Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is really frustrating when I get behind with blogging.  Before I forget what we did this year, here is a rundown of our Thanksgiving Day.
 
 
Jane went shopping with me to get a few things.  She had a blast with the mini shopping cart at Macey's. 
 

 We ate our traditional "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" lunch.  We ate pretzels, toast, jelly beans and the popcorn was inside of the 'turkey'.  It is a good little snack that fills us up before eating our big dinner. 

We went to my sister's house for dinner.  Kim and Blake live just down the street from us, so we didn't have to travel far.  I forgot to take my camera, so no pictures. 

I spent all day on Wednesday making cranberry sauce (if you haven't eaten home made before, yo are missing out- so much better than the canned kind and it is really easy to make!), sweet potato pies and a lemon merangue pie plus all of the food that I needed special for me (gravy, rolls, stuffing).  The pies were a disaster, so I had to make new ones on Thursday.  Now I know that I can't use more almond flour than rice flour in the pie crust recipe that I made. 

I made all of the special things that I needed and just served up a plate here at home and then reheated it at my sisters house.  It was easier than bringing a ton of small containers.  It was more work than just eating here at home, but I was glad to get together with the family.  It worked out well this time around.

We had a great time at the dinner.  Almost everyone from my family was there.  My parents announced that they are going on a service mission to Nauvoo, Illinois.  They will be temple workers there from April to October of 2013. 

I fell victim to a Black Friday sale this year.  I bought a new washer and dryer.  The set that I had been told was going to be on sale wasn't, so I went for an upgrade.  I have really enjoyed the new set.  The washer has a clear lid on it, so you can see it spinning around.  It makes for good entertainment! 
 


 

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Christmas Time is Here!

We did our annual 24 days to Christmas countdown again this year.  We had to change things up a bit because we had Tae Kwon Do during the week.  We decided to stop taking at Master Hong's studio around the middle of the month, so we could have done a few more things, but I got pretty sick with a nasty stomach flu, so we just did simple things with the kids and it seemed to go well.  I really lacked enthusiasm for the countdown this year.  Hopefully things will be different next year- and by different I mean better, 'cause it will always be different.  This December has been kind of dull for me.  I didn't feel really 'Christmasy'.  I wasn't all "Bah humbug!" but I wasn't all "Merry Christmas" either.  It was kind of a weird year for me. 

We had a party with Ed and Madeleine Giles.  It was a great evening.  We had stir-fry with sticky rice and pot stickers.  Then we put on a play of sorts about The Christmas Carol. It was fashioned after the Jib Jab website style.  We each took turns saying the parts for the different characters.  We played a game of "If... Then..." where you write an if/then statement on separate papers and mix them up before reading them aloud.  We did some holiday Mad Libs and had dessert (caramel corn puffs, fudge and cinnamon almonds). 


Ed (Jacob Marley), Madeleine (Ghost of Christmas Future), Seth (Tiny Tim), Mark, (Bob Cratchit), Paul (Scrooge), Jane (Ghost of Christmas Past), Daniel (Ghost of Christmas Present). I was the narrator and photographer!


Ed and Madeleine


Paul filling out the Mad Libs
Mark got to spend Christmas in California with Daniel's parents, so we said goodbye to him on December 19th.  Janet and Les were in town for their daughter's wedding (Jenny married Nelson Torres) so they flew to CA with Mark.  He will fly home by himself, but I'm not too worried about him being alone now that he knows how the airports work. 

Paul, Talia, Seth, Mark


Les, Janet, Jane


Our family picture for 2012
Christmas Eve:
It had snowed, so we went outside to shovel the driveway and sidewalks after dinner. I love having a white Christmas!

All ready to go! Yes, Jane is wearing a skirt to play in the snow!


Seth and Jane making snow angels


Daniel hard at work


Paul


Look!  It's me!  I realized that the coat I am wearing is very old.  I bought it when I was in the 8th or 9th grade. I paid $20 for it at Kmart.. I wore this coat when I was in college and I still enjoy wearing it.  It is really warm!  It is weird to think that I have owned the coat longer than I haven't owned it (22 years)! 


After the work was done, we played.  Daniel buried Paul in the snow!
 

And then Seth wanted a turn to be covered!


And then Jane wanted a turn to be buried!  (I had no desire to go next!)
 
After we warmed up with some hot cocoa, we visited with Mark and the gang through Skype. 
Janet and Les had a full house for Christmas!  They had 9 guests!  I sure that it was crazy and fun!

Chris and Megan (Danie's brother and sister-in-law) came over on Christmas eve for some sweet potato pie and to play some games and visit.
 
We open one present on Christmas Eve.  Jane got a stroller for her doll.  She wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a good picture of her and the doll!  (That Cabbage Patch Kid is the one that I got for Christmas when I was 7!)
 
Seth was going crazy chasing Jane and the baby around with his sword!


Christmas morning


My parents came over to visit


Seth and Daniel- SuperMen indeed!
Daniel surprised us all with an X-Box and the Kinect system, so we spent a lot of time playing the games (after Dad spent a lot of time getting it all hooked up!)  I pretty much rocked it at the Dance Party game, but didn't do so well at most of the other games! 


Jane had a lot of fun playing with her little kitchen set.

Outside it Nos!

