For Wendy

Sauteed Baby Spinach...

I buy a big tub at Costco.....

This is what I add to mine..you can add whatever you like

One Onion....diced

I use this seasoning for almost everything
Sea Salt and Kosher are my best choice.

  The red pepper adds a good kick.

I buy my garlic already minced..it is a cheat but so much easier.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan

I use about 2 tbsps each for 8 cups of spinach

Add garlic and one whole small onion

After it has cooked down, add seasonings

when onions are translucent add spinach in batches..

 After it has cooked down.. add more. 

Don't over cook it, I like it to still look like fresh spinach 

and now.. enjoy... 

See now wasn't that EASY!!

DELISH and so heathy!

Perfected Gluten-Free Pancakes

I am sure I have told you how awesome my husband is, but I am going to say it again.

THE. BEST. EVER

He has worked hard to try and make a delicious gluten-free pancake for Carly Jo so that we can continue to enjoy our tradition of Saturday Morning Pancakes. By George I think he's got it.  Here we go:

• 1 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter (melted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until combined, lumpy is okay.

Served with butter and organic maple syrup

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• They taste just like they look, light and fluffy plus they have a faint taste of vanilla. 
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• This recipe was adapted from a recipe we found at seriouseats.com

Gluten-Free Corn Muffins

I was scared to try this, I am not the baker in the family, but it was really easy and the kids love it. The test for an easy baking recipe is.. Can Christi do it? (sad but true) Cooking is a different story... but I digress ..
This is a sweet cornbread and has a great texture.
 I will do it again, but I will add more honey.

 

Of course.. they didn't seem to mind...

1 cup  yellow cornmeal

1 cup white rice flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons local organic honey

2  eggs

1 cup water 

Mix together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and add applesauce, oil honey, add dry ingredients mix well add water a little at a time until desired consistency. (I didn't use a full cup)


Put paper muffin cups in a muffin tin (or use a very-well greased muffin pan without paper wrappers). 
Bake on 350  for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.

Meatless Monday

We are trying new things, trying to branch out, this one is a winner. It is a good assortment of flavors and textures. Try it!! Try it, I say!!

Egg Plant & Sweet Potato Curry

(with no curry)

1 eggplant

3 tbs olive oil

2 onions (diced)

2 cloves of garlic 

2 tbs fresh ginger

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1 fennel bulb (sliced or diced, whichever you prefer)

3 sweet potatoes (cubed)

2 tsp salt

2 c water

Juice from 1 lemon

1/2 c cilantro

Heat oven to broil setting. Poke eggplant with a fork all over and place on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until charred and soft. Set aside to cool.

In large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and fennel, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and ginger, stirring frequently. Stir in coriander, cumin,  stirring. Add the potatoes, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the potatoes begin to soften.

Cut eggplant open and spoon the pulp into potato mixture. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. (I added Mint and a little sriacha sauce)

Serve over rice

Beware of the Bobble Head

It is the week before finals..I am working hard to keep my C- in algebra.. go me..right? But I had to take a moment. This is something I am going to want to document. So I am taking a break from homework to blog..

Today was a weird day.. we woke up super early but the kids kind of.. putzed around the house so we were a little rushed by the time 7:30 came around. McKenna wanted to eat school lunch, and Carly Jo said she wanted to too.. Yogurt and fruit tray for her. So I complied, and didn't pack lunches...fast forward...

I spent the morning in Jayme's Kindergarten class volunteering, on a side note.. Jayme has a WONDERFUL Kindergarten teacher. I want to take a moment to explain.. there is a certain kid in the class that seems to have some challenges, I am not sure what they are and I wouldn't even try to guess  but this child was having a particularly hard time today and wasn't being cooperative and was actually being quite disruptive. Mrs Scarlett was so patient and so kind, if she was frustrated, upset or at her wits end..I would never have known it.  She was very impressive. Kudos to you Mrs. Scarlett...don't know how you do it.

Okay anyway...Cinco de Mayo..nachos for lunch. I went next door to Carly Jo's classroom and told her she could eat  the nachos...tortilla chips, corn... right? After I said it ... I doubted myself, maybe it was a corn mix, what if it had barley or some sort of wheat blend...but too late...she was really excited - regular food. Carly Jo has been on a gluten free diet for close to a month now and the results have been undeniable, she can focus, she sits and follows directions, she can get her work done and her demeanor is.. dare I say calm..er..ish... for Carly Jo anyway. It is staggering and almost unbelievable, but it is true.

So .. fast forward a little more.. I actually didn't think about the corn chips again until we were getting the kids ready for the Kindergarten performance and everyone was crazy, par for the course anytime we have somewhere to go. In the car Carly Jo was having a hard time keeping her hands off Jayme, but nothing caught my attention. It was in the school cafeteria that I had the aha moment. The kids were running around and when I called Carly Jo to get her settled down, I couldn't get her to look at me. I got down to her level to have a quiet conversation and then it happened..her head cocked, her eyes avoided mine and she became a bobble head with a crazy grin on her face. She was not paying attention she was in a zone.  I saw some parents giving me "the look" and that is when it hit me, I hadn't seen this in a month....this was the OLD Carly Jo. By the way.. if you are one of those people that give.. "LOOKS" Get over yourself .. seriously. But I digress...
Carly Jo did great at the concert, sang and danced with the rest. She sat quietly while the other classes sang, but I could tell a couple times that she was struggling to stay focused......

