Harvest Fun

I must blog today.  The past four days has been full and fun and now it is all winding down.  I am very ready for a day just at home tomorrow. Today was "one of those days." I need to go back to a peaceful place!  That is why I am going to tell you about our "first day of fall festivities!"  It was such a peaceful day.  We had so much fun and it truly felt like fall to me.

Here we go....

First we made fall breakfast cookies and I found the recipe here.

The boys were very excited about these and so was I!  They made the house smell spicy and warm. MMMM....

They were healthy too!  Organic raw coconut, raw local honey, gluten free oats, and raisins just to name a few of the ingredients.

The boys devoured these.

After breakfast we got down to our crafting.  I chose to have them make Craft -Stick Scarecrows from Little Family Fun

Here is Cody staring his scarecrow.

Corbin gluing on hair.

Cody and his finished scarecrow.

Agggh! Scary!

Corbin wanted to make a mean scarecrow.

AGGGH! Scary!  Cody and I were being silly.

After craft time I had an abundance of Roma tomatoes I had to deal with.  I have been reading an awesome cookbook: The Homeade Pantry - 101 items you can stop buying and start making by Alana Chernila.  She had a great idea for roasting tomatoes with garlic and Italian herbs and then freezing them.  You have a ready made base for your sauce for when you want savory marinara in the winter time!  I love the idea so that is what I did with our tomatoes.

Yummy! This is perfect because since I can't eat our tomatoes now I can still enjoy them later when they are allowed (after my ALCAT diet is done).

Once the tomatoes were roasted then I got back to work with the kids. 

Next we were making edible harvest spiders! I got the idea from Sprinkled with Flour. It was hard to abstain from these too but of course the kids enjoyed them.

Cody loved dipping his "spider legs" pretzels in chocolate.

Peanut butter on the Ritz crackers holding the "legs" on.

He always wants to make a silly face now.

Sweet Corbin.  He wanted more M & M's so he gave his spider compound eyes.  He said "Mom they really have that you know."

I can't stand spiders but I do love peanut butter and chocolate.  They each made more than one spider of course!

In heaven.  He enjoyed the taste of his spider with compound eyes......heheheheheh.

The rest of the day I spent doing a little last minute cleaning and some fall decorating.  My favorite!  We ended our day with a candlelit dinner of Beef Stew.  Hearty and full of fall!

I could actually eat this.  It was from my ALCAT diet. I personally like our family favorite crock pot version of stew better but I was certainly thankful to end the day with a hearty stew like this.

Happy Fall Friends!

~Blessings~

Ten on Tuesday

Haven't done one of these in a while.  Usually when I think of doing a "Ten on Tuesday" post it is Friday or some other day!

1.  I have been up to my neck in lesson planning.  Planning is something I really enjoy and thankfully God has gifted me with organizational skills.

2. I signed up to teach a Before Five a Row class to preschoolers next year at our co-op as well as being the "Preschool Coordinator."  Cody will be in preschool so I get to be his teacher too! It will be an adventure. I love Before Five in a Row curriculum.  I used it when Corbin was in preschool and kindergarten and it was so much fun!

3. I have gotten my curriculum picked out for Corbin for this year. Praise God for his guidance.  We are using Plants Grow Up for Bible (actually Bible is saturated throughout all of our curriculum but Steve is going to do this book with the boys), CQLA for language arts, Teaching Textbooks for math, Mystery of History for history, and Apologia Science (we are doing Astronomy using a junior notebook) for science.  Corbin will be taking Geography, Art and be in the choir at our Co-op and he will be taking Piano Lessons as well. I almost added Latin but decided to save that for next year. SO excited for the next school year.  This is the first year I am not doing a "Unit study" style curriculum with Corbin. In fact, every curriculum we are using is new.  There will be a learning curve!

4. I have been using a lot of almond flour lately to bake with. I also started roasting my own almonds an making my own almond butter.  My inspiration came from Elanas Pantry (and trying to stay away from "potato starch" which is in my gluten free flour blend.)  I made some really good Cherry Almond Muffins and want to try making Almond Banana bread next.

5. We have been enjoying our summer so far.  Lots of water activities have been going on - our pool, sprinklers, squirt guns, and the local water park!  The boys love the water.  Grilling has become one of our favorite ways to have dinner and cool treats like homemade ice cream is becoming a common dessert.

