thankful for framily.

Having already made it to December 1st I feel strange recounting Thanksgiving as it already seems like it could be so far in the past. But here I am recounting the past holiday and simultaneously saying.... HOLY CRAP HOW IS IT DECEMBER?!

Thanksgiving

Because my parents and I decided not to travel this year for Covid safety reasons, I stayed in NYC with my boyfriend, Chris, and our room mate and we had a sweet little dinner on Friday.

I attempted roasted whole fish. (did you know fish are bony? oh man, I need to learn the proper way to eat a fish without getting many little bones in every bite.) I'll give myself a thumbs up for taste though....

The apple pie however, was not bony at all. Samin's all-butter pie dough wins again!

(See cherry pie post from last summer)

but like, how is it December already?!

Just a few days shy of 4 months in New York and I'm so glad I made this move. Yeah, it's weird ass times. Yes, I miss my parents SO MUCH and am very sad that I won't see them this holiday season. Absolutely, I ride the train every day and it's usually full enough to not allow for proper social distancing.

But for the first time in a long time I'm not trying to get to somewhere else because I'm right where I've wanted, and maybe needed, to be.

More soon. xoxo,

T

Photo from the roof of my apartment building :)

seasonal gluten free goodness.

My latest cooking obsession has been muffins! I found a recipe online for almond flour banana chocolate chip muffins and I've been modifying it for the season (subbing pumpkin for the banana) and I'm kind of obsessed.

I've made this recipe enough the past few weeks that I actually have it memorized! (I think I did that with the chocolate mousse that I made so many times over the summer as well haha!)

Gluten Free Almond Flour Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 can Pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

large pinch of kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups almond flour

1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour (find it HERE)

1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin with either oil or butter.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, spices, salt in a mixer or with a whisk.

Add in baking soda and baking powder.

Gently mix in flours and chocolate chips.

(if the batter seems too dry add a splash or 2 of oat milk or regular milk)

Bake for 26 minutes.

dreaming of chocolate mousse.

Back when quarantine began, ya know back in March, I couldn't quit dreaming about lush chocolate desserts.

My best friend in undergrad used to make chocolate mousse. It was his thing. He would always bring it to dinner parties, etc and DUH it was always a hit.

It's funny because I've ALWAYS been into cooking and baking and had never made a mousse until this year!

Welllll in the past three months I've made chocolate mousse probably 6 times (?). Maybe more? I've honestly lost count...

I tried a few different recipes and many different types of chocolate.

Here's what I've settled on for the time being:

• a recipe from Bon Appetite that I found through Pinterest - HERE (also linked under Quarantine Cooking on my Pinterest page)

• The better the chocolate, the better the mousse. I like Guittard organic bittersweet chocolate baking wafers the best. I found them at my local Fresh Market grocery store but you can also purchase them online HERE.

Gosh, now I really wanna go make some desserts.

xoxo, T