St. Nicholas Day!

Our 2008 Christmas tree: I didn't even try directing the kids' decorating of it to space the ornaments evenly. :) The kids had a great time on their own organizing them onto different branches: the silver hearts on one, the balls on another, etc. We had a great time! (We also liked the height a couple boxes as a base gives the tree!)















In our family, we enjoy celebrating our German heritage by participating in St. Nicholas Day, in which each family member puts out a shoe, and St. Nicholas comes during the night to fill it with treats. It started in my family, continued between Josh and I during our freshman year, while he served his mission, while courting, and on through married life, and our kids are quite happy to continue celebrating it.
Of special mention this year, is the fish tank which St. Nicholas brought to us! (Not usual, but timely with the generosity of our friends the Webers.) It is a 30 gallon tank that he retrieved for us from our friends house, complete with 5 fish!
St. Nicholas also left some cash to buy a new fish for each of the kids, and we went out this morning to pick them. The final picks were
Cremecicle lyretail molly, a.k.a. Sissy. (This was Anna's pick.)
Silver molly, a.k.a. Melanie (Betcha can't guess whose fish this is!)
Sunset Fire Wag Platy, a.k.a. 'Oof-'Oof. (This is Jonathan's fish, and on the ride home, this is what Anna got out of him to name his fish.)
We also already had 3 pristella tetras
1 neon rosy barb
and an unidentified silver fish with a faint neon blue and black strip the length of it.

White taking a game break tonight, Josh and I discovered the wonders of the aquarium and our full-spectrum lightbulbs. Don't get sick...
The effect is much more spectacular in person, but it is pretty neat to see all of the colors of the rainbow in the shape of your lightbulbs!













For Family Home Evening tonight, we made "ornaments" out of popcorn balls, frosting, candy canes, and m&ms (idea courtesy of Family Fun magazine) to give to friends and neighbors. Everyone had a blast and they turned out great.









And in closing a couple stories from a week ago.

We came in from taking Anna to the school bus for preschool, I made PB and honey sandwiches for Melanie and Jonathan on the counter in the kitchen. I put them on plates, turned my back for a second, and soon found Jonathan on the floor with his sandwich, devouring it! Well, I guess he was hungry, but normally I opt for a bib! He was blissfully happy though.


















Melanie and Mommy had block time together while Jonathan was sleeping, and she had a great time with a mom who shouldn't play with blocks for that long a time... But she loved the end result. :) I should've studied architecture. :)

Thanksgiving-GF Corn Bread (for stuffing)

GF Flour Blend:
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup potato or cornstarch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup corn flour (tried bean flour option last time-garfava- and made the cornbread brown instead of yellow)

Corn Bread
2 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 cups GF flour blend
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 cups milk (I used almond)
2/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13 metal pan and set aside.
In large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, and oil until well blended. Add liquid mixture all at once to dry mixture, stirring until just moistened. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is firm and edges are lightly browned.

From "Cooking Free" by Carol Fenster

Thanksgiving-GF stuffing

Sausage, cranberry, and corn bread stuffing (from epicurious.com)
NOTE: prepare the day before Thanksgiving and warm up the day of!

1 loaf of corn bread (use mix or GF northern cornbread recipe)
1 1/3 cups pecans
2 leeks (about 2/3 pound; white and pale green parts only) (or 1 small onion, chopped)
2 celery ribs
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter (smart balance)
1/3 pound GF sweet Italian sausage (about 3 links)
1 1/3 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar (not splenda) (proportionally more than original recipe, but I think it needs it)
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
1 1/3 cups GF chicken broth


Preheat oven to 325° F.
Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and in large shallow baking pan bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer corn bread to a large bowl and in pan toast pecans in oven until insides are golden, 10 to 20 minutes.
Halve leeks lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. In a bowl of cold water wash leeks well and lift from water into a sieve to drain. Chop celery. In a 12-inch skillet cook leeks and celery in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until leeks are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to leek mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.
In a small heavy saucepan cook cranberries with sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until some begin to burst. Chop parsley.
To bowl of corn bread add pecans, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, and salt and pepper to taste and toss together. Cool stuffing completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.
For cooking all or part of stuffing outside poultry:In a shallow baking dish bake stuffing in preheated 325° F. oven 1 hour (for moist stuffing, bake covered entire time; for less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top, uncover halfway through baking time. My experience says to keep the foil on the whole time.)