6. My cousin graduated from homeschool high school (actually in May) and we celebrated this last weekend.  It was such a blessed family time.  Good meal, awesome Godly encouragement (for him), and just amazing to see what a Godly young man he has turned into. What a treat to see his Dad hand him his diploma and hear all the words of wisdom!

7. We had an RV pad poured on the side of our house a couple weeks ago.  It has been something we planned to do since we moved in but it became fall and fall became winter so we had to wait until summer.  I love how it turned out. It is the perfect place for our toy hauler.  The boys also love riding their bikes on all the new concrete too!

8. We are going on our first family camp with our church in August.  I literally cannot wait!  This will be our one and only vacation this year since Steve does not get any vacation time until next year.  He just happened to have the days off for this trip.  Praise the Lord!  It will be the first time Cody has been camping.  The boys are going to have a blast.  We are blessed to be able to be surrounded by Godly families, having worship time and fun camping time in the mountains!

9. Steve and I went and saw Brave the other night for a date night.  Yea, sometimes we see "kids" movies because really (in our humble opinions) kids movies really aren't for kids these days.  The animation was great in the movie but I couldn't believe the storyline.  A rebellious little girl decided to get a witch to cast a spell on her mom because she didn't want to do what her mom wanted her to do.  She regrets her decision and then the witch gives her advice on how to change the spell.  Really??? KIDS movie? It was sad and there were VERY scary parts in it too.  Our Pastor had just spoken on demonic things the previous Sunday and how they are packaged in "pretty" little packages.  We must be aware and "flee" as believers.  This is not a children's movie.  I would not let my kids see it.  We usually check Plugged In Online before we rent or see a movie but we spaced out and didn't this time.  Never again!

10. I got some scrapbooking time last weekend!  Finally!  It has been so long. I started Cody's baby album.  I am thrilled to be getting his birth and first year of life documented.  Thankfully doing albums from events in the past is easy because I keep all my pictures organized in Creative Memories Memory Manager software.  I currently have almost 9000 photos organized in there. I can search by date, person, event, rating, etc.. I can also edit my pictures in it.  It has been such a lifesaver because during certain seasons of life I don't have time to scrapbook but I do have time to keep my photos organized so when I do scrap it is easy!

~Blessings~

Cherry Season

One of the reasons I love living where I do is that any time a fruit is in season I can go and pick it fresh from an orchard that is growing it.  Fresh and Local is what it is all about these days right?  I love supporting our local farmers and orchards.

Around this time of the year the cherries are in season and growing in abundance on the trees! This is the first time I have ever gotten to go to a cherry orchard that literally has hundreds of trees and pick fresh cherries off the trees.  Each tree was either loaded with sweet red cherries, Bing cherries or pie cherries.  Before now I didn't even know there were pie cherries!

I love picking fresh produce right from the plant because it helps my kiddos to know that food actually grows and doesn't just appear in a store!  It also helps them to understand that there is a lot of hard work and time that goes into harvesting fruits and vegetables.

We went with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins and they brought one of their college friends too. Cody really enjoyed picking cherries with Johnny.

Corbin has a cherry in his mouth here.  They were so good looking it was hard to not taste a few!

Brother "love" time or wrestle time.

Our first bounty.

The whole crew.  Steve had to work that day as well as the second time we went :-(  He was missed. My parents were out of town the first time too. We took them when they got back into town though.  The pie cherries were more ripe then too.

The first time we went I picked 5 pounds of cherries and the second time I picked 7 pounds of cherries.  Another thing about local and fresh is the price!  They were only $1.00 a pound. 

I have had so much fun with these.  I bought a cherry pitter and pitted all of them.  I froze some for smoothies and to use later for cherry crisp and cobbler (Gluten free of course).  We also ate some of them for lunches. Then I made some Vanilla Dark Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream.  Oh my goodness was it good.  Click here for the recipe.  I didn't use alcohol or bittersweet chocolate. I used dark chocolate. I also added some vanilla.

This was divine.

With the second batch of cherries I made these Cherry Almond Muffins.  I used agave instead of honey and coconut oil instead of olive or grapeseed.  They turned out great.  I couldn't have a bunch of cherries and not make some cherry pie filling.  I made multiple batches of the filling.  The pie cherries really do make a difference.  They give the pie filling that little bit of tartness, that zing. Up next for the cherries, canning with my Mom and Aunt this week making Cherry Jam.  Yummers!

The next fruit in season that I can't wait for is peaches.  These are my all time favorite fruit.  I will be picking a lot of these!

