin!

Olive Oil Dough

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets, rapid-rise or regular)

1 1/2 tables spoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon or the dough hook on a mixer.

Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, about 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise. It is easier to handle when cold and can be refrigerated for up to 12 days.

(recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day)

Margherita Pizza

Make the dough above as directed. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out dough to fit pizza stone. Sprinkle stone with cornmeal before placing dough on the stone.

Sometimes we add a little tomato sauce as a base....sometimes it's just great with olive oil on the dough before you add your toppings. It's up to you!

The main ingredients:

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Layer the sliced mozzarella and tomatoes on the dough.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Before serving garnish with generous amounts of fresh basil and enjoy!!

My Little Bun | Pregnancy Update

Our little bun is growing bigger and bigger! She's about 29 weeks 5 days old today!

I have taken this week off of work (at Hospice) to design and style a La Lune Wedding this weekend. My bride & groom are fabulous and are making my job so much easier this week...they love doing all of the DIY projects themselves! Their wedding is going to be fabulous and I can't wait to show you all pics on the La Lune Blog.

I have had such a nice, relaxing week to spend with my husband and get caught up on projects. Our remodel is almost complete and ready to sell! I've been finishing up my knitting projects and starting on more. And I've finally mastered how to make a decent loaf of bread thanks to my friend, Kristi, at work. She lent me this book which made the mystery of bread making all make sense! It's all so simple now! I recommend you try this method of bread making! You're house will smell delicious and your tummy will be happy!

While taking it easy this week, I have noticed how active my "little bun" is inside of me. Maybe because I have slowed down, she's been able to speed up! We can now feel feet and hands kicking around in there and can see undulations under my belly as she somersaults around in there! It's very exciting!

We can't wait to have her on the outside! Baby growing is not easy work and carrying around this extra belly is not very convenient for being a nurse and event designer. I love being pregnant, though, and feeling this little life grow and expand inside of me!

A dear friend, Suwanee Lennon, took some photos for the business a few weeks ago. Lindsey Rose did hair and make up. We will be using these on our website soon and she took a few maternity for me!

Sausage and Sage Quiche with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

1 Pie Crust

12 Eggs

6 oz shredded Gruyere

6 oz shredded White Cheddar

1/2 cup Cream of Half & Half

2 cups chopped fresh Spinach

1 lb Sausage

1 large sweet Onion

1 clove garlic

1 TBS dried or fresh Sage

6 TBS Butter

1 tsp salt

1 splash hot sauce

Directions

Prepare a single pie crust in a deep pie dish.

Slice onion into thin slices. Saute in a large skillet with butter and salt until caramelized.

Whisk together the 12 eggs, cream, cheese, spinach, and all of the seasonings. Add the cooked sausage and caramelized onions.

Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for about 60-75 minutes or until the center is set. Top with extra cheese before serving!

Weekend Plans

Photo via Etsy

We started off our three day weekend with a check up with our midwife and registering for baby!

Isn't that little knitted pea pod adorable?!

I'm going to continue working on my knitting this weekend, too!

La Lune is having some business photos taken by the lovely Suwanee Lennon Photography!

 I think we're going to squeeze a few maternity shots in there, too!

~

 

Here's what I've been craving lately...strange combinations, I know!

Photo via Simply Recipes

I'm thinking of making a Spinach, Feta, Caramelized Onion Quiche this weekend

I'm also craving this:

Photo via Bakerella

I've never made Red Velvet Cake.

I think I will try out her recipe!

~

I'm also going to finish up "Water for Elephants." Good read so far!

Next book on my list - "Still Alice."

Any other reading recommendations from any of you?