Although this may seem like a summer dish, I believe avocados should be eaten year round.  I have always loved avocados and cannot remember ever saying I was tired of eating them. A few years ago I stumbled into Lemonade, the restaurant, and I've got to say that the endless choices of items on their menu made me an addict.  If you've ever been to Lemonade you know that it can be a bit intimidating.  Cafeteria style, and endless choices could have you dashing for the door.  But no, not me.  I had to have some of the mouthwatering dishes!  I was no more than 5 people away from ordering when I saw something amazing....... An avocado stuffed with shrimp?  I could not contain myself!! Nevertheless, I waited in line like a good girl thinking of nothing but that stuffed avocado. Yes I ordered it, nothing else. Yes I devoured it, to the last spoonful.  Needless to say, I had to make this at home and keep it in rotation.  What you see above is my interpretation of it and I must say I outdid myself with this!  Cilantro, lime, cucumber, salt and pepper.  Oh, I must not forget the two tablespoonfuls of coconut oil that I cooked the shrimp in.  There is heaven on earth.  :) 

There’s just something so amazingly comforting to me when I bite into a vanilla cupcake with a rich, buttery frosting.  Would you believe me if I told you that I had to make these three days in a row? I could not keep up with the demand! (:

You see, I had such a craving one night after dinner to eat something sweet. With nothing on hand I sat here and thought, “What could I possibly make that wouldn’t take all night?” I looked inside my pantry and noticed I had plenty of Gluten Free Baking Flour.  Vanilla paste? Check. Unsalted butter? Check. Eggs? Check! I must say I was ecstatic and I got to work immediately.

If you notice, I’m using spring themed baking cups. That was a total accident as I just grabbed the first ones I found but these will definitely be on the Easter dessert table because they’re just “that good!”  So, these beauties you’ll be seeing again on Easter with a little more decoration for the kiddos.  The frosting? I’ll be talking about that at a later date. This frosting deserves its own story. Till next time !

If you love coffee creamer, raise your hand!

Have you every looked at the ingredients though? I mean, I can’t pronounce most of the ingredients let alone know what they are! So, because my boyfriend loves to add vanilla creamer to his piping hot coffee I decided to make a creamer just for him.  I must say, this is a creamer I can and will cheat with on the rare occasion that I do not have any coconut creamer made because I rarely consume dairy. With it being so easy to make, why wouldn’t you make it yourself? Plus, it’s absolutely delicious! Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself, I dare you!  I am now in search of an old fashioned creamer container to put this in, wish me luck! Make sure you post a comment to let me know what you’ve added to yours to make it marvelous!

On a side note: I’ve added a splash of this creamer to my Banana-Almond Butter Ice Cream recipe and I must say it is delicious!

Recipe Follows:

This creamer recipe is very versatile.  You can add any flavor you’d like if plain vanilla isn’t your thing.  I find that if you also add a splash of almond extract to this recipe it is also very good but that is just a personal preference.  This recipe makes about 2 cups and stays good for about 10 days in the refrigerator.

½ cup organic whole milk

1 ½ cups of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of organic grade A maple syrup (medium amber)

1 tablespoon of vanilla paste

Pour milk and heavy cream into a saucepan and whisk in the maple syrup. Turn on the heat to medium and whisk until right before a boil. Add vanilla paste and whisk until fully mixed. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for about 30 minutes.  Pour into a mason jar through a sieve and refrigerate. Voila!