Do you have any cherry recipes that you make every year?  How about family traditions with cherries or fruits that are in season?  I would love to hear about it.

~Blessings~

Ooh Babycakes!

As promised I told you I would tell you about some really yummy gluten free cinnamon and sugar donuts I made.  I have to tell you this creation was inspired by my friend Jessi.  She made them for me first and although I am not sure the recipe she used they were delicious! I thought about them for two weeks after I had them, that is - until I made my own!

In order for me to make these just like my sweet friend did I needed to get a mini donut maker.  Thankfully I had a gift card to Kohl's and was able to buy one during one of their HUGE sales (that they have all the time.)

This little guy has been so much fun!  We made these for movie night the first time and we about gobbled them all up before we even sat down for the movie. 

Before I show you more pictures that are going to make you drool and your stomach growl I will share the recipe with you.  This is a recipe I can't take credit for but I did adapt it a teeny bit for the donut maker. I found the recipe which was created by Nicole Hunn of Gluten free on a Shoestring here at Living Without Magazine's site.  Check out the recipe and then come back paaleeease!.  I will share with you what I did differently. 

• I did not make the cinnamon milk, I just used plain milk.
• I used a scoop and put the batter into the donut maker.
• I dipped the donuts in coconut oil before I coated them with cinnamon and sugar.

(Aren't I ingenious? I changed it up so much!)  Just kidding.  There are not usually many things I change about Nicole's recipes.  They are just plain good.

Here is what I started out with:

Then:

Whala! Bing Bang Boom~ Mini Donuts!

Aren't they cute?

Now it's time to dip them in melted coconut oil.  You can dip one side or both.  I just did one side.

Just ignore the fact that I accidentally focused the camera on my wrinkly hand!  It certainly was meant to be! I know you're more interested in donuts.

Time for cinnamon and sugar...

Oops, ignore THE hand again.

Heaven, I'm in Heaven.

And now for a bite...

Look how light and fluffy these are.  You would never guess they are gluten free.  The crunch of the cinnamon and sugar on the outside and the moist crumb of the donut make them delightful.

I hope you enjoy these.  If you don't have a donut maker maybe you can find one at Kohl's when they have their 95% off sale!  These certainly didn't last long around our house.  I really savored each bite because I am soon going to be cutting out sugar from my diet for about 3-6 months.  For health reasons.  I would never choose to willingly give up such a divine part of life ~ sweets. It should only be temporary and short depending on the results. Have fun and let me know how your donut making goes.  What other gluten free creations can you come up with for this fun little machine?


~Blessings~

A little about yours truly

Do you want to know about me and some things that I like?  Really, you do?  Oh yay!

I like natural light.  When I walk in a room with a lot of windows and "sunny" colors it makes me feel good. When I wake up in the morning one of the first things I like to do is open the blinds or curtains and let the light in the house.

Blue is my favorite color, Red is my second favorite color.  Yellow reminds me of my Grandma because she had this breakfast nook in her house that was so bright and yellow.  I remember having wonderful meals in there with her and my Grandpa.  Love them!

Every time I get in the shower lately I think "Yes to Carrots!"  Isn't that silly? The reason I think that is because I want to try this new product line called "Yes to Carrots." When I am done with my current shampoo and body wash I am going to give some of their products a try.  I am excited because they are natural (FOR REAL - no parabens, petroleum, etc and they are full of minerals) and most of their products are rated 1 or 2 on the Skin Deep website. It is hard to find products that work, for a decent price and are good for your skin and body. I hope these do the trick.

I love to cook and bake.  When I was a young teen I started asking for kitchen stuff for holidays and birthdays.  It am so glad I did because a lot of the things that I received I still use to this day. My favorite kitchen utensils that I would be lost without are my J.A. Henckels knives (received as a wedding gift) and my cutting board that my Dad made for me. 

I just made these Gluten Free Ginger cookies today (used my own GF flour though.) They are slightly chewy no crunchiness here. Just the way I like them.

Other things on my baking list this week are ChexMuddy buddies (well you dont really bake these), GF lemon Bars, GF Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, and GF Peanut Butter Cup cookies (we like peanut butter around here!)

My favorite kind of food is Mexican.  My second favorite is Thai.

My hair was white- blonde when I was young.  As I have gotten older it has gotten darker and darker. Now they made me put "sandy" on my license.  I have almost always worn it long.  I wish I knew more ways to do my hair though.

I have always wanted to visit Italy and intend to do so some day.  My two favorite countries I have been to are Switzerland and Austria.  They are breathtaking.