Jane has been talking a lot lately.  Somehow she mixes up the letter order in some words so 'snow' is 'nos', 'chips' is 'pichs' and 'star' is 'tars'.  When we had a big snowstorm she was really excited and told us that "outside it nos!"  She LOVES to play outside and doesn't seem to mind the cold, unlike her mother! 



Making Snow Angels

Daniel helping the boys build a snow fort. He also had the boys stand under the trees and he shook the snow off of the trees onto the kids.  They had a great time with that!

Seth and his friends looked awesome with their matching blue coats!

 
The Tumble Weed Man at Scheels was such a clever idea!  That is one "nos man" that won't melt!
My goal is to catch up on my blogging this week!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Recipes

I have several recipes that people have requested over the last couple of months.  Since I have sadly neglected my blog (more on that in the next post- I promise it is coming before the new year!) I have decided to finally post them now.  It must be the Christmas spirit of sharing.  You know, deck them halls and all that stuff?!  All of these recipes are gluten and dairy-free.  When the recipe calls for butter, I use a dairy-free buttery baking stick, not spread. This time around I used Nucoa brand and it worked beautifully.  (Remind self to call Walmart and Harmons to ask them to start carrying it because I don't like having to make special trips to other stores to get it!) Enjoy!

Below you will find the recipes for:
Oatmeal Monster Cookies
Peanut Butter Squares
Chili
Taco Seasoning
Sweet Potato Pie
Pie Crust
Dairy-Free Cafe Rio Dressing
Ranch Dressing
Blueberry Muffins

From the family party in October:

Oatmeal Monster Cookies
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (chunky is best, but not necessary)
3 eggs
4 1/2 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Cream the sugars and butter together.  Add baking soda, peanut butter and eggs.  Mix in quick oats and then stir in the chocolate chips.  Put on a cookie sheet using 1/4 cup of dough per cookie.  They aren't called monster cookies for nothing! You can also make them smaller, just use the shorter cooking time.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (time based on how big the cookie is). Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes (don't skip this part!) and then move to a cooling rack.  Makes 2 dozen monster cookies. Easily doubles. Can M&M's if not needed to be dairy-free.


Peanut Butter Squares  Warning: These are highly addictive!
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups  crunchy peanut butter
3 cups cornflakes
1 cup chocolate chips

Bring sugars to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Pour over cornflakes in a 9x13 dish.  Gently stir to mix and coat the cereal.  Melt chocolate chips and pour evenly over the cereal.  Chill for 20-30 minutes.  Cut and serve. 


Chili
3# ground beef
1- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
2- 14 ounce can black beans, drained
1- 14 ounce can red beans
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots chopped
1/2 cup zucchini chopped
2 cups pasta sauce (I use an Italian garden variety)
1 cup salsa (I use medium)
1/3 cup white onion
1/3 cup green onion
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 TBLS chili powder
2 TBLS taco seasoning

Brown and drain ground beef.  Add all ingredients in a slow cooker (Crock Pot) for about 4 hours.

Taco Seasoning
1 TBLS chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1/4 tsp oregano powder
1/4 tsp powdered onion
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix together (I usually double or triple the recipe) and store in an air tight container. 
This makes enough to season 3 pounds of meat


From our Thanksgiving Dinner:

Sweet Potato Pie
4 ounces butter, room temperature
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups sugar
1 small can (5 ounces, or 1/2 cup plus 2 TBLS) evaporated milk (for dairy-free use almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 prepared pie shells

Mix potatoes, sugar and butter until well blended.  Add vanilla, eggs, milk and cinnamon; mix well.  Pour into the prepared pie shells. 
Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until set.  Makes 2 pies

Pie Crust (based on recipe from Gluten Free Easily)

1 cup GF flour mix (I use rice flour/corn starch mix)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 TBLS granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 TBLS milk (I use almond)

Sift flour, sugar and salt into a 9-inch pie plate.

In a separate small bowl add mix oil and milk stirring rapidly with a fork until the oil turns into little droplets.  Pour milk and oil mixture over dry ingredients and mix. 
Pat crust out with hands, trying to make the thickness the same throughout.  Extend crust as high as you would like it oh the sides of the pie plate. 

Bake per your recipe.  (If the recipe calls for a cooked crust, I bake it at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes)

Miscellaneous Recipes

Dairy-Free Tomatillo Salad Dressing (Cafe Rio)
1/2 cup green taco salsa (main ingredient tomatillos)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 TBLS lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix everything together in a blender, chill and serve!

Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 TBLS lemon juice
pinch salt
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning

Combine ingredients together in a small jar.  If it is too thick, add more lemon juice to thin.  Chill and serve.


and last, but not least, because this recipe seriously made my Christmas morning happy, is the:

Blueberry Muffin  (recipe from Gluten Free Goddess)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup GF flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
 2 eggs beaten
1 cup blueberries
Crumble topping

Crumble topping
2 TBLS oats
2 TBLS brown sugar
2 TBLS shortening
1 tsp cinnamon
rub together

Add oats to milk and let soak for 20 minutes
Beat together the shortening and brown sugar in a medium bowl
Add oats to the shortening/sugar mixture

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon)

Scoop the oat mixture into the dry mix, mixing by hand

Add eggs and then add the blueberries

Scoop into 12 muffin tins lined with paper liners

Sprinkle with crumble topping

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes

If using frozen blueberries, time may need to be increased by about 5 minutes
Check for doneness with a wooden pick