Gluten Free Winter Squash Muffins

While procrastinating about vacuuming up all the little threads etc. from our lovely weekend affair I discovered just enough left over pureed squash to make one more batch of these delicious muffins.  Snow was fluttering outside the windows and the kitchen was so quiet, I realized that I am beginning to learn how to enjoy myself.  Except, with no one to catch me, I ate three muffins as soon as they were cool enough to handle.  Note to self: Go to Zumba tomorrow night.

Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice flour                                                           2 cups pureed pumpkin or winter squash

1/2 cup sweet brown rice flour                                                1 egg

1/3 cup tapioca flour                                                                1/2 cup oil (I use sunflower)

1 1/2 T baking powder                                                            1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                        1/2 cup brown rice syrup

3/4 tsp nutmeg                                                                         1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp ginger

pinch of clove

1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl, whisk to blend.  Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl and whisk until smooth.  Pour the wet into the dry and using a spatula, stir to blend into a smooth batter.  Butter a 12 cup muffin tin and divide batter evenly among cups.  I like full size muffins and use an ice cream scoop to divide my muffin batters.  It will fill the cups well over the edge.  If you prefer a more dainty muffin, make them smaller and you will get more ( I tried this, but then I ate six muffins instead of three and I just can't justify that).

Put into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center of a muffin or two.

Allow them to cool for 10 minutes and then remove them from the tins onto a rack to completely cool.
Enjoy yourself and maybe a friend or two, with a cup of tea and good conversation.
That is something I definitely miss from the cafe, all the great conversations.

By the way, I LOVE my mittens!  Besides being soft, warm and beautiful they smell so good.  Kind of like if you had a sheep as a house pet and she slept in piles of your clean laundry.

Enjoy your day
Kyra

Good morning!
I'm finding it hard to get started this Monday morning after such a wonderful quilting weekend.  Truly filled with warm friendship, creative inspiration and good food.  To sway that subtle let down feeling I get when something special is over, I've gathered my treats and treasures from the weekend:

a treat from Rhea

The mittens were knit especially for me by Debby.  She brought me to String Theory in Blue Hill and asked me to choose my yarns.  Oh my.  Aren't they beautiful?  I'm so glad it is going to snow a bit today.

ll

Many of us at the workshop were taken with Rhea's velveteen throws.  I chose a large print in pink and brown to go with some voile I already had in my stash.  I'm hoping to have it put together in time for early summer evenings on my new screened porch.  Other irresistible fabrics from Alewives, plus the two at the bottom were gifts from very generous classmates after I admired them in their work.  So wonderful.  I've received many emails and Facebook posts excited to know when the next event will be.  The ideas are simmering......

Now I am off to bring in wood and to finish 300 pages of the book "A Fraction of the Whole" that I am reading for a book club that meets this week.

Enjoy your day

Kyra

Welcome to Lily's House!

Welcome to my house.  We are celebrating our first event as Lily's House, a successful La La Log Cabin quilt workshop with Rhea Butler from Alewives in Damariscotta Maine.  The house was full of great energy from good people, beautiful fabrics, crazy creativity and of course delicious food.

Come along with us next time at Lily's House.