It's pumpkin time, you know? And while I can't say I'm a member of the Pumpkin Spice Latte craze, last year I made a Paleo version that was pretty damn tasty. The other day, I bought a little sugar pumpkin who thought he was mousse but had an existential crisis in the mixer and soon decided that he was actually cobbler. And who am I to judge? Pumpkin cobbler, it is.

Ingredients:

One sugar pumpkin

1/2 cup canned coconut cream

One to two tablespoons honey

One tablespoon maple syrup, optional

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger 

One egg

For the crumb topping:

2/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup arrowroot powder

1/3 cup butter, cubed

Two tablespoons honey

For the cream topping:

1/2 cup canned coconut cream (cold--pop it in the freezer for a bit first)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon honey

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut pumpkin into two or three pieces and remove the seeds.

(Set the seeds aside and roast them or I'll slap you.)

2. Add some butter to each section. Bake for 45 minutes or until the squash is tender (poke it with a fork).

3. Remove from oven and let cool before spooning out the pumpkin flesh into a mixing bowl.

4. Mix in egg, coconut cream, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the almond flour, arrowroot powder, butter, and honey.

6. Pour pumpkin mix into a well-buttered baking dish and top with crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

7. While the cobbler cools a bit, whip the ingredients for the cream topping together.

8. To serve, put a piece of cobbler on a dish and spoon the topping over it.
Sprinkle with cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder.

  

I know. You're confused. Paleo crepes? Plumcots? Let's start with plumcots. They're a hybrid of a plum and an apricot. I had never heard or even dreamed of them until I saw them at Trader Joe's this summer. We gave them a try and now buy them by the dozen. They're delicious and tart and sweet and the most gorgeous color. See if you can find some. (If not, you could use regular plums for this recipe.)

The truth about being Paleo is that sometimes, you just can't eat another fried egg. Or a scrambled one. Or an omelet. And definitely not another hard-boiled one. It's just too much. So we make Paleo-friendly versions of our favorite carby breakfasts. Like pancakes, or muffins. Or crepes. When I came across this recipe, I knew I needed to try it. I actually made a special trip to the grocery store to pick up more eggs and some almond flour. The fruit filling just kind of happened on its own, with ingredients I already had in the kitchen.

My grandma Angelica wasn't the most gifted of cooks, but she had three signature dishes (all of them were served with a sprinkle of sugar--she also wasn't the healthiest of cooks): Arroz con Leche, saltine crackers with butter, and crepes. My brother, my cousin Ashley, and I grew up referring to crepes as "Grandma Pancakes," and the name kind of stuck. I don't think Grandma would mind knowing that I updated her recipe a bit. Ashley is visiting me in Minneapolis next month and I can't wait to make these for her. You can try them, too.

Ingredients

For the crepes

Five eggs

Three tablespoons almond flour

Two tablespoons arrowroot powder

One teaspoon vanilla extract

One teaspoon cinnamon

A pinch of salt

Coconut oil to grease pan

For the fruit filling

Two or three plumcots

One large pear

The zest and juice of half a lemon

Two tablespoons of honey (optional)

1. Heat a medium-sized pan on the stove and whisk eggs in a bowl. Add remaining crepe ingredients.

2. Spread coconut oil around the pan and add a couple spoonfuls of crepe batter. Spread batter around and let cook.

3. Flip the crepe (this should be really easy to do) and let cook on the other side (about a minute). 

4. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

5. Dice up the plumcots and the pear and put them in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

6. Stir and let cook until the fruit begins to break down into a thick consistency and start to bubble.

7. Zest half of a lemon over the pot and then squeeze the juice, as well. Stir.

8. Add honey and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about ten minutes.

To serve this dish, take a crepe, add a couple spoonfuls of filling to the middle, roll it up, and enjoy!

   

Today I have a how-to/recipe for you, and it comes in the form of a video! My mom makes the best homemade mayonnaise (and Paleo ranch dressing, too...oh my goodness) from Well Fed, and now that I'm on my own again, I have to make it myself. I thought I'd show you how to do it, too! Mayo Party. Let's do it.

This batch wasn't as thick and creamy as it usually is, maybe because I used a mixer. Usually we make it in a blender, but for some reason, our blender is lost somewhere between Minnesota and Virginia. I love my mixer, but I'll probably continue to make mayo in the blender as soon as we get a new one.

Good luck! Happy cooking? I need a catch phrase or something.

PS I've started a YouTube channel where I hope to post more kitchen how-to video as well as some hair and maybe makeup tutorials. Any other ideas? You can subscribe here.

PPS That dress is c/o Jigsaw and can be found here!