GINGERBREAD - PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE with a CIDER GLAZE

I hope that everyone had the most JOY filled Christmas!  I have to say that sharing this Christmas with our sweet family & friends, made it one of the most memorable ever.  I gave myself several good pep talks leading up to the Holidays this year on enjoying the season and taking it all in.  My goal was to be more present in the moment, to be grateful for all God has blessed me with, and enjoy those I so dearly love.  I tried to take focus away from the stress of it all and not get wrapped up in the minor details.  Though my "type A"  got the best of me a few times, all in all, I did much better than years in the past.  I have been finding much pleasure in simplicity lately.  Either I am getting older or wiser, not sure.  Maybe both.  My two favorite details of Christmas were being able to Skype my sister in Dallas, TX & my mom cooking us her first full on Paleo meal!  Which I must add was incredible!  She wanted everything to be "just right" and it was all that and then some!  She made a pork fried rice from the new "Well Fed" cookbook.

I made a new dessert that I had not tried out prior (risky business).  It just happened to be the best dessert I have ever had!  It was seriously good!  Which is why I must document and share it with you all.  I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of the baking process, just the end result.  My hope is to share it with you before the Holidays come to an end so you can make and enjoy it with your loved ones.

One disclaimer I have is that this upside down cake recipe is compliments of http://www.health-bent.com/
I just created the cider glaze which I felt would compliment it well.

GINGERBREAD - PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE with a CIDER GLAZE

Ingredients

• ½ c butter or non-hydrogenated palm shortening, softened
• ¼ c palm or coconut sugar
• ½ c coconut flour
• 5 eggs
• ¼ c molasses
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t powdered ginger
• 1 t ground allspice
• ¼ t  salt
• 2 ripe pears
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 T coconut sugar
• 1 t cinnamon

Instructions
In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition, and then add the molasses.

Add in all dry ingredients/spices.

Cut the pears in half and core out with melon baller. Remove the stems and butts, and cut each half into 4 wedges. In a mixing bowl toss the pears with lemon, sugar and cinnamon.

Place the pear wedges in a starburst pattern around the bottom of your greased 9 inch pan. Pour in the batter and pat down with fingers to fill in all the holes and distribute evenly.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean.

To serve, wait until the cake has completely cooled. Run a knife all the way around the edge of the pan. Place a plate over the top of the pan, and holding the plate with your fingers and the cake pan with your thumbs, flip the cake pan over, and remove gently. The cake will now be right side up.  Allow cake to cool for 35-40 minutes before adding glaze.

CIDER GLAZE

1 cup unfiltered pear or apple cider

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

2 tablespoons grass-fed unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

INSTRUCTIONS

stir together cider, coconut sugar, butter & cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil, continuing for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

When cake is cool gently take a fork and make tiny inserts around top of cake.  This allows the cider glaze to disperse itself evenly.  Then pour glaze over the top of cake and let rest for an additional 30 minutes before serving.

ENJOY, Eat Well & Be Happy!


I will leave you with a few images of my Mom's Paleo Feast!

N'OATMEAL

I worked on this recipe for 2 reasons.  My first reason is to show others that all those "non-Paleo" things you love can somehow be made Paleo.  9 times out of 10 the Paleo version ends up tasting way better than the original food I am trying to imitate.  Not to mention a whole lot healthier...it's a WIN, WIN!  If I had a $$$$ for every time someone told me they could not follow Paleo guidelines because they could never give up oatmeal.....I would be a very wealthy gal. (My mother is one of these sweet, stubborn people.)  Which leads me to reason #2...I used to be one of those oatmeal lovin' freaks!  Y'all know what I am talking about right?  The steal cut, oatmeal sludge, throw together with a pound of flax seed that is oh' so good and comforting? Yes, I too used to be addicted to that same breakfast!  So, I get it.  I next to never think about how I miss oatmeal because I am fully satisfied with a breakfast of meat, eggs, and greens.  However, last week I was creating breakfast with some left over spaghetti squash and much to my surprise came up with something that tasted like oatmeal but better!

On another note, I hope everyone finds themselves well!  I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed this fine Sunday morning at 4:45am.  I had two sweet, squirmy pooches ready to "go pots"....so I thought.  What they really wanted was the freeze dried beef liver treat they get as the reward for "going pots".  I am such a sucker!  Oh' well.  They are so stinkin' cute and impossibly hard to get mad at.  Plus, I secretly love early mornings by myself with Pandora Patty Loveless Christmas music station, the magical twinkle of  Christmas lights, and a large cup of tea.  Heavenly!  It looks and sounds like it is going to be a very windy day here in WI!  Happy Sunday, GO PACKER'S!

N'OATMEAL


Ingredients:

-coconut oil for pan
-1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked squash of choice (I used spaghetti squash)
-2 pastured eggs
-cinnamon (to taste)
-pinch of nutmeg
-pinch of vanilla bean
-pinch of sea salt
-1 tblsp. Chia Seed
-1 rounded tblsp. unsalted/unsweetened Almond Butter

Heat skillet on medium with a little bit of coconut oil.  In a bowl, crack and whisk two eggs.  Then gently stir in squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean, and sea salt.  Add egg/squash mixture to skillet and scramble.  After cooked stir in Chia and Almond Butter.  Enjoy with any of your favorite add in's listed below.

Add In Idea's:

-raisins
-pomegranate seeds
-goji berries
-fresh or frozen berries
-unsweetened coconut
-apples
-maple syrup

ENJOY!  Eat Well & Be Happy!