Making GF Bread

Making gluten free bread can be a challenge - especially when your oldest son tried to help you by getting your beautiful KitchenAid mixer out of the cabinent and drops it on the floor (reminder, I did not ask him to do so, he did it on his own without permission). Said mixer is still out of commission, and will be until we have the money to fix it up...

So, I haven't made much bread aside from our microwavable recipe. I haven't really had the time, or the energy, or the right stuff to do it, lol. So, its a little rough on the old muscles, but I'm getting the hang of it. My goal is to set aside at least one day a week to bake - its not a stringent goal, but its there none the less ;).

Today, I searched the internet for recipes that contained ingredients that I had in the house. I really hope this bread turns out...

If it does, I'll post the recipe!!

I *need* to bake!

But its 'summer' now, and much to hot to deal with the oven, lol. I want to try bagels and soft pretzels again. And cinnamon rolls. How I want cinnamon rolls! Unfortuantly the baby still can't have cinnamon as of our last trial.
I've been getting a little down about being gluten free lately too. I normally am a pretty positive person, and I can handle just about anything that comes my way... but damnit, I want a real pretzel! I want to go to the grocery store and be able to buy anything that sounds good, and forget reading the stupid label! I'm tired of the money we have to spend so I can be safe, and not sick. I'm tired of having to politely turn down offers of food.
I'm tired of having to politely tell the waitress that I can't have gluten, my kid can't have dairy and gluten, and could you please try to not poison me? In not so many words of course... And then have to politely explain that no, I do not and cannot have that toast that you put on my plate, and now I need a new plate.
I'm tired of being polite.
I'm tired of not being believed. I'm tired of the question of "Well, can't you just forget your diet for today?"
I can't forget my diet today. I can't forget my diet anyday. The word diet implies that I'm eating like this to lose weight. I'm actually quite comfortable with my weight. I'm not terribly overweight, and I'm actually right about where I should be - medically speaking. I live like this because it makes me feel better. I like not being in pain. That's the point.
Gluten is not necessary to live, or to be nutritionally right. In fact, since I can't have a LOT of the processed junk, I eat much better than you. You can go to the store and buy whatever your little heart desires. I have to read labels for every single product I buy. My trip to the store probably takes twice as long as the average shopper. The gal who orders the gluten free food for my regular store is starting to recognize me, lol.
I'm not really angry - I'm more or less just disappointed. Life isn't supposed to be so hard, right? You're not supposed to anagonize over what goes into your or your children's bodies... You're sure as hell not supposed to feel guilty when the store runs out of cheese - except your kid can only eat one specific cheese, and the next nearest store that sells it is an hour away.
It's sure as hell not supposed to take all day to figure out what to make for dinner that everyone will eat, and will be safe for everybody.
So for now, I'm just going to breathe. And be polite... Just don't be surprised when I finally crack, LOL!

So Proud!

William has started spelling!

Everytime I turn around, he's asking me "How do you spell xxx?" It's so cute :). I plan on working really hard this summer, and get him reading. I wonder how many other kids in kindergarten will be reading next year? I was reading at that age, I have always loved reading.

He's also making up stories ;).

He's really been making leaps & bounds lately. I can't even begin to explain how great that feels.

Candy: Pass!

The boys loved the chocolate lollipops! And it was so easy, it was almost scary. This was William's first chocolate lollipop - and there's not a whole lot of chocolate that he can have. Soy is almost always in chocolate - especially the cheap chocolate.

They had a great sheen to them as well, which I've noticed with the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips.

Making CANDY!

So, Mother's Day is coming upon us quickly, and I was at a total loss as to what the boys should make for their Grandmas this year (all 3 of them).

Then I remembered that the local HyVee has started to carry Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips.

*Lightbulb*

Off to Hobby Lobby, purchased some candy molds for chocolate lollipops, peanut butter cups, and while I was at it, some Awareness Ribbon molds so I can make some to sell at our rummage sale coming up to raise money for FAAN. Who doesn't want a basically allergy free chocolate lollipop?!

It's pretty simple. Boil about an inch of water in a pot, place glass bowl over water, place chocolate chips in bowl, stir til melted and pour carefully into the mold. I bought a squeeze bottle at the store because I thought I'd put the chocolate in there, but I didn't want to microwave it because I'm funny about microwaving plastic. The first two, my trial lollipops for the boys, are cooling in the fridge. Wish me luck!

