With crisper days, stormier nights and the colours of leaves changing all around us, you definitely know that summer is behind us and winter is not far off.  In my heart I am a summer girl, but there is something comforting about the sighs and smells of autumn days.

As much as I love my warm summer days, I do look forward to one of my all-time comforts: curling up under a cozy blanket with my pups to a good book and the soothing aromas of pumpkin spice wafting throughout my home.  From candles to lotions to the smell of a delicious pumpkin pie baking in the oven, I can't seem to get enough. 

I used to make pumpkin butter in my Instant Pot all the time and add it to my yogurt or coffees, but it never got to the consistency I wanted.  Tasty, for sure, just never thick enough.  So when I got my Thermomix, I found a recipe in the integrated digital cookbook for Pumpkin Butter.

Cookidoo® is probably one of my favourite features of the TM6 because it's the largest digital cookbook in the world and it's build right into the machine, easily accessible via WiFi.  Not only that, I can do my weekly meal planning, create my own recipe collections, and create my own shopping list, thanks to such an easy touch screen set up.  But, I digress!

Well, this Pumpkin Butter was a clear winner. It was fairly thick and smooth.  Most of the butters you find elsewhere are loaded with sugar and they are high in carbs, but not this one.  I replaced the regular brown sugar with Sukrin Gold, an all-natural low-calorie alternative to brown sugar with an aroma, sweetness, flavour and texture of brown sugar. 

I've been making this aromatic mixture on a weekly basis and keep it in a mason jar for easy access.  I love to add a spoonful to my goat milk yogurt, but it has become a regular addition to my morning coffee.

What?!?  Pumpkin Spice Americano for a fraction of the cost of going to Starbucks, let alone healthier and tastier?  Sign me up!

The fact that I can use my Thermomix as a kettle, mixer, food processor and to simmer and thicken foods makes it that much more versatile and magical; and that's not all!  I'd love to share more about how this amazing kitchen appliance can rock your world too.  Let's chat!

Had it not been for my time with SPCA, I'd have never adopted my first dog, Buster!  Buster the Beagle was my best friend, my sidekick and he had such a gentle soul.  He was stubborn and challenged me to get him through his separation anxiety.  But he taught me so much more about the meaning of life, happiness, forgiveness and just enjoying the simple things in life.  He came into my life when I most needed him and we went through countless adventures together, including 3 moves.  When it was his time to cross the rainbow bridge, my heart shattered into a million pieces.  It was difficult to comprehend just why he left me, but his time had come to live to be free and wild, chasing rabbits and who knows what else.

Our special friends
A blog post about the fur-balls wouldn't be complete if some of our special four-legged friends didn't make an appearance.

Happy Saturday, folks!  I'm excited to kick off my first blog post by sharing some yummy creations I've made with the help of Rémy, my sous chef!  Wait, what?!?  My very own personal sous chef?  Enter the amazing Thermomix!
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Rémy is still fairly new to my kitchen.  We have gotten to know each other quite well over the past 6 weeks and he just keeps getting better and better every single time.  Quite honestly, he's been an integral part of elevating my cooking. Don't get me wrong, I've loved cooking for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed experimenting and trying new things in the kitchen. But it was time for a change and that change was going to be bring my creations to the next level!

​I don't eat a lot of grains or wheat as I generally follow a lower carbohydrate, higher fat and moderate protein regimen.  As a matter of fact, grains contain a fair amount of lectins, which have been linked to digestive distress and gastrointestinal bloat. Having said that, I do enjoy a little bit of rye sourdough on a weekly basis.  The wild yeast and fermentation process of sourdough has actually proven to help my gut and digestion, as long as I don't overdo it.  Actually, grains are best consumed when sprouted or fermented, and definitely not refined or processed. 

Rémy has made making English muffins a breeze!  Just add your ingredients step by step and watch the magic unfold in front of your eyes.  He weighs out my ingredients as I add them and knows exactly how long to kneed the dough for.  After letting the dough rise with the help of some unfed sourdough discard, I just have to roll it out and use my pastry cutters to make those beautiful English Muffin shapes, then pan fry them in a hot cast iron pan and voila, we have restaurant-quality English Muffins!

But what about the hollandaise sauce, you ask?  I'm stoked to be able to make this delicious creamy sauce from scratch within minutes.  No more packaged and chalky, artificially yellow, powdered nonsense you find on the store shelf.  When I've tried making it from scratch in the past, it was either lumpy or the sauce broke - and trust me - I know my way around the kitchen.  Just add the egg yolks, lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper, push the start button and in less than 15 minutes, you have 5 star thick and silky hollandaise sauce that will make any restaurant chefs come knocking on your door.

And fat is not your enemy! I'm not going to tell you to go out and eat pounds and pounds of butter and bacon, but it doesn't mean you need to avoid these foods either. Did you know that when food manufacturers market their products as being "low fat", they often replace the fat with increased amounts of sugars and other horrible food preservatives?  Fat is what makes food taste good. So go ahead and eat those yummy avocados, put some grass-fed butter on your veggies, consume plenty of sustainably caught wild seafood, opt for the high quality meat like grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry and yes, even a bit of bacon from time to time.  If you can source your dairy and meat from a local farm, you're well on your way to nourishing your body with the best nutrients available to you.  I'm fortunate to be surrounded by some amazing family-run farms that pride themselves in providing ethical and sustainable food sources - it might cost me a little bit more than going to the conventional supermarket, but my health is worth the extra pennies!

I'd love to know what you love to indulge in for your weekend brunches?  Are you an eggs benny fan?