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I have been painting cupcakes inspired by treats from my  local bakery, Standard Market.   And really loving the fluffy frostings and cute decorations on top of each one.  

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite treats.  I found a new brand called Antidote, which has many flavors with interesting combinations like this dark chocolate with almonds and fennel seeds. I love dark chocolate, which is actually lower in sugar and has some health benefits.  I focus on the health benefits when I want a little treat.  It does have some fat, but it's a treat.  So I don't mind a little bit.

We had a dinner with family at my parent's farm in Wisconsin.  She ordered a Buche de Noel cake which came with candied cranberries on top. It was delicious!   Decorations on a side table. I also went to a German Christkindlmarket in Chicago. One shaped like a tear drop hand painted in Austria with a wolf, some rabbits and birds.  Another from Germany decorated with pearls.

I made pumpkin muffins today.  They were delicious.  I just found a recipe online and embellished it a bit.   I admit the search was not as easy as it used to be.  The top hits were either vegan or gluten free.  I finally found one that looked good.  Then I realized it had coconut oil in it.  I don't mind coconut oil.  I just wanted one with butter and milk, like I grew up with.  I finally searched for "pumpkin muffins with butter and milk" and got a few recipes to choose from.   I then added more cinnamon, more pumpkin puree, candied ginger and half whole wheat and spelt flours.   I am happy with the results.  ...