Thursday Three

The last two weeks have been really busy, but great at the same time. I have been to Florida, spent time at my family reunion, and also had some crazy days at work. All of that made time fly by. I can't believe that I am already a third of the way through summer! As much as I am excited for school, I wish time would slow down a little bit. Here is some of what I was up to this week.

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 Most of the time in Florida was spent at the beach. I went there almost every morning with my sister and mom. We all love to take beach walks, read in the sun and play in the waves. This is always my favorite part of Florida. It is so relaxing which is exactly what I needed. 

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Thankfully it wasn't too hard to find food that I could eat. One of my favorite things was a gluten free lobster roll from The Olde Salty Dog. I couldn't get my favorite thing which is a po' boy, but this was still a great substitute. I also had a couple really good dinners out, which made this vacation extra special. 

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The farmers market where I live finally started! This is my absolute favorite thing about summer and I was so upset to miss the first one since I was in Florida. I love going to the farmers market after a yoga class with my mom. I can't think of a better way to start a weekend. This week we got some amazing tasting strawberries and zucchini so I can make some muffins.

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie Platten 

Gluten- Free Baking Bucket List

      I am back, and this time with a real excuse. For the past 10 days, I have been on my yearly family vacation to Longboat Key. I always use this time to take a break from almost everything I do at home, and this includes blogging, no matter how inconsistent I have been. I love being on vacation, but the biggest thing I missed was being able to eat baked goods. Longboat Key doesn't have too many gluten free options, and the nearest gluten free bakery was 30 minutes away. I'd rather spend my time at the beach than in the car. 

       I didn't want to buy any gluten free flour, so I ended up making a (very) long list of food to make.   Now that I am home I've already gotten started with chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and almond flour muffins. Some have worked and some haven't but that is all part of the process. Here are some of the things I want to make this summer.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins - Dishing Delish 

Zucchini bread was one of the foods that tipped me off I might need to be gluten free. Every time I ate my mom's version, I felt sick once I was at school. I am determined to find a recipe that is just like hers. Zucchini bread is one of my favorite foods, so I really want this to go well. 

Gluten Free Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake- Allergy Free Alaska 

I really miss coffee cake. I can find muffins and cupcakes at several gluten free bakeries, but I can't seem to find coffee cake anywhere. I have found several coffee cake recipes on Pinterest so I am going to make as many as possible in order to find the best one! 

Peach Blueberry Galette - Bless Her Heart Y'all

I need to find good gluten free desserts that use peaches. Peaches are one of my favorite foods, to the point I eat them several times a day when we have them in the summer.  Making a good peach gazette would fulfill several baking goals-a good pie dough and a peach dessert. 

Secret ingredient Pistachio Muffins - Making Thyme for Health 

One of the newer foods I have been liking has been Pistachios. Now I want to try all different kinds of pistachio recipes. These muffins are really intriguing to me. The Secret Ingredient is spinach which seems really weird to me. I love the green color it adds to the muffin, and I feel like it might be like adding zucchini to muffins. 

Berry Pavlova - Natasha's Kitchen 

Pavlova's are naturally gluten free, so I guess I could have made them in the past too. I have always overlooked this dessert, but now I really want to make it. The only thing I might to differently is use lemon curd instead of whipped cream. This could also be fun to make mini ones so everyone in my family can create their own personal versions. 

Mini Cheesecake - Texanerin 

My family doesn't really like cheesecake, but I love it. These mini versions would be great since it would be the perfect size for just me. The crust is almond flour based, which I already have, so it should be easy to test these out with fresh fruit. 

This is only the shortened version of all of the things I am hoping to make this summer. I also want to try gluten free pasta and breads, but that might be a little later on. My biggest project coming up is going to be pancakes, and this might take a while. I really miss being able to eat pancakes with my family every weekend, so I am hoping I can find a recipe that everyone will enjoy. I plan to share each attempt (the good and the bad) on here, to help everyone else who needs to find the perfect gluten free pancakes. 

Do you have any gluten free recipes that you like? If so, feel free to share!

xoxo,

Maddie Platten 

Top 10 Travel Destinations

Soon I am off to Florida for my yearly family vacation. This might be the last time there for me which is. sad thought, but at the same time, a new vacation could be a fun change. My desire to travel and to see new places has surged in the past year, to the point where all I want to be experience something else. Part of this feels like it is a result from going to a college with an atmosphere just like where I live, but it could also be because of just growing older. I love researching the best place to stay, eat and things to do in random destinations and through this I have found my top 10 travel destinations that I would like to visit. For purposes of this post, I limited it to 5 internationally and 5 within the US. 

