Making Room

From: Stock.xchng

It's Christmas season and I think most of us know what this season is truly about. Most everyone knows the story of Jesus and his birth, the three wise men and the shepherds. Most of us know that we should give more and focus on the needy and the poor this season, but do we put it into practice? We all know what we should do, but we don't always do something about it or we figure that someone else is doing it and we don't need to. This is also a season for personal and family drama to add to the stress of our holiday season and it can take the joy right out of the season. This drama can also make giving difficult. I'm reminded of the Christmas story, but I will share with you something that I learned that puts a new spin on the tale we all know.

We all know the story of how Joesph and Mary went to Bethlehem to registrar for the census, but there was no room at the Inn. But how many of us know that the word "Inn" means something else? I didn't believe it at first, but I was in a women's Bible study and it came up. The study that we were doing pointed out that the word "Inn" is the word Katalyma which means guest chamber. Ok, that still fits with the idea of motel like place to stay, but once you get to the meaning of the word and customs of the times, it changes the birth story. Like I said I wasn't sure of this information so I did the research myself. You should always do the research if someone tells you something that you are not sure of, or teaches something in a new way. Make sure it checks out first, and that is what I did here. The word Katalyma does mean guest chamber, but not like a private room at a motel. It means guest chamber like the spare bed room in your own house. The kind of guest room that we all keep for over night guests. This word can also mean dinning room or eating area, which can also be a place for an over night guest to stay.

Now think about what that time must of been like for Joseph and Mary and the customs of the time. Joseph's family belonged to the line of David, the great Jewish King, so they had to go to his home town for the census, this being Bethlehem. Now the image we all think of about this trip is Joseph leading a donkey with a very pregnant Mary riding on along, just them alone. However, they most likely traveled with the rest of Joseph's family. They all had to go down for the census, it would have been more like a big caravan of people all traveling together.  Mary and Joseph may have walked near the rear of this caravan because of the shame they all placed on Mary for being pregnant before her and Joseph were married. This leads into my next point.

Due to the likely hood that they were traveling with family to the place where their family originated from, there is good reason to believe that Joseph's family would have had relatives already living in Bethlehem. Which means that they would most likely stayed with family instead of paying for a motel. Also remember that Joseph's family are carpenters and probably not very well off. The word Katalyma meaning guess room or dinning area highly suggests that Joseph's family would not welcome Mary into their home because of her being pregnant prior to her marriage to her husband. If the child was Joseph's and conceived after their wedding night, his new pregnant wife would have traditionally received the guest room, maybe even the master bed room for the birth. Instead the word Katalyma also means dinning room and that is where either servants or not as welcomed guests would have slept. It is the coldest, most removed part of the house from the rest of the family quarters and the least private. There was no room in the "Inn," remember? which means that Mary wasn't even allowed to sleep on the kitchen floor. They slept out in the court yard or in the barn with the animals. They didn't even let her come in when the labor pains started, they made her give birth outside for all the world to hear and/or see. Jesus's birth was a humiliating experience for his poor mother. The King of Kings came into this world in a very humbling way.

Adding in the family drama and emotion that must of surrounded the birth of our Lord, adds a whole new level to the our understanding of this popular story and what kind of life experience Jesus had on this earth. Jesus had this kind of humbling birth so that he could identify with all of man kind, the lowest of all. We are mostly all born in hospitals, but what about third world countries or the poor in our own country? Could they not relate to this more in depth version of The Birth story? Jesus came to serve, but to serve he had to understand to lower him self to our level, and not just our level but the lowest level. A shamed teenage girl, pregnant, not married, forced to give birth in a barn, and that is the birth story of our Lord.

Hearing this newer version of The Birth story makes me what to do something kind. I think of poor Mary and my heart aches wanting to be there at that time and offering her something, anything that would have made this birth more comfortable. But I think that is the point, to take these feelings and turn them into actions. I could wish for all the world to change Mary's experience, or I could turn around and help someone in need now.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

When I reach out to help someone, either by donating toys, clothes, food or my time I am giving to Jesus. I am doing those kind heart felt deeds to my God. I am fulfilling that desire inside me and doing something good too. I hope you all find time this Christmas season to spread some good and to continue doing so as we enter into a new year. Teach your kids to do the same and let's make this a season where we do what we should and not think about what we ought to be doing.

Here is a You Tube video that captures some of what I was talking about and puts it into a more modern feel.

SOL Sunflowr Milk Review

While shopping at my local health market I went to buy my usual dairy free milk, hemp milk. However, I noticed a new product on the shelves, SOL Sunflower Seed Milk. It was half the price of the hemp milk and since we love Sunbutter I thought why not try it.

Nutrition wise it's pretty good, much better then rice milk, and even some soy milks. It's not as good as hemp, but not too bad. It's a little darker in color then hemp and it does have a nutty flavor. However, the flavor isn't over powering or too strong. I've used it in soups, baked goods, and on cereal and it tastes just fine. I tried just the original I thought it was a bit sweet, but it only has 1 gram of sugar, much less then most rice and soy milks. I might try the unsweetened, but the original is fine too. I might need to not put it on sugary cereal. My daughter doesn't mind the taste of it at all, which is a very good sign.

Over all, I probably buy it again when the food budget is tight or my hemp milk is gone (which is often).

Oven Baked Doughnuts

Since going gluten free I haven't had a doughnut in what seems like ages. I saw this pan in a Bed Bath and Beyond catalog and I thought it was a good idea. I went to the store and checked out this pan that says it makes doughnuts in the oven. I love the whole concept of it: simple, no frying, and the pan is dishwasher safe. It came with some recipes, but I was able to make it gluten free. The add in the catalog said it could be made with any cake mix, although the packaging said nothing of the kind. However, I still think you could use a GF cake mix to make doughnuts in this pan, I haven't tried it yet, but I bet Namaste's Spice Cake mix would be awesome as doughnuts. I've made these regular and chocolate and my family just loves them. My daughter can finally have doughnuts.

Doughnuts
2 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix
3/4 cups sugar (I used brown sugar)
2 eggs
2 Tbs oil
3/4 milk of your choice ( I used hemp or soy)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs cocoa powder (optional for chocolate doughnuts)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Mix together batter until well combined. Spray doughnut pan with lots of cooking spray, it has a nice coating on it, but the oil is very important, it's what makes the doughnuts have that nice doughnut fired like texture and it helps them rise. You'll have to spray your pan for each batch. Fill the pan cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake doughnuts for 9 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before taking them out. Put on glaze or powdered sugar. Makes 12-14 doughnuts.

A Word of Advice from a Grocery Store Manger

Finding gluten and even lactose free foods these days is becoming fairly easy to find with very little hassle, or at least once you find the right store or combination of stores. I normally try to go the the health store every other week to get all of my produce, meat, dairy free products and gluten free flours. Then I go to Super Target or Kroger store to get paper goods, shampoo, pet supplies, and cheep gluten free cereal. I have also learned that not all stores are the same, even those apart of a chain. The best Super Target for me is a bit further away then the one that is down the street. Also the best Kroger for gluten free products is closer to church then our home. The health store is right down the street so that is really convenient. However, there is a grocery store right across the street. When it's nice out I'll walk over there to get milk for my daughter or eggs when we run out mid week, but they hardly have any selection of gluten free or dairy free items. For those who must know it's an Albertsons. However this could apply to any store in your area, since they are all different.

