Knitted caps to donate to the Knots of Love organization.

While I work, I am often thinking (fantasizing, whatever) about food. Sometimes, I try to come up with ideas of things I can make with ingredients I have on hand.  Sometimes, often after I get excited about something to make, I realize I don't actually have the ingredients on hand that I thought I did. Those times do not rock. This however, was not one of those times. I was planning on make polenta fingers topped with sauteed mushrooms for dinner, but then I remembered I had a half pound of grass-fed beef I needed to cook.

I've never had knishes before, but I've always wanted to try them. I remember reading Judy Bloom novels as a teen, and she often worked Jewish themes into her books. For some reason, the talk about Yiddish and knishes and matzo ball soup seemed so exotic to me. I think it's important to state here that I grew up in a tiny, tiny town in Oregon where cows outnumber people and  wheat fields are everywhere. Also, I really, really wanted to work at the flour mill when I grew up. We didn't have a Jewish deli in the tiny, tiny town, so I didn't have a chance to try the exotic knishes.

It's fall! And fall means happy comfort foods, and all things pumpkin! So when someone posted a recipe for a pumpkin bread with buttercream icing on my facebook wall, I couldn't resist the temptation.  I was out of wheat flour, however, and that almost deterred me. ALMOST. Because I'd been craving something pumpkin-y, I couldn't get this cake out of my mind. So, I mixed some gluten free flour together, and turned the pumpkin bread into gluten free pumpkin cupcakes.  And mini cupcakes.