Thursday, September 1, 2011

Pumpkin Spice


I am sure that most of you are quite unaware of the fact that Mama and Susan Liana (Sissy) are pretty much on a whole foods diet.  It is a long story and a long list of yes and no foods, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that no gluten is on the list. I merely stated this to give you a background behind this cake and why on earth we would take the time to try it.

Monday night I walked into the kitchen and found Sissy cooking away at a new gluten free cake. It was our after dinner treat. The cake was lemon flavored and delicious, but it needed a few tweaks. I instantly started thinking of all the possibilities to make it fun/great/exciting. With Fall approaching, a spice cake came to mind. After school the next day, I took over the kitchen. I changed the recipe as I went along, and I was surprised that when it was ready to be eaten it wasn't in any need of change. I was excited about that! The Pumpkin Spice Cake is slightly more moist than the original recipe. I am biased, but, y'all(!), it was really good. 


Pumpkin Spice Cake (Gluten Free)

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 coconut milk (alternative: almond milk or experiment with it)
  • 7 Tablespoons of honey (or other sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Take your eggs out of your refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a metal pie pan. Whisk the eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together.  

Combine coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.  Mix the pumpkin puree  into the batter until all the lumps are gone.

Pour the batter into your greased pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Place on a cooling rack. 

After the cake has cooled, apply topping.


Pumpkin Spice Cake Topping
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of: salt, ground clove, ginger, and nutmeg  
Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat up until the oil is melted and the honey is well mixed in.  Pour liquid into a bowl and place the bowl in the freezer in order to cool it down. it is very important to check on it every couple of minutes to catch it before it gets too cold.  You want to take it out of the freezer right when it starts to get cloudy.  At this point the cold bowl (and your cool kitchen) will continue to turn the liquid oil into a solid.  Continue to whisk the frosting as it gets cloudier and cloudier and eventually turns into a whipped butter consistency.  The idea is to get a bit of air into it.  Once it is to a whipped (very soft) butter consistency plop it onto your cooled cake.  Frost it very quickly before the coconut oils hardens.  It will seem pretty thin layer of frosting, but it is just enough. 

-You can order coconut flour here, and coconut oil in the health food section at your local grocery store.

I hope you all just love it!  







Saturday, August 27, 2011

Torches, Fire, and a Camera

Last night there were three amazing cameras laying around and two girls who just happen to be photography lovers.  It was very discouraging taking pictures at night in brown rooms when you are trying for artistic photos. It just doesn't work. It only took a reminder, just a mention of, "why don't y'all take pictures outside of the torches?" to start us off.  BEELINE! It was the best suggestion ever and so much fun!  


We decided that the zipper looking streak across the picture was a bug! The rest of the picture isn't that great, but I thought it was so cool.

Monday, August 22, 2011

School has started and rainy days have commenced.

 Not that those two things particularly go together, but it just happens to add an atmosphere to life.  I was wearing a jacket this morning (inside of course) and after lunch, when I stepped outside, I began to wonder about myself.  How could I be cold with over 100 degree weather outside my front door?  Two hours later the weather changed once again, this time to a nice storm.  I attempted pictures, but, if I wanted to keep the camera functioning, I couldn't be as adventurous as I had wished.  I am so looking forward to when I can say 'Guess what y'all? It is 70 degrees outside!'.  That's a Southerner's way of saying 'Fall'.

In the meantime, school here at my house has been in progress for two weeks!  I won't roll my eyes and say 'I don't like school', but I will say 'I really don't know where Summer went'.  At the moment I think most everyone feels that way.  I am enjoying school though quite unable to believe that I have started High-School! Well, I will enjoy it all I can, counting the days until memorable events...
                          

The beauty after the storm.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Jewelry Making

About a year ago I went over to my friend's house for the day, and while I was there she introduced me to jewelry making. Ever since, I've been gung-ho. Christmas presents, birthday presents, and birthday money were the times for requests for supplies of this sort. So, like I said, ever since, I've been caught. I love it! I really do. And I am always looking for someone to shower jewelry upon. My friend had her birthday last week and I jumped on the opportunity. While I made her some (purple) earrings, I decided to also make some for another friend (green). I have some more people in mind for the future. I can't wait!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Moon and Stars

Terrifying. Utterly and completely terrifying. Looking back I realize where the family conversation was going, but I wasn't paying any attention in the other room. Maybe I should have.

After awhile I got curious. I think curiosity just might be the death of me. So I walked right up to the kitchen table to see what the laughter was about. Then I saw it. A yellow watermelon. I think I almost had a heart attack. Pink/red watermelons have always been what we bought. I had always heard about the Moon And Star variety, but I never dreamed of eating one!

I closed my eyes for the first bite. I kept them closed the whole time I ate it. Peeking once made me scared again. They said it tasted slightly different, but I think I was too busy making it pink in my mind that I didn't notice.


It was very good, but I don't think I can handle another one.

Maybe I'm dramatic...

Sunday, July 17, 2011

It Is Well

While we were camping, Grace Ann and I went into an old church and recorded It Is Well. Here is the song:

Primitive camping = no showers!

The annual Gibson/Hobson camping trip has happened yet again! Uncountable years of fun ever since I was a baby (or maybe before I was born, like I said, I basically don't know). Cades Cove has always been the preferred place of retreat, but we decided to get out of our 'set ways' and try a new campground in the Great Smokey Mtns. National Park. To everyone's tears and depression we had to cut the trip short 2 days :(. Sad, I know. But, ah well. We still had fun...bucket loads. Now. Since my motto is "a picture speaks a thousand words" I will start the slide show now:
Lillie, Grace Ann, Susan Liana, Molly Elizabeth, and Mary

Molly Elizabeth


Lillie, Molly Elizabeth, Susan Liana, Mattie Alice, Rebekah, Gideon, Grace Ann, and Olivia

Susan Liana, Clay, Molly Elizabeth

Susan Liana


Molly Elizabeth, Susan Liana



Susan Liana


Lillie, and Molly Elizabeth
Andrew, Clay, Benjamin, Gideon, Olivia, Susan Liana
Mary, Mattie Alice, Grace Ann, Lillie, Rebekah, Patricia, Jonathan, Molly Elizabeth