My husband made a quick trip over there the other day and asked where he could find hemp milk. The manager replied saying they only had soy or rice milk. My husband continued on to ask why there wasn't a big selection of dairy free or gluten free products in the store. To his surprise the manager got passionate about the subject - in a good way - and his eyes started to well up with tears. Apparently he has have been trying to get the whole chain of Albertsons' stores to expand their product line to include gluten and dairy free products, or change vendors, but having little to no success. He says that they email and beg their chain leaders to include these products, but they won't budge. You know why? Because they don't have consumer support.

The manager went on to explain that it is only when the consumer takes the steps necessary to request items that they get bought by the chain.  However, the consumer must take the right steps. Now most of us have gone up to the service counter and asked for gluten free items or for a particular brand, but there is more to it then just asking. Here are all the required steps:

1. Ask for the products that you want to see at the customer service desk or talk to a manager
2. Fill out a formal request form
3. Fill out the survey that is printed on the bottom of your receipt

I'm sure some of us have done all 3 steps, but I'm sure most of us haven't, especially the third. It's that internet or paper trail that comes with steps two or three that makes it's way up the desks of district and regional supervisors, maybe even higher. So next time you go to the store, don't toss that receipt aside, find time to sit down and do the survey. I know it can be hard to fill out the formal request at the store when you have your kids with you, but you can at least do the online survey at your won convenience.

Celiac's are a group of people that let their voices heard, we have accomplished much as far as more availability in grocery stores and restaurant menus, but if you are like me and are finding yourself driving all over town just to get a weeks worth of shopping done, wouldn't it be nice if the store down the street had everything you need and at the right price too? There is still work for us to do to get the word out. We might be reaching the ears of our local store managers, but not their bosses and there bosses. But take heart; your local store manager might be on your side, more so then you thought before. We are valued customers.

Tofu Pumpkin "Cheese" Cake with Ginger Snap Cust

From Stock.xchng

 I love making things that have a surprise ingredient in them that make them super healthy. One of the ingredients that I like to use the most of this is tofu. It is very healthy and it takes on what ever flavors you put it with. So it makes for a great secret ingredient. I think tofu makes for a great alternative to cream cheese and I am always trying to make it into some sort of cheese cakes. This recipe is one that I have perfected and everyone loves. I made this three times last Thanksgiving season. I brought it to scrap-booking night and all of the ladies said they were trying to watch their waistline when they saw my pie. I told them this is practically health food and to go ahead and enjoy. After a few of them gave in and took a few bites they were amazed how great it tasted and wanted to know what made it so healthy. I told them it was made with tofu. Before I know it they all had a slice and some of them had two. The host asked for the recipe and made it for her own Thanksgiving dinner. She said it was the best pumpkin pie she has ever had. My daughter loves it when I make this pie, she loves to lick the beaters.

One important note, I have a deep dish pie pan. If you don't have a deep dish pie pan just double the crust recipe and make two pies.


Tofu Pumpkin "Cheese" cake with Ginger Snap Cust 

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Crust
1 1/2 -2 cups ground gluten free ginger snaps ( I used MI-DEL but you could make your own)
1 Tbs butter or shorting slightly melted

Ground ginger snaps in a food processor or in a freezer bag and beat with a rolling pin. Mix with butter and pat into a 9 inch pie dish that has been greased. Use a measuring cup to pat the crumbs into place. Bake for 7 mins. Let cool before adding filling.

Tofu Pumpkin Filling
14oz silken tofu
1 small can pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp pumpkin seasoning
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Drain tofu if it comes in water. With whisk whip tofu until almost smooth (as smooth as you can get). Add sugar and whisk some more till well combined. Add pumpkin and seasoning, except xanthan gum, and mix will. Add xanthan gum and mix for about 30 sec. Pour onto your crust and smooth the top. Bake for 60-70 mins. Center will still jiggle after it comes out, but will set as it cools. The edges should be golden and start to bubble. Let it set for at least an hour before serving.

Cranberry Sauce

From Stock.xchng

As I stated in my blog yesterday, I wasn't a very big fan of cranberry sauce until recently. I use to love the kind that came in a can and you couldn't get me to touch the real thing with a 10 foot pole. Then one year my husband's company had a Thanksgiving potluck at work. He signed up to bring cranberry sauce. I asked him if he wanted canned or homemade. He settled for homemade. I had never made cranberry sauce from scratch before but I had just seen a show on TV that made it look easy, so I gave it a try, but made up my own recipe of what I thought would be good. I just threw some things in a pot with the cranberries and cooked it until it looked done. I didn't try it and I sent it with my husband to his work party. He came home and said he was a hit. There was none left and everyone said it was the best cranberry sauce they've ever made. So I wrote down what I did. Next year at Thanksgiving I made if for my family, and again it was a big hit. It gets requested every year and I now eat cranberry sauce. We use it instead of gravy and it is awesome on turkey. 


Cranberry Sauce
1 bag of cranberries that have been washed
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp salt
1/3-1 cup sugar*

Put the cranberries into a 2 quart pot and add juice, water, salt, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Once boiling bring down to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Once berries have popped and let out their juice taste test and add sugar and stir. Keep cooking the cranberries till they have reduced by half, this should take about 20-30 mins. The sauce should be a deep red and syrup like in texture. Fish out the cinnamon stick and serve.

* The amount of sugar depends on the tartness of the berries. I've had to add 1 1/2 cups for 1 bag of cranberries, but than only needed 1/3 cup for 2 bags. I used organic this time around so that might have made the difference. Just add a little bit of sugar at a time till it is the sweetness you like.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I think I know someone who is ready for some turkey.

Thanksgiving is a week a way. As a person with Celiac I've never been very found of this holiday. Growing up I didn't like cranberry sauce unless it was the jelly kind in a can, I didn't like sweet potatoes, and I can't understand how someone can serve jello as a said dish and call it a salad. I just wasn't a big fan of Thanksgiving foods, until I went gluten free. Now I like all the foods that are served on this important holiday. I've learned to like cranberries and sweet potatoes, and parts of me miss the stuffing, but there are so many good things that are served on our holiday table that I really get excited about. I love Thanksgiving now because I get to spend it with my sister's family and her kids. We all have the same food allergies so we make a complete allergy free meal that everyone likes. My daughter gets to play with her cousins, which is so fun for me to see because I hardly had any holidays with my cousins. I think another reason why this holiday is such a success is that we've completely redone the menu. 

