GF Gingerbread

Just in time for the holidays here's a yummy treat.

Ingredients

2/3 cup Molasses

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup butter + enough hot water to fill a 1 cup measuring cup

2 eggs

1 cup White Rice Flour

1/2 cup Potato Starch

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

1 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1/4-1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

3 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Ginger

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer (with paddle attachment) add molasses, sugar, butter/water mixture, and eggs.

3. In a large bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk slightly to mix.

4. Cream your liquid ingredients until just combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing on low speed. Once combined turn mixer to med/high and beat until well combined and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

5. Pour batter into lightly sprayed square glass dish and bake about 30 minutes.

6. Once cooled sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and serve. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Triple Mac & Cheese

If you've grown up or lived in the Atlanta area for any amount of time then you know the OK Cafe. They're an Atlanta land mark well known for their famous triple cheese mac & cheese and all things yummy and southern. Don't even get me started on the fried pickles or sweet potato chips. This is a gluten free take on their mac & cheese recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces Gluten Free elbow macaroni

2 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon sugar1 pinch cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon dry ranch salad dressing mix

(if you can't find a gluten free mix just leave this out)

10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

5 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated

5 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cook the macaroni according to package directions, drain and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, half and half,
cream, parsley, sugar, cayenne, salt and ranch powder and mix until well
blended.

4. Add the macaroni, cheddar, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses
and mix until fully incorporated.

5. Pour into a large baking dish.

6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for
30 to 35 minutes.

Cat Head Biscuits NOT Gluten Free

These biscuits are NOT gluten free. I have had several family members ask for this recipe so here it is, enjoy! In my archives I have a gluten free version posted under January 2010 names Southern Style Biscuits.

Cathead Biscuits
(Makes about 18 large cathead
biscuits)


2¼ cup Cake
or Pastry Flour
4½ tsp. Salt
2½ tsp. Sugar
Big Pinch
Baking Soda
2 Tbls. + 1
tsp. Baking Powder
3 Sticks unsalted
Butter, very cold
6 cups All-purpose
Flour
1 quart cold
Buttermilk (about 4 cups),

Preheat oven
to 425 degrease.

1. Blend the first 6 ingredients together in a
food processor until the butter is cut into large pea sized pieces.

2. Add butter mixture to the 6 cups of flour and
stir slightly.

3. Add the cold buttermilk and mix dough until it
just starts to come together.

4. Roll out on floured surface until the dough is
½ to 1 inch thick. Cut and place on
baking sheet. Brush tops with melted butter.

5. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 and continue to bake about
18 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown.

Check out Livylegs

So we had an annual check up for our youngest with Celiac and after many years of being under weight and height she's perfect. She's always been perfect to us, but it's nice to see the positive results of living gluten free. Who says you have to look and feel sick with Celiac it's amazing what a little time and healing can do.

GF Vegetarian BBQ Wedding Meatballs

The gluten filled version of these meatballs were served at my wedding almost 15 years ago, yikes were does time go? Everyone fell in love with them and most couldn't believe they were vegetarian. I have been giving the recipe out ever since and can't begin to count how many weddings I've been to were I find these little goodies on the buffet table. As a result they have been renamed "The Wedding Meatballs" as that's how people ask for the recipe. To this day I can't visit our photographer without bringing him a batch. When I had to go gluten free these were one of my comforts foods I missed the most. I'm happy to say it was easy to make them gluten free and they our back on my the menu, Yeah, insert happy dance here :)

Wedding Meatballs
2 cups certified gluten free quick oats (I use the Bobs Redmill certified gluten free oats)
2 cups gluten free toasted breadcrumbs (use your favorite GF bread, toast and grind in chopper)
2 small onions, minced
4 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup pecan or walnut meal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2-4 oz cream cheese, room temp. (depending on the humidity and moisture of the air. Start with 2oz if the mixtures seems a little dry add the full 4 oz of cream cheese.)

BBQ Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 to 2 tbsp. liquid smoke (depending on your preference for mild or strong smoke flavor)

Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large frying pan. Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into small meatballs and fry. Drain the meatballs on paper towels then place in a large casserole dish. place all BBQ Sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over med heat until warm and well combined. Pour sauce over meatballs and Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Note: Depending on the type of gluten free bread you are using it is OK to add extra milk, water, or even another egg to add moisture to the meatballs. Gluten free breads can have a tendency to be very dry and dense so feel free to play around with the recipe.

Meet My New Girls

I love, love, love cows, so when I stumbled upon this painting it was love at first sight. I have always had a passion for interior design and fell into it as a profession several years ago. Needless to say I have always had a flair for the unique and odd statement piece to put in my house. This piece speaks to my odd sense of humor and style. These two lovely girls are prominently placed in my dinning room overlooking our family meals. Good thing I was raised vegetarian and we don't eat beef. Can you imagine the guilt sitting there eating a burger or steak with these two lovely gals staring at you. For the record my 8 year old thinks the picture is great, my 11 year old on the other hand says it's a creepy painting. That's the thing I love about art, everyone has an opinion. Believe me this piece has made for some interesting responses by my dinner guest.

Do you ever ask yourself, why did I want to homeschool?

