I want their teachers to love me....Teachers love baked goods.

As veteran mama of six kids and ages ranging from 24 to 7 years old, my favorite love language is food and feeding people.Healthy food. Homemade food. Improvised food. Back to school confession? I send baked goods to my children's teachers in the Fall.Teachers love baked goods. I like to set myself aside and make sure that even if they don't remember my face in a sea of new parents, their taste buds will remember my child's adorable face handing them something delicious for the rest of the year.

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off our first blog post cheering on all the parents sending their kiddos off to school again this Fall. First day photos, racing around the house like crazy people to make sure you get to relive the stress of making the school bell on time.

That funny bone feeling of wishing it was still Summer but also being completely ready to have them back in class. We all deal with adjusting to back to school routines, concerns about their safety and well-being, and sometimes dealing with separation anxiety.

In the fall, I have two things I love to make in particular and I want to share those first!

Being born and raised in Michigan, seasons set the tone of our lives. When the weather turns from Summer to Fall and the days begin to get shorter, the breeze a little cooler and we find respite in front of a bonfire or perusing local orchards to stalk the latest forms of pumpkin, cinnamon anything... it's definitely Fall.

So here are my two favorites! Brazilian Stew and Vegan pumpkin donuts with a maple glaze.

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts

This is the perfect back to school present

for your new favorite teacher.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour. (I love King Arthur's brand)

1 teaspoon of baking soda & 1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt (I always use fine pink Himalayan)

I use 1/4 teaspoon of the following spices, but feel free to play around with this to get your favorite combination!: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice

7 oz. of pumpkin puré which is about half a small can.(We always shoot for organic, yes?)

1/3 cup brown sugar (You can always substitute this with coconut sugar if you like!)

1/3-1/2 cup of vanilla oatmilk. (We love Chobani brand or any oatmilk you can find in "extra creamy"

3 tablespoons of vegan butter (Earth Balance is great!)

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar ( We are obsessed with Bragg's)

1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (or almond extract- it's awfully tasty too!)

For the glaze, I would strongly suggest making a double batch. What is worse than a donut, short on glaze? (Insert gasp..)

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

2 tablespoons of your vanilla oat milk

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Tips and tricks anyone?

a. Remember we've used baking soda and powder, don't overfill your donut sheet or these could be some seriously funky looking donuts.

b. Make sure to grease your pan with that lovely Earth Balance to ensure that they don't stick.

c. Pipe the batter into your donut tray, it's far more manageable!

d. These will go in at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. I'd watch them longingly through your oven door your first time, as every oven is a little different.

e. Let them cool completely before you dunk their fronts into your glaze. This may be the hardest step- because you've been smelling them now for over 15 minutes and you really just want one...

Enjoy!

Brazilian Stew

Brazilian Stew

Ingredients:

3 cans of diced seasoned tomatoes

1 jar of roasted or grilled red bell pepper

2 cans of coconut milk

4 cloves of garlic

1 small onion chopped

1 lbs. of shrimp deveined, cut to your preference of size.

4 limes for juicing

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro- you can cheat and used dried but it definitely changes the "wow" factor.

A pinch of saffron

Let this simmer. Brown the onion and garlic in the tomatoes first.

I let it simmer on low for an hour with the top on. This goes really well with a simple drop biscuit or loaf of rustic bread.

This freezes just fine and is fantastic for meal preppers that want a simple soup that feels like an entire meal.

I hope you love these as much as we do! Stay tuned for next week's blog and recipe.

Warmly,

Emma