Reading

"STUCK" by Jennie Allen. Such a great book and at the perfect time.  Ready to do work.

"Women are hurting. A lot of us feel stuck. This is not a novel perception- this is human. We are stuck trying to be perfect. Stuck in sadness. Stuck feeling numb. Stuck pursuing more stuff to make us happy. Stuck in something we can’t even name. And most of our stuck places are invisible to the world. Which keeps us from dealing with them.
When I wrote Stuck, I dreamt of creating things that took women to deep places- real places. I think we may have learned so much about God- that we missed actually knowing Him.
I want us to live truth- not just memorize it. And this takes encountering a supernatural God. I pray this study will push you up face to face with Jesus, and in the process you will grow closer to the women around you- going to war with stuck places. The trenches are a good birthplace for the deepest of friendships.
I don’t know that the goal is getting unstuck. Our stuck places are the very places that make us ache for God, leading us to Him and His freedom. God’s never been one to tie up our problems with little pretty bows and send us on our way. We wrestle and as we wrestle on this journey, we depend entirely on him. We are inadequate to fix our lives…. and we have a relationship building God who likes to move in and settle in holes within us that hurt.

I want us to band together as women and grow and live and experience God." - Jennie Allen

Real Pumpkin Spice Latte

PSL is a thing. Yep.  First sign of fall and this Northeaster wants cozy sweaters and a nice hot cup of pumpkin spice latte.  But oh no, not from Starbucks.  Way too sweet for me.

While this is Starbuck's inspired, it resembles it not so much.. this version is much healthier, as sweet as you like and a whole lot of spice and wholesome real pumpkinyess (yes, that's a word). 

Recipe Notes:  
Now while you think the black pepper might be an odd addition.. it is really necessary to cut through the pumpkin and creaminess and give it a bit of edge that I find most delicious. Without it, it's just flat. And, yes there is cinnamon in pumpkin pie spice blend.. but it needs more to make this girl happy. The extra bit just makes it so good. 

Cream vs. Milk..  Some days I make this and simply add it to my regular coffee.  If I do that, I use cream and not as much as if I were using milk.  Now a true latte.. you will want to use 1 cup of milk per serving, so you will need to up that leaving the rest of the recipe the same.   Often that is too much milk for me, I like my coffee to taste more coffee-ish.. so just a little cream will do. 

Also can be made in a big batch and stored in the fridge.  Heat with milk or cream and coffee in a saucepan. Or quickly warm in the microwave, if you're into that, and simply swirl into your ready made coffee or espresso.  

Real Pumpkin Spice Latte  

Serves 2

• 3 T. canned pumpkin
• 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 t. cinnamon 
• 1/8 t. ground black pepper
• 2 T. sugar  
• 2 T. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. half and half OR 2 c. whole milk (see note above)
• strong brewed coffee OR espresso

In a small saucepan over med heat, whisk canned pumpkin and add in spices and sugar.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Add in vanilla extract.  Whisk in cream or milk, depending on your choice of coffee or espresso.  
Strain into coffee or espresso, top with whipped cream & sprinkle of spice. Enjoy. 

The healthy roundup.. Organic canned pumpkin, spices, sugar & vanilla. 

Raw canned pumpkin, add spices and sweetener over med heat.
You can substitute any sweetener you like.  Here I am using raw sugar
but I love to use honey, too.   

Key is to cook the pumpkin and the spices together.
Raw pumpkin is not a great taste, cooked is so much better.
Don't skip this step!

Looking good.. ready to add the cream or milk. 

Cream, half and half, milk.. your choice, whisk it in.
Here I am using half and half.  

Strain this mixture into your coffee. 

Topped here simply with cinnamon.
You could add whipped cream, of course.