Have you ever had one of those days when you look at your kids and say, these wild animals can't possibly be mine, NO Definitely Not My Little Angels! Or maybe you think, they were switched at birth or they must be just like their father and certainly nothing like you. I think every mom has had those days and adding the pressure of homeschooling only increases those not so pleasant days. Let's face it we moms try to do it all and somehow have the expectation that peace, love and thankfulness will be poured down upon us. What's worse is when our kids don't bend at the knee and praise us with thankfulness we get hurt and take it personally. Why do we moms do this to our self's? Because we moms are liers. Lets face it when was the last time you sat around in a group of mom that were really honest. They never tell you they were in tears all day the day before. That they fed the kids cold cereal for dinner all last week. Or (yes I'm guilty of this one) they put the kids in the hot tub and call it bath time. Oh no, all you ever hear about is about how little Johnny was reading at 3, doing long division at 5 and creating world peace by 10. So you sit and listen to these stories and think, wow I must be a complete failure. You think what am I doing wrong, my kid is 8 and still struggles with reading or my kids cry when they hear the word math. What's worse is we moms completely buy into the competition instead of remembering why we wanted to home school in the first place.

A couple years ago I was on complete home school burn out and quite frankly my hubby had enough as well. One of the best things I found was Todd Wilson's website and his books. They are very short quick reads that gave me a light hearted way to stop being so hard on myself and start enjoying my kids again. Even my hubby read the books and wow what a difference he stepped up and started getting involved in the kids school as well. Since finding these short little books I have given several out to my friends and all I seam to hear back is thank you so much I needed these books, thank you, thank you! Check out Todd's books and website.

http://www.familymanweb.com/

Shirataki Noodles, Love them or Hate them?

The new super noodle is everywhere right now. You can hardly turn on a cooking show without seeing Shirataki noodles being used. After all what could be better than a low carb, low calorie, gluten free, healthy guilt free pasta.

Well after doing extensive tastings here's what I found. They seem to have a love hate relationship with my family. I love them the rest of my house hates them. These noodles are not at all like a traditional gluten filled Italian pasta. They are much more an Asian noodle. They work wonderfully in a stir fry, miso soups and all kinds of dishes on the Asian side. As for the Italian side I found them to be a little to mushy and chewy to work well. I will say they have a bit of a funky smell when you first open the package. After rinsing the noodles the smell goes away but I think that may have been what turned my family off.

I would recommend getting a package and trying them for yourself. check out the link below for more info on these noodles. They also have some recipes on their website you might want to try.

http://www.house-foods.com/

Homeschool Day at Biltmore Estate September 22 & 23

Growing up in the Asheville, NC area was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. I can't believe I've never taken my kids back to see my old stomping grounds. Well it's time to remedy this with Biltmore's 10th Annual Fall Home school Days. Check out the link below to get more details. I would highly recommend this event for the kids.
http://www.biltmore.com

Sawmill Gravy

My hubby is a true Tennessee boy thru and thru. I think he could eat biscuits and gravy everyday of his life, 3 meals a day, and never once get tired of it. Here's the basic sawmill gravy recipe I was first taught. Since we don't eat pork I just omit the drippings and use butter or drippings from turkey bacon instead.

Ingredients
3 Heaping Tablespoons of white cornmeal
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cup milk
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

In a skillet (I only use cast iron) add cornmeal, drippings, and salt. Stir until browned. Add milk and let it boil until gravy thickens. Strongly stir to keep the gravy from lumping. Add the pepper to taste.

Easy GF Mexican Lasagna

1 small package gluten free corn tortillas

1 can of black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 small can of diced green chilies

1 can corn, drained

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup diced bell peppers

1/2 cup diced onion

1 pound ground turkey or beef

1/2 - 1 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp (cumin or to taste)

2 cans gluten free enchilada sauce or pured salsa if you can't find GF enchilada sauce.

2 cups cheddar cheese

1. in a large skillet on med/high heat cook the ground meat, onions, bell pepper, chili powder and cumin until the meat is browned and cooked through and the peppers and onions are slightly tender.

2. In a large bowl combine cooked ground meat with the canned beans, corn, green chilies, and sour cream.

3. In a 13x9 inch casserole dish add a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce or salsa to the bottom of the pan. Cover the sauce with a single layer of tortilla shells then top with about 1/3 of the ground meat and bean mixture. Top the meat mixture with more of the sauce or salsa. Add a little cheddar cheese then another single layer of corn tortillas. Repeat this process with the meat mixture until you have several layers made up (I usually have 3 layers of the meat mixture). Ending with a single layer of tortilla shells covered with sauce and topped with cheese.

4. Bake in a 350 degree over until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling hot. Let it cool for few minutes before cutting.

Udi's Gluten Free Bakery

I love Udi's products. Finally a GF bakery company that makes tasty moist products. I first picked up a pack of Udi's bagels a few months ago. After not eating a bagels in more than two years the craving was more than I could stand. The thought of that toasty smell mixed with cream cheese and fresh sprouts had haunted me for years. At the moment I saw those bagels I think I could have killed to be able to eat just one bite of REAL bread. So without hesitation I grabbed the Udi's GF bagels and a pack of cream cheese and darted home asap. The first thing I did when I got home was toast that bad boy up. To my surprise the bagel was chewy and crispy all at the same time. Not at all like the other brands I had tried. You know the kind that required you to chew for about 30 minutes before being able to swallow their hard tasteless bagel shaped cardboard rounds. Glory be, this bagel was different, it actually tasted good.


Udi's also has a full line of GF muffins in many different flavors. I would highly recommend the lemon strudel muffins, talk about yummy!



The website is http://www.udisglutenfree.com/

N.A.E.T Therapy, Heard of it?

So I've been hearing more and more about NAET therapy as a natural approach to eliminate allergies. Here's the website if any of you are intrigued www.naet.com. Apparently the theory is that you can eliminate your allergies through acupressure. I thought that sounded pretty interesting or just crazy, I'm not sure yet.