I stumbled upon this poem in an old children's book that made me rethink the food aspect of Thanksgiving. It's called The First Thanksgiving by Margaret Junkin Preston, you can read it by clicking on the tittle. I'm not sure how historically accurate this poem is and I doubt that it is, but Preston did her homework. She names all the traditional food that the Pilgrims might have uses to celebrates special occasions back in their home country and then list all the foods that William Bradford (the first Governor or Plymouth Rock) states they will use instead that can be found in their new home. I think it is brilliant, and makes complete since, how that Pilgrims used what they could find to give God thanks for their first year of survival. They went against the traditions they were use to because they could no longer eat certain foods, not because they couldn't eat them physically, but because they couldn't find them physically. It makes me wonder if we are doing the original preparers of the first Thanksgiving a dishonor by sticking to the foods we think they ate. Considering they most likely had fish and pheasants instead of turkey, and I really doubt they had sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. 


So we do things a little differently for our menu then what is traditional by modern standards. We still have our turkey, but it is range free and organic (probably more authentic compared to the turkeys in the stores). We also have cranberries, but not in a can, and something made with sweet potatoes. No stuffing, but we'll have miso squash rolls. No jello as a salad, but we'll have a very healthy salad with fruits or safe nuts made with a light homemade dressing. Maybe a veggie tray for the kids since they like them raw. We'll still have pumpkin pie, but it might be crust-less with tofu whip. My sister might add some salmon because that is what her kids like. It's not too far from the traditional, but it amazes me how some people get so attached to having the same foods every years. I've tried to have Thanksgiving with other family members and they get so upset if they can't have something that can't be made allergy free. When this happened and it happened last year, it made me stop and think about how so many of us put so much stress on the food and about making the food that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is lost. I think if we could go back in time we might see just how nontraditional the first Thanksgiving is compared to our modern standards.

So lets take a lesson form the Pilgrims and form Paul the apostle and give thanks and celebrate all the many ways God has blessed us in the past year and for the hope that we have. "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Phil 4:11b. So no matter if you've had a difficult year or a great year, give thanks with what you have and be thankful, be content. Don't stress if their won't be any stuffing on the table this year or if you can't have whipped cream on your piece of pie, be thankful for all the things that you have and give thanks to God "...but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Tim 6:17b. And always "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil 4:4

New Twist on the Birthday Cupcake

For my daughter's birthday I wanted to jazz things up a bit but make things easy for me as well. So I made my traditional Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes but I did them in a new way. A friend of mine made these for her daughter's birthday and I thought it was a great idea. Ice cream cone cupcakes. What's not to love? They don't need a wrapper and it's a novel idea. I had the kids decorate their own and they had a blast. I put down a base layer of frosting and then they did the rest.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Follow recipe from Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
Gluten free ice cream cones

Here's how to do the rest. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place the cones in a muffin tin and secure with tin foil to keep them upright. Use a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to spoon into the ice cream cones. With the small scoop it was two scoops per cone. Bakes for 30-45 minutes. They take a long time. The normal recipe takes more time then normal none pumpkin cupcakes, but with the cone they take even more time. So check them every 10 minutes after the standard baking time with a toothpick. It is done with the top is solid and the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Take out of the oven and let them cool out of the muffin tin. Makes 14.

Red Robin Review

In my Socially Gluten Free with Kids blog I mentioned how much I liked Red Robin. They are one of the very few restaurants that have a kid friendly gluten free menu. Most restaurants just offer pizza or mac n cheese for kids that are of course not GF. So for family gatherings we frequent Red Robin. I love the fact that they put our special ordered fries and food in yellow baskets instead of their normal red ones so we know that our food is safe. I love that I can eat a burger there, it's always protein style -wrapped in lettuce. I also love their service. The wait staff has always been nice and helpful when we take our time ordering our food. I've had them catch my mistake of not requesting GF fries with my protein style burger more then once before and they take care of it right away.

It's not unknown how Red Robin takes care of their GF customers so that is why I've never written a review on them before. However, this weekend we went to celebrate my husband's and daughter's up coming birthdays with family and I was shocked when I went to order my food. As I went through the normal routine of requesting GF fries and protein style burger, our waiter interjected to let me know that they now carry GF buns! What a delightful surprise! So I ordered mine with a bun and my daughter's burger with a bun too. It was so nice to eat a burger on a bun just like everyone else. I always feel like I have to be careful when ordering my burger protein style because it leaks if I get one of their burgers that comes with a sauce and I have secretly wished they had GF buns so I could order one of their messy burgers like the Red Robin Royal that comes with a fried egg on top.

The bun was very nice. It wasn't hard and it didn't fall apart either when wet, even my daughter's left overs didn't get soggy while sitting in mandarin orange juice over night. It didn't have much of a distinct flavor which was also nice. I could tell it was make with a lot of starch with how fluffy it was, but they also toasted the bun and that helped with texture. It was made with yeast, but sometimes you can't be too picky. It was so nice just to have a burger on a bun. Next time I'm ordering a burger that is messy like the Royal or the mushroom or the avocado one. This time I just got the bacon burger which was good.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe is a happy accident.  I wanted to make cookies and just started playing with a recipe that went into a different direction and now I have muffins and they taste good, toddler approved too. This recipe is very much a happy accident because I will be working a women's conference all weekend at my church which means no time for breakfast and I'll have to bring my own food. They will be serving lunch at this conference, but I can't eat it of course, and I'll be having rehearsal during part of the lunch hour. So these muffins are just what I needed for a grab and go breakfast or snack. I hope you enjoys these muffins.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
3 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix (or your favorite flour blend)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree (I used pumpkin I processed myself so you might need to add some water)
1 stick butter or butter substitute
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cream together butter, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add pancake mix, pumpkin pie spice, salt, cocoa, and beat until well combined. Line muffin tin with paper liners and fill each liner 3/4 of the way full. I used a mini ice cream scoop and it took about 2 scoops of batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the fullest muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before eating. Makes 12-16 muffins.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

It's fall and who doesn't love all things pumpkin? I know I do. I have the pumpkin Scentsy going and we have pumpkins all over the place waiting to be either carved or cooked. I love fall. I just love the colors on the trees, and leaves on the ground that give a stratifying crunch when stepped on, and the smell of warm spiced things coming from the oven. I also look forward to our churches Halloween alternative event. It's so much fun for kids and parents. They have bounce houses, magic show, balloon animals, and candy. The kids get to dress up and some of the parents do too. I think dressing up, carving pumpkins and getting free candy is fun. As long as we keep away form the scary side of Halloween and just focus on the fun parts of it, I feel that it's ok. Last year I carved Bob and Larry, from Veggie Tales on our pumpkin and made these pumpkin cookies. This year we might just paint the outside of our pumpkin so we can cook it later. As far as these cookies go, you can put the chocolate chips on like I did as jack-o-lanterns or you can mix them into the dough like chocolate chip cookies.

I used the sugar cookie recipe from Land O Lakes web site.
http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/632/fun-time-butter-cookies-gluten-free-recipe

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies 
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, soft ( I used Earth Balance Vegan dairy free butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 -1 can of pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups GF flour blend
Enjoy life chocolate chips
cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400.
Flour blend as stated in the recipe. Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using.

Blend sugar, butter and pumpkin till smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium speed till well mixed. Shaped dough into 1 inch balls ( I used a small ice cream scoop). On a grease baking sheet, flatten balls with the bottom of a glass cup dipped in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place chocolate chips on the cookie in the shape of a jack o lantern. Bake for 8 mins.

