Gluten-Free Cake Mix

Oh, dear, I don't have anything pictorially to post on this one...I'm sure my dad does though. I mixed up the dry ingredients for this cake to take to my parent's house for L's birthday. The cupcakes turned out wonderfully. Yumm!! And L knew just what to do when it came to the candles...and she's only 2! I didn't realize that she would. Fun!

Sandwiches

Most days for lunch the girls have sandwiches, with peanut butter being the main insides. L likes meat and cheese, but not in her sandwich, in the case of a meat and cheese sandwich she eats all parts separately. Kj on the other hand will add whatever is on her plate to her sandwich. Today, I made peanut butter sandwiches and she added her cheese to it. See how happy this sandwich made her. Try it, you might like it too...



Here was the hit of yesterday. Kevin was home as he had just finished a test and we convinced him that he might as well eat with us as eat his lunch at work. Here is what I made:

Crunchy Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Spread one slice of bread with creamy peanut butter.
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Drizzle on agave nectar.
And then, just for fun, spread a bit of Nutella on the other slice...just a bit in the corner.

It was a hit. As for me in my gluten-free-ness, I put all the toppings in a bowl and used my tostadas to scoop it up. Yumm.

I am trying to recall what all she put in her sandwich the other day. Oh, maybe it was: peanut butter, banana, agave nectar, cheese, banana, Nutella...that doesn't seem quite right...but if you are daring, you could try that as well. :)

Goodbye Scarf, Hello Skirt

I didn't have enough yarn left to finish this skirt, so I had to take apart a much liked scarf. Kevin asked if I ever wore it... I haven't really this winter, but last winter it was a favorite! The skirt won out, so goodbye scarf.

Baby Hat

I found this idea when looking through someone's pictures on Facebook. I'll have to try again and write down the exact directions for you all.

Comparing...

I know you aren't supposed to do this with your children, but this is a fun one... Same age, same clothes, similar props... Kj and L.

Pizza Crust - Gluten-free

I mentioned this crust in a previous post about Hot Pockets, and today I tried it in its intended state. It was delicious! Here is my altered version:

3 cups gluten-free flour mix
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
(mix these)

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
(mix these)

Combine 2 mixtures, beat 2-3 minutes. Cut in half and spread each half on a pizza stone, brush with olive oil. Add favorite toppings and bake at 400 degrees for 14-15 minutes. Yumm!

I am testing out how freezing one section works out. Hopefully it doesn't ruin this wonderful dough! :) I'll have to update later with the results.

Gluten-Free Flour Mix

2 parts rice flour
2 parts potato starch
1 part tapioca flour

Cake-Topped Apple Cobbler - Gluten-Free

The original recipe is from Taste of Home, and still online!

The gluten-free version using my "theory" is as follows:

6 cups sliced Granny Smith Apples
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup + 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder

Arrange apple slices in an 8/9 inch square baking dish. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.

In a small bowl, beat butter and remaining sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder; add to egg mixture and beat until blended. Drop by spoonfuls over the apples; spreading evenly.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Also, you could serve with frozen yogurt or ice cream (which we didn't do).

Curly Maple's Applesauce Muffins - Gluten-Free

Original Recipe

Gluten-Free Recipe

1 1/4 cups sugar*
1/2 cup butter, melted*
2 eggs
2 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten free flour mix*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum*
1 tablespoon cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup applesauce

Makes 1 1/2 dozen muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 2o minutes.

For some reason the first batch I made really had pizazz...I'm not sure if I added more cinnamon or cloves, but I have made them a few times since and they haven't been the same...these adjustments reflect the closest I have gotten to the first batch... I will continue to try and figure out the right proportions!

* slightly changed from original

My Theory - Switching Recipes to Gluten-Free

The theory that I am testing in my baking...

1. Looking at "regular" or "glutenous" recipes, they seem to all have even measurements for the flour, and the gluten-free recipes seem to have odd measurements. Such as, 1 cup + 2 T. So, my idea for converting was to use 2 heaping cups of gluten-free flour in place of 2 cups flour.

I had previously just converted cup for cup and things seemed a bit doughy.

