i’m not gonna lie.
so far, 2018 has been a doozy.
i should have known it would be at the stroke of midnight on new year’s eve. as i was chasing deer mice out of my living room. at the stroke of of midnight. when others were kissing and celebrating, drinking champagne and ringing in the new year. me… mice, brooms, shrieks, and lysol.
then there was the plague. or the flu, as most people call it. we’d already endured the stomach bug. that was december. so immune systems were primed and low for flu #1. yep. each kid. flu #1 times three. that was january. i might also add that flu #1 was also responsible for cancelling a disneyworld trip (that i was even packed for!) during the R&R trip home for my husband. yep… the two weeks of the year he was home. yay. disneyworld. nope. flu. #1.
so if you’re really smart, and i know you are. then you may be expecting flu #2. see, you are smart. and yes. flu #2 came and hit both of my girls. and me. boo. this one didn’t cancel any vacations. but it did earn us a trip to the ER of the children’s hospital and a two-nights stay with my 2 year-old to rule out viral encephalitis. thank you, Jesus, that she was discharged without that diagnosis and is SO much better. hey, and 10 years of parenting and this was my first ER visit with my kids. that was a good run. let’s not do that again for a while.
oh, and between flu #1 and #2, three of our four cats ran away. and i got to have front row seats at the devastating and horrific heartbreak of my 10-year old son.
see, it’s been a doozy.
but i like stories with a happy ending. and i don’t want to sound like a complete whiner. so i must add… 1. my kids are healthy. each of them. (i may have looked into child-size hazmat suits, but i haven’t ordered any.) 2. i could probably be about 1/5 of the way to my nursing degree with my practical nursing experience of those two months. 3. the power of prayer was felt in real time during our stint in the hospital. 4. and as my dad said, “God is still in the business of miracles”… two more kitties showed back at home which brings us back to three furry friends.
i’ve missed you and missed posting here. so now i am back with a delicious recipe for you. this one is easy and fun and it’ll be really hard to keep around very long.
thanks, readers, for your kindness and patience and support over these years. life is a doozy for all of us some of the time, it was just my turn. as always i am grateful for this space, to vent, to celebrate, and to come back to again and again.
#grainfree? easy? delicious? sweet? bread? yep. check em all. check it out- Cinnamon Raisin Pull-Apart Bread. Click To Tweet
Grain-Free Cinnamon Raisin Pull-Apart Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup arrowroot starch
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening such as spectrum
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Combine almond flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Stir in heavy cream until a dough form.
- Turn out dough onto a surface lightly sprinkled with arrowroot starch. Roll dough to a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.
- Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle evenly with raisins. Roll up long side of dough. Cut into 12 slices.
- Stack slices together, placing them a little off of even. Refer to video above for instruction. Sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon
- Bake at 375° for 20-24 minutes or until bread is golden.
- Meanwhile, stir together powdered sugar and water to make a thick glaze that is thin enough to drizzle. (add more water if needed). Drizzle evenly over cooled bread.