Cauliflower, Potato, and Apple Soup

A lot of things have been changing, it must be that season of life. Not only are the leaves changing, the air is cooler, and the days are getting shorter, but my husband's work has taken a turn - for the good. The hard challenges that we have faced is the past year or so are almost over, but his new career means a lot of traveling. It will be good for our family just like how the changing of the seasons are good for our world. It won't be easy, but this is a time that God has called us to and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Sometimes that is easier said then done. Some hate the coming snow, others relish in it like my daughter does.

I sure can learn alot from my daughter, she is one of the few that can see the beauty in every season. Summer is perfect for swimming and playing outside, fall is best for playing in leaves and coloring on pumpkins, winter is best for snow angels and sledding, spring is fun to explore nature waking up from it's cold sleep, and that brings us back to summer. I prefer fall or spring, those are my favorite seasons. I'm not sure why. I think it might because I love the the drastic change that from the seasons before.  As much as this new season in our lives may not be my favorite it will own new doors and opportunities that our family may not experience otherwise. God's timing is perfect and he knows our hearts desires best and his way often not only brings about our hearts desires, but it brings them about in a way that our own imaginations couldn't possibly fathom. It may not be the way we would do things, but our God is the God above all and he sees things in a way we can't. So it may not be my idea, but God's ideas never fail unlike ours.

Speaking of different ways of doing things, this recipe was inspired by potato soup. I love potato soup, so simple and you can top it with so many wonderful things from chopped ham to salsa. This recipe you can top it in the same fun way as a potato soup, but it has some hidden nutrition. I hope you like this soup as we have. It also freezes well and keeps for a while.

Cauliflower, Potato and Apple soup
5-7 medium potatoes peeled and chopped to be the same size
2 heads of cauliflower chopped
2 apples peeled and chopped, I used golden delicious
1/2 box of low sodium veggie broth
2+ cups of water
squeeze of a lemon
1 Ts parsley
1 Ts chopped onion
1 Ts fennel seeds
1/4 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts ground ginger
1 stick butter
cream or milk ( I used hemp) to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Add potatoes to pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking till they are slightly soft. Add broth and cauliflower at this point and add more water if you need to, to cover veggies. Bring to low boil. Add lemon, parsley, onion, fennel, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper at this time. Once cauliflower is tender and the potatoes are very tender add apples and lower the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 20 to 30 mins. with the lid on. 

Take the soup off the heat and blend until smooth in a blender. Add back to the pot and put it on low heat and add butter and cream. Serve. This makes a lot, enough for freezing.

Media Fast: Lessons Learned

Near the end of August on my Facebook page I mentioned that I was doing a media fast, mostly fasting Facebook. I of course still blogged and uploaded my writings on Facebook, as for my personal page, I kept pretty quite. Some of my friends have asked me to share what I have learned over the past 40 days, and since sharing my faith and my lessons learned as I draw near to God fit well on this blog, I thought I write about this once and make it easy for myself.

As some of you know my family and I are going through a hard time. I've mentioned in previous posts the need to pinch pennies and make simple meals. Times are really hard right now for our family, we've been hit hard my the economy downfall. So many of my lessons learned deal with trusting God, standing firm and relying on His strength. During this time I studied Paul the apostle.I started reading his writings before this fast and I am still working through them. I chose the writings of Paul because he is such in inspiration to me. Here is this man who thought he had the world all figured out, he was the ideal Jew. Then God struck him off his horse, made him blind for a few days and spoke to him. Talk about life changing experience. He went from the hater and murder of the early Christian church to one of it's best and strongest leaders. I must point out that he had his coming to Jesus experience (to use the phrase) after Jesus rows into heaven after the resection. He didn't have the advantage of knowing Jesus first hand like Peter, John, Matthew, James, and the other apostles did. He learned to know Jesus the way us modern Christians do. He was 110% sold out for Christ. His was extremely prosecuted for all of his work in the early church, yet that didn't stop him. Most of his letters that we have in the Bible were written while he was in prison. As much as I had already know how passionate Paul was for Jesus I learned so much from his writings. Every time I sat down to read from his books the passages seemed to jump of the page and smack me up side the head. Those verses were so pointedly placed so that they would strike me the way they did during this time in my life. I want to share those verses with you today. These verse have changed so much about how I view life and the troubles that come with it.

Phili 1:20 "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death"

This passage stuck me as odd as first. I've always viewed Paul as this larger then life Christian and here he is hoping that he will not be ashamed and have courage to die or live for Christ. Wow! I know those feelings and thoughts, but the difference is that Paul nips these feelings in the butt and puts things in proper prospective. I hope that I too can live or die for Christ that will be shameless, yet courageous for His cause.

Phili 1:27 "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."

How often to I do things when no one is looking or think things and think that because it is in my head all is fine? Too often. God knows and sees all, there fore I am not alone nor I am being secretive, except with myself. Also when life throws a big challenge my way I should act maturely and trust in God, not a baby who is having a temper tantrum. 

Phili 2:12-13 "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Our God is a big God, he not only knows all, but He is powerful and should be respected. Our times of trouble is him working out our imperfections to make us better so we can serve Him better.

Phili 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing."

Do I really need to say more?

Phili 3:8-11 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

We must keep our eyes on the eternal prize when dealing with life and all of it's hardships.It's easy for me to wish for more money so we can someday buy a house or a newer car or even take a much needed vacation. Yet, all those things will parish and be lost forever (Psalm 49), where our eternal rewards are well...eternal. They will never be lost or perish. We have the promise of everlasting life, which is far better then having a nice house for a few decades on earth. I rather live in God's house.

Phili 3:21 "who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

Now only does Christ have the power to resurrect our bodies, but he has control over everything. Let me say that again..He has the power to control Everything! Not something, or a few things, but Everything! Rejoy!

Phili 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This verse is one of my new life verses. It is so good! This verse teaches us not to worry, and how to ask for things. I find that the eye to asking for our requests to God should also include thanksgiving. How often is that when I pray it's "God I want this..." or "God I would really like it if this....happened." Instead it should be with thanksgiving, praise and worship. We must take the time to slow down and see all the small and wondrous things God does for us on a daily bases. Lets give God our thanks, he so deserves it more then what we can offer. Also, I love Love the part about the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Jesus. During troubled times it is easy to feel depressed and to lose our heads in the craziness of life, yet when we ask God (with our thanksgiving) that we get the peace of God and it will protect our hearts and minds and in Jesus! Boy do I need that everyday. Putting on the armor of salvation (Eph 6) is one things, but when life throws us a curve ball sometimes we need Jesus to cover our hearts and minds from the evil thoughts that creep up during the day that can easily throw us into despair.

Phili 4:12 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Working on it....

Phili 4:18-19 "I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

 When we give it is a fragrant offering to God. Think about that...when we give someone hand-me-down clothes to someone in need, or deliver a meal or write a check what we are doing is a fragrant offering to God. How beautiful is that? Can we all be more giving? We have been so blessed that people have reached out to us in our time of need and given us so many things to help us keep our pantry full, rent paid, and our child clothed. All of those gifts were fragrant to God. May God bless every single one of those people 10 fold.