There is not a doubt in my mind that Carly Jo has a sensitivity to gluten, that is the ONLY thing we have changed. It is AMAZING to me, tonight it was obvious..my mom noticed a difference, Jim noticed a difference, I wonder if anyone else did. The proof is in the head bobbing.. that is her tell.

This kid, I am telling you she is a JEWEL. I could kiss her all day...and she is going to teach me so much. First lesson is a reiteration... NO MORE ASSUMING... Sorry about that one JoJo

Cookies

My love whipped up his first batch of Gluten free Chocolate Chip Cookies today. They are fabulous! Great Job Jimmy! I think I could safely say that if we did a taste test, no one would be able to tell the difference between this gluten free cookie and a regular cookie. 

Disclaimer, the flour is made with garbanzo beans and if you are thinking of licking the bowl, spoon, beater or ANYTHING with uncooked dough, Think hard on that.. Not good. not good AT ALL.

I was so scared to eat the actual cookie because of my experience with the dough...Truly.. gag.

BUT I am glad I did because he really knocked it out to the park. Once the flour is cooked, all the tastes meld together for delicious treat! A true success! Once again I will sing the praise of my husband who is just really, that awesome!

Here is how he did it. 

2 1/4 cups Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 sugar, approximately 

1 1/4 C dark brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, sift together  flour, xantham gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Add both of the sugars to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. 

Scoop 1 tbsp of batter on cookie sheet 6 per cookie sheet, (these are big suckers!)


adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-gluten-free-recipe/index.html

Another step on our gluten free journey

Gluten Free Pancake

2 cups stoneground yellow cornflour

1/2 cup rice flour

3 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

almost 2 cups buttermilk 

(start with 1 1/2 and added more to your liking)

1 cup water 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg


Can thin out to your desired thinness

(we like ours thicker)

 In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, rice flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the buttermilk, water, oil and egg with a fork until blended. Add to the cornmeal mixture and mix until lumps are eliminated. 

Butter your griddle and fry those puppies up!

This morning Jim found a way to keep our Saturday Morning tradition alive, despite the inability of Carly Jo to eat gluten. They had a hint of corn, but not like corn bread and the consistency was close to a real pancake but a slightly grainy, but not offensive. 
If you are going to eat them without syrup, you should add more sugar; once we added the grade a dark amber syrup, the sweetness was just right. I have put the recipe in here in case anyone wanted to try it.  

I love that my JP is on this train with me, next he wants to try chocolate chip cookies! YUM!

On a side note, both JP and I have seen noticeable signs that removing the gluten from Carly Jo's diet is working. She does her work, she can stay focused (more so than usual) and her hyperactivity has toned down. I am waiting until summer to get her into a psychologist and get her tested for learning challenges...but I am happy that we have taken the daunting (and expensive) task of removing the gluten first. It gives me peace in my heart to know I am doing what I need to for Carly Jo. Whatever else comes, I can be satisfied knowing that I am TCB on my end. 

Snownami, Snowpocalypse, snowmaggeddon...

It is snowing, everyone is home I am going to convince my husband to make a fire while he is on his lunch break. I am ready for the doomsday storm to begin...because then there will be a valid reason that I have been listening to these ANNOYING news casters for the last two days. 

I am posting the Chowder recipe it was a tasty treat, and easy to make. 


 Corn Chowder


1 stalk celery hearts

1 half onion (or more if you want)

3 carrots

3 medium potatoes

3 gloves of garlic

2 tbsps olive oil 

2 tbsp butter

flour 

broth - chicken or veg..or beef... whatever

3 cups frozen corn

1 cup cream

1 cup sour cream

CHEESE

chop onion, carrots, celery, garlic and potatoes and add to melted butter and olive oil. salt and pepper to taste.( I also used Organic No Salt Seasoning from Costco.)

Cook until soft 
dust with flour and stir 
add corn add broth to coverboil till potatoes are soft (almost mushy) 
makes a good consistency for the chowder

add cream and sour cream cook until warm through (don’t boil)
Cheese to taste...add a handful at a time so it can melt nicely and incorporate

Stay warm and enjoy your day!

Here we go

                                            My oldest Taylor, and my youngest Annabelle


I always thought I would write a book. Actually I SWORE one day I would write a book. I wanted to document my life in my own.."rub some dirt on it and keep moving" kind of way. I tried once with my friend Wendy, and then I realized that I didn't have time to go to the bathroom by myself, much less time to write a book. So we shelved the idea! My kids are older now: 16, 8, 6 (doubled) and 4, so i decided to scrap the idea of a book and just start a blog. What can it hurt? So here I am blogging, maybe someone will read it and think it is funny, maybe no one will care. But someday I will be in the bathroom, by myself.  No one will be banging on the door, or sitting on the floor, or reading me a book, or tattling on someone else, and I will remember the days when I couldn't get five minutes alone to poop, and maybe I will be sad. Maybe. This is a blog about: me, my kids, my husband, my life, my successes and my failures. It could get ugly, but it just may be beautiful!