Ender's first birthday is the day before Thanksgiving, so we thought we'd throw him a party a little early and avoid the holiday craziness in everyone's schedules. We joke that we didn't have any friends in Charlotte until we got a dog, and even though it sounds ridiculous, it's actually true--so it was fitting that our Charlotte best friends and their pups all came over for an afternoon of treats and celebration.

We decided on a circus theme, so I ordered some decorations from this suite on Minted--I dreamed that the dogs would wear the paper crowns but kept realistically low expectations, and I was totally surprised by how easily they wore them. Like me, they'll do almost anything for popcorn.

It was so funny and cute and everything worked out exactly the way I hoped it would. I'm about to share a ton of photos with you, so before I get into that I thought I'd list the party details, because I'm still giggling about all of them:

• Puppy Party invitations that I addressed to each dog.
• Decorations from the suite I linked to above: Bunting Banner, Circle Garlands, Table Signs, Cupcake Toppers, Party Crowns, and Mini Notecard Favors.
• Dog birthday cake from Canine Cafe in Charotte. We got the peanut butter banana flavor because the woman who runs the place said it was "paws down the favorite." I also grabbed a few freshly baked dog biscuits while I was picking up the cake and put them in little cellophane bags with blue ribbon as party favors.
• Champagne cocktails with cotton candy.
• Circus-themed snacks included hot dogs, popcorn, salted peanuts in the shell, and cupcakes.
• The other drinks I got were chosen strictly based on how much their labels made me feel like I was at the circus: Not Your Father's Root Beer in bottles and a bunch of PBR in cans.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Minted.

Photos by Rémy Thurston for Freckled Italian.

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.