Col 3:1-4 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Isn't that just beautiful? My life is hidden in Christ...wow!

Col 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

This verse is a great reminder for my media ministry at church. What I do is so behind the scenes that sometimes I wonder if anyone ever takes notice of it and if I'm doing any good. This verse proves that I am doing good with my media ministry.  Christ sees what I do and if I do it with a pure heart and with the right attitude then I will receive my inheritance from God. As stated before, this inheritance lasts forever!

Thess 1: 3 "your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ditto the above statement.

Thess 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

He is the potter, I am the clay. All that I go through is His will so that I may better serve Him. This is the will for my life. I don't want to be anywhere else. I want to be in God's will. His will is perfect, there is no fault. One of the many themes in Paul's writings is that he boasted about his trials. He said that they were proof that we has preaching the gossip for Christ's sake, not his. He did what he could to make sure that the people he was preaching to knew that he was not in it for the money or the earthly glory. There were people who were preaching the gossip but doing it in a way to gain money or pride. Paul didn't do that. He suffered greatly to bring the work of God to Mediterranean countries. The world hates us, it hated Jesus first and it will stop at nothing to make sure we don't succeed in our efforts to bring Christ to the world. If any one thinks that being a Christian is a easy ride through life and that we are not meant to suffer is dead wrong. If being a Christian was to have an easy life, everyone would be saved, everyone would sign up in a heart beat, but that is not the case. Christ died on the cross for us, a horrible death, to make atonement for our sins. The least we can do is dedicate our lives back to him. Remember to live is Christ and to die is gain?

Jam 1:2-5 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. "

I hope you all have gleaned something for the insights that I learned in the past 40 days. I am still being molded by my Creator and I'm sure I am not done yet. Things are still difficult for my family, but we are in the palm of God's hand and that is where I want to be.

‎"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Mini Pizzas

I love the idea of making mini pizzas. When I first learned to cook, at the age of eight, the first recipe I could make on my own and had memorized was mini pizza's using pre-made biscuits. For some reason I just have never attempted mini pizzas since going GF. I thought the pancake mix would work well, it makes great biscuits, so why not mini pizzas? It worked great. It was nice and fluffy like the pre-made biscuits and it could withstand the toppings without getting soggy.  Plus they are perfect for little hands and mouths, and quick enough for a weeknight meal.

And what little kid doesn't like pizza? If my picky eater is in one of her no eating funks I know what what will cure it in a heart beat - pizza. As I've said before, we love pizza. My husband is an awesome pizza maker, gluten free and non. I love making pizza too, in fact it's a family affair these days. My husband either helps me make the dough or he does it, if he isn't home, which is frequently with his new job, I make it. My main job has always been the sauce. We both help with toppings and my daughter's job is to eat the cheese before it makes it to the pizza and help place the toppings. For these mini pizzas we did two types of toppings - all cheese for my daughter, and sauteed tomato and onions for mine and my husbands.



Mini Pizzas
1 cup Pamela's Pancake Mix
1 egg
1 Tbs oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix pancake mix together with egg, oil, and seasoning. Slowly add water and mix. The batter should be thick but not stiff. Spoon 6 dollops of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet and smooth into 4 inches rounds with a spatula or a big spoon. Bake the dough for 10-15 minutes, until the the crusts are lightly golden brown. Then take them out of the oven and put on sauce and favorite toppings. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Makes 6 mini pizzas.

Thirty-One Gifts: New Lunch Bag Review

For people with celiac disease or any other type of food allergies, bringing our own food with us everywhere is part of daily life. I don't mind bring my own food everywhere we go, because I rather not be a bother. I want to enjoy the company of those around me, instead of making them feel bad that they didn't bother to make something for me to eat. Plus if we are at a party, I may never know until we get to the party what we can have and what my daughter will want to eat. I can try to predict what she will want to have, but I'm usually wrong - all the more reason to bring our own food just in case she is being picky.

For the last few years I've been carrying our food in the same travel insulated bag: a black Enfamil formula bag that I got at the hospital the day my daughter was born. It was great when my daughter was smaller. It held a bottle and homemade baby food really well, ice pack and all, but as she started to eat more and the need for me to bring two meals everywhere it became obsolete. We have other insulated lunch bags, but they could only hold meals for at least two people and the walls were very thick, so they took up space, but they didn't have much space inside for food. If we ever wanted to go on a picnic we would have to bring two lunch bags for just the three of us. Between diaper bag and purse, adding two lunch bags to the load was becoming a bit too much.

About a month ago I won a gift certificate from Thirty-One Gifts. I've heard of them, but didn't even know what products they carried. I was excited to see that all of their products were tote bags or home good type stuff that are very cute and super chic. I really like that this company is based on Christian morals. The name of the company is after Proverbs 31, which is about the ideal Godly woman (if you read it please note that she has help). This is another one of those home sales companies, but it's good to see this one has a solid foundation. This company may only be several years old, but I can see them being around for a long time. They have lots of great products, and changing fashions will keep their items fresh. They also have stuff for the men in your lives. Maybe one of these days I'll get one of their aprons with the CTC logo.
 
So, when I was looking at their catalog for the first time, I was kind of in the market for a new purse until I came across the Thermals section of the catalog. I knew what I wanted. I got the Thermal Tote, it's 9.5 H x 14 W x 4.5 D. The walls are insulated and are great for keep things hot or cold, plus they are thin so I can really cram stuff in there. There is a nice big pocket on the front, perfect for napkins or stevia packets. It folds up flat for easy storage too, no big bulky lunch bags taking up space in my pantry anymore.

Two meals worth packed for a picnic, with room to spare.

 I love the fact that I can choose my own fabric and I even got our initial embroidered on the front too.  I got the Circle Spiral fabric because it's bright and funky, and I like funky. I thought the bright fabric would be great if for some reason we ever forget it some where. I could easily identify it from far away, plus it has our initial on it so that will help if I ever have to report it missing. They have several different kinds of thermal totes, in all different sizes so you can choose the one that best fits your family. I'm so excited that I got mine just in time for the holiday season, this will be perfect for all of those Christmas parties.

What I Decidied to do (in respose to Tuesday's post)

If you missed the post that this is in response to you can read it here. 

So I went to MOPS. It was ok. The classroom teachers for the kids didn't know what gluten was, but they said my daughter did a good job of her snack. I'm not sure what they meant by that since it seems that she ate very little of her snack, but they did say she ate her own snacks. She seemed to have a lot of fun in her class, so that is a big plus. I only had fruit to pick from which is ok, but not great since I had to skip breakfast to get there on time. It was fun and all the ladies seemed really nice and it was nice to reconnect with some friends that I haven't talked to in a long time, but I'm not sure I'll be back.

