Moroccan Coconut & Chick Pea Soup

A delicious gluten-free soup with Moroccan flavors

On a whim I threw together this North African inspired fusion of flavors led by cravings and intuition. We slurped it down and scraped our bowls. Turns out that sweet potatoes, chick peas, roasted green chiles and coconut milk make for one scrumptious soup. I think you'll love it.

Dairy-free never tasted so good.

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Fancy Ladies

In 1st grade, I had a "Fancy Ladies" birthday party. My distinguished guests and I were attired in the loveliest frocks from our respective dress-up collections, and we feasted in my family's dining room. If my memory is correct, my parents even served us with their finest china, crystal, and silverware (did they really? what were they thinking?? I am hoping now that they just set the table with "fancy" chargers!)

I had such grand designs for the party, but halfway through dinner, I ended up crying on our steps. When my mom told me I needed to stop crying and rejoin my guests, I replied with the age-old classic, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to..." I then sang a woeful rendition of the chorus. Life is tough at the age of seven.

Oh, and the reason for my tears? Two of my guests were absolutely not acting like "fancy ladies." I did return to the party, and soon my tears were all but forgotten.


Thankfully, I have not found myself crying on my steps during any parties since, although, I have not hosted another "Fancy Ladies" party either! The "Syracuse" dinnerware, by R. Haviland & C. Parlon available at Horchow, makes me believe I would happily take the plunge again.

Something different...Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

No cookies today...I thought I would supplement the cookies with a few other baked goodies here and there. What do you think?

So, here is my project from yesterday....Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. These are originally inspired by Bakerella. If you haven't been to her blog, go now! (I'll wait!) :) Months ago, I bookmarked her Red Velvet Cake Balls and added them to my "must make" list.

A few weeks later, I got an email from my girlfriend, Terri, about making cake balls. Then, last week, my sister emailed me with two other sites, here and here, on making cake balls. I thought this must be a sign, I needed to make cake balls!

This time of year, I really have a thing for pumpkin....I cannot get enough, so I made Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Mine are nowhere near as pretty as Bakerella's; I'm going to call them rustic. :) I added some chocolate jimmies because I had them on hand. They were such a hit. My son & I took them to a group we meet every week. I had 4 requests for the recipe within 1 minute!

See the "rustic" crack and cake showing through? :)

The possibilities are endless! I can't wait to try these again with other flavors. Let me know if you try these...I'd love to see your combinations!

....my son really had a good time helping to make these as well; this is a fun and messy project for kids!......

Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (or yellow or plain vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
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1 can cream cheese frosting
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chocolate candy melts or almond bark

Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) according to the package instructions and bake in a 13 X 9" pan. Make sure the cake is completely baked (no gooey middle) before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add most of the can of cream cheese. Using your fingers, mix together until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting of necessary. Roll into balls of about a 2 bite size. This should make about 50. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to dip, melt the candy melts (I used two bags of melts total) a 1/2 bag at a time following the directions on the package. Roll with a spoon and place on another waxed paper lined sheet. Scatter on sprinkles if using while the chocolate is still wet. Store at room temperature.

A Room Reveals A Wedding {A Relaxed Elegance}

This is the first post of "A Room Reveals A Wedding," a new segment that will be featured on Under A Paper Moon. I enjoyed Cassandra's Inspiration Board Contest so entirely that I wanted to be able to showcase this concept on a regular basis.

Inspiration for weddings can come in many forms, and one such source can be a room, which speaks to a person's style and taste. In "A Room Reveals A Wedding," a room's mood and design will be interpreted into an event inspiration board.

This first inspiration room is an elegant, yet relaxed bath featured in Homes & Gardens. I love the tranquility in this space; it's very easy to imagine unwinding in this bath after a long day. Through the use of warm-hued whites, accents of tan, brown, and green, and varying textures, the bathroom feels quite inviting.

The Inspiration RoomHomes & Gardens

The wedding based on this room would exude the same warmth and relaxed elegance.

The Inspiration Board

Row 1: L to R- Homes and Gardens, Our Labor of Love photography, West Elm
Row 2: Kelley & Nate- Photogen, Inc., Carrie Patterson Wedding Photography, Tulips via flickr kmjdepalma
Row 3: snowberry bouquet- Martha Stewart, Whitebox Weddings, Rebecca Cole Design
Row 4: Leigh Miller Photography, Programs- Dasha Wright photographer via Brides.com, candy buffet- Martha Stewart

The Whole Foods Market Food Blogger Budget Recipe Challenge

Gluten-Free Goddess blog has made it into the finals for The Whole Foods Market Food Blogger Budget Recipe Challenge. The recipe? A personal (and family) favorite- my Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas. Why am I mentioning this? Because, Dear Reader, if you visit and vote for my vegetarian enchilada recipe, you just might win a $500 Whole Foods Gift Card- and other prizes!

How cool is that?

This audience sweepstakes will run from today through Wednesday, October 8th. Anyone who posts a comment on any of the contest recipes (at the Whole Foods website only) will be automatically entered to win a $500 gift card or other prizes. So please support Gluten-Free Goddess by giving the Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada recipe some comment LOVE.

The winning recipe will be selected primarily on audience feedback, and the winning blogger will receive $250 worth of Whole Foods gift cards (I'm giving mine to my two sons, Colin and Alex, if I win). The winning recipe will also be featured on the Whole Foods website.

Starting this Friday, September 26, 2008 the Whole Story blog will feature a daily Q+A with one of the 6 finalists.

And much good luck to my blogging pals: Hannah, Jaden, and Rachel!

Stay tuned-

And thank you for your support!

Hanging Art- Part 3

This last collection of images features groupings that are a further evolution from the order seen in Part Two and are quite the antithesis of the groupings in Part One. These arrangements feature repetition and symmetry in a structured way.

House Beautiful

Cottage Living

Cottage Living

Metropolitan Home

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

S.R. Gambrel

After viewing this group, tell me, what style appeals to you most? Do you prefer organized chaos, straight organization, or something in between? I may know Christine's answer, and I am looking forward to hearing yours.

Hanging Art- Part 2

Following the organized chaos in Part One, these groupings, while still featuring frames varying in size and shape, appear to have more order in their placement.

David Netto Designs via Ill Seen, Ill Said

West Elm Gallery Frame

Domino

Martha Stewart

Beth Webb via Desire to Inspire