Pumpkin Snickerdoodles... Pure Fall Comfort

Fall has finally made her way into our San Diego weather, and as the morning temps dip into the chilly 60's locals relish the warmth of jeans and sweaters.  However by mid-morning San Diegans find themselves shedding those layers as the sun warms back to our normal 70's and life remains pretty much the same.

Many of us crave the comfort of that warm sweater or a snuggle with a loved one, and while the weather may not cooperate, a comforting cookie often does wonders for the soul.

Kona and Tavo

Cookies provide warmth and a moment of happiness even on hard days, and this week we desperately need that moment.  

Regular readers of Liv Life will remember our two Maltese pups, Kona and Tavo.  Littermates, these little guys have brought undying love into our lives for the past six year.

But last weekend we lost our precious little Tavo.  A severe allergy reaction led to incessant scratching around his neck and then moved into seizures.

With numerous vets and specialists shaking their heads saying the dreaded words, "I've never seen anything like this before, I really don't know what to do ...", they reached for every medicine in their arsenal.

Plowing through every allergy medication and then moving on to incredible doses of anti-seizure meds, little Tavo's symptoms never ceased and last Friday began to worsen.  And when he began letting out little whimpers of pain we knew the time had come to let him go.

The first real loss in Liv's life, Tavo's death has hit her, and all of us, hard.  With a huge hole in our hearts we've done our best to console Kona and keep him busy with lots of love and attention.  He seems to be adjusting, but our hearts still hurt with loss.

Cookies help momentarily though, and I'm putting these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Cooking Classy up there with some of the best cookies I've ever had.  Not in the mood to create, I followed her recipe exactly, only substituting Earth Balance Butter Alternative for the butter and adding a dash of nutmeg with the cinnamon sugar that the dough is rolled in before baking.

With a tender texture and warm Pumpkin Pie Spice flavors, the coating of cinnamon sugar pops a sweetness in your mouth that can't help but make you smile.  Pure comfort bringing a moment of happiness into any day - even the bad ones - we've found a new fall favorite.

Pumpkin SnickerdoodlesTraditional snickerdoodle texture melds with warm Pumpkin Pie flavors for melt in your mouth happiness!  I've found a new favorite cookie.

This recipe comes from Cooking Classy and I followed her recipe exactly with the exception of using Earth Balance Butter Alternative to make them dairy-free and then adding a touch of freshly ground nutmeg and a pinch of ginger to the cinnamon sugar that the dough is rolled in before baking.  Click on the orange words below for this fabulous recipe:

Click here for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Recipe courtesy of  Cooking Classy

 In memory of our sweet Tavo (2009-2015).  We miss you little dog.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

Oatmeal ranks up there as a personal Liv Life favorite.  Be it for breakfast, dinner, or a quick afternoon snack, oatmeal's heartiness leaves me satiated, and it's nutty flavor brings a blank slate just waiting to be adorned.

I can't say the same for Liv though... while she is a fan of oatmeal, it doesn't reach a "favorite" in her ranking.  However, with the proper topping, I can move that ranking pretty darn high.

Topping oatmeal with blueberries and bananas is always a sure hit in her book, but frankly she'd prefer an old favorite - oatmeal with rainbow sprinkles.  As I'm not making rainbow sprinkles a "nutritious part of her everyday breakfast", her next request (months ago) was Cinnamon Apple.

I'd like to say I jumped right on that request, but alas, it went in one ear and out the other.  But thankfully my blogger friends have my back.

This month's Blogger C.L.U.E challenge of "Fall Fruits" sent me searching A Palatable Pastime's index for apples, pears and pumpkins.  And behold... the first thing that jumped out has put me back on the Best Mommy Ever path.

Sue's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is just what my girl-child ordered, and she loved it so much she actually had not one, but two bowls on Labor Day morning.

See?  My blogger friends have me covered, and Sue is simply amazing.  With over 40 years of cooking experience, her specialties lie with heartland and southern cooking.  She's won numerous recipe contests (understandably!), but what caught my eye was a feature on Debbie Field's e-zine.  How cool is that?  (I've had a little crush on Debbie ever since I tried her White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies when I was in college).

In any case, thank you Sue for making me a Super Mommy  in Liv's eyes again.  Your Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal recipe is so much better than anything out of a package and perfect for quick early morning breakfasts.  Liv sends her Apple Cinnamon love!

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the group made for the Fall Fruits Challenge!  
   

Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

   

Kate from Kate's Kitchen

   

Christiane from Taking on Magazines

   

Heather from girlichef

   

Stacy from Food Lust People Love

   

Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

   

Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen

   

Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch

   

Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen

     

Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch

   

Anna from annaDishes

   

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm

   

Debra from Eliot's Eats

   

Lora from Cake Duchess

   

Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme

   

Rebekah from Making Miracles

   

Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook

   

Aly from Cooking in Stilettos

   

Sue from A Palatable Pastime

Maple Granola with Coconut and Cinnamon

"Mom... can you make granola??  And when you pack my lunch tomorrow can you pack a little bag for Ellie too?  She's been asking for it."