Hope your having a wonderful week before Christmas!
~Blessings~

Victory! Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Can I tell you? I have been craving muffins for some time now.  With this new lack of gluten in my diet, muffins aren't easy to come by anymore.  Sure, I can go buy gluten free muffins but there is nothing like a homemade, fresh out of the oven, warm muffin making the house smell all good. I miss baking in a big way!

Last weekend I took a gluten free cooking class and learned some tips and tricks to gluten free baking along with some yummy recipes.  It was such a blessing to me.

In the cooking class one of the recipes that we made was a poppy seed muffin that was really good.  I couldn't wait go home and make some on my own but change it up a bit. First of all I needed to add a whole grain flour to the basic flour mix she gave us.  The original recipe didn't have any whole grains in it and it was nutritionally void. The idea behind the recipe from Terry (who created it) is that these are not something you eat very often.  She found a good mix of flours that works and wants to stick with it because GF baking is a tough job. She bakes daily for her restaurant and it is a treat for us gluten free folks to have a homemade muffin or basket of fresh baked bread with butter on the table while eating out. I am grateful for her basic starter recipe to be able to adapt it to use in ways that fit our family.  Something she kept saying was "a recipe is a guide not a rule book."  It is so true but you have to have a good basic recipe to start with.  And now I have one!

While I can't share her recipe with you I can share my recipe that I created from her base recipe. 

These are really yummy muffins. Please try them.  They have a slight coconut taste and are lightly sweet.  You can add any fruit like dried cranberries, raisins, fresh mangoes or peaches, strawberries, raspberries, etc.  Another note is that if you want to cut back on the sugar content you should be able to substitute half amount honey, banana or applesauce. This substitution would probably work for the oil too.  *I have not tried the applesauce or banana yet but plan on it next time. If you try it, let me know how it works out. Pretty please?

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins
Adapted from a recipe by Terry Meihaus

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (choose your favorite)
1 cup coconut flour (this flour is so nutritious for you)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (if your all purpose flour doesn't have it in it already)
1 cup sugar (or half sugar subsitute like honey as mentioned above)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (can be almond or soy milk too)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. gluten free vanilla extract
12 oz. fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray (with gluten free spray) 24 muffin cups or you can use cupcake paper liners.  Whisk dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl stir wet ingredients together (not blueberries).  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries.  Bake at for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.   Cool for 10 minutes on wire racks.  Makes 24 muffins. 

Blessings!

Boston Brown Bread

Recently, when visiting the library I came across and fun looking cookbook that ended up having some really good recipes in it.  I found a recipe for Boston Brown Bread in the book and just thinking about this bread brought me back to my childhood. 

I remember going to the store with my mom and it was a huge treat for us to be able to buy a can of brown bread from the store. I couldn't wait to get it home, pop it out of the can, slice it, warm it up and top it with some cream cheese.  Yummy! It would still be a treat to do this today but I can't bring myself to spend the 4 or 5 dollars on this ~ especially when I can make it at home now!

Boston Brown bread is delicious and very unique in how it is cooked.  It is steamed in tin cans!  The texture is chewy and dense and it has a slightly sweet and nutty taste.  It tastes amazing warmed with butter or cream cheese on it.  I like to serve it to my family because it fills them up and is fairly healthy.

I made this the other day and it tasted just like I remembered it!  Actually better because it was fresh and no preservatives.

You have to try this you will love it.  Maybe it would be something fun to do with the kids too?  Everyone here thought it was cool how it steamed.

Here is the recipe:

Boston Brown Bread (from a book that I unfortunately did not write down the name!)

1 c. yellow cornmeal

1 c. rye flour

1 c. graham or whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. molasses

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c. raisins (optional)

Grease 2-3 16 oz. tin cans (cans that you saved from canned veggies or fruit) Set aside. Place a rack in the bottom of a very large stockpot (the kind you would uses for canning.) 

In a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flours, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in the molasses and buttermilk and mix well.

Fill the cans two-thirds full, cover with foil and place them on the rack in the stock pot.  Add hot water half way up the sides of the cans.  Cover the pot and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the breads are firm to the touch and a long skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Check the water level occasionally to keep at the half way point.

Let the breads cool.  Unmold by by running a knife around the breads,  If the bread us stubborn, invert and give a few good shakes and it will come right out.

I doubled this recipe because I knew my family would love this. Sure enough they gobbled up all 5 loaves and asked me to make some more.