For Haiti

Haiti has experienced terrible devestation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people that live and died there.

Psalm 46 (NIV):

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

Bread Pudding (GF/DF)

You could probably use any day old gluten free bread for this recipe, but I used Sweet Potato Pineapple muffins and it turned out really good.

Sweet Potato Pineapple Bread/Muffins (From Living Without magazine):

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups shredded raw sweet potato
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 TBS honey
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and dust a muffin pan and a small bread loaf pan. Combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients. Mix the dry and wet ingredients well and spoon into prepared pans. Bake for 30min or until done. Remove and let cool 10min. before placing on wire racks.

*This recipe is not very sweet, but it works fine for the bread pudding. Add several stevia liquid drops to the wet ingredients or sugar to taste if you want to eat the muffins/bread alone or serve with honey. You may have to adjust the liquid slightly if you add sugar.

Bread Pudding:

7-9 day old muffins
2 TBS butter (Earth Balance buttery spread for DF)
1/2 cup raisins
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup maple sugar (or white sugar) + a few drops stevia liquid
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the muffins into bite sized cubes. Place in a 9"x9" pan, so it is about half to 3/4 full. Drizzle melted butter over bread. Sprinkle with raisins. Combine all other ingredients and mix well. Pour over bread and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake 45 min. or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF/DF)

Thanks to Tropical Source for this great recipe. I changed the wheat flour to gluten free oat flour and it makes wonderful cookies.

1/3 cup peanut butter
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup tropical source semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (macadamia, hazelnut, walnut, etc.)

Preheat oven to 425F. Oil a large cookie sheet. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry and drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until the tops begin to crack. Remove and let cool for 10 min.

Outing

We took the boys to Evergreen Aviation Museum yesterday. The kids had a great time. We visited their aviation and space museums, but I think the kids enjoyed the playground the most. There was also a free carnival airplane ride for small children. They liked that too. I wished I had a camera with me. But this was our first trip there and I didn't know what to expect. On the way home, we saw that the Pepsi plant had their Christmas display open, so we went through that and then headed to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. All in all a good day.

New Pictures

Well, I finally got some up-to-date pictures up. Our other computer was stinking slow and wouldn't download any pictures. Way to go new computer. Woo hoo! :)

Roots and Shoots First Project

We completed our first Roots and Shoots community project. The kids made bird feeders for the local wildlife rescue center. They will use them in their cages to feed the birds they are caring for. It was quite simple and the kids had fun. 1 project down, countless to go. :)

Dairy Free, Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

Crust
(Makes 2 crusts)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup amaranth, millet, garbanzo bean or teff flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 2 TBS oil
1/4 cup rice milk
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add liquids and mix well. Divide dough in half. Roll out dough between floured parchment papers. Turn dough into pie pan and press in.

Filling
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (cubed)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup butter substitute (Earth Balance)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (homemade is best)
2/3 cup rice milk

Preheat oven to 425F. In saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter substitute until soft and translucent. Stir in tapioca flour, slat, pepper and celery seed. Slowly stir in broth and rice milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove and set aside.

Place the chicken mixture in the bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover w/ top crust, seal edges and make several small slits in the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: You can also use a muffin pan to make about 6 individual pot pies. More work, but the kids love having their own.