Within the US

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Charleston, SC

Maybe I read too much Southern Living, but I am dying to go to Charleston. The beautiful houses and picturesque streets seem so inviting. I also wouldn't mind trying some southern specialties in the food department, so heading out to the beach for part of the trip either. 

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New Orleans, LA

Po' Boys and bread pudding are enough to make me want to go here at all. That added to the party that is New Orleans overall makes for such an appealing place to visit. It definitely would be a trip to remember. My parents have pictures from their visit, and each time I see them I was to go to NOLA even more. 

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Portland, ME

If I could have a lobster roll from a shack in Maine my life would be complete. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the general idea is there. Portland seems like such a cute city to visit. I would also be able to go hiking and spend time on the water in Maine, two perfect ways to spend summer days. 

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Boston, MA

I have been to Boston before, but I would love to go again. It was my dream to go to college in Boston seeing as it is my favorite city that I've visited. Although I don't go to school here, this would probably be the most realistic place to visit since I do have family here. 

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Nashville, TN

There are two main reasons for wanting to visit Nashville. The food scene in Nashville seems pretty cool and, yes, I actually like country music. Nashville isn't too far away of a drive, so it would be a really fun road trip with friends, making a destination I'd love to go to.

International

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Provence, France

I have always wanted to go to France, but the idea of Paris has never been appealing. I love the idea of going to Provence, preferably in the countryside. I'd love to go to markets everyday, and spend my afternoons in a leisurely fashion with my main concern being what great meal would I have next. 

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Greece (coastal) 

There is not any particular location in Greece that I would like to go to, other than I know I'd love to see the coast and the Mediterranean. recently I have fallen in love with Greek food, especially greek salads. The food is so simple, yet good, that I would go here just for the food and coast. 

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Ireland

I'd love to go to Ireland to see the castle ruins and explore. Hearing my parents stories about their trips to Ireland when they were first married has made this a travel destination of mine for most of my life. I'd love to see the scenery, visit Dublin, and maybe even find gluten-free Irish soda bread. 

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Prague, Czech Republic

Prague seems like a great city to visit in Europe. It is relatively cheap, pretty and full of history; all of which is important to me. Every part of the city looks so pretty, that even just walking around without a purpose would be enjoyable. Also, lets not forget trying all of the interesting and different food. 

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Brussels, Belgium

I would travel here strictly for the food and nothing else (of course I also have other reasons). This  draw of food comes from finding waffles, fries, mussels and of course chocolate. Throughout my time taking French, I always have wanted to go to Belgium for more than just the food. The Palace is so pretty in Brussels and there are so many festivals that you can't be bored.

I am currently looking into various study aboard programs and travel opportunities to see what I can do. One of my biggest fears is that I will go through college without being able to go anywhere new, because once I am out of college, I'll be a law student (hopefully) and then a young professional. It seems like my time to do anything is now or retirement. Fingers crossed it will be sooner rather than later where I can visit one of these places. 

Where would you like to travel to?

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

Long time so writing... oops. These days I have been spending a lot of time working on making gluten free recipes. This week I finished the low FODMAP diet, and found out that I need to be gluten free, and also avoid garlic and onion-like foods. I spend most mornings baking, and then the afternoons are at working. Other than that, here is what I have been up to.

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My newest food love is feta right now. I love making greek salads and also, putting feta on my avocado toasts. I love the creamy texture and tangy taste that it adds to every dish. Being gluten free has pushed me to try naturally gluten free foods, such as greek salads. This has made making fun, different lunches an interesting part of my days. 

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I was able to swing up to Door County for an overnight with my whole family over Memorial Weekend. With my job I work a lot over the weekend, so it was a rare for all of us to be together. We all found a new coffee shop that we loved-Base Camp Coffee Bar. I had a version of a coffee milkshake (yum!) and all of the food there looked so good. I already know I'll be there a lot this summer. 

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This past week my mom and I had our end of the school year picnic. It was finally a really nice day out, once we found a clearing with protection from the wind. We had a great afternoon and then decided that after the picnic we needed ice cream as well. 

Hopefully I can write more this summer!

xoxo,

Maddie