baking, desserts, DIY, food, gluten free, life, special occasions, thanks

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

gluten free apple pie

Hey everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today, to those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I made some apple pie. Homemade apple pie with a crumble topping. Apparently, this is a Dutch style apple pie because of the top. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

Oh, and did I mention that it is also gluten free?

gluten free apple pie with crumble topping
Based off of the gorgeous photos I took, the apple pie looks like a success. But the camera can fool you. The apple pie tasted amazing, but the look was darker than expected because of the type of brown sugar I used. I should have gotten some light brown sugar, but I was lazy and used what I got on hand in my pantry. I think we can all relate to that feeling.
homemade apple pie with crumble topping
apple pie crumble topping
Why does the crumble topping end up looking like ground beef before it is baked? WHY?
Most of my extended family lives in Canada, so I spent the day with my parents and my sister. We don’t exactly have a traditional American Thanksgiving anyways, but still the day was nice regardless. It was super cold outside, with frost on the ground for most of the morning. The sun was shining brightly through the window. I could hear some of the kids in the cul-de-sac of my neighborhood laughing and playing outside. With the fireplace crackling in the background and a cozy warm blanket on my lap, I had a great Thanksgiving today. 
I am so thankful to have such wonderful, caring, and loving family and friends in my life. I have a great support group, people I can always rely on and turn to whenever times get tough. I am thankful for the good education I am getting from university, as not everyone is as lucky as I am to be able to afford going to school. I am also very thankful for all you guys, you who read my blog and comment and react to what I post. I love waking up every morning and checking my phone to see notifications for new comments on my posts. I love hearing what you guys have to say. I also love discovering new bloggers to follow, and reading what they have to say. 
There’s a lot I am thankful for, but I won’t list it all. First, it’s because that’s very cliche. Secondly, that would make for a long post, which I don’t think you guys would actually want to read. And my third reason is because I don’t save up all my thanks and accumulate it all for one day to give out and share. I try to acknowledge, each and everyday, and to reflect on what I am most thankful for in my life. I think that’s the best way to go. 

homemade gluten free apple pie
On a related note, that apple pie turned out pretty good. People generally think that baking gluten-free goods is too difficult, resulting in a nasty mess. I, however, beg to differ. Gluten-free baking IS NOT that hard! Yeah, it takes some practice to know how to modify recipes, and to really get to know what works and what doesn’t, but it really isn’t too difficult. You just really need to understand what role different ingredients play in baking. 
I would give it an 8 out of 10. Because of that, I think I will make it a second time before posting the recipe. I want it to be perfect before I share with you guys. 
Sorry if I just tempted you and made you jealous by posting these pictures of my pie. Go run to the store if you’re desperate. Trader Joe’s has some awesome apple pie you could probably get if you really want some that badly. Or just visualize it and imagine it in your head. No unnecessary calories that way. Oh damn. I should have done that too, instead of eating all that sugary, apple goodness. Just kidding, visualizing it wouldn’t cut it. 

Tomorrow morning I am planning on going Black Friday shopping. I used to go almost every year, but I didn’t the last two years. I usually spend Black Friday looking for new shoes. This year, I am also looking for some new shoes, but also a good winter coat. Hopefully I will be able to fight my way through aggressive shoppers. I swear I am getting old or something. I used to not be this vulnerable to the cold. I used to be almost immune, wearing a thin shirt and feeling fine. It’s weird.

Anyways, just wanted to share a quick post with you guys. I hope you are all doing well.

Lemme know in the comments below what you are thankful for! I would love to hear what you guys have to say! 

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading!

Til next time,
~A