My biggest complaint is that there was too much focus on fun and socializing then prayer and spiritual growth. They didn't even pray over the meal. I find that a turn off if MOPS is suppose to be a Christian organization. The last MOPS I was a part of wasn't great about that either, but at least there was prayer for the food. As a a mom I find social time and fun things to do away from my kids relaxing and rejuvenating, but I want my spirit to be fed too. That is why I joined a Bible study after my last MOPS experience. I'm sure their are MOPS groups that focus on God more then others, I just wish they all did. I know part of the whole MOPS thing is to witness to moms who may not be going to church and in hopes that they will make the church that MOPS is hosted in their home church, but if their is no Christ in a Christian moms group then what is the point?

If any of you out their go to MOPS I hope that your group has a good balance of fun and God in their meetings, but if not and it is more like what I keep running into I hope that maybe their is something you can change or suggest to bring God back into more of the focus of your group.

The reason I wish God was more the focus of these groups is because as a mom I find it very difficult to find quite time in my crazy noisy day to read my Bible and to pray, so that is why I wish these mom groups would make this the focus. Relationships with other moms is important but my relationship with God is the most important relationship I could ever have, so why can't I find a moms group that feeds both my desire to connect with other moms while feeding my desire to know my Creator better? I'm going to try out another moms group tonight at my church. I think the focus of this group is how to find that quite time as a busy mom and how to teach our children about God at a tender and young age. Which I think will be awesome because these have been questions I've been asking so many parents and haven't found the answers to yet.

I think getting connected in a group that can be your support in life and in growth in God is supper important I hope you all can find a group that meets both of those needs and if you aren't in one yet, I encourage you to find one.

National Celiac Disease Awarness Day- Food for Thought

Today is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day and I felt like a heel of a blogger to not have any content to write in honor of our big day. Then as the day went by and something came up that now has me typing away just a few hours before our national awareness day is over, but hopefully it will be food for thought that will spur changes necessary in time for next years Celiac Disease Awareness Day.

Today I was invited to go to a MOPS group that starts tomorrow. I was once apart of MOPS and even involved in the leadership of this group at my church almost 2 years ago. When I first went I was pregnant with my daughter and hadn't learned about my healthy issues with food yet. When I left the group my daughter was turning one and I was just beginning my new life style and my daughter's issues with gluten were still unknown. If was difficult those few months when I was still attending MOPS and had gone GF. I was on the planning committee by then and I remember requesting that everyone who brings food put a list of what was in each item they brought. My request fell on deaf ears.

Please understand I have nothing against MOPS, I'm just using this as an example.

When I left MOPS I joined another women's group that was a Bible study. I really enjoyed that group. I loved sitting with women who were well seasoned in their years and gleaning from them all sorts of Biblical and motherly wisdom. It was a small group and it was easy for me to just bring my own food for me and my daughter and no one raised an eyebrow if I just had fruit on my plate. The childcare class was small too and it was easy for me to control her diet while in that class. The people who watched the kids were often my friends who already are aware of her dietary guidelines. I had already gone to great extent to educate the children's minstry department at my church on gluten issues and what was ok to give my child for snack time, you can read more about that here. However, this other group is currently on break for the next few months till a new teacher is found.

So here I am faced with an invitation to join another MOPS group at another church. As much fun as the last group was and all the great friendships that blossomed from my last experience I find myself hesitant to even try this new group. Why? I really don't want to take the time to have to educate and fight with childcare givers at another church over what gluten is. Yes, their is a chance they may already know this and be prepared, but I am really willing to risk it? Do I really want to pass 3/4 of the buffet table because I can't eat hardly anything there? Yes, I could educate so many people on celiac disease and spread the word; however, I find myself afraid of what kind of response I will get.

As great as the information and choices we have available to us in this modern day when it comes to our food availability, certain social situations still make me nervous. Another example is that me and my husband want to homeschool our kids. As I read about how some schools are make it a rule that only school lunches be eaten to ensure that all children get a healthy lunch, I cringe at the thought. No homemade sack lunches? What will kids with food allergies do?! It just adds to the reasons why I want to homeschool my children, besides religious reasons.

Am I really willing to keep my daughter from makes new friends and have new fun experiences all because I'm worried about her getting glutened by sharing a snack with a new friend? Have I really become that over protective mother?! Some of you may understand my concerns. I know my non-gluten free friends wouldn't understand, but then again they don't have to deal with three days worth of runny diapers if their child eats one gold fish cracker.

So I have a dream! I have a dream that one day little gluten free kids can sit side by side with non-gluten free kids and share a snack that will be healthy and nutritious for both of them and no one will get sick. I have a dream that schools and churches and daycare centers will already be well educated and prepared to serve gluten free and other allergy free foods to children without segregation. I have a dream that parents and children who live a gluten free life style will no longer get odd disapproving looks from strangers at the check out lane. That those who eat gluten free and non-gluten free can dine and celebrate in harmony without anyone feeling left out or singled out. That their will be freedom!

Ok, I got a bit cared away, but I'm not off base. We have come a long way, but we still have along way to go. My dream is that someday when I mom of a celiac kid gets invited for a play date or takes their child to school for the first time that they won't be any dietary fears whatsoever. Whether or not I will try out this new MOPS group tomorrow is still uncertain. I have so many reservations that it almost doesn't seem worth it to go because of my fears, yet what kind of pioneer of the celiac disease would I be if I didn't give it an honest try. Who knows I might be pleasantly surprised. If I do go, I'm bringing the Glutino pretzels for snack time, just in case.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Yeast Free, Gum Free Bread in a Bread Machine

 Man can not live by bread alone, and thank goodness that is true, especially for us Celiacs. The enemy, the challenge, the long desire for... bread. When first going gluten free I kinda gave up on bread. I wasn't about to spend a lot of money on pre-made bread that tasted like nothing and was hard as a rock. I tried many recipes at home with and without yeast to try and come up with something that worked, only to fail. Even if I perfected a recipe once, it would fail the next time I made it, even if I did everything the same.The reason why I try to make yeast free bread is because I notice the different in how I feel when I eat gluten free bread that has yeast verses ones that don't, so that is why I insisted on making yeast free bread. While some pre-made breads that are kinda new on the market are very good, I just don't care for the yeast in them, more like the yeast doesn't care for me. It wasn't till my sister started sharing her GF adventure online and shared with me, and the whole world, her bread recipe that I finally got GF bread to work every time I baked some. It works and it is very yummy. You can see her recipe here. Please note that her loaf is smaller then how I make it. I don't care which way you make, it's good healthy bread either way you slice it (ok bad joke, but I couldn't resist). I live at high altitude, nearly double at what my sister lives at, so going without yeast almost seems suicidal for where I live, but I've made it work in almost all of my baked goods. I have three secrets for making yeast free bread work.

The Baking Fairy
The first secret is the bread machine, or as I have named it: The Baking Fairy. I would struggle almost weekly trying to make bread, desperately wishing I had some magical creature to come to my rescue like the elves and the shoemaker. Then for Christmas my mom bought me a bread machine, aka The Baking Fairy. I have the Oster Breadmaker. It does not have a gluten free setting, but what I have found it that you really don't need one. I know that there are machines that come with that setting, but I think it is just an advertising gimmick. I've seen some bread machine box mixes that state to NOT use the gluten free setting and I figure it their test kitchen has gone into the trouble to make a bread mix work in a bread machine without a GF setting, then why bother paying for that extra feature. I use the Sweet setting on mine and I've seen other blogs that say you can use the Express setting as well. I'll tell you why I use the Sweet setting instead of the Express on mine here shortly.


