Ricemellow Crispy Bars

I made these for the kids for Thanksgiving because they can be made gluten and casein-free. They do, however, have soy in them.

I got the recipe from the Ricemellow Creme website. I doubled the recipe and I also melted some extra chocolate chips with a little bit of Spectrum Organic Shortening and then iced the bars with that.

It was a big hit with the kids. :)

Ricemellow Crispy Bars

2 generous cups Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme
1 Tbsp butter substitute
2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
6 cups gluten-free crispy brown rice cereal

Heat butter or substitute in small saucepan.

Add Ricemellow Creme and stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine cereal and chocolate chips.

Gently mix warm Ricemellow into cereal mixture.

Moisten hands and press into 13 x 9" pan.

Chill until firm.

Cut into squares; store in refrigerator.

Eczema Relief Salve

Poor JJ has had such