Music to my ears.  I love then the kids ask for something healthy when they don't even know it's healthy.  And better yet, I'm getting special requests from high school girlfriends.

Years ago the kids turned up their noses at the thought of granola, but with a little tweaking they've discovered a new love.

Always working to get "healthy stuff" into the kids, granola makes it easy.  Starting with fiber-rich oats (gluten-free if desired) we add flax and hemp.  Maple syrup brings sweetness and a depth to the mix, and nuts and dried fruit more protein as well as additional vitamins.  A touch of coconut oil give the concoction that much desired crunch and shredded coconut even adds a little touch of the tropics.

So easy to mix together and versatile to your tastes, give it a go and maybe you'll have special requests too.

Ancient Power Oatmeal with Chia, Walnuts, and Flax

We all know how good oatmeal is for us... but do you ever just get tired of it?  My son told me the other day "Don't ever serve it again!!  It's just SO boring!"  I'd say that's a challenge issued.  And so we've spiced up our oatmeal, made it more interesting and even made it healthier.

Long known to have cholesterol lowering benefits, (Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan - and since 1963, study after study has proven the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels), antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides are now being said to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  And if that isn't enough, according to The World's Healthiest Foods, oatmeal also has the potential to stabilize blood sugars, enhance immune response to infection, lower type 2 diabetes risks, and protect against postmenopausal breast cancer.  #superfood 

After reading all these oatmeal benefits I felt even more inspired to kick up our daily oats, and stirring in a tablespoon of chia seed brought not only an interesting texture balance, but calcium, antioxidants, omega-3's and protein (chia is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids).  And then we added a little flax meal.  Adding more omega-3's, flax also benefits the cardiovascular system in addition to bringing anti-inflammatory benefits.  Don't forget about its boost to digestive health as well!

Top all these wonderful nutritional benefits with a handful of fresh fruit, a sprinkle of cinnamon (cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar, reduce LDL cholesterol levels, has natural anti-infections compounds, and can help reduce pain linked with arthritis) and a spoonful of chopped walnuts (more Omega-3's, benefits to diabetes and heart disease, can increase your sperm count, and may help in warding off dementia), and you have one extraordinarily heathful and tasty (non-boring) bowl.  Oatmeal is back on our table.

Ancient Power Oatmeal with Chia, Walnuts, and Flax
Filled with ancient grains and fiber-filled oatmeal then topped with fruit and nuts, this oatmeal is raised to another level.  Stir in a little vanilla flavored almond milk and you have a dish even your teenagers will get up for!
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4 cups water
1 cups steel cut oats
3 Tbs ground flax meal
1 Tbs chia seed
fruit
cinnamon
walnuts
vanilla almond milk (we like Silk brand as it does not contain carageenan)

Bring water to a boil in a large pot on the stove.  While waiting for water to boil, pour the steel-cut oats into a small bowl.  Add the chia and flax, stir to combine.

When the water is boiling, add the oat mixture.  Reduce heat to medium low and stir.  Allow to simmer lightly until the water has been absorbed (about 25 minutes).  Stir occasionally

Ladle into serving bowls and top with your favorite fruit, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoonful of chopped walnuts.  Serve with milk of your choice (we love ours topped with vanilla almond milk!)

Liv Life Note:  If you think far enough ahead, start your oats before you go to bed! Simply bring the water to a boil and add the oat mixture.  Turn stove off and cover.  Go to bed.  When you wake in the morning, most of the water will have been absorbed and you just need a quick heating and maybe a little water added to have your meal ready faster.

Cinnamon Raisin (Cranberry) Oatmeal Bread ~ #ChristmasWeek

Welcome to Day #4 of Christmas Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen from Juanita's Cocina! Each day we will be celebrating the holidays with a different set of Christmas-themed treats, as well as a fabulous Christmas giveaway. We hope you enjoy this fabulous event. Tune in each day starting today, Monday, December 9th and ending Saturday, December 14th.

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Ahhh... cinnamon!  Wafting through your kitchen it seems to be the aroma of the holidays.  From cookies to cider to steaming French Toast, cinnamon is nearly universally welcomed.  We love our cinnamon treats, but with the cookie and treat overload these past few weeks, I've tried to incorporate holidayish flavors into a hearty and healthy bread.

Personally, I find making homemade bread incredibly fulfilling.  Knowing exactly what ingredients are in my loaf allows me to tweak the bread as I see fit for that day.  Need something more healthy?  We can always add more grains.  Need a bit of a treat?  A nice white loaf usually does the trick.  But want something in between?  We've got the answer right here in this soft, tender Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread.