Thanksgiving-Marshmallow or Streusel Sweet Potatoes

6 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter (smart balance)
3/4 cup brown sugar (was 2 cups white sugar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (was 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (was 1 tsp)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract (was 1 tbsp)
salt to taste
about 2 cups miniature marshmallows
OR
Pecan Streusel Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup featherlight GF mix (1 part each cornstarch, tapioca flour, and rice flour, +1/16 part potato starch flour: 1 tbsp if 1 part=1 cup)
1/3 cup butter (shortening)
1 cup chopped pecans

Peel sweet potatoes, cut in half length-wise, then into 2-inch segments. Boil for 15 minutes, or until still firm. Drain and return to pan. While they are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan until butter is melted. Pour sauce into sweet potatoes. Stir, mashing half and leaving the rest as bite-size chunks. Pour into a 9x13. Top with Pecan Streusel if desired. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 F. If using marshmallows instead, top with marshmallows at this point and return to oven until marshmallows are toasted, about 3 minutes.

Thanksgiving-Pan-Broiled Asparagus

2 bunches asparagus
olive oil
salt
pepper

Rinse asparagus and cut off bottom inch. Place in large flat dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cook over medium heat with lid on until softened, stirring occasionally. Take lid off, and finish cooking to desired firmness, stirring occasionally.

Thanksgiving-GF biscuits

GF flour mix:
1 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/6 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 cups GF flour mix
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
rounded 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter (shortening)
3/4 cup buttermilk (almond milk+lemon juice-try 2/3 cup of this mixture-dough was too wet)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut shortening into mixture. Stir milk in with fork. Flour counter. Turn dough onto counter, knead a few times. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes (snowman cookie cutter) and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 19-21 minutes. Yield 9 biscuits.

Thanksgiving-Cranberry Cream Salad

NOTE: Start preparing the night before!

1 pkg fresh cranberries
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream (or 8 oz cool-whip (fat-free)-I used though it contained small amount of sodium caseinate-milk)
4-6 oz. small marshmallows
2 bananas, sliced (optional: I don't because leftovers with bananas get mushy)
2/3 cup crushed walnuts

Use food processor to chop cranberries (pretty fine). Add drained pineapple and sugar. Let stand stand 4 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Whip whipping cream in separate bowl. Fold whipping cream or cool-whip into cranberry mixture. Then fol in marshmallows, bananas, and nuts if desired.

Thanksgiving-DF mashed potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced (one heaping tbsp)
1/2 tbsp dried rosemary, minced with garlic
5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, chopped
about 2 cups chicken broth (to right consistency)

Cook garlic and rosemary in olive oil over medium heat until garlic is softened (earlier in the day for Thanksgiving). Boil potatoes until soft. Beat with beaters, oil mixture, and chicken broth to desired consistency.

Thanksgiving-Cranberry Orange Relish

NOTE: Prepare the day before!

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 large orange
3/4 cup sugar, or to taste

Cut orange into quarters, then in half again. Pulse all in a food processor until desired consistency.

