Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons

(Quote - Ruth Ann Schabacker)

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Time is running out! You have the chance to win a Laptop Lunch or a fun "Ashley's choice" package. You have three chances to win - hop to it! Deadline is Sunday at 6:00 EST.

Speaking of giveaways... The wonderful Elisa at Diary of an Unlikely Housewife was celebrating her blogging anniversary too and I won!! I NEVER win anything so it was quite a pleasant surprise.

This beautiful fascinator is from Kerry at Ten Things. Be sure to check it out because it's full of fabulous accessories and pretty things!! I've been wearing more fascinators and headbands this year and I love them, so I was incredibly happy to add this one to my collection.Thank you Elisa and Kerry!!

I missed posting my WMR (Weekly Meal Recap) this weekend because I was super busy with Ashnaba!

Ashnaba is a group that I sing with and every year we perform in a concert full of eclectic tunes. They are a fantastic group of gals and I have far too much fun singing with them. Our concert was a great success and we even had t-shirts made for the occasion. We always provide refreshments after the show so I made my usual cupcakes and...

Veggiegirl almond fig blondies! They were soooo good. I made a couple of substitutions:

1/2 cup applesauce instead of yogurt
3/4 cup of agave instead of 1 c. sugar
1.5 cups of gluten free flour instead of 1.25 (to account for the extra liquid of the agave)

I loved them. They had a great flavor and texture and they weren't too heavy (like some gluten free baked goods I've had) I really enjoyed the crunch of the almonds and the sweetness of the figs. Joey even liked them, proclaiming "these don't even taste gluten free". One of our guests at the concert was so pleased that I had baked something that was gluten free because she has Celiac. I've come to realize that when you have a food allergy or condition, you come to expect that you'll have to make substitutions and in some cases you'll have to pass things up altogether, so I was quite happy that someone else could safely enjoy a baked good without having to worry about the ingredients.

I want to say thank you to everyone who responded to "What it means to be a part of Gen Y" post. I'm so happy to know that I'm not alone and it's interesting to realize that so many of us are in the same boat. We'll all paddle together and help one another out along the way.

Here are some food pics from the last week and a bit:

Coming up in the next little while...

• My last cooking class!! I'm so sad that this series is coming to an end but I'm so happy with all the recipes, lessons and friends I've made along the way. The last edition of "Making Love in the Kitchen" should be posted on Friday. The theme is Asian inspired & seaweed


• Another trip to the States! Lori and I are venturing across the border this week and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm calling it "Mission: Barney Butter"
  
  
• Boot Camp!! I start on Monday. Pray for me.


• The Heel n Wheel a Thon. To date I've raised $1724!! I would love to bring this total up to $2000. If you wish, you can help me get to it by making a donation here.


• My first public belly dancing performance! I've now been taking classes for a year and I still love it just as much as I did at my first class. I am thrilled at taking all I've learned and putting it up on stage for people!! Being on stage is so much fun for me and it will be great to be doing something different!

If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out my giveaway. Happy Wednesday!