Cookie Picture

Forgot to add this picture with my last post.  Yum Yum!

M&M cookies

Back to baking finally!  I had a bunch of M&M's and decided to put them in a cookie.  I actually used the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Semi-Chocolate Chips bag, but instead of flour, I used the flour blend I keep made up in the refridgerator from the cookbook "Baking Gluten Free".  I was nervous, but they turned out AMAZING!  Tasted like regular chocolate chip cookies.  Now I get the blessing of practicing self-control because I want to gobble them all up.  I did make a big purchase ~ a KitchenAid stand mixer ~ WOW why did I wait so long to buy this machine.  It made mixing up these cookies so much easier!!!  I bought some strawberries and hope to make a go at my first gluten free pie crust.  Wish me luck and Happy Baking!

Vacation Adventures

Wow, summer is finally here and of course that means it is time to pull out the apron and get to baking!  I need to try to bake more from my original gluten free baking book.  Many of my most recent recipes have been from other locations.  Currently enjoying an amazing week with my mom, so no baking here.  I could have brought all my flours, but just wanted to enjoy fellowship with her this week.  I did take over her kitchen and preparation of our meals.  Today we ate a delicious tuna/rice casserole.  Super good and easy to make.  It is one of my favorites for a quick meal with amazing left over taste.  For dinner I made a Carribean Chicken Salad.  Oh my word!  Our breakfast is on the counter - Soaked Oatmeal.  I'll share more tomorrow.  Until then, enjoy the blessings of summer weather!

Peanut Butter Brownies

Well, I have actually had two baking adventures since my last post.  Last week I made lemon cupcakes for my math class.  The recipe was my easter cake with the lemon variation.  They had earned by baking expertise because I presented them with a goal in math and they achieved it a week early.  I was so proud and their reward was a dessert treat made by me.  They loved it, but of course what made me excited was when I had 6 cupcakes left and a boy asked if we could play a game and the winner could win the cupcakes.  I quickly asked what game and he said "A Math Game."  He chose to play greedy and what math teacher wouldn't play a math game - learning for a simple leftover cupcake - SCORE!
Tonight I made the peanut butter brownies.  The recipe is found on the liveglutenfreely website.  It uses the betty crocker gluten free brownie mix as the base, so it wasn't completely from scratch like I enjoy, but I had the mix and wanted to use it up.  They turned out fabulous!  I did take a picture, but don't feel like downloading it right now, so picture will follow.  Well need to get back to the Thunder Game.  Not looking good, but I have faith they will come back in the second half!  Thunder Up!

Easter Cake

 Happy Easter everyone!  This year I am making a nice Easter dinner.  Sadie came home for the weekend and later 3 of her college friends will be over to enjoy a delicious meal and of course this yummy gluten free coconut cake.  The recipe is from the magazine "Living Without" the April/May 2011 issue.  In fact, our entire meal today except for the meat is their Easter dinner in the magazine.  I kept true to the recipe except for the decorations on top.  They had you making some beautiful eggs with fondont, but we are PEEPS fans and felt this would be our personality better.
Can't wait to eat it!

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Looks yummy? Check back later for more information.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Feb. 27, 11

Mint Bars - Page 90

It has been way to long since I put my baking apron on and attempted a new gluten-free recipe.  Well yesterday I decided to make more of "Elenor's Banana Bread" found on page 51 to take to our Sunday morning bible class.  I must say it was even better than the first time I made it.  I did the variation offered of adding 1 cup fresh blueberries and I made it with walnuts this time.  Sorry no pictures because it was gobbled up!  


As for the mint bars, as my banana bread was baking I flipped to this page and decided I would make them too.  Wow, are they good!  The only change I made to the recipe was again with the sugar.  The bar part called for 2/3 cup sugar.  I didn't use stevia - I used organic pure cane sugar.  But knew the icing part called for quite a bit of powdered sugar, so only added 1/3 cup sugar.  I am so glad I did this change because they were still way to sweet due to the icing.  It is a one bar at a time treat with a glass of yummy rice or almond milk.  My handy taste tester gave them a 9. He said they were moist and good, but very rich!  I love the very rich part because I know I won't eat more than one at a time.

I will deviate a little from my dessert blog to recommend an amazing cookbook for anyone suffering from allergies.  The Whole Food Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal.  I cook 80-85% of my meals from this cookbook.  It eliminates the major allergy foods:  wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy.  Of course if you are not allergic to all these items, suggestions are provided to put them into various recipes.  I made for lunch today the Corn Chowder soup.  So good and filling!  I purchased this cookbook at Barnes and Noble for $18.95 and I must say it was money well spent.  So if you are suffering from food allergies, or just want recipes for a healthier diet, I HIGHLY recommend this cookbook.  I will get a picture of the cover for you on my next post. 
I also purchased a new book this week Crazy Sexy Diet.  There wasn't any super new information in there for me, but I found it a very inspirational book based on the author's lifestyle changes due to a diagnosis of untreatable cancer.  At the end there is a 21 day cleanse, which is exactly like the one I did last  year.  It was a quick easy read, I did have to look past some of her language (she would have made a good sailor).  But I do like the explainations given for why diet changes need to be made in our world.   Her major urge is to make your kitchen your medicine cabinet and one statistic she gave in the book that I highlighted and marked was found on page 16.  "In 1960, 18% of our national income was spent on food while 5 % was spent on health care.  Today 9% of our income is spent on food and 17% on health care".  Wow, what a flip flop!  Personally I would prefer to make our hard working farmers richer than shoveling money into the pockets of drug manufacturers.  Ok, that is all for my rambling today. 
Happy baking!