Spiced Latte!

I've been dying to spice my coffee grounds so I tried it yesterday. I threw in some cinnamon, ginger, clove, and a dash of nutmeg into the grounds. While it brewed I frothed a bit of almond milk with agave nectar. It turned out SO yummy. The perfect afternoon pick me up.

Next up, an actual pumpkin spice latte!

Fall Food!

My favorite season is upon us. Although it is currently 70 degrees outside I'm pretending that it's chilly and making warm, hearty fall food. Yesterday was pork chops in the crockpot. So easy and so delicious.

3-4 pork chops
6T brown sugar
2T apple cider vinegar
1t cinnamon
1t ground ginger
1/4t red pepper flakes (or more if you prefer things spicier)
1/4c dried sweetened cranberries (I love cranberries and wish I'd done more than this)
2 baking apples, cubed

Spray the crockpot with pam and lay chops on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together all other ingredients except apples and pour over chops. Cover with apples and cook on low for 4 hours.

This turned out so well. I was feeling particularly twee as I chopped up the apples my mother hand picked off the tree last weekend in Elijay. This would also be great if you had less time, as it was done in 3 hours. By the fourth hour, the meat was falling off the bone. I paired this with roasted green beans and mushrooms and a glass of white wine. SO GOOD.

Next time I'll try not to be so hungry by the time it's done that I forget to take a photo before I inhale it.

Pizza Update

I've decided that I hate Udi's pizza crust. I've made the Peace Pizza and my usual bbq chicken pizza on it and it's just... no. The edges get SUPER crispy while the inside is overly chewy and almost stale tasting. So while I look around for another brand, I'll just go back to the Whole Foods one.

How good does Peace Pizza look though??

Back to Figo, we go!

Figo has long been one of my favorite gf restaurants. Their fusilli is delicious and all of their sauces are gf. They even have a dessert on the menu that's safe for me to eat- which so few restaurants do. More importantly, next week they're debuting a gluten free meatball! I'm SO excited for this. Howell Mill Figo, here I come!

Mmmm, Fall!

Like many people, one of my favorite fall treats is the pumpkin spice latte. As someone who works out of a coffee shop at least one day a week (usually more), I drink more than my fair share of coffee. I've learned the hard way that I can't drink everything on the menu. I can't have all brands of soy milk (some contain barley), chai latte mixes have something in them (I haven't investigated to find out what yet) that renders them not gf, and I recently learned the hard way that Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is NOT gluten free.

But then an angel came to me, by way of facebook, and told me that you can make your own by sprinkling pumpkin spice powder on your coffee grounds! I'm imagining one with warmed, frothed almond milk. I cannot WAIT to make this!

Do Not Want

Sometimes I forget that being gluten free is still very much a fad. I learned that the hard way yesterday when I tried to eat at Little Azio's. They have a big sign outside that advertises gluten free pasta and crust and since it's on my way home from the gym, I was pretty excited! Once inside, however, I discovered that their gf menu consisted of a hand written side hanging from the regular menu that said "gluten free pizza crust". When I asked the young man who was waiting to take my order what on the menu was gf, he said he didn't know. He told me he "ate regular food" and therefore didn't know anything about what was or wasn't gluten free. I left. I guess for every place like Yeah Burger, a place that serious in their gf-ness, there's a Little Azio's- a place that is just trying to profit from what they see as a fad.