2. The next thing I am testing is baking time. I use the longer time because it seems like the gluten free things don't "solidify" as well. Or after a couple days they start to get soggy.

Using the combination of these 2 theories as well as this guide from on Gluten-Free basics:

• Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes
• Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used
• Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used

I have had success 2 times! Zucchini Bread, and Applesauce Muffins.

How We All Like Grapefruit

I bought a bag of grapefruit and peeled off the outside, placed them in a container in the fridge and had them all ready for consumption.

As we feel the urge, we peel off the skins of the fruit individually and just eat as much as we want. Kj prefers the skins on...not sure why... I have found this easier and yummier than the way my mom used to do it. (cut in half, cut out each piece, eat with sugar) Mom, you would be so proud, we don't add sugar! ;)

It's hard to get them to stop eating!

Moby Wrap

The finished product.

The right way to lay out, measure and cut a Moby Wrap.

The wrong way to cut and measure a Moby Wrap.

This is about the 3rd maybe 4th time that I have done this project. Through this particular run through, I have realized that there is a right and a wrong way to cut a no-sew Moby Wrap. My lines were so off...it was discouraging. But as you can see by the end product no harm was done!

Here is the site I used to figure the measurements. I didn't actually do the tapering. I figured that whomever uses the wrap can decide whether they want that or not.

Tweaking - Debbie's Zucchini Bread

Oh, this recipe was delicious and turned out wonderfully. No goo, nicely browned, good flavor!! First of all, I will give you the original recipe as it is wonderful as well. Just not conducive to a gluten-free lifestyle.

Debbie's Zucchini Bread

3 cups unpeeled, shredded zucchini
3 tablespoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
(mix together then add:)
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour in 1 bundt pan or 2 loaf pans (greased). Enjoy!

Anna's Zucchini Bread - Gluten-Free

3 cups unpeeled, shredded zucchini *note below*
3 tablespoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
(mix together then add:)
3 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes in 1 bundt pan or 2 loaf pans (greased). Enjoy!

*Note: I used frozen, then thawed and drained shredded zucchini and 1/2 cup zante currants, I am not sure how this affected the recipe, so eventually I will try it again...although right now all I have is frozen zucchini.

Debbie is a friend of my sister's from MN.

Spring Green Collection

I guess I have kind of made a collection with this set of fabric... What with the three previously mentioned items and the two shown below.

This is a make-over-due-to-stain project. :) It was a really nice long sleeve shirt for Kj and then I think chocolate ice cream or something sat on the neckline for a while... I guess I hadn't used my really good stain-fighting skills on it...or was impatient. So, I added a pocket and belt. I tried to find a picture of Kj in the shirt originally, but with no success.


Here I didn't want to make another stripy skirt with vertical stripes. So, the challenge for this skirt was to piece together the two sections of stripes. I made one large section, cut it in half... Imagine seeing the original piece of fabric as a skirt twice the length of this one. Well, I cut it in half to have an upper and lower section then pieced it back together to have a front and back of the skirt. I did have a bit of trouble getting their intersection to match up, but it was slight enough to just trim off of bit of the bump! Should have taken pictures so you could see... Next time, maybe I'll think of that. I was going to make this for a friend of the girls' that is turning 2 but there was a lot of fabric...and it is about a size 5. Oh, well...Kj might use it anyways. she had so many layers on that I couldn't fit the elastic properly and she wasn't willing to take some of those off.

Loveliness at My House

Tweaking - Diaper Cover

This is my third year making a few photography props for a friend from church. She usually comes up with the patterns and ideas and I figure out how to carry them out. I made these diaper covers before with buttons for closures and thought I would try tweaking the "recipe" a bit to make them tie-able. Not having any infants to try them on, I'll have to wait to find out how they work out. The original pattern you will find at PolkaDotPosh on Etsy. Really neat stuff if you photograph newborns, or if you know how to crochet and know photographers!! :)

Sweet Quesadillas - need perfecting...

I have been a quesadilla fan ever since I learned how to make them...shortly after going gluten-free. I sometimes miss peanut butter sandwiches though. Also, I saw a recipe for chocolate quesadillas. It had chocolate chips, honey and cinnamon in it. Well, being as it was lunch time, not dessert time, I thought I would compromise using: peanut butter, agave nectar, and chocolate chips. It was good, but didn't stick together very well... I'm not sure how to remedy that, so if anyone has any suggestions, please comment!