Italian and Pork Sausage Seasonings

Italian Sausage Seasoning-try for cornbread stuffing in 2009

1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled (1 tbsp red wine vinegar plus water to equal 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon anise seed
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (should probably skimp for kids)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (should probably skimp for kids)
1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/8 teaspoon coriander seed, coarsely cracked (or 1/8 tsp ground coriander)
1/8 teaspoon ground mace (opt.)
2 pounds extra-lean ground turkey breast
1 pound lean ground pork

Pour the chilled red wine vinegar mixture into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, oregano, black pepper, paprika, fennel seed, anise seed, parsley flakes, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, minced onion, coriander seed, and mace. Mix in the turkey breast and pork with your hands. Mix thoroughly so the seasonings are evenly distributed in the meat mixture. Use as desired, or to make patties, use following instructions.

Line two or three baking sheets with plastic wrap. Roll the meat mixture into 1/4 cup balls, flatten to 1/2 inch thick, and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Cover with another layer of plastic, and freeze until solid. Once solid, place patties into a resealable plastic bag to store.

Pork Sausage Seasoning
Note: not a "sweet sausage" seasoning. Try to find a better seasoning for the cornbread stuffing.

For 1 pound of ground turkey or pork:
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (opt)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2-1 tsp. paprika
1/2 - 1 tsp. oregano
1/2 - 1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fennel (optional)

Mix. Use immediately or flatten on saran wrap, score, freeze partially, break apart, finish freezing. Cook in skillet till done.

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again! And that means it's time to do some serious searching on delicious gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. Here's the plan (for me to help solidify everything, but you're welcome to keep reading):

• Turkey: (Butterball frozen)
• Mashed potatoes: (yukon golds), olive oil, roasted garlic, chicken broth
• Candied sweet potatoes: (sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, smart balance light margarine, brown sugar, marshmallows)
• Corn bread stuffing: (sausage, pecans, onion, celery, smart balance light margarine, (or Fleischman's, or Mothers?) fresh cranberries, GF cornbread, chicken broth, parsley)
• Cranberry relish: (cranberries, orange)
• Jellied cranberry sauce
• Cranberry whipped salad: (cranberries, pineapple, marshmallows, cool-whip, walnuts)
  
• Oven-broiled asparagus: (olive oil, salt and pepper, asparagus)
• GF biscuits: (with smart balance butter and honey)
  
• GF dutch apple pie: (crumb topping with GF rolled oats, GF flour mix, and shortening, GF pie crust bought at Hiller's)
  
• GF dutch cherry pie: (crumb topping with GF rolled oats, GF flour mix, and shortening, GF pie crust bought at Hiller's)
• Normal pumpkin pie: (the kids can't have the milk, and would prefer the fruit pies)
• Vanilla Ice Cream: (for the dairy-lovers)
  
• Beverage: water
  

Jonathan, the tickle monster

We were babysitting a friend the other day, and Jonathan was having a great time chasing her around with tickle fingers. They were having a great time!

The rest of our life this week has revolved around produce... I went shopping Monday night and went to Randazzo's (a great produce store), made my semi-annual Aldi's trip (a cheap canned goods store, now conveniently located only 20 minutes away instead of 40!), and also IKEA and Target... The car was full. I bought 5 bushels of apples, 50 lbs of plums, and at least a dozen cases of canned food, along with other more miscellaneous stuff. Oh, and the plums were only $4 total!!! They were moving them out, though they were still in GREAT condition!

So this week Josh and I spent many evenings over hot stoves, cooking pflaumenmuss (plum butter), apple butter, and applesauce, along with trying a load of canned plums to see what they taste like. We canned over 70 quarts of produce! I was pretty excited to be done. But boy do I feel prepared for the winter. We've got our food storage!

Hooray for homemade applesauce!!!

Rain, rain, go away

Stories at the end, but the pictures are thus:
Anna's first day of school. She is loving it so far! Side note: She's really picking up with reading, and it's fun to watch the enjoyment she gets from being able to figure out what the words say. Her current best-book is "Red light Stop, Green Light Go" a great first reader.


Melanie on Anna's first day of school - enjoying her time with Mommy and showing how much she knows too. She loves matching!

Anna and Mel making mud pies the day after our first rain. Anna had gotten chunks of clay from around our sandbox, put them in a bucket, and lo and behold, perfect mud was ready the next day!


