I hate the Sunday paper!

Seriously - this is reduculous! Each one must weight a pound each.

My baby is a year old!

A complete disaster - almost

What to do with your 6th and final (at least for now) batch of botched rolls that came out less like rolls and more like very expensive hockey pucks.



And since Em and D had a blast, I suppose it wasn't a complete dissaster!

Cilantro meat sauce

Sounds a bit boring. Any suggestions for a snazzier name?

This has become one of my favorite wheat/casin free meals. I'm not a food photagrapher (I really should take a class on that!) so I'm not sure the picture really does it justice. It's fabulous! It all started when I pulled out my frying pan and started throwing things in. :o) This is truly a what-we-have-in-the-fridge dish.

Cilantro Meat Sauce

1/2 lb (1 lb for you big meat eaters out there! ;o} sausage
1/2 red (or color of your choice) bell pepper diced
2 green onions (or more if you really love 'em) cut diagonally in 1/2-1 in lengths
1/2 cup (or as much as you can stand) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Enough of whatever you plan to serve it on to feed two people

Heat your pan to hot before putting the meat on. Let it sizzle until a nice sear develops. Use a wooden spoon to crumble and cook until the sugars carmalize and it is no longer pink. Add a drizzle of olive oil if it looks dry. Toss in the bell pepper and some sea salt and fresh ground pepper. After a few minutes toss in the onion and let it get just the soft/crispness that you like. Wilt in the cilantro and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Spoon over you choice of carbs ;o). Enjoy!

It really is the cilantro that makes this dish. Really - the more cilatro the better. Oh, and I have made it with both and there is definately a difference. Supermarket pork is fine. But pork raised on your sister's farm and barterd for with fabric yardage (everyone wins - except maybe my sis husband! hee, hee) is really the only way to go. Fabulous, fabulous meat! (thanks, Sarah!)

I'm back!

Both kids and I have been sick. While they have/had colds, I have no idea what I got. I think that it was a plugged duct that sent my temp up and landed me in bed for 14 hrs yesterday. Thank goodnes Tuan was a huge help!(luv ya, honey!) Anyway - I seem to be mostly recovered and back on my feet.

Holly - thank you so, so much for your suggestions. Any help/tips you care to share would be imensely appreciated!

Maggie - this is the grinder I have. I would recommend it on this basis: A friend let me borrow hers before my mom gave me this one (new, but never opened or used) and she has been using it for at least 5 years with now problems or dulled blades or anything. Oh - and while I have been using it, it has been great! Only one drawback - it is very, very loud! But I will admit that my knowledge of different brands/types is extremely limited to say the least! ;o) My mom and friend both got theirs at a discount through a church co-op. Perhaps that would be something you could organize in your ward. P.S. that site is the first site I found - not necesarily the cheapest option out there ;o)

I don't need chocolate or diamonds - just give me 'flours'

I recently aquired a wheat grinder from my mom. I loved being able to throw in some wheat, grind it and make a pizza crust from the freshest flour available.

When I cut wheat from my diet I began using it for other flours.
White rice flour
Brown rice flour
Maize flour (corn)
Oat flour

The great thing about giving up wheat is discovering all the other grains out there besides wheat.
Millet
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Teff
Potato Starch/Flour
Tapioca Starch

The binder I use that does the job gluten does (binding and stretching) is Guar-Gum.

I have yet to replicate anything resembling a fluffy white roll but it's actually becoming less important and I discover all the other yummy breads I can make. For now it's still hit or miss.

Miss:


Edible, but anything but fluffy dinner rolls.











Hit!

Resisting temptation

Last night was our ward Thanksgiving potluck dinner. I took corn chips and salsa - wheat and dairy free. However I wasn't sure there would be anything else there that I could eat. Actually, there was! I had strawberry spinach salad and ham. And more ham. And more ham. (the chips and salsa was gone by the time I got through the line) Daniel and I watched (very enviously, I must admit) as Tuan and Emma polished off brownies with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin cake bars and lemon squares. I was feeling rather despondant after dinner so I came home and made this:
Chocolate Banana Bread




This, dear reader is heaven! Spread with plenty of vegan butter (a yummy discovery in the Fred Meyers fridge section) and my eyes just closed in extacy. It is so good! No more feeling deprived at all. It was also great to hear the happy lipsmacking coming from Daniel as he devoured piece after piece.


If you are interested in the recipie, I adapted it from this site - The only change I made was to add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp stevia. Oh, and I only had two bananas so I cut the recipie in half.

1 cup of gluten-free flour of your choice
1 cup of teff flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons high-quality, unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 overly ripe bananas
1/4 cup plain yogurt (make sure it's gluten free - I actually subbed some pumpkin I roasted and purre'd for the yogurt)
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Move the rack to a position in the lower half of the oven. This will prevent the crust of the bread from burning. Grease the pan you intend to use.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, making sure to tame the lumps of cocoa powder with a fork. Set aside.

With a standing mixer or hand mixer, beat the eggs lightly. Then, add the yogurt, vanilla extract, and melted butter. When this assemblage is completely mixed, then gently add in the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until they are just mixed.

Scrape the dough into your pan. Pat down the top to make a flat surface. If you wish, toss a few pecans or walnut halves onto the top. Place into the oven and bake for about forty minutes, or until the knife you insert gently into the bread comes out again clean. Let the bread sit in the pan for five to ten minutes, then turn it over onto a wire rack. Serve warm, with cream cheese, if you wish.

A new way of eating

Daniel is reacting to something in my milk. So I have eliminated wheat and dairy from my diet. Now - I LOVE cheese. I do miss it. But strangly enough it's the butter that I am missing most right now. That must be because there has been no cheese in the house since I gave it up. ;o) We'll see how it goes when/if there is some around.

But I am always trying to think in terms of what I can eat not what I can't. (curse you pizza cravings! lol)

This new diet has really led to some surprising and yummy dishes. I decided to share them with you as I feel very proud of my acomplishments!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Emma went as a fairy and Daniel as a lion. My very clever bro-in-law quipped that "shouldn't Daniel be in the den of lions and not a lion?" Har, har! lol






Our church held a "trunk-or-treat" which is basically everyone parking in the lot and dispensing candy (or a pencil/playdough/cookie) from their trunk. Emma went with me down one side and then with her daddy down the other. While they were gone, Daniel decided to have a little snack! ;o)



After Em was done she bunked down under a blanket in the trunk while we handed out the rest of the cookies. As soon as we got home she sorted and resorted her candy - like so many new toys. Didn't eat much -hasn't eaten any since but really enjoyed holding out her bag.



I'm just glad I got better pictured than last year! Here is a refresher:

Hallowe'en Decorations

Some funny decorations - These people actually put costumes on their dog and goose statues. (Actually - putting a dog and goose statue on your front porch seem silly to me even sans costumes!)




Very high tech. And the ugliest skeleton ever. Oh - the ghost had flashing red and green lights! Random.