Layers of Jello

Have you ever had a big day that seemed to form in layers? That's how mothers day was, I felt like it was not one day but 3. The part of that day before church, the time at church and the evening after church. All good layers but a distinctly different flavor.
Well... hers me moving on.
Was your mothers day good? I hope so! We had a great day, the highlight was really the 2 Skype calls we had from my brother who is on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and my sister who is also serving a mission for the LDS Church..
To learn about the Mormon missionarys follow the link here. Or go to www.mormon.org.
It was so exciting to see and talk to both of them over Skype I am so grateful for the modern inventions that make that type of communication possible!
I made sure we got a picture together just like we did last year.

 Also I made these adorable flowers for my mommy for a mothers day gift. The real gift I will give her (at her request) is for me to help her clean and organize her garage and craft things. I wanted to bring her something sweet for mothers day like I did as a child so I made her some paper flowers in yellow because that is her favorite color. I want to mention here that My Hunkcules*  made me a crafty gift for mothers day but I think it will get a post all its own another day.

The other big highlight was my dads layered jello. When I was young every fast Sunday ( In the LDS Church that is the first Sunday of each month) we would sit back and enjoy a tasty Sunday dinner, the kids really only helped with one aspect of dinner and that was the layered jellos cups, We would each pick a flavor and help stir it and  (best of all) add ice to help it chill faster, and remove the ice and suck the jello off of the ice. Yes as a child that was the BEST treat ever. So in case you have never tried this simple and easy desert for yourself or with your children I highly recommend it. There are "quick set" directions on the back of the jello box basically you make one layer at a time adding them on top of one another while they are firming.

* Hunkcules- what i sometimes call my husband from the disney Hercules "Hercules honey you mean hunkcules"

Trifle

Trifle Recipe

One cake (baked)

2 Cups whipping cream

2 tsp Vanilla

2-3 Tbs sugar

1 package of vanilla pudding

Berries of choice-I used strawberries

Prepare cake mix. Bake. Cool completely once the cake is cool cut into small squares.

Get out the chilled whipping cream. Mix with electric mixer whisk on high for about a min. * different mixers will take different times, with my kitchen aid it takes less than a min. When the cream is thick and forms stiff peaks add sugar a tablespoon at a time continue to keep mixer on medium-high and add the vanilla. When the cream is whipped and stiff (careful not to make butter) its done.

Next the pudding or “custard” layer prepare pudding according to box directions (I think that the cook and serve has a better flavor but use what you like)* I have made homemade custard for this in the past and I really did not notice a taste difference that was worth the work (because it is work) but if you want to make your own just google a recipe and be prepared with cream and eggs.

Take your berries and wash them, bigger berries like strawberries will need sliced into bit sized pieces. Let them rest and start to get juicy (I sometimes mix my berries with a little jam to add more flavor if I am running low on berries)

Starting with the cake squares layer the bottom of the trifle dish then layer the strawberries and cream and pudding you should be able to make several layers and top with whipped cream and berries. Chill and enjoy.

Green smoothies

Because green smoothies became so popular and widespread so quickly I think of them as a craze. They are healthy and the kind with spinach tastes so good that I really can’t make jokes about the green smoothie’s thing because I eat them all the time because they are just plain good and good for you!

Almost every magazine has a recipe or formula outlining how to make them. Here is what has been my “recipe” more like guideline: Whatever sweet fruit (sometimes veggies) you have on hand, some Greek yogurt, yogurt, or milk. Some ice cubes and spinach (I know Kale is better but I have toddlers and the next to no taste of spinach works best with them.) then blend it all together adding extra fruit or a dash of lemon to gain extra tang.

I make these all the time with my kids and the most basic that I have made many times for them is just some ice,milk and spinach and a banana. It is absolutely simple and I always have those things on hand.

So if you want to make green smoothies without paying the high prices for blueberries and auci berries, going out of your way to find Kale and out of season mangos try just the simple spinach and bananas.

To tell the truth it tastes exactly like a banana milkshake it just looks green.

For those of you who don’t normally buy spinach-and that’s fine honey not all of us do- here are some other great ways to use spinach in your cooking that are easy and nutritious.