Gum Free Baking
 The second secret to my bread is what I use instead of yeast and gum. I use chia seeds. This in kinda a new idea in the GF community. Many bloggers have dropped the gum and picked up flax or chia seeds. I use chia seeds because I already use flax in this recipe and too much flax isn't always good. The great thing about chia is that it is very healthy and adds lots of great nutrition, plus it does the most amazing thing when wet: it gels. It is this gelling power that the chia seeds perform that create the stability I needed this in this recipe. The technique I use with the chia seeds is one I haven't see yet preformed else where. It is listed with the wet ingredients for a reason and that reason is it needs liquid to gel. So pay attention when coming to this part of the recipe.

You can use gum in this recipe if you like, it does work well, but for those of you what to get away from gum or find them too costly this is a great alternative. Chia seeds I know can cost a pretty penny too, but if you can buy them in bulk that is the best way to do it. I get them from the bulk section of my health store. I get just a handful and it only costs me a few dollars. I keep them in the fridge and a little bit really does go a long way.


Who Needs Yeast?
The trick with using chia seeds or gum in a yeast free recipe is to understand that the gum or seeds in a way replaces the yeast. I use the Sweet setting on my machine because I need the rise time that is programed into that setting. Now a long express bake setting might be long enough, so feel free to try it. The reason why I want the rise time for my bread is that I need that amount of time to allow the seeds and flour to soak. The seeds or gum help stabilize the dough and the rice flour also soaks up the liquid; thus expanding the dough and creating a very nice rising affect lot like yeast. This works surprisingly well. This is something my sister stumbled upon, I just use the machine to do the waiting and soaking for me. I've a very impatient person, if it was left up to me I would start baking too soon.

The third trick to not using yeast is in the eggs. This isn't an egg free recipe and here is why. Eggs when beaten, create lift. I noticed this when I was watching Italian cooking shows. The ones that always made their own pasta almost always used the same ingredients: flour, eggs, and water. They would let their dough rest and it would double in size. Now how could a dough without yeast rise? I will tell you, it's the eggs. Now naturally their is yeast every where including the air, you can't get away from it, but the eggs do a fair job of creating lift in yeast free dough. By mixing the eggs with oil their is even more lift created. It's kind of like making Japanese omelets. They mix their eggs with oil and they create the most fluffy omelets ever. So I took this concept and put it into my bread and it works. This really is a simple recipe, it just has a lot of unique chemistry involved.

I hope you all enjoy this bread like we do. My daughter and husband always have to get the first slices. 

Bread
Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2 cup brown rice flour
1 cup millet or sorghum flour
4 Tbs tapioca or potato starch
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tsp flax seeds ground in coffee grinder (measurement before being ground)

Wet Ingredients 
2 tsp chia seeds  ground in coffee grinder (measurement before being ground)
2 eggs beaten
4 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cups max of milk or dairy free milk

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk, make sure the brown sugar is broken up and mixed well in with the other ingredients. 

In a small bowl beat the eggs, add the oil and continue to beat until well mixed. Add the ground chia seeds and stir. Once chia seeds are added you have just minutes to put everything together, because the seeds start to gel immediately.*

Add the egg and chia mixture to the bread machine pan, add the dry ingredients next slowly and make sure it is level.  Place pan into bread machine and start machine at the setting that is right for your machine. Add 1 cup of the milk or dairy free milk, add a few Tbs at a time until bread is the right constancy. It should be wet, but not soggy, but wet enough to that there isn't any patches of dry ingredients. Scrap the side of the machine during the mixing stage to make sure all of the dry ingredients is incorporated. Once done baking, remove form pan right away and let it cool. I like to store mine in a plastic bread bag with a paper towel wrapped around the bread. 

*If you are using gum instead of chia seeds, just add 2 tsp of gum to the dry ingredient and mix. Their is no need to add it to the eggs if you are using gum.

Sunbutter Sugar Cookies

 

Being GF and in this economy is tough.  I'm very thankful that I found out about Celiac in this modern day when there are so many products and information that is out there that helps make living with this disease manageable and even enjoyable. I wish products still didn't cost so much and maybe by the time my daughter is old enough to leave home that the price of GF products will have come way down so they will be more affordable for her. But in the meantime things are tough. I try to keep meals simple to use very little ingredients, that are easy to make and avoid having to buy a lot of specialty products. Which is why you've seen simple recipes and more product reviews, because I don't have a lot of money to make elaborate meals or baked goods using 15 ingredients. This is good news for those of you just starting out with being gluten free or those of you who are also broke like me. 

However, I have found comfort in simple reminder from more simple times - the great Depression. Here was a time when many people found them selves on hard times. My mom and I have talked a bit about the Water Soup her mother would talk about eating frequently as a child. After some research I learned that this soup was basically a vegetable soup, but without broth, just water for the base, hence the name. I think about the meals that were made from this time period and the recipes that were passed down. They were simple, meat and potatoes kind of simple. Not a lot of of fancy cooking, just the basics that life requires: protein and vegetables.

In hard times I also find it interesting what people need to feel secure. My mother in law use to tell me when she was newly married with young children that she always felt alright if she had flour in the house. I asked her once what she use to do with it when she didn't have much else in the house; unfortunately, I didn't get much of a response to that question. When times are really tough I like to always have Pamela's Baking Mix in my pantry, I guess that is my gluten free version of flour. I also must have rice, soy sauce, and eggs. I can at least make fried rice with those ingredient. I can also make pancakes with the baking mix water and eggs. I also have a since of security when we have toilet paper in the house. I told my husband once "Forget flour, you're screwed if you don't have toilet paper." You can have all the food in the world but if you don't have toilet paper then you're really in a terrible situation.

With all the things that are happening in the world I wonder what people grab out of their house when disaster strikes. With all of the earthquakes, wars, hurricanes, floods and such; I wonder if I were in those situations what would I grab? Obviously, I would want clothes, important documents, maybe even a photo album or two and my family, including the pets; but, what about food. If I lived in a part of the world or country that didn't have much in the way of allergy free food would I also have a supply of food or would I just give up and eat whatever to survive? I wonder how many people living on the streets would benefit from soup kitchens or church pantries that would supply allergy friendly foods. I wonder if there is a great enough need in the country and the world to supply these types of food items for when disaster strikes. Is there a family some where on the East coast that has been displaced by the flood water of hurricane Irene that are having to bypass parts of the buffet table at a local shelter because of extreme food allergies that could cause death. This is something I pray about that maybe I can help change this or that someone has already though of this and is taking care of families in these situations.