Hearty with whole oats, yet sweet with cinnamon and either raisins or cranberries, this bread makes fabulous toast and a mean PBJ.  French Toast becomes extra special with a double dose of cinnamon and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and with each serving the bread brings servings of heart healthy fiber and whole grains.

So why not join me in a slice and a cup of tea as we visit the rest of today's #ChristmasWeek participants?  I'm certain they have treats to make us swoon!

• Mini Sugar Cookie Houses aka Hot Chocolate Mug Perches by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Eggnog Cookie Truffles by The Weekend Gourmet
• Spiked Candy Cane Hot Chocolate by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks:
• Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake with Lemon Frosting by Chocolate Moosey
• Swirl Cookies by Noshing With The Nolands
• Caramel Apples by My Catholic Kitchen
• Homemade Caramels by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Puff Pastry Ravioli Mince Pies by Food Lust People Love
• Mounds Brownie Cupcakes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Hot Chocolate Pull Apart Bread by The Dutch Baker’s Daughter
• Sugared Grape and Phyllo Tart by See Aimee Cook
• Taffy Tan Fudge by Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies by Cooking In Stilettos
• Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread by Liv Life
• White Chocolate Candy Cane Fudge by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Devil’s Food Cake Cookies by Try Anything Once Culinary
• Cinnamon Whiskey Balls by Home Cooking Memories
• Pumpkin Chiffon Pie by Jen’s Favorite Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Truffles by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
  • 1. Candy Cane Blossoms by Like Mother Like Daughter

And that brings us to today's giveaway courtesy of Swissmar.   Le Cordon Bleu has been a worldwide leader in gastronomy and hospitality for over 100 years and is widely considered the guardian of French culinary technique.   Swissmar now combines this culinary expertise with their own knowledge and brand recognition to introduce this fantastic new line.   The Le Cordon Bleu ceramic ovenware from Swissmar is all freezer safe, oven safe, dishwasher and microwave safe.  The French-inspired Charmant Collection 5 qt. Rectangular Roaster has scalloped edges and is beautiful enough to go straight from oven to table.  Want one for yourself??  Enter to win a Swissmar Roaster  with the Rafflecopter below! 

***This giveaway is for one Swissmar Charmant Collection 5 qt. Rectangular Roaster (winner's choice of color: blue, yellow, red, or white).  This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only.  When the contest concludes, the winner will be chosen by random draw.  The winner will be notified through e-mail and they will have 3 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Ever have one of those panic moments when you need a quick present for a neighbor or as an unexpected Hostess Gift?  A simple hot chocolate mix perfectly fits the bill.  With the popularity of our Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix, Liv has put together a new version, the ever popular Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix.

Arriving home one afternoon, I found my girl in the midst of plundering our pantry and unwrapping an Ibarra Chocolate disc.  Wrapped in an attractive, bright yellow wrapper, the packaging is indeed eye catching, though the chocolate inside is not the usual candy bar version.  With ingredients including undissolved sugar, the discs provide a bit of a gritty texture, and the cinnamon flavor can be somewhat unexpected if you don't know it's there.  Not really meant to be eaten out of hand (though you most certainly can if you want to), Ibarra is best used in Hot Cocoa.

Our experience has found that brown sugar adds a nice richness to the mix, and an additional touch of cinnamon warms the body just that much more.  Layered into a cute jar, tied with a ribbon and sent with a quick note of directions, you will have your hostess gift put together in a flash, or... a Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix ready for a cold, rainy afternoon all for you.

Cereal Treat Round Up - Living Life

Perusing many of my favorite foodie blogs over the last few days, I've been thrilled to see the red, white and blue proudly displayed in everything from salads to frozen pops to cakes.  I, however, am with Liv in hot, hot, hot Las Vegas for the dance season finale, Nationals.

Liv & Vanners prepare for a group number

Sitting in the audience, I often find myself moved to tears as I watch Liv and her teammates perform their hearts out.  The confidence these young dancers show is phenomenal, and when combined with the skill that comes with those hours of practice, I simply sit in awe at the sheer talent.

As we made our way from San Diego to Vegas, Vanners, whom you may remember from our Sleepover Special, and Liv began reminiscing about the Fruity Cereal Treats - Vegas Style, that they prepared and styled at last year's Nationals.  Fruity Cereal Treats quickly turned into thoughts of Cinnamon Krispie Treats which just happened to be packed in the cooler for our long weekend.  Digging through the mounds of costumes, shoes, accessories, etc, that us dance moms have become all to familiar with, the girls found the Cinnamon Treat package, and I'm afraid there is not much left to share.

Liv!

What we do have to share though, are some of our favorite Krispie Treats which have accumulated on Liv Life over the years.  Not a fan as a youngster, it was my son who prompted another Krispie Treat attempt years after his first taste with the addition of Peanut Butter.  And he liked them.  So did I.