Salad (of course)

Pasta (just let it steam in with your sauce its delicious)

Calzones

Wraps and sandwiches.

Because of its mild flavor it is really easy to add into any dish and the best part is that its nutritious. Cooking it as well as eating it raw can help you reap the full benefits since spinach is one of the rare veggies that has more bioavailability when cooked (that just means that more /different nutrients found in spinach can be processed by your body when it is cooked.

Chocolate covered strawberries

 Yum

All I’m gonna say.

Okay I will say one other thing. With these things just make sure to work out the next day because you will probably eat more of them then you want sticking to your waistline… but that’s a good thing because you where gonna work out anyways right? That’s what I thought ;)

 Best recipe ever: Strawberries(washed and dried) Chocolate. Melt the chocolate according to directions. Dip berries. Set on wax paper until the chocolate is hard.
*Be careful not to use super cheap chocolate chips -sometimes they don't melt the same or taste as luxurious. (which is the whole point girly!) I like to buy the "good stuff".

Ham Gravy for Easter, and a Bunny

We celebrated our Easter dinner with a simple but sweet table set up. Some candles and striped napkins were the stars. The Ham gravy was amazing (as was the ham) and I hope we can all agree that there is nothing so savory as fluffy mashed potatoes with ham gravy on them.

The simplest of Ham Gravy’s:

The drippings of a baked ham –get the drippings before you put the sweet sugar, mustard or honey glaze on the ham. That way it is just a pure ham taste.

Cornstarch mixed with cold water.

Bring dripping’s to a boil.

While stirring constantly, drizzle the cornstarch and COLD water mixture into the boiling drippings until the gravy is the desired consistency.

Enjoy with mashed potatoes-although we all know it’s good enough to eat  plain.

*Taste the drippings to make sure they are not too salty (it is highly unlikely that you will ever need to add salt to ham drippings)

The bunny who you can see in this picture (deepest apology's for the poor lighting) is named Peter and is our official family bunny. I had a  bunny who looked just like him when I was a girl, and he was named peter, because of the peter rabbit story's don't-ya- know. I am pretty sure we ate him when he grew up.

We wont eat this peter rabbit- because he is made plastic-I mean the kids might try to eat him, but I don't think they will have much luck. He is pretty sturdy for a little guy. 

The end.

I hope you are all pulling out your old copies of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and the "Tale of Peter Rabbit" and just to be thorough "The tale of Benjamin Bunny" because I know I have to when I get that itch or the book worm part of my brain pokes me for a few days out of revenge for being ignored. I start to worry that someday no one will remember those books, and that would be tragic. Lets face it classics are classics.

Have an Awesome Monday everyone.

Cream Puffs..Mmm Good!

I use a recipe from the Gluten free Gourmet for my puffs. 

 Then I spooned all of the batter into a large ziplock bag and cut a hole in the corner. That way I was able to make the puffs perfect circles.  I made my puffs extra small and filled two baking pans with them. Because I made my puffs SO much smaller then she directs in the recipe I cut the baking time in half. You bake them at 450 and then turn it down to 350. I cut the times in half by taking ten min off of the 450 temp and 10 off of the 350 temp for a total of twenty min. I use parchment paper to line all of my pans when I cook gluten free. I then remove them from the oven and prick them with a knife or toothpick to let the steam out.

In the mean time I took 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and poured it right into the kitchen aid my sister in law bought me (Thank you Allison) and using the whisk attachment turned it on high and let it go, once it started to look pretty frothy and started to thicken up I put on tablespoon full of white sugar in at a time once it was beautiful thick so that the peaks stand up by themselves I added a tablespoon of vanilla  (I used extract) and whipped just until combined.

Then using the Bismarck 230 piping tip from wilton I filled the cream puffs. I really am not a baking expert but I don’t think it matters what tip you use so long as it is the right size to go in to the puff without making a huge crater. I just used what I had on hand already.

