Oh me, oh my! This gluten free pound cake is crazy good. The wheat noshers in my family didn’t even balk a bit. That said, it isn’t exactly like my grandma’s pound cake (which is made with white flour and white sugar, of course.) This version is made with whole grains and Sucanat (natural sugar), but don’t let that scare you off. I made this cake last night and it’s already half eaten by my family of four. It was fabulous this morning with a cup of coffee and some fresh fruit. Bliss. I’m absolutely thrilled to have pound cake again! I converted this recipe from here to be soaked in the Nourishing Traditions fashion.   Gluten Free Pound Cake (Soaked) 2 cups brown rice flour 1 cup kefir (OR buttermilk OR yogurt diluted with water to the consistency of buttermilk) Combine brown rice flour and kefir. Soak overnight. (12 – 24 hours) 3 sticks of butter, softened but not melted 2 cups Sucanat 5 eggs 1 cup tapioca flour 1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter) 2/3 tsp baking powder 1  tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (OR almond, lemon, orange…) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a tube pan or 2 loaf pans. With a mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add tapioca flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum to the soaked brown rice flour and mix until moistened. Slowly add this mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix until smooth. Add in almond extract (or your choice).  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  If the top of the cake starts to get really brown, you will need to lay a piece of foil loosely over it so that it can keep cooking internally without burning the top. When it is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.  If you do it sooner, your cake might fall slightly. Unlike most gluten free baked goods, I have found that this cake is even better when enjoyed the next day. It is VERY moist on the first day. Enjoy! (Well, tomorrow is the big day for me. Any and all prayers would be most appreciated. I am very optimistic that this surgery will be successful. Blessings to you!)

Nesting??? (A tour of new my sewing studio)

I think this impulse of mine to clean and organize has something to do with the appearance of these.

Daffodils… Hooray!

It’s official – I have spring fever. We’ve been extremely blessed with temps in the mid-70’s for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been soaking up sunshine and airing out the house with all of the windows open. Ahhhh… It’s so nice. In other news, I’m scheduled for surgery on Monday. M-O-N-D-A-Y! I’ve been cleaning and organizing like a mad woman knowing I’ll be very much handicapped for weeks. Somebody should tell my bones it’s almost Spring, for crying out loud! They don’t have permission to misbehave this time of year. I’m yearning to get my hands dirty. But, that’ll have to wait. This time, my new neurosurgeon will be using bone from my hip to give my neck some extra help with the mending process. I’m hoping this will be my last surgery. Enough of that… would you like a peak at my new sewing studio?

I’m not quite finished with it, but I’m happy with how it’s looking so far. The paint color is Faded Ink by Martha Stewart. I adore the color for these walls.

I pulled out my favorite fabrics from my stash for display (and hopefully some inspiration.)There’s so many projects I’ve been wanting to tackle, but my neck hasn’t been cooperative. I’m optimistic that’ll change soon.

If you don’t yet have one of these nifty storage caddies, go out right now and get one. They’re perfect for holding sewing notions and patterns. The best part? I can roll it right over to where I need it. Bliss.

I love looking at everything all organized and color coded. It brings me joy.

It’s all about the simple things people.

This little gem has wheels, too. I am a blessed seamstress.

The bottom shelf holds all of my knitting needles, and the black cabinets hold my children’s art supplies.

Wonder of wonders, I actually enjoy sitting here again! This space has been in disarray for months.

I don’t know why I waited so long to do this…

Oh wait, that’s right. My neck. But now that I know they’ll be fixing me up Monday, I figured it didn’t matter if I wiggled something out of place!

I adore old mason jars. They’re wonderful for storing so many things.

I actually use them to store dry food goods as well. (With new lids, of course.)

If I happen to be sitting here, I most certainly have Pandora blaring. Coldplay radio. Give it a listen.

First up when I get my neck in working order is this precious memory game. That Alicia Paulson is one crafty chic!

I highly recommend Stitched in Time if you enjoy sewing for your family. Love it.

Before I let you slip away, I just have to show off this bench and shelf my sweetheart made for me.

Isn’t it wonderful? I think so. And best of all, we now have a proper place for our shoes and coats.

(And a temporary place to put sleeping bags until they make it to our weekend backyard campout.)

I could never be a vegetarian

… and this is why. Oh-so-yummy, grass-fed, locally raised beef. Enough said.

Not only does it taste divine, but I also believe grass-fed meat (bone broth and butter in particular) has many health benefits. That’s not to say that we eat a large slab of meat at every meal. I’m also very frugal, and steak is a rare treat. We enjoy beans and locally grown organic produce in abundance. I make just about everything we eat from scratch. Yes, it takes up a good portion of my day, but I look at is as an investment in our health. I use my crockpot on the days I lack inspiration (or energy). It just feels right for me to be in the kitchen. I mill my own grain into flour, and I’m sure to soak all grains (and nuts and beans) before we consume them. We drive a considerable distance to obtain raw milk. I could go on and on about nourishing food and traditional food preparation methods, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that I really wish we’d been eating this way all along. Maybe then I wouldn’t have Crohn’s disease (DO NOT click if you are faint of heart!)… or be suffering with degenerative discs in my neck… or need 2 more cervical spine surgeries. Ugh! Enough looking back. I’m moving forward these days. I’ve been eating this way for a little over a year now. My digestive system is healthier than it’s been in a long time. We regenerate our bones at the rate of 20% per year. The way I see it, if I keep eating nourishing foods, in 5 years I can have new, nourished, healthy bones! Allow me to be a blessing to you – take my advice: get your own copy of Nourishing Traditions. Please don’t wait until you are sick to think about what you are putting into your mouth. My grandmother always told me, “You are what you eat.” And that’s the truth, my friends. “When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.” ~Psalm 128:2 (NKJV)