I wanted to get a picture of Melanie soaked from clearing drains tonight, but she and Anna were having a hay-day quibbling over whether or not they wanted the other touching them, so our final picture... :) Note Melanie's "Emma Smith" hair.


Melanie playing in the leaf piles before the downpours.

Josh enjoyed homemade chocolate cake on the eve after turning in his final summer paper. :) He is officially a doctoral candidate now! On to the dissertation!


It is amazing what Anna can sleep through!


So, stories. Melanie has gotten lots of practice singing "Rain, rain, go away" the last few days... It has rained almost non-stop for 3 days now. In our Northwood family housing community, with this comes the excitement of small lakes forming- some over 10 feet across, easily... (which, incidentally, if left unchecked, lead to flooding of apartments... Thankfully we don't have any trouble spots right next to us.) So, to allay cabin fever yesterday, we went on a walk in the rain, barefoot (but with umbrellas), throughout our neighborhood. We tromped through ankle deep (4-5") puddles, formed where the storm-drains were clogged with leaves. We also took pleasure in unclogging the drains, watching and listening to the water swirl down. The picture above is after hitting the 3 local drains tonight with Melanie - she wasn't too concerned about staying under the umbrella, and consequently got soaked. Oh, and the humidity does wonders for her hair!
It has been nice to enjoy the rain while it's still warm enough to!

Hand-quilting the girls' blanket is done!

The Democratic and Republican National Conventions were a wonderful source of time to sit and quilt, enabling me to finish the hand-quilting! :) A close-up of the design and the entire quilt:

Now I just need to machine quilt the purple diagonals and possibly the center green boxes where the diagonals cross. If you have any feedback, let me know, if you have a different idea.

And now, a picture gallery: Jonathan on his favorite perch. He climbs up and down proficiently. And he's enjoying working on standing up by himself finally! :) He can do a couple seconds now (next to a curb).
And our beautiful blondies, right after a bath, in jammies (you can't tell really well, but Anna developed this interest in layering jammies (no matter how hot it is), so they both have shirts on top of their jammies.

New doorknobs

At long last I bought a couple bedroom (locking) doorknobs for our room and the girl's room. I was pretty pleased with myself for figuring out how to take the old ones off and put the new ones on. I know, it's not rocket science, but I'd never done it before. :)
So, anyone have ideas on what could be causing the diarrhea in the youngest two and bad behavior in our eldest? I don't know so much about Anna's toilet time, since she's potty trained, but they all get their symptoms together, so I'm ready to have our water tested - any other ideas? Thankfully the diarrhea hasn't been as awful as it used to be, but we were doing so well, it's a pain to regress.
Sigh.

Where did August go?