Then sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy! I have frozen these twice without any problems(but do not put powdered sugar on them if you plan to freeze them, it’s better to powder them right before serving) I am not sure how long they can last in the freezer for because both times I have frozen them they didn't last the week! There is nothing more delicious and light then a frozen cream puff.

*Note always let puffs cool completely before piping full of cream, If they are warm the cream will just melt all over and the puffs could get soggy.

Recipe Info: The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well without Wheat, Revised Edition Paperback – September 1, 2000

by Bette Hagman 

My Favorite Apple Pie

Apple Pie

I use a simple vinegar crust recipe. I usually get enough for two small pies or one deep dish and  some left over. The crust is light and fluffy and perfect for all kinds of pastries. 

1 Cup Rice flour. (I use ½ Brown rice and ½ White)

¾ Cup Tapioca Starch

¾ Cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1 Teaspoon Salt

3 Tbs Sugar

¾ cups butter flavored shortening

1 Egg

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3-1/2 cups cold water.

Mix all dry ingredients and cut in shortening. After it is well mixed add the egg and vinegar. Mix in water a little at a time until it has reached the desired consistency. Lay out plastic wrap on a counter. (wipe with a damp rag and the plastic wrap will stick) and then dived the dough to 3 balls lay out the ball on the plastic wrap and put another layer of plastic wrap over the top (or around your rolling pin) and roll out to ¼ in thickness. Pick up the plastic wrap and peel off the top plastic wrap so that you can take the whole crust up on the bottom piece. Flip it over into the pie pan and remove the plastic wrap. Repeat until done. To save extra pie crust roll into a ball inside plastic wrap and freeze or refrigerate.  Lasts 1 week in the refrigerator.

For the filling.

8 Large apples, slices and peeled

3/4 cups plain white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbs lemon juice

1 cup water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

A dash of nutmeg

Sometimes I add a drizzle of apple juice with the water. Cinnamon is to taste sometimes I want a strong cinnamon taste and sometimes I let the apples take center stage. I use whatever apples are on sale at the store. Peel and slice about 8 apples (depending on size you may need more). On the stove heat sugar water apple juice if using,  cinnamon and lemon juice. Boil for 2 min until well combined and add apple slices return to boil. Poor mixture in to pie pan or pans. Cover with top crust. Crimp sides and bake at 450 for 50 min.

Note . Baking time can depend on the type of filling.

Orange rolls.

For these I use my cinnamon roll recipe but instead of cinnamon and sugar inside I make a cream cheese filling.
Orange rolls filling.
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Roll dough to  1/2 inch thickness. Leave to rise a few min while you mix up the filling.
Take 4 oz. softened  cream cheese, place in small mixing bowl with sugar and whip with hand mixer until smooth. Add orange zest, juice of orange and lemon juice. Mix well.
Spread mixture over the dough. Roll up dough the same way you would for cinnamon rolls. Use some string or floss to cut dough into 1 1/2 inch sections. Place in greased pan. Set in oven and turn oven to 120 degrees (or so) leave inside for 20-30 min. Rolls should have risen to twice the original size. Remove from the oven and cover. Preheat oven to 350 and replace rolls to oven. Bake and 350 for 20-25 min.
Enjoy immediately or refrigerate (because of the cream cheese) and reheat in microwave for 15-20 seconds and enjoy anytime.
These rolls are perfect for brunch!

fruit dessert COOKIES

I made some gluten free sugar cookies and some fruit dip. add fresh fruit and  VOILA! have you ever seen s cookie that looks so darn refreshing?
yummy goodness!

Chocolate mint cookies

i have a problem.
Every night or sometimes afternoon, occasionally morning, it comes to me.
That NEED for dessert, i blame my father (or thank my father really) because that's how i was raised people, dessert was another meal, like dinner or lunch. Not an optional thing that comes up during holidays. EVERYDAY we had something.  Well unless we were really busy working on a project that needed finished, then we all seem to forget to eat any meals.
Back to my point, desserts, i make one like every single night....unless we just have ice cream.
so yesterday i wanted some cookies, and i wanted something with andies mints in them.
chocolate was required
my hands where tied people there was nothing i could do but make them.
but alas,
no recipe was to be found online (not that i have the right flours for anyways)
SO i just made one up and
Da dant da da! it worked
beautifully