Seasonal Allergies

I'm so disappointed.
I had thought the boys had escaped the wrath of my seasonal allergies.
Boy, was I wrong!
Poor Max is waking up with bloody noses, which the doc says is attributed to his allergies. William is a bear lately, and has been sneezing up a storm.
I, of course, am miserable as usual. I can't wait for this season to be over! Though, of course that means higher temps in the summer time.

On the plus side, my seedlings are growing fantastically, and at some point I'll get to get outside and plant them!

It's my birthday, and I'll have cake if I want it!

Ah, Devil's Food Cake...

This time, I made the cupcakes into a real cake, and instead of using shortening - I subbed Coconut Oil, because I was out of shortening. Have been for awhile! This cake was so moist, and so rich - I couldn't finish the piece the husband cut for me!

I made No Cook Fudge Frosting to top it off with, because adding some Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips just wasn't enough overkill on the chocolate front, lol.

You're going to have to email for the recipe, cause I don't want to get into any trouble! It's the first recipe I haven't had to alter from my cookbook, lol. I added strawberries in the center, and it melted the fudge frosting just right... perfect.

Egg "Mc"Waffles?

So the husband was craving egg mcmuffins... you can be sure I'm not letting that in my house, lol. So, I made the next thing, egg waffle sandwiches!

No, he's not eating 'real' cheese, its Rice Cheese slices and he loves them. They melt pretty well, it just takes forever. He really enjoyed the 'sandwiches', as it incorporated two things he loves, eggs and waffles, lol! GF of course ;).

Want some healthy tortilla chips?

I was so tired of paying a ridiculous amount for 'healthy' baked tortillas. And I always wind up eating the whole bag, lol! And, they aren't always safe for everyone... So I decided to make my own!
Buy or make some corn tortillas that are safe. For me, a bag of 12 corn tortillas runs about $1.38. The cheap chips we can all have (that include some yummy trans fat and are saltier than the sea...), are only a $1 at the Dollar Tree.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the tortillas into 8ths.
Place the cut tortillas onto a baking sheet or glass baking dish. Spray with some Olive Oil. Sprinkle some sea salt, some chili powder if you like, and bake in a 350* oven until slightly brown. I don't time it, though I should. I just check it because it doesn't take long at all! 5 minutes maybe?? Add some salsa, and yum! Fresh, safe, tortilla chips. They'll keep for about 4 days at room temp in an airtight bag.
12 tortillas x 8 sections = 96 chips for a $1.38. Not bad. You could probably do this even cheaper if you looked hard enough!

Needing a Vent about my day today...

I woke up nice and early for once, and the day seemed like it started ok... baby was slightly cranky, but otherwise fine.
Then I started breakfast. I reheated some waffles I made on Monday morning, because they seemed easier than cereal, lol.
They actually ate the waffles (better than Monday, lol!). Then the 2 year old started acting like he had to go potty (he's recently trained). Then the fun really began...
I had wanted to get to the gym by 9 am, so I could get a good hour and a half in. So, when he started acting like he had to go at 8:30, I thought Perfect timing!!
Not so much...
After waiting 15 minutes for something to happen, I tried to coax him off the toilet. No luck. A half hour goes by, and I thought, well that's not too bad, we'll still have plenty of time. 45 minutes later, I finally get him coaxed down, make it back downstairs only for him to decide he has to go - again. We finally made it to the gym by 9:50.
A half hour later, I get a call from the daycare that he's in need of a pants change. Joy.
Make it home, make some lunch, and get the boy off to school. Shouldn't take too long, except that both want to help make the microwave bread, lol! Now we're all covered in flours... oh well. Get cleaned up, make some peanut butter sandwiches, and get the boy off to school. Now is my relaxing time! I have 3 hours primarily to myself... assuming the 2 year old decides its OK to nap today, LOL!

After all that work...

I wound up not being able to send the boy to school because he still have a stomach bug! He seems fine, but I really don't feel right sending him to school if he throws up in the morning. Hopefully he'll be fine tomorrow, since my cousin is getting married and we're planning on going to it. At least I know we'll have enough cupcakes to take for the reception!

Be My Valentine Chocolate Cupcakes

I've never had much luck with recipes I find on the internet. I don't know why. I know I've mentioned before that I simply use my Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook, and sub whatever I need to sub.

But, the problem is finding the right mix for the flours. I typically use a combination of Tapicoca Flour, Corn Starch, and All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I always use Bob's Red Mill, but really only because its all I've tried, and really all that our store carries).

