Halloween Trail Mix

Halloween Trail Mix // Erin Skinner from The Speckled Palate for My Cooking Spot

With Halloween just around the corner, I’m thrilled about the overabundance of candy in my grocery store.

And with this overabundance of said goodies, I find myself making all kinds of semi-healthy snacks to keep myself from inhaling the entire trick-or-treat candy stash days before costumed children come knocking on our door.

It’s self-preservation, of sorts.

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Apple Pie Dip with Cinnamon Pie Crust Chips


Apple Pie Dip with Fried Pie Crust Cinnamon Chips

The weather is finally starting to cool in California (and by cool, I mean high 60s, low 70s), but that is good enough for me! I have a theory, starting September 1st is beanie season. I grew up in Vermont, so September is really when it starts to cool down. However, in California, we are still pushing 80-degree weather here, and people kind of look at you like a crazy person when you are wearing a beanie with shorts and a t-shirts. Now that we are in the middle of October, it should be completely acceptable to wear beanies, chunky sweaters and boots.  I am totally ready for a change in wardrobe!

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Huckleberry Yogurt Scones – Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

Huckleberry Yogurt Scones

In the year or so prior to going gluten free, my breakfasts typically subsisted of a latte and a massive blueberry or lemon curd scone.  Aside from a bowl of yogurt and fruit – it’s one of the most fulfilling breakfasts I can think of.  So after going gluten free one of my first priorities was to learn to bake scones with a new selection of flours.

My first attempt at scones (actually the first gluten free thing I ever baked) was made with 100% white rice flour. They were fluffy but incredibly gritty – not what I remembered. So I continued to experiment and by year two, I got to what my husband and I call “scookies”. These were treats that tasted like scones, had the right consistency, but flattened out like a cookie. It was year three when everything finally fell in place after my mom gifted me a cast iron mini-scone pan. Turns out, this makes all the difference for well-shaped gluten free scones.

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White Cheddar Smokey Pasta Salad – Summer is Better with Cheddar

This post is sponsored by Black Creek but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Cheese. Oh how I have a love for cheese. WhenAward-winning Black Creek® premium Cheddar cheese reached out for me to try their cheese and write about it, um, yes please! I had never tried it before but I couldn’t wait. the fact that this brand focuses on aging their cheese for optimal flavor, is right up my alley. I love strong cheese and the aging process gives cheddar such an oaky, nutty and delicious flavor.

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