Inspiring somewhat of a Krispie Treat obsession, we've used Nutella, Reese's Pieces, Cinnamon, and multiple layers of peanut butter fudge and ganche to provide mouthwatering treats that are anything but average.

Peanut Butter Krispie Treats with Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Cocoa Marshmallow Krispie Treats

Cinnamon Marshmallow Krispie Treats with Cinnamon Glaze

Triple Peanut Butter Krispie Treats with Peanut Butter Fudge and Peanut Butter Ganache

Holiday Krispie Treats
Use different color candies for different holidays

Nutella Krispie Treats

Fruity Cereal Treats

Vanners!

Vanners takes the stage!

Apple Cinnamon Crepes

Happy National Crepe Day!

February 2nd

How many 12 year olds to you know who come home from school starving and ready for an afternoon snack?  Lots, I'm sure.  But how many 12 year olds do you know who come from school and whip up a batch of crepes??  I credit our Liv Life blog for inspiring my 12 year old to think outside of the pbj sandwich box and for teaching her to make crepes on her own when she wants them.

Our crepe journey began shortly after we launched Liv Life and has grown and considerably improved along the way.  Our first attempts, a lovely strawberry version, produced good, but somewhat gummy (though we didn't realize it at the time) crepes.  When filled with market fresh organic strawberries and topped powdered sugar, though, they were absolutely divine.

Over the years we've continued to use our original recipe, simply tweaking it here and there, learning about the importance of the rest period (allow the batter to rest for about 1 hour after mixing), and adding chocolate on occasion.  However last weekend Liv suggest trying something new... just for fun.

Turning to my buddy (he doesn't know he's my buddy... but he is), Alton Brown, who had just done a piece on crepes on his tv show, I headed to the Food Network for his recipe.  Following his directions to a "T", I forwent my whisk in place of a blender and gave the batter a 10 second whirl as directed.  The batter then received a good hour plus rest in the fridge, and we were ready.

Setting our small nonstick skillet on the stove (Alton says there is no need for a real crepe pan), we heated the pan and swirled in a small amount of butter.  I then ladled a small amount of batter and set once again to swirling.  Hardly believing my eyes, I found I had just produced the thinnest crepe in all of my "extensive" crepe making experience! Not only was it thin, but the first crepe of the batch actually turned out beautifully and didn't have to be sacrificed as many of my first crepes do.

In my excitement, I may have become slightly too exuberant.  Turning to show Liv our beautiful crepe, my elbow hit the ladle sticking out of the blender and that is when the slow motion began.  Ever so slowly the blender began to tip, the batter began to fly and the ladle began to drop.  I must say I don't think I've ever before spread a spill in the kitchen a clean 8 feet, so this was indeed a day of firsts.  And tears.  Well, not really tears, but a very disappointed (and slightly miffed) 12 year old girl who only had one crepe and now had another hour to wait for more.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

This video from Bruton Stroube give an example of our kitchen during The Spill! 

I can confidently say that waiting that hour before making your crepes is a good idea.  We now have first hand experience with a beautiful, well rested batter versus a 30 minute - we can't wait any longer - slightly rested batter.  While the new batch was good, the first and more rested batch was better.  Since our spill day, we have made crepes time and again, and yes, the crepes are worth the wait.

Cinnamon Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats with Cinnamon Glaze

Life is often filled with opinion and controversy.  Lately our radar has shown rather strong opinions as to whether dance should be considered a sport or an art form.  The news if filled with people on all sides of the issue as to whether Obama should be in the White House.  But more importantly, we've recently had great discussion and fairly strong opinions on the issue of whether cinnamon belongs in marshmallow krispie treats.

A post on our Facebook Page regarding the cinnamon issue left me with a majority of responders on the "give it a try" side along with a few on the "absolutely not" side.  After serious discussion and begging from Liv to leave the cinnamon out, I plowed forward and added a simple teaspoon (a generous one at that...) into our very "marshmallowy" after school krispie treats.

Not really looking any different than usual, we spread the marshmallow coated cereal into our pan and decided if we were going to go cinnamon, we were going to go big.

Pulling powdered sugar from the pantry and adding cinnamon, a touch of vanilla and milk, we soon had a sweet, cinnamon glaze ready to be drizzled over the treats.  Her interest piqued, Liv had a hard time waiting for the glaze to set, and she actually cut into the treats as my back was turned.

Her exclamation of, "Yes!!!  These are awesome!" had me turning to find her smiling ear to ear as she cut even further into my unphotographed pan of treats while muttering the phrase all moms love to hear:  "I guess you were right...".

The hug that followed was even better than the acknowledgment, and as I helped myself to my own unphotographed piece, I concurred.... Cinnamon Marshamllow Krispie Treats rock!

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