<<First Name>>,

It's that time of year when the days are getting shorter, the temperatures are cooler and there may even be rain or snow in the forecast, depending on where you live. This is the time of year to do a little maintenance in preparation for winter.

A couple of items to address are your cars and your home. With your car, the summers are always hard on your windshield wipers. They get dried out and crack, leaving streaks on your windshield, when used, reducing your visibility. My wife, Elizabeth, asked for some new windshield wipers, just a few weeks ago, for this very reason. They were streaking and not leaving her vision crystal clear to see the road. I am happy to say, I changed out the wipers last weekend on both cars.

Tires are another item to check before the roads are wet and slippery. There are several ways to check your tire tread depth. One way is the penny test. Simply insert a penny into your tire's tread groove with Lincoln's head upside down and facing you. If you can see all of Lincoln's head, your tread depth is less than 2/32 inch and it's time to replace your tires. Once the rain or snow arrives, it is too late to get a new set of tires on your car for your morning drive to work or to drop your kids off at school.

One other item to consider is the roof of your home. When was the last time you had someone check your roof for missing or loose tiles/shingles? Maybe you lost a tile or two in the big wind storm, a few weeks ago, and did not even realize it. With the rainy season a few weeks away, it won’t hurt to make sure your roof is in solid shape, which will prevent any unexpected leaks when it does start to precipitate. Check with a local licensed and insured roofing company to see if you are in good shape for the winter.

My advice is to take the next few weeks to pick up some wipers, check your tires and roof to help keep you safe and dry for when winter arrives.

My wife, Elizabeth, is a Mom, an amazing wife and an incredible chef. She trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She shares a helpful tip below.

We have been on the Keto-ish diet for about 5+ months and still going strong. After a couple of cheat days last month with some yummy French Toast and a couple frozen yogurts, we are getting back on track.  This month, we bring you a great dessert recipe courtesy of Hilda Solares.

Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Donuts

Ingredients:

3 cups almond flour, sifted
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 teaspoons of ground ginger
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of ground clove
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon of sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces of full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cup Swerve granulated sugar substitute (or other sugar substitute)
½ cup Surkin gold (brown sugar substitute or your choice of brown sugar substitute)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
6 large eggs

Keto Maple Icing

1 cup powdered Swerve (confectioners sugar substitute)
2 tablespoons Lakanto Sugar-Free Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
8 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease the donut molds. I used two 6-cavity donut molds at a time and once the first batch was baked, I refilled the molds. If you do not have donut molds, you could use a muffin pan.
Sift together the almond flour, cinnamon powder, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground clove, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat on highspeed using a stand-up mixer or a handheld mixer the softened butter, cream cheese, both sugar substitutes, vanilla extract. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until light and creamy.
Add the pumpkin puree and mix just until well incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time alternating with the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
Using a pastry bag, pipe the cake batter evenly into the prepared donut pan(s).
Bake about 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow donuts to cool in molds for 10 minutes and then unmold and allow to cool on baking rack for another 5 minutes before icing.
 

Keto Cinnamon Maple Icing

In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar substitute (I used Swerve confectioners) and a teaspoon of cinnamon powder and combine well.
Whisk in the 8 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, making sure to fully incorporate the mixture.
Lastly, add the 2 tablespoons of lakanto sugar-free maple syrup and mix well. (Add more heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon at a time, if the icing is too thick.)

Icing Your Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Donuts

You can either dip your donuts facedown into the icing and then place icing side up on baking rack to allow the icing to set or you can opt to just drizzle the icing onto the donuts.

Enjoy!