So, I asked my son's pre-school teacher if I could make cupcakes to send for the students for Valentine's Day. I had assumed he was the only child with food allergies, but just to be safe, I asked anyway. Turned out, he's not alone. The allergies to avoid for his class were Wheat, Gluten, Fish, Peanuts, Soy, Dairy, and Eggs. Wow. I figured out, this was going to be more challenging than I'd originally thought!

So, these are my "Be My Valentine" Chocolate Cupcakes! Free of Gluten, Dairy, Peanuts & Treenuts, Soy, and Eggs.

1 1/4 cup of Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup of Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup of Corn Starch

1 1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup of shortening (I use Spectrum, no soy)

1 3/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup of applesauce (if eggs are OK, then eggs and leave out the baking powder)

1 1/3 cups cold water

1. Fill your muffin tins with the paper muffin cups. Lightly spray with cooking spray if desired.

2. In one medium sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda (and baking powder if subbing the eggs), and salt. Set this bowl aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening with a mixer for about 30 seconds, on medium speed. Add sugar and vanilla and beat till well combined. If you're using eggs, add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. If you're subbing the eggs with applesauce, add that now.

4. Slowly start adding the dry mixture to the wet mix. Alternate adding the water, beating on low til just combined each time.

5. Fill the paper cups about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake in a 350* oven for about 35-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes (or toss them in the fridgs like I did, lol).

6. Frost as desired! Great frosting recipe coming up next ;)

Creamy Frosting (adapted from Better Homes & Garden's Cookbook, 1996)

1 cup shortening (Again, we use Spectrum)

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

3 to 4 Tbs of milk or water (we usually use almond milk, but I just used water)

food coloring if desired (or tolerated)

Cream the shortening and vanilla with an electic mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add half the powdered sugar, beating well. Add 2 Tbs of milk or water. Beat again. Gradually keep adding the sugar and milk or water, beating well until you reach the right consistenency. This made more than enough to frost all 24 cupcakes I made, and would be enough to frost 2, 9 inch cakes.

Yummy Banana-Craisin Muffins!

I picked up a bag of Craisins this week just for this purpose! I made 2 dozen muffins with this.

Preheat the oven to 400*

2 cups GF AP Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Flour

1 1/4 cups of Corn Starch (All together, should be 3 1/2 cups of flour/starch)

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 cup Sugar

4 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of oil

1 tsp of vanilla

About 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Craisins (I didn't get to measure, lol)

1 large banana mashed up

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk the two eggs and add the milk, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold the ingredients together, don't over mix. Fold the fuit in. Pour into muffin cups or tins. Bake for about 12 minutes (mine usually takes about 15, watch them til the tops are slightly brown).

I always try to make enough to freeze for later, so I have something easy for the husband to give the kid!

I'm really beginning to think that my 2 year old will someday be a great gluten free chef for his momma :). He helps with EVERYTHING!

Quick Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

This is so easy, its actually a little ridiculous. The original recipe was posted on the Celiac boards, but I tweaked it a bit because I don't keep Almond or Flax meal in the house. It's so easy to play with this, and this morning, I even tweaked it again and made myself an egg and cheese 'muffin' for breakfast. It is the perfect sandwich size, and its in individual servings, so its perfect for a quick meal!

You need:
A custard size microwavable dish, well greased.
1 egg
1 Tbs of Tapioca Starch
2 Tbs of Sorghum Flour
1 Tbs of GF All purpose Flour
1/8 tsp of Xanthan Gum (it always holds it all together!)
1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
a dash of salt
3/4 tsp of sugar

Grease the bowl, and mix one egg in it well. Add the dry ingredients. Microwave (depending on your microwave power, mine took a minute and 45 seconds) about 90 seconds.
The 2 year old actually liked it! And he's been super picky about the gluten free bread lately, lol. It's a nice, spongy 'breadlike' bun. I think it would work well for a hamburger bun, sandwich bread, etc. This morning's "muffin", I added 2 eggs and some cheese (I'm sure DF cheese would work as well). I really wanted some sausage in it, lol!

I made bagels!

Bagels were one of the 4 year old's favorite foods before we went gluten free. He'd eat nearly anything, so long as it was on a bagel! So, my new goal for the year is to make one new, gluten free treat every week. This week, it was bagels! He was so excited to see them, though they took forever to make. I only made 12, and quickly realized that I should have doubled the recipe, lol!

They weren't as 'puffy' as typical bagels, but I also didn't realize that I didn't make the hole in the center large enough!

But they were edible, and that's what counts!

My best gluten free cookbook for this? My regular old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I just sub regular GF flour, some Tapioca starch, and corn starch (I was out of corn starch, which may be why they didn't get so fluffy). And don't forget the Xanthan Gum!