As promised, I'm home from work this week and the baking is on! My husband has been dropping some hints lately that he really wants a Sweet Potato Pie...I think he's been watching too much Duck Dynasty. I'm on vacation from work this week so to the kitchen I went!

Sweet Potato Pie courtesy of Paula Deen

2 cups cooked sweet potatoes (bake 2-3 sweet potatoes at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes)
1 cup sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup milk
9-inch unbaked pie crust (recipe follows)






Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric hand mixer, combine the potatoes, sugar, the butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and continue to mix. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pie on a rack and cool to room temperature.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Cup 4 Cup flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons ice water, or as needed

Mix the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor bowl. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until butter and shortening are pea size. You can also use a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 1 tablespoon at a time, work in enough ice water just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix.

Shape into a smooth ball of dough, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 days. When ready to use roll out and place into a pie plate. Cut off any excess and crimp the edges.

Is it bad that I would like to put my entire paycheck towards stacks of books, prints, cans upon cans of paint for the house, and an entirely new wardrobe for this ever-growing baby bump? That seems reasonable, right?

We purchased a 40 year old home in February and to say it needed some TLC was an understatement. We absolutely love this house and the charming Spanish flare that comes along with it. However, what I saw as "charm" in the beginning has started to just look like outdated junk! It's sometimes hard to take a step back and remember those little details that made me fall in love in the first place...especially when those details are covered in dust that need a hefty spray of Pledge. And my demise probably started when I made the mistake of joining Pinterest. Yes, I'm addicted. Yes, I drive my husband crazy with all the ideas I find. It's like scrolling and scrolling through these constant reminders: "Hey! Here's all the newest decor from Pottery Barn and colors from Benjamin Moore that will NEVER find their way into your home!" Ugh.

  (Aside from the aggravation, I'm still obsessed)

I'm trying to be better about appreciating what we have and resting in the fact that we are homeowners - no more living in a confined apartment, no more painting the walls back when you leave, and the joy in knowing that if we want to tear a wall down (which we have) then by golly, we will!

There will always be a room that needs to be painted, a light fixture that needs to be dusted, or just completely replaced, and furniture that needs to be bought. For now, I'm going to relish in the projects we have actually made progress on, dream about this little boy that is currently fluttering around his momma's tummy, and look forward to the clock striking five so I can go to our outdated, cozy home where my precious husband awaits me.

I cannot believe 20 weeks have come and gone. To think we are half way through this pregnancy is a little scary and exciting all at once!

We have really been starting to think about how we want to decorate the nursery so I've started a little storyboard of ideas I've gathered from my head, Etsy and Pinterest! I've gathered a few paint samples from Home Depot, so hopefully we can get the painting started this weekend!

We just finished up Thanksgiving this past week and it was glorious! Preparing an entirely gluten-free Thanksgiving meal is not an easy task, but it's nothing this little gem of a product cannot handle:

You can purchase Cup 4 Cup flour at William Sonomo. I will say this, it's not cheap. It's $20 for a three pound bag but it's so worth it. I have tried many different brands of gluten-free all purpose flour and this is BY FAR the best. You can use it with any regular recipe that calls for all purpose flour. I made a Pecan Pie using this recipe from the Food Network and it turned out perfect! That's the first Pecan Pie I've had in years and I swear I could eat my weight in it. I wish I had a photo, but unfortunately, I ate it all before I could snap one. I also used this flour to make cornbread for my stuffing. The possibilities are endless!

I'm looking forward to sharing more recipes using this flour during the holiday season. Stay tuned!