I very rarely take the time during the week to make a breakfast that isn't a couple of really quick eggs, so when Rob has a day off like he did yesterday for Veteran's Day, I can't resist taking a bit more time and making something a little more special. 

Ingredients:  

• 1 banana
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2-1 cup coconut milk
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar 
• the heavy part of a can of coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions: 

1. Turn on your waffle iron.
2. In a large bowl, mix almond flour and coconut flour together. Add eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and agave nectar. Mix until smooth.
3. When the waffle iron is hot, scoop large spoonfuls of the batter onto the iron. Close it and let it cook for a few minutes, or until the waffle is nicely toasted and you can pick it up with tongs or a spatula. Keep in mind that these are grain free and not nearly as hardy as waffles with regular flour, so you may need to be a bit more gentle.
4. While you're cooking your waffles, combine the heavy white part of a can of coconut milk and the pumpkin puree in a mixer. Blend until it gets thick and add the pumpkin pie spice. If it isn't thick enough, you can store it in the freezer for a few minutes, until the waffles are done.
5. Stack waffles on a plate and top with pumpkin cream. Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!

Lavazza sent me a couple pounds of their Perfetto roast and it's so delicious on a chilly fall morning with a sweet breakfast like this one. We're spending Thanksgiving here in Charlotte this year (and so are a few of our neighbors and friends), so I'm really looking forward to gathering around the table for coffee and breakfast every morning. It's a year for new traditions, I think, and I think the holidays (and waffles) are a good place to start.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Lavazza.

At least once every summer and fall, my brother and Rob and I try get together at the lake for a fire. Summer is always fun, but I'm totally into fall campfires. A few weeks ago, we made some turkey chili, grabbed a couple of blankets, and headed outside for a cozy dinner by the fire.

I don't know if there's anything more comforting on a chilly night than a bowl of, well, chili! There's just something about the way it takes all day to simmer away on the stove that makes it feel so special. My brother and I came up with our own recipe and I'm going to be making it all fall and winter long.

Sean usually builds the campfire while I finish up the food inside, but since the chili is pretty low-maintenance, I decided to help him outside and see if I could learn a thing or two about building a fire. Here's what I learned, in case you are ever in need of a campfire but without the help of an Eagle scout:

• Keep buckets of water or, ideally, a hose nearby. Spray down the edges of your campfire circle and any trees or bushes that are within close proximity to the fire pit.
• Start small. Begin with thin, dry branches no larger than the size of your pinky finger. Use newspaper or dry leaves to get it started.
• Move on to larger pieces of wood, this time the size of your thumb, twice that size, and then to the size of your wrist. Make sure you let the fire catch up before moving on to larger pieces of wood.
• Once you get the fire going, don't be afraid to let it die down so you have a good bed of coals to work with--this is especially important if you're going to be heating up food in a pot, like our chili. If you're doing hot dogs or s'mores, though, you'll want to keep some flames going.
• When you've decided that you're done, spread the fire around with a large stick and spray it down with water until there's no more smoke. Don't ever leave the fire unattended until it's totally out and you don't see any more embers or smoke.

Don't forget to visit the La Crema blog for my turkey chili recipe! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell for Freckled Italian.

It's that time of year again! I know, I know, Halloween isn't even here yet and I've already ordered this year's holiday cards, but sometimes I just can't help myself. My friend Sarah took some photos of me, Rob, and Ender the other day so I was super excited to design and order them. 

As usual, there are lots of unique designs on Minted right now, but a lot of them are less traditional (think bright colors, bold fonts, and less red and green). I had a really hard time choosing between this one, this one, and this one, but finally landed on the Painted Prism design (I can never resist the gold foil).

It's been such a pleasure working with Minted for the past few years, and I hope you've enjoyed our partnership as well. They've been generous enough to offer one lucky Freckled Italian reader $150 to spend at Minted! They have so much more than just holiday cards--from wedding invitations to party decorations to home decor and art. Enter below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is brought to you in partnership with Minted.