I know everyone loves a picture, so here's Melanie and Anna at night snuggled in bed. It was adorable.
So, Friday morning I called a friend to watch the older kids while I took Jonathan to an appointment... in a half hour. I was sure August 29th was next week! Wow! I cannot believe it's almost September.
Side note: Jonathan's appointment was just to make sure it's his huge smart brain occupying all the space in that cranium of his - he's measured off the charts (high) for months, and they just wanted to make sure... Yep, he's just extraordinarily smart, and that brain is bursting his cranium at the seams! :) He's getting to be a good talker, especially when he wants his "bah-bah" (bottle). Or "up," "fff" (food), or "wah-wah" (water).
Melanie has really enjoyed coming with mommy to run to Jonathan's appointment and other errands, rather than stay with friends being babysat (okay, twice now). It's endearing. She's a real sweetie.
We've been enjoying having Aunt Elizabeth from southern California out for the weekend before she drives to Cleveland, Ohio, for a business trip testing parts for rockets. We've REALLY enjoyed having her out, and today when Melanie and I came home after Sacrament meeting at Church to rest and get better from our colds, Elizabeth and Jonathan had a grand time together, playing together the rest of the day. :) Melanie also woke up before me, so Elizabeth got to snuggle a sleepy Melanie as she woke up from her after-Church nap.
Anna is really excited for preschool in a little over a week, and got to go to a movie theater with her friend, Rachel Weber, to see Kung-Fu Panda... She was absolutely thrilled. She's woken up Aunt Elizabeth a couple times at night so far, I think, because night-time is just too long to go without seeing your new favorite person. :)
Which leaves us with Josh and I. I enjoyed the Democratic National Convention this last week (1 speaker/night) and look forward to this week. Again, I say, I'm almost done doing hand-quilting for the quilt (which I learned by checking out several books and websites on the topic). Just 2.5 squares. :) (The picture isn't great, but if you're clever, maybe you can make out the quilting happening in the middle of the hoop.)Josh is madly working to finish his summer paper by the deadline - he'll be working around the clock this week, and prayers would really be appreciated on his behalf. It's due September 8. I think he's really enjoying the brief break with Elizabeth.
We had a great time taking a break yesterday at the Botanical Gardens nearby. "Indian summer" black-eyed susans are GORGEOUS! The blossoms are HUGE!
I enjoyed playing the piano for Liz Coltrin, a woman in our ward, singing "Oh, that I were an angel" two times this week. We did it for a Missionary meeting where the Spirit was really strong. Three women who have joined the LDS Church in the last year shared their story of how they came to know the truthfulness of the gospel, all commenting on how they never would have guessed they'd ever call themselves "Mormon." One especially bore a strong witness of the Book of Mormon. It was wonderful. The final speaker gave a great message about coming unto Christ, remembering Him every day, and including Him in our lives. We also did the song during Sacrament meeting today.
I enjoyed stretching myself and participating in making beautiful music. Especially at the Missionary meeting, I felt the Spirit strongly as I played. It's a great feeling.

Soy milk and carrots

Yesterday's 2 great offenders. Warning, this entry is mostly for me to just get some frustration out of my system, because, as witnessed by the previous entry, I was entirely hopeful that we wouldn't have any problems reintroducing foods this week.
But...
Jonathan got a few sips of a friends soy milk yesterday and threw up a couple times afterward. Then, while increasing Melanie's fructose intake throughout this week (so far so good up till yesterday), I let her have carrots and dip (the dip was the biggest fructose problem, I'm guessing, as it had 7g/tbsp, though carrots are a higher source of fructose too). The carrots started coming through in about 3 hours! (Looking just the same as when they went in, yum, yum.) Long story short, we've been paying for it in terrible diapers and lots of needs for snuggles. Anna has been wetting her pants again too! (One of her reactions to food - there's a disconnect somehow in her brain and she starts having accidents again.)
Anyway, perhaps needless to say, we're cutting back or out the fructose for everyone again. (And we just made yummy chocolate chip muffins yesterday morning for the kids since they could have fructose again! I guess I'll freeze them.)

Working on getting up and running again!

Kayla, Anna, Avery, and Melanie before friends moved away.
Anna and Melanie sharing our favorite treat - sugar-free popsicles!

Anna and Allen dancing to the piano playing. This one's for you Michelle!

Since our trip to Virginia, I've been pretty terrible about putting anything up, so I'm finally getting there.

First, a sob story. The other day I was hitting sales at Kroger, including some ice cream in the ubiquitous cylinder with a striped lid (Edy's/Dreyer's). I brought it inside, still in the grocery bag, and put it on the table. Melanie looks at it and runs to me in the kitchen, saying, "Ice cream! Thank you, thank you, thank you mommy!" I felt TERRIBLE! After apologizing, I was grateful for her short memory or quick forgiveness.

But on the bright side, we are reintroducing fructose! For the first time in, well, her life? Melanie has had healthy bowels for several days! So have the other kids (except for Jonathan who we think is having diarrhea from consuming too much lake water last Saturday at Independence Lake). Anyway, I am completely hopeful that we won't see any change after slowly adding in fructose.