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Yumm...I am working on using glutenous recipes and changing them to gluten-free recipes...rather than trying to find everything I want gluten-free. So here is a new and improved recipe.

The original recipe "Blueberry Coffee Cake" was found in the Bethel Lutheran Community Cookbook published in 1999 and submitted by Elsie M. Hildebrandt.

Peach Coffee Cake

1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 cups gluten free flour mix
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 can peach pie filling

Mix first six ingredients together. Pour half in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread peach pie filling on top and dollop the rest of the batter on top of that. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting (powder sugar, a bit of vanilla, enough water to get to the consistency you desire). Enjoy!!


My gluten-free flour mix: 2 parts rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca flour.

Mama's Day Off

Kevin took the girls to see his aunt and cousin today and I stayed at home. I finished reading my book, washed a few of the dishes, folded a couple clothes, remembered to eat lunch, and SEWED!! It was a very relaxing, enjoyable day. I, finally, after two years, took a "know your serger" class at the store from which I bought my serger. Yeah!! I was a little nervous, but it went very well. Apparently, there is a continuation of the class, and I am eagerly awaiting the announcement as to its date!

My picture from class:
I wanted to remember the settings for the narrow overlock stitch. I ended up not even needing this picture today, because I also wrote down a few notes on the page in my manual. I used that stitch as well as other fun things I learned to make semi-professional looking attire for my daughters and their friend H.

My first project is the long skirt shown above. I was gifted a large bag of material from a friend who was cleaning out her stock. The waist-band looks better coordinated in person...although it is a wacky coordination...meant mainly for little girls. :) The little skirt I made last with the leftovers from the first.

Next, I used the top half of a 3T polka-dot shirt (it had a few stains on the front) and attached some fun fabric to the bottom. This I found at a rummage sale last summer. It looked somewhat like a nightgown, so I added to it...

In some round about way I found a sight called:
Thank you, Me Sew Crazy!
And they had a fun belt that I thought I would try. I was actually going to try the dress itself first, but the belt seemed to go with this particular dress. With, of course, a few adjustments, I came up with this:

So, here is my little beauty, Kj. Her daddy thought maybe she could wear it to church tomorrow...Nope, too cold!!

My next project will be making a much liked long sleeve shirt into a cardigan...it is the only way I could come up with to still use the shirt, although it was stained! I started some of the cutting, so I can serge again soon!!

*I have decided to try to add the buttons of the reference sites, if they have one...we'll see how that goes.

Happy Valentine's Day

My idea came from: Martha Stewart by way of: Three Sneaky Bugs... for the above Valentine. Then we just had a great time; all 4 of us! We made lots of Valentine cheer to send around.

Au Jus Sauce

I had never heard of "Au Jus" before two weeks ago. My friend made a piece of wonderfully tasting meat in a crock pot. When I did my big grocery shopping outing yesterday, I forgot to look for a seasoning packet. So, to the internet I went.

Starting with this recipe for Simple Au Jus Gravy:
3 cups water
4 teaspoons beef bouillon (or 4 cubes)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
I made a roast in the crock pot today. Mmmm...was it good!! My recipe:

*4 beef bouillon packets
*approx. 2 T Worcestershire sauce (since I don't yet have Gluten Free soy sauce)
*garlic granules (however much you like!!)

*(1/2 on bottom of crock pot, 1/2 on top of roast)

carrots - cut in big pieces...
potatoes - 1 inch cubed
celery - chopped

roast (on top of veggies)
3 cups water

Cook on low for 5 hours or so. Yumm!!

Hot Pockets in Progress

Using a combination of ideas and recipes, I am trying to make Hot Pockets.

Crust (with some changes in the flours)
Directions (parts)
Idea (sort of)

The crust needed a bit more flour while I tried to mash it out. I used mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, red pepper, smoked turkey lunch meat, and a random marinara sauce concoction. There is extra sauce for dipping, and if this turns out I will actually have to write down some directions to keep. Smells wonderful!