there are no words

There are a multitude of words I could use to describe the sensation going through my mouth as I tested this:

amazing, mmmmmm, holy scrumptious, delicious....but I think my favorite is just the silence as my eyes roll to the back of my head and I take in how indescribable this cupcake is.  This my friends is a Peanut Butter Fluff cupcake.  Ashley at the Edible Perspective recently posted this recipe but as a donut.  Well, I don't have a donut pan so I decided to make cupcakes instead.  The best part is they are gluten free!!!!  They are very simple to make as long as you have all of the ingredients.  Luckily I had them all on hand, but you'll need to make sure you have almond milk, coconut flour, rice flour, and apple sauce.  After you bake them you frost them with a peanut butter frosting.  I couldn't keep my fingers out of the bowl!  Then comes the best part, but I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Tear apart marshmallows and place them on top of the cupcakes.

Place them in the broiler for just a couple of minutes.  Make sure you watch them-the marshmallows will burn if left in too long.

Enjoy immediately!

Adding the marshmallows on top creates a gooey texture to the top as well as a little crunch where the marshmallow cooked a little too much.  One thing I love is sweets, and since going gluten free it has been hard finding the perfect recipe.  Daniel and Andrea were my official taste testers and they agreed that they were amazing!

Go right now and get this recipe: Peanut Butter Fluff Cupcakes!

picnic for two

Last night I surprised Daniel with a picnic date night.  I was inspired by A Bit of Sunshine's Dinner @ Eight challenge.  Each month she plans two surprise at-home date nights and shares her theme.  This month was a picnic, and I was completely excited because I have been dying to have a picnic all summer long.  So, I planned a nice and easy menu and made sure Daniel had something to do while I made dinner.  Our day didn't go quite as planned, so our picnic started super late.  But, we found the perfect neighborhood park to go to and had just enough sunshine to enjoy our meal, sit and talk, and look fondly into each other's eyes...

Our menu included rotisserie chicken, Mexican Quinoa with black beans and avocado, chips, salsa, watermelon, and mango banana bread for dessert.  

 It was absolutely delicious, simple, and perfect!

Afterwards, we decided we needed a little D + J photo shoot...

Then we played on the playground, raced down the slides, and acted like we were 5 again.  It was the best date ever!!!

my addiction

Hi.  My name is Jamie, and I'm addicted to blogs!  

(This is where you all say, "Hi Jamie", FYI).

But, seriously, I think I have a problem.  The problem started pretty small as I perused friends' blogs and then found some fun cooking and running blogs.  The blog addiction has now brought me to crafting blogs and even teaching blogs.  And, I can't get enough of them.  My justification for following all these blogs is the fact that they impact my life and my job now.  I have used countless lesson plans from fun kindergarten and other teacher blogs.  My husband can't complain either because the addiction has led me to create delicious creations in the kitchen.

Remember this:

Toasted coconut gluten free waffles, oh yummy!

Well yesterday I tried out a new recipe that I stumbled upon while visiting Joy the Baker's blog.  First, the smell coming from the oven was amazing.  Next, the bright color from the chunks of mango made it look like it was going to be a party in my mouth.  Then, the taste test came.  Oh. My. Goodness!  It was delicious!  Even the husband approved!

Vegan Mango Banana Bread

On Sunday I perused all of the crafts I have saved on Pinterest, and decided that it was the perfect day to finally make something!  So, I made this beauty from Little Miss Momma.  It was super easy, and looks way cute on.  Just ask my friend, Lindsay, who was over the dinner last night.  She demanded that I make her one pronto!  

So I guess I'm using my addiction for good.  But, boy oh boy, do I feel better getting that off my chest!