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George Washington Cookies

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It seems like Hamilton is all the rage right now, but a cute little kid in our area really loves George Washington. I was given free rein on design and so I made a few choices based on my unwillingness to mix colors.

Everything was a white background. I watercolored red and blue stripes and then added in detail elements with thick black outlining consistency.

I love the way this turned out!

Red Lentil Pasta

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GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE EGG FREE VEGANI have been lucky enough to cook for the new Wild+ Free Farm Village Retreat Center in Headwaters, VA.  When you have any collection of any people, there are bound to be dietary restrictions.  At one retreat, I had gluten free, dairy free, soy free, Egg free and Vegan…so, the hunt was on for a delicious dish that would hit all those requirements.

This Red Lentil Pasta hit the mark.  I found this great brand through Amazon

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The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard: olive oil, onions, squash, zucchini, tomato sauce, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic.

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Would love to know if you ended up making this yourself!

Red Lentil Vegetable Pasta

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 zucchini (sliced and halved)
  • 1 yellow squash (sliced and halved)
  • 5-8 mushrooms (quartered)
  • 2 large peppers (sliced)
  • 1 onion- (sliced)
  • 4 cloves of garlic (smashed)
  • 3 cups of spinach
  • 1/4 tsp italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

PASTA SAUCE (or use a grocery store jar that suits your needs)

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp)
  • 1/4 cup carrots (very finely diced)
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 pinch sea salt (plus more to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 Tbsp dried or fresh oregano
  • 1 Tbsp dried or fresh basil
  • 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (such as organic cane sugar or coconut sugar)
  • 1 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Instructions

  1. Add olive oil  to a small saucepan and add in chopped vegetables
  2. Cook vegetables to preferred doneness – 4 minutes for a slight bite, 6-8 minutes for softer vegetables.
  3. When vegetables are finished cooking, season with a pinch of salt, and set aside.
  4. Heat a large pot with water over medium heat. Add in a pinch of salt. Once boiling add in Red Lentil Pasta (cook according to directions on packaging)
  5. Sample pasta sauce and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more sweetener to balance and enhance the flavors: chili flake for heat, salt for saltiness, or more herbs for depth of flavor. If too thick, thin with a little water.
  6. Add the cooked vegetables to the sauce and stir to combine. To serve, either spoon sauce over noodles, or add pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.
  7. Serve with any additional toppings, such as red pepper flakes, vegan parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
  8. Best when fresh. Store leftovers separately in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat sauce in the microwave or saucepan. Add a little water to thin if too thick. I’ve found gluten free pasta doesn’t keep well, so cook fresh for each batch.

Mama Bear Woodland Baby Shower

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I was asked a few months ago to do a baby shower cake for a mama to be.  The theme was Mama & baby bear…complete with red buffalo plaid.  I love this theme and the pictures I received as ideas for the cake were adorable.

I had been wanting to try my hand at making a tree stump and doing bark.  I just love how this little cake turned out!

 

Llama Cake

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Ok, I have a confession. I LOVE LLAMA’S.  I love llama drama, llama mama’s, no probllamas, como se llama?, etc…. Llama just say I think they are great.

When a friend of mine asked for a small Llama birthday cake for her 10 year old daughter I was all over it.  Her guidelines: clean lines, fancy sprinkles, pretty green color, and llama.

Here is the end result.  A red velvet 4 layer cake with cream cheese filling and buttercream icing.

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Sesame Street Cookies

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I just adore making cookies, but sometimes they are so darn hard!  Recently, an old sorority friend asked me for some special cookies for her daughter’s 2nd birthday party…I didn’t have any of my new equipment yet, so just kind of winged the cartoon faces.  They were “OK’, but you can see by this progression just how much better they have gotten through practice and the use of a pico projector.

Want your own?  You can buy them here!

Batch #1
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Batch #2
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Batch #3

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