The kids are having loads of fun playing in neighbors inflatable swimming pools, while we work desperately to save our lawn from the grounds crew of Northwood. (We've seeded it several times, and I'm convinced this is the last time.) Anna's enjoying a new friend, Rachel, who recently moved in to our neck of the woods, filling a void from her other playmates moving out.

I only have 5 more squares of my double irish full-size quilt to hand quilt before I machine quilt the rest! And Josh is working evenings now to get his summer paper moving. That's life in a nutshell!

Spring 2008 video clips

Anna riding her bike without training wheels is included! :) She is thrilled to be like the bigger kids. :)

Crowns and Cookbooks

We cut down the shoots from the roots of the trees in our playground today and made wreaths from them. The girls thought they were charming crowns. :)

In other news, while attempting to organize the chaos of our abode today, I realized that my life revolves a little too much around food... I put away 8 cookbooks and a stack of cooking magazines! The joys of GF/CF/SF. :) (gluten-free, casein-free (cow milk), soy-free).

90/10 (not ground beef)

Jonathan's endearing 90% length/10% weight (growth charts) figure. We've never been too good at raising chunky babies though!

Gluten-free BUST products :(

EnviroKidz peanut butter panda puffs
EnviroKidz gorilla munch
Hodgson Mill multi-purpose baking mix
Gluten-free pantry meals in a box
Larabar coco mole (spicy for kids)
larabar Jocalat chocolate orange
larabar cinnamon roll (okay, but not as good as many others)
Larabar Gingersnap Cookie (strong ginger flavor, so good if you like, though I prefer the fruity bars)
Larabar Cashew Cookie

Gluten-free GOLD Products :) (Also soy-free, casein-free)

Bob's Red Mill gluten-free brownie mix
Erewhon crispy brown rice
Nature's Path organic honey'd corn flakes
Tinkyada brown rice pasta
EnviroKidz Koala Crisp
365 (Whole Foods) GF all-purpose baking mix (for great biscuits)
Beechnut rice cereal (baby) - no soy
Larabar (Lemon Bar, Cherry Pie, Pecan Pie, Banana Cookie, Chocolate Coconut, Jocalat Chocolate Mint, Apple Pie, Jocalat Chocolate, Key Lime Pie?, Pistachio?)
Applegate Farms lunchmeat/ham?
Boar's Head meats (ask for the machine to be wiped before they cut yours)
Hormel "natural" lunch meat
Whole Foods 365 Chocolate Cake Mix
Whole Foods 365 Bread Mix (not CF)
Bob's Red Mill gluten-free bread mix
Baked Rice Krisps (Mr. Krisper) salt and pepper delicious!
Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch Almond Crunch

Anna's first primary talk

Anna is giving her first talk tomorrow about Jesus Christ, our Savior. She is very excited!



It ain't over till it's over, huh?

Do I laugh or cry?

Josh and I just had an unusual experience... It was 10pm and we were sitting talking about how Anna had been today, trying to be objective, because she had graham crackers for snack at playgroup yesterday, and otherwise is on a GF diet.
As we were talking, we heard Anna footsteps upstairs. They walked around a little, then started coming downstairs. She came over to the edge of the carpet by us, squatted, and passed gas. Then she squatted again, and proceeded to urinate. I quickly moved her to the woodfloor, but didn't even try to stop her... She obviously wasn't in her right mind. She finished uriniating, wetting her nightgown too (she didn't pull it up at all or pull her underwear down). Josh grabbed a bath towel and I carried her upstairs to the bathtub where I bathed her lower body while Josh cleaned up the puddle.
I got her new jammies and held her for a minute or two, trying to talk with her about how she was doing to see if I could get anything. Her only response was slowly saying, "I want to go... get my mommy."
After laying her down in bed again, I went downstairs, and Josh and I just looked at each other, speechless. Last night I had prayed to be objective about Anna's behavior, knowing the knowledge of her eating the graham cracker might influence me. Well, maybe that was the answer to prayer.

