Finding Moments of Joy in Unsettling Times

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

I just wanted to share this photo I took the other day because it reminded me of Longfellow's poem, The Rainy Day. As the dark cloud passed over us, it was actually snowing! And yet the sunset was streaming across the sky all around these big clouds.

It was such a lovely juxtaposition, and such a strong metaphor, because I know many of us are feeling like the world is an unsettling place these days.

Gluten Free Construction Cake

DIY Homemade Gluten Free Birthday Cake for Kids

Gluten free kids don't need to miss out on fun birthday cakes. My son's first birthday cake request ever was a couple of years ago for his fourth birthday. He wanted a construction cake, which turned out to be far easier to make than you might think. And while my kid has no problems with gluten and I could have bought him a regular cake for his birthday, I decided to make my own GF one instead. Because gosh darn it, sometimes I want a fun cake too!!

And with a cake as simple as this one, you don't need to be a pro to make it look good. 

These photos were quick snaps on my old cell phone, so I apologize for the quality. But I'm lucky to have gotten any shots at all since my son and nephew turned this cake into an ACTUAL construction zone before we could cut proper slices!! 

Blog updates in progress!

 

Image by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

 

Hi folks! Please forgive any glitches that occur here in the next few days. I'm working to update the blog to make it more functional for you, my awesome readers! After 13 years, 550+ posts, and well over 3,300 comments, this little baby has become a behemoth. 

I'm working to fix the appearance, mobile viewing, broken links, update images, ads that aren't intrusive but allow me to make a few pennies from my work, and more. I'm hoping to begin adding recipes and articles again soon :)

PRE-ORDER the 1st book in my new series!

 

The 1st book in my newest historical romantic suspense series is out on August 15! But you can pre-order it right now HERE 

Read on to find out more. And if you just can't wait to read a new book, you can also check out the historical romance promo I'm taking part in this week! 

Gluten Free Christmas Sugar Cookies - 4 Ways from 1 Recipe!

 

 

It's not always easy baking with kids, but I these gluten free spritz cookies are fast and simple enough that you can whip up a few dozen in enough time to keep a preschooler engaged. If you're doing this alone, it will go even faster! 

A good, basic sugar cookie recipe can go a long way to making a variety of colours and styles of sugar cookies, and really create that wow factor for holiday gift giving. My basic spritz cookie recipe is simply divided into four and decorated differently.

 

My newly turned 4 year old helped me squeeze the cookie press and decorate. Granted, there was some licking of icing and devouring of sprinkles in the process, and he wandered off a couple of times, but over all, it was a successful baking venture. 

Read on to find out how we did it! 

Historical Romance Novels (FREE or On Sale) in time for the holidays!

 

 

Holiday greetings, everyone! It's been a busy year here, what with releasing a second edition of the first novel in my Ancient Egyptian Romances series, publishing another book in the series, The Cinnamon Garden, as well as a FREE book for my mailing list subscribers. All that said, things are settling here, and I'm hoping to blog more in the new year, so stay tuned :)

This brings me to the whole point of this post! I've teamed up with some other authors to bring my readers some great promotions in time for the holidays. Click through to find a whole bunch of FREE historical romance novels  as well as a collection of great historical romance novels on sale. 

 

 

 And don't forget, of course, that now is the perfect time to pick up one of my cookbooks so you can find some delicious gluten free, allergy-free recipes in the New Year! 

 

 

  

 

Gluten Free Yule Log Recipe / Chocolate Jelly Roll

This post was first shared in 2016, but I'm reposting it because it's still one of my favourite holiday recipes! 

 
 

Jelly rolls used to mystify me. They seemed like the sort of thing that would forever elude me.

Until now. I had no idea how easy it could be, once you have a decent recipe.

Two years ago my mother-in-law (who is incredibly accommodating of my food allergies and an excellent cook) made a gorgeous gluten free yule log, complete with frosting and meringue mushrooms. She used a cake mix, which was very good.

But you know me. I prefer to bang my head against the wall a few times until I can make it myself.

I tried to make a gluten free jelly roll last year, and it was a total fail. I did, however, end up using the failed attempts to make both Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Balls and Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Pie .

As you can see, this year's attempt did not fail.

Oh no. This year's attempt was a spectacular success. And then I added chocolate leaves and it was even more spectacular.

I also wanted it to be a not-too-sweet, frosting-free Yule log, so it turned out more of a chocolate jelly roll. Which, as it turns out, is awesome.

So here it is, My Gluten Free Chocolate Jelly Roll Yule Cake recipe.