30 December 2009

Visiting with Friends


































"The laughter of girls is and ever was among the delightful sounds of earth." ~DeQuincey



Gluten Free Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning Mix
from Herb Mixtures & Spicy Blends
Introduction by Maggie Oster

Yield: About 2/3 cup

1/4 cup dried onion flakes
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons dried garlic flakes
2 teaspoons dried hot pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons sea salt

Combine all ingredients. Shake well, or place in blender for a finer blend. For tacos, add 3 Tablespoons of this mix and 1/4 cup water to 1 pound browned hamburger. Cook for 15 minutes, adding more water if needed.

The original recipe calls for beef bouillon. I leave that out as well as the garlic and cornstarch. I use much less chili powder and more oregano.

Yesterday I had lunch with friends and used this recipe for taco meat to go on our baked potatoes. The potatoes were delicious. Mine was topped with the taco meat, sea salt and Earth Balance. Other toppings included sour cream, bacon, broccoli and salsa.

28 December 2009

Dog Treats

Beef Treats

1 pound ground beef
1 cup vegetable scraps such as carrot or sweet potato peels and a small amount of greens (Dogs should not be given onions.)
1 egg including shell
1 ripe banana, mashed
2-3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
fresh or dried herbs

Mix all ingredients together and spread on a baking sheet with edges.
Bake at 250 degrees for 1/2 hour and then at 200 degrees until done -approximately 4 hours.

After the treats cool cut them into bite size pieces and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

22 December 2009

Christmas Projects

The first quilt I made given to my first nephew.




Pillowcases for friends.

19 December 2009

No Gluten, Casein or Refined Sugar Pumpkin Pie


Pumpkin Pie


2 eggs or 2 teaspoons chia seeds

1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup hemp milk
1/2 cup plus 1-2 Tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients together. If using chia seeds allow pie filling to sit for 15-20 minutes. Place in pie crust and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. With chia seeds the pie will not be as firm as usual. Take the pie out once the top has nicely browned.

My favorite pie crust recipe is in the apple pie post under the dessert label.


We had our family Christmas last night and there was little of this pie left.

18 December 2009

Peanut Butter Balls - Free of Gluten, Casein and Refined Sugar





To make these peanut butter balls start with desired amount of natural peanut butter then add maple cream to taste. Form into balls and dip in melted chocolate chips. Place the balls on waxed paper and put in the refrigerator until hard then put in storage container. These are yummy!

note: If your peanut butter does not have a lot of oil then you will want to add some butter or Earthbalance.

10 December 2009

SNOW



The Snow

"Last night when we were sound asleep, the snow fell fast, the snow piled deep, when morning came and we looked out, the snow was lying all about. The wind was blowing high and low, and wrinkling up the pure white snow; and everywhere that we could see, we found that God made mystery."
~Marguerite Church Clark