"My Thoughts are Broken"

Yesterday we went to Ben and Jerry's to redeem a coupon to try the new flavors of 2008. Of the 4, one looked like a possible GF candidate. We figured we'd swap scoops so Melanie and Anna got all GF and Josh and I took their gluten kinds.

We went up to the counter, and a guy introduces himself, "Hi, I'm Jerry." I'm thinking, yeah right, especially when I thought I heard one of the other people behind the counter say under his breath, "Don't believe him." I'm thinking he's probably the owner of this franchise.

So I shook his hand, and proceeded to ask the ice cream scooper to help us out with our samples. After confirming that ALL the new flavors have gluten, they gave us the option to substitute any flavors for the new flavors. She brings out a list of GF flavors, and for ease, we get the top 4.

So Josh and I are set to try out the new flavors (Whirled Peace, Cake Batter, Cheesecake Brownie, and Coconut 7-Layer Bar) while Anna and Melanie get their safe flavors.

After I sit down, I realize I didn't explicitly ask for the girls' to just be on the plate, not on the waffle cone platter (the waffle before being rolled into a cone with 4 dips to hold the 4 flavors). I rush back to make sure they haven't already done the girls, and PHEW! They've just been doing Josh and mine. They bring those out, and Josh and I hold out while we wait for the girls' to arrive.

A few minutes later, the scooper brings out the girls' ice cream... on the waffle cone platter! We decided to just dump Melanie's off (no scraping allowed) and allowed Anna to eat it off the platter, but kept her to just eating a couple nibbles of it, since we're still unsure about her gluten tolerence.

Well, Melanie's diapers aren't too hot today, though they've been bad for several days, so it's hard to say for sure it was from the waffle cone. And the title? That was Anna's comment this afternoon (after trying to determine what the song playing on the computer was).

Oh, and in other fun news, Jonathan's diapers definitely changed since putting him back on normal formula (he had a can of soy formula before that). They're back to a less-than-solid state. :) And he went through 191 oz in 5 days! Yikes!

We're trying the lactose-free formula can next, but will be back on soy after that to see again if that clears it up.

GF Egg Noodles (More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet)

Absolutely fabulous recipe for chicken noodle soup noodles!
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons potato starch
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3 large eggs (or 4 or 5 egg whites)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, combine flours, salt, and xanthan gum. Beat the eggs lightly and add the oil. Pour the egg-oil liquid into the flour mixture and stir. This will feel much like pastry dough. Work the dough into a firm ball. Knead for 1 or two minutes. Place the ball of dough on a potato starch-floured (rice flour turns noodles gray) breadboard and roll as**thin as possible**. This dough is tough and, when almost transparent, will still handle well. Cut into desired shape. For fettuccine and spaghetti, slice very thin strips. For a noodle casserole, make slightly wider noodles. If using for lasagne, cut into 1 1/2-by-4-inch rectangles. To cook pasta: Cook in boiling water, to which 1 tablespoon of oil has been added, for about 1-2 minutes depending on the thickness and size of your pieces. You will have to test for doneness. Drain and rinse well.
6-8 servings, 20 min prep

Waffles (SDS)

1 cup brown rice flour (garfava flour)
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups buttermilk/soured milk
1 tsp vanilla

Sift flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in small bowl. Beat eggs well in large bowl. Add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and the sifted dry ingredients. Beat just until blended. Bake per waffle maker's manufacturing instructions.

Raspberry or Blueberry Muffins (SDS)

1 cup brown rice flour (or garbanzo/fava bean flour)
2/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 cup blueberries

Glaze
2 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 1 muffin tray or use (paper liners).
Stir together flours, gelatin powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Make well in the center.
In a small bowl, whisk togethre milk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel until smooth. Pour into well of flour mixture. Stir just until ingredients are moist. Gently fold in blueberries. Batter will be soft. Spoon batter into muffin tins.
Bake approximately 25 minutes or until tops of muffins are lightly browned. Remove from oven. Mix together glaze and brush or drizzle over warm muffins. Makes 12. A great fake!

