Fresh Cranberry Punch

Thankful in 2011

This year we have a lot to be thankful for!  It has been a year of healing for Kennedy.  She is getting stronger and healthier as the months go by.  Today we made turkey's with feather's that represent what each of us are thankful for.  We are so blessed!

GF Chicken Pot Pie

Pie Crust (The Baking Beauties)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see NOTE)

1 cup shortening, I use butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water

Directions:

Use stand mixer and non-whisk for best results. Mix flour, shortening, salt and xanthan gum on low speed until mixture is pebbly.

Add egg, vinegar and 1/3 cup water, mix on low speed until well mixed and dough becomes ball-like. If dough is not soft and pliable, add a few drops of water at a time until it is. This dough feels exactly like the dough you would make with wheat flour, so don’t feel like you have to scrimp on the water. If it takes more than 1/2 cup, oh, well, the weather might be dry. If it’s less, it just might be raining!

Bake at whatever temperature you need for your filling, from 300 degrees F to 450 degrees F, or on 350 degrees F for 20-22 minutes for pre-baked crust. Although this recipe doesn’t rise, it can bow in the middle, so baking stones are recommended if you are pre-baking the crust. Fruit fillings are best if baked for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Tip for Pie Crust: Lay plastic wrap out on your counter then put your pie dough on the wrap to roll it out. Do not use flour to keep it from sticking to the plastic wrap: You WANT it to stick! If you use a top sheet of plastic wrap, you do not have to use flour mix on top, it’s an easy clean-up, and you can pick up the crust and lay it into your pie pan without breaking it.

CHICKEN POT PIE
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast havles-cubed
1 cup frozen peas or green beans
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup GF flour (see note below)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
In a 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 until soft and translucent.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed.  Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk.  Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.  Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the chicken mixture in bottom of the pie cust.  Pour hot mixture over.  Cover with top crust, sel edges and cut away excess dough.  Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 -35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
 NOTE:  GF Flour Mix:  4 cups superfine brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cup potato starch (NOT FLOUR), 2/3 cup tapioca starch.  Combine ingredients and store in a container.

Backyard Chickens

 So not as if we haven't had enough going on in our lives, but this last spring we decided to raise chickens.  My brother built us a pretty cool chicken tractor.  We love getting fresh eggs.

 These were the chicks this spring.  We named them all after GF flours.  Tapioca, Millet, Teff and Quinoa.

 The chickens have brought us so much joy and many eggs.  We love sitting in the back yard and watching them.

So two of our chickens (Teff and Millet) lay the blue eggs.

GF Pumpkin Waffles

Makes 6 large Belgian style waffles.  This recipe is from The Baking Beauties

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour blend (see note)
 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
 3 tsp baking powder
 1 tsp salt
 3 1/2 tsp cinnamon
 4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (1/2 tsp packed, ground nutmeg)
4 large eggs
2 cups whole milk (I used 1% without a problem)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter

Directions:
1.  Lightly oil your waffle iron and set to desired temperature.  Allow to preheat while you prepare the batter.
3.  In a large bow, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, whist to combine,  Add the remaining dry ingredients, and stir to combine.
4.  Seperate the eggs, whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and yolks into a medium bowl.
5.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.
6.  While whisking, pour melted butter into egg yolk/pumpkin/milk mixture.
7.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, mix until just combined.  If they are still slightly lumpy, that alright and will work out when the egg whites are added.
8.  Place half the whipped egg whites in the pumpkin mixture and fold in.  Add the remaining egg whites and fold until no whites remain.  Scoop the batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook until done.  I had to cook a little longer than normal beause of the moisture of the pumpkin.

Note:  The all-purpose GF flour mix that I use is from Cybel Pascal, and is as follows:  4 C. brown rice flour, 1 1/3 C. potato starc (not flour), 2/3 C. tapioca starch.  Combine all ingredients and keep in a storage container.

Pumpkin Spice Popcorn

1-1/2 C. sugar

1 C. light corn syrup

2 T. butter

1-1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

3-1/2 quarts popped popcorn; remove any unpopped kernels

Bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil; boil 2-1/2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt: mix well.

Add popcorn and toss until evenly coated. Spread mixture in a single layer on greased sheets of foil and allow to cool and harden. Break into bite-size pieces in a wide shallow bowl; set aside.

Our "Voodoo Doctor"

Today Kennedy went to see the Doctor that has changed our lives.  We made him a card of the picture we took of her before/after pills. 

I think that this meant as much to him as it did to us.







Strong Enough?

Wow!  I have just noticed that it has been a year since my last blog.  What a year it has been.  Today Kennedy is healthy and look at the progress!  Stay tuned for details of the last year!