i wrote down what a did on the back of an envelope , that's how i roll with my recipes
 Chocolate cookies
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup coco powder
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp of Xanthum Gum'
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp baking soda
 3/4 cup plus a TBS  Crisco
1 1/2tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
1/2 a bag of crushed andies mints
1 cup large chocolate chips
1 egg
 bake at 350
mix all the dry ingredients well mix in wet ingredients stir well until stiff dough forms scoop onto cookie sheet covered in parchment paper bake 10 min let cool for five min before attempting to remove. 

 Yum! They are so Delicious had to bring some to neighbors to try and protect my waistline.

Chicken Brocoli Loaf

Because of our gluten free diet i bake everything from scratch
this yummy meal looks great smells great and fills everybody's tummy!
Eli is two and he loves it and Mitchell Likes it so much he said i should open a catering company! :)i just love it when the Hubby gives me compliments like that, my wifely feathers just fluff up nicely at the sound!


 First i made a whole chicken, i oven roast them at 375 for an hour to an hour and a half, it depends on size
i usually use that as one meal with potatoes on the side and then i can made a chicken pot pie or saled or this meal with the left over meat and i can boil the remains to make broth or soup.

Chicken cal-zone loaf
One Gluten free pie crust Recipe
several cups diced chicken
two heads broccoli chopped to bite sized pieces
i package of cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
3-4 TBS milk
3 eggs
diced cheese cubes
Italian seasoning
onion
garlic
basil
paprika
salt and pepper

mix all the insides together and fold the rolled pie crust over wrap around bake at 420 for an hour.

I also make mini ones with ham cubes and cheese and individually wrap and freeze them fro lunches, usually get a dozen from one recipe, these only need baked on a parchment lined pan fro 40 min, but i bump the temp up a bit.

Gluten free white bread

My husband has celiacs , which means, no wheat, or barley or anything with gluten. now this diet is becoming much more common and the "gluten free" label is getting to be a standard thing to see at the grocery store. It was not always that way. Back when we got married i had to learn to cook gluten free pretty much on my own with the help of two sad cookbooks and my husband
I got the hang of somethings after about a year, but the "perfect" bread recipe eluded me. I wanted something that i thought tasted good too (i can eat gluten) finally i just said "the heck with it, i will just make up my own!" Guess what?? It WORKED! its so very yummy you can eat it right out of the oven with just butter on it. So here it is:
Gluten free white bread:
1 tbs rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs xanthum gum
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tap flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tea salt
1/4 cup dry milk
1 tbs canola oil
1/2 tea vanilla
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs
 warm the milk and add the sugar and the yeast, set it aside
mix all the dry ingredients together in a heavy mixer
mix and add the wet in. when its all combined turn the mixer on med high and mix for two to three min.Until it has smoothed out against the sides of the mixer. It should NOT look like a typical bread dough. If yours does just mix it for a few more min, it will eventually relax into the thinner consistency we need. Once its right, cover and set in a warm moist area  let rise 20-30 min
poor into a greased bread pan, smooth out the top with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon. Gluten free is VERY sticky so just keep that in mind, don't try to add extra flour, that will just make it heavy and crumbly.  let the bread dough rise an additional 30 min, sometimes up to an hour. i usually preheat the oven to 175 and then open the door to warm the air it helps rise faster .It should rise well above the top of the pan. bake at 50 for about 55 min. After take it out of the oven, immediately dump the loaf from the pan and set out . Enjoy it , i usually put it in a zip-lock bag after its cool to keep it moist.

Gluten free oatmeal cookies

Gluten free oatmeal cookies
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups gluten free quick oats
1/2 cup butter, soften
1 tsp vinilla
cinnimon to taste
a little over 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg

mix dry ingredients, add butter, vanilla and egg, mix well.  Scoop in spoon fulls on to a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and  cook at 350 for ten min. Cookies will be soft so let them rest on cookies sheet for 2-4 min before moving.
my kiddos and husband love them and eat them all in one night, yummy!