 From now on I will try to donate what I can, even if it is one item at a time, to food drives so that people like us will not go hungry because of their limited diets. I did this two years when our church did a Thanksgiving food drive where they gave us lists of what one family would need to have a complete Thanksgiving meal. I took the list and decided to do an allergy friendly organic meal. I bought everything on the list from my health store. I wished I could have bought more then one meal that was allergy friendly just in case there were more families out there that would appreciate the extra step  of an allergy free meal. I know I would. Even a person with diabetes would benefit from an organic gluten free meal. Since then our family hasn't been able to afford being able to do this, but I still try to give something, because something is far better then nothing. 

So to try to tie this all into the recipe that I am posting in this blog, I wanted to make a sweet snack for my family. I didn't have a lot of ingredients to use, and I like simple. I also want something I knew my daughter would want to eat. She is very picky about her food, even cookies. Sometimes having a picky eater when money is tight can be painful (all the more reason to try to do what I just suggested above). So this recipe I used the basic sugar cookie recipe from Pamela's Products. I wanted to use Sunbutter because I didn't want to use all of my butter (Earth Balance) on this one recipe and I wanted some extra health benefits for my family. The Sunbutter gives this recipe some great protein and it's something we don't go through very fast so I don't feel bad using much of it in one recipe. I also chose to use honey too because I'm trying to get away from refined sugar and I was also out of sugar. I added the colored sugar because it is something I had on hand for cake decoration, and I knew my daughter would love the different colored cookies, plus it's just fun to make things special for those that I love.

Sunbutter Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup Sunbutter
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla 
2 3/4 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
Colored sugar sprinkles (optional) 


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together Sunbutter and honey or sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla and baking mix. Beat until well combined. Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop the cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets. Space cookies 3 inches apart, because they will spread out a bit. Sprinkle colored sugar on to each cookie if you desire, cinnamon sugar would go great too*. Bake for 12-15 minutes, they are done when edges are golden. Move to cooling rack to cool. Makes 1 dozen.

*The original recipes said to use egg whites to make the sugar stick, but I found that it wasn't necessary with the Sunbutter, because it makes it sticky already.

Chebe Bread Mix Review

 We all know that going GF is expensive. So when I first went GF I stumbled upon these mixes that were tucked away on the end of the gluten free aisle. These mixes cost about $2-3 and are very simple to make. They don't make alot so they are perfect for small families or that one lone GF person in a family or single people. Although they are cheap enough you could by a few for the price of one big box of a different brand. They come in many variates, from focaccia bread, to cinnamon buns, to pizza crust and more.  When I was doing my weekly shopping I found Chebe mixes on my local big grocery store (not just my local health foods shop). This time around they were in boxes instead of bags. I have to say I really like the new packaging.

So to see if they have changed more then the packaging I bought a box of their bread mix. I've used their other mixes but not this one, so I gave it a try.  As you can see they clearly show you what is NOT in their mixes. I especially love that they are yeast free. The instructions are very easy and simple. I do have to had more water or oil then they suggest because of the altitude that I live at, but only a Tbs more or so. I do love their suggestions on the box to create or add things to their basic recipe. I did add some cheese to mine, because my daughter is a cheese nut. They came out really well and my daughter loved the bread, even the next day she liked it with some jelly and Sunbutter.

Chebe Burgers are really simple to make. I just followed the instructions on the box to make the dough, like I said I did add cheese to mine as one of their suggestions on the box. I did add some more water, but not much at all. However, I did find that it would have been easier to kneed the dough and form them into the right shape if I had wet hands. If I had wet my hands I might not have added the extra water, that would have made them too wet. Once baked I just let them cool for a few minutes before using a long knife to cut them in half. They are prefect to use a buns, and they cost way less then any pre-made GF bun you will ever find in the stores. I wish I had made and brought some of these to the worship department cook out I went to earlier this month. Oh well, live and learn. I hope you find some and enjoy. Make sure you check out their web site for lots of recipe ideas.

Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

From: Stock.Xchng

I love cherry season. There is just something about these little dark red round fruited that just make summer, well...summer. This is an ice cream recipe that I made up over a  year ago and it is now our summer favorite that we will make every year. Nothing goes better with cherries then chocolate and nothing goes better with chocolate then cherries. They are a perfect flavor combo match.

In this recipe I tried something new. I had used chia seeds to see how they would work in an ice cream and they did alright. I made just plain chocolate and you couldn't see the tiny black specks, but I wasn't sure I liked the texture that they created in the ice cream. So I did some research and found that Spunky Coconut has made ice cream using gelatin. So I tried it and it turned out great. The texture is perfect and it makes dairy free ice cream not stiff or hard. My husband wants me to making ice cream with gelatin from here on out, and why not is sure beats xanthan gum. If you are going to use gelatin my advice is to make sure you get every drop into your ice cream mixture and to not let it harden while you are getting everything together.

Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

1 quart dairy free milk (I used hemp, but soy and rice works too.)

1 cup cherries pitted and chopped

3 Tbs cocoa powder 

1 cup dark chocolate chunks

3/4 cup of honey or brown rice syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 package of gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water

dash of salt

Mix milk, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, gelatin, and salt in a blender. Once they all mixed add them to the ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your machine. Once ice cream is done and is ready to be chilled or served, stir in the chocolate chunks and the cherries into the ice cream.  Stir well to make sure that they don't sink to the bottom. Makes 2 quarts.

Gluten Free Rice Krispies Treats with Sunbutter and Review

 

Rice Krispies is one of those cereals that has been around for a long time. Everyone knows of them and either grew up on them or a cheaper version of this puffed riced cereal. So when Kellogg announced that it was going to make the popular cereal Gluten Free I was excited. I have been wanting to share with my daughter a cereal that I to grew up on and I want to make treats for her too. I wanted those fond memorizes with my daughter that they so strategically put into their commercials.

It took awhile for the cereal to hit the store shelves in my part of the world, but once I saw that light yellow box with blue on the shelf I ran to it in excitement. However, when I saw the price tag, my excitement burst. They want almost $5 for this box of crisped rice. I can get two boxes of Envirokidz's Koala Crisp's for the same price. Also, you can Fruity Pebbles Gluten Free version of their cereal for $3 for the family size big box and Target often has them for two for $5 deal too. None the less a  box did get purchased and into our family pantry (mainly for you all).  

The cereal it self tastes about the same, but I do agree with another review that I saw saying that the cereal does get soggy faster. My daughter seems to like it so-so. I was happy to see that they are made out of brown rice and not just white rice. So I made some treats with it and that turned out really well. I added some Sunbutter to them to make them a bit more healthy and for a nice nutty flavor. I think adding the Sunbutter was a hit with the whole family. I will always make them this way from now on.

Sunbutter Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie treat recipe as stated on box or web site
3 Tbs sunbutter



Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 pan and set aside. Add butter and sunbutter to sauce pan to melt. Then add the marshmallows. Take off heat and add cereal, stir till well combined. Pour into the pan and press down either with hands or spatula ( I found that my hands worked the best). Make sure that cereal mixture is evenly spread. Cut into squares once cooled. 


On a side note: I used cheap marshmallows and they didn't seem to melt well. So if you can swing it I suggest getting the good marshmallows. Next time I might try marshmallow fluff, because this whole melting thing just didn't go all that great for me. I want easy when I make a treat for my family.