Cranberry-Orange Alternative
Substitute 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries or 1 cup chopped frozen cranberries for blueberries. Replace grated lemon peel wtih 1 tbsp grated orange peel.

Lemon-Poppyseed
Add 3 tbsp grated lemon peel and 2 tbsp poppy seeds to mix without blueberries/lemon peel.

Basic Cake (lemony)

6 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp grated lemon peel (fresh)
1 cup white or brown rice flour
6 tbsp potato starch
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk or equivilant soured milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan or 2 5x3" pans (cake rises better in smaller pans). Set aside.
Use electric mixer and large mixer bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs on medium speed until thoroughly blended. Add lemon peel.
In medium bowl combine flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine milk and vanilla. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into egg mixture, alternating with buttermlk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Spoon batter into pans. Bake 9x5" loaf for 50-55 minutes, 35-45 minutes for smaller, or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on rack for 5 minutes, then remove cake to cool the rest of the way on a rack. Serves 12.
Cal=215, Fat=8g, Fiber<1g

Thin and crispier Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup brown rice or garbanzo/fava bean flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
5 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 extra large egg
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flours, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside. Grease a cookie sheet (or use parchment paper).
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter (room temperature, not melted) with brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and egg, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Beat in flour mixture on low speed, mixing thoroughly.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tbsps on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes on center rack of oven or until lightly browned. Cool 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 2 dozen.
(Per cookie) Cal=120, Fat=5g, Fiber<1g

Crumbly but Tasty Brownies

1/2 cup brown rice flour (or garbanzo/fava bean flour)
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square pan or 11x7" pan for thinner brownies
Stir together dry ingredients. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients and hot water. Mix until just blended. Mixtures will be somehwhat thick. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if using. Spread batter in prepared pan with wet spatula.
Bake 20 minutes; cool before cutting. Serves 12. (Cal=200, Fat=8g, Fiber=2g)

?GF Applesauce Cake

1 1/2 cups brown rice powder
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch cake pan or a bundt pan.
In a mixing bowl, mix flour, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and sugar. In another large bowl, wwhisk the oil, eggs, water and applesauce. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of batter.

?Gluten-free Pizza dough

1 tbsp honey
3 cups warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
4 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 tbsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil

Grease 2 9x13 pans or cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir honey into warm water and sprinkle yeast in. Set aside.
Combine rice flour, santhan gum, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs and oil. Add the yeast mixture to egg mixture. Pour iquids into dry ingredients and beat by hand until well mixed. Spread the dough in the pans until even. You can make the crust thick or thin depending on your preference. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes or until just golden on the edges. Remove from oven and cover wtih pizza sauce and desired toppings. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

?Brownies (Judy Sauer)

1/2 cup oil
6 tbsp cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8-inch square baking pan. Blend oil and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. Add eegs and vanilla and beat until mixed. In another bowl, thoroughly mix dry ingredients. Combine dry mix with egg mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until center springs back when tapped.

Herbed Flatbread

1 tbsp dry yeast
2/3 cup bron rice flour or garbanzo fava flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp dry milk powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each: caraway, cumin, and dill seed
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cider vinegar

Topping:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Mix all except water, olive oil, and vinegar in large bowl. Mix remaining in a small measuring cup. Add water mixture to flour mixture and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Dough should resemble soft bread dough.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 15"x10" cookie sheet with cooking spray, and roll out dough onto cookie sheet using a medium size can of food. Use plenty of rice flour to keep it from sticking. Dough should extend to within an inch of the edge.
Brush with olive oil to edges, sprinkle with salt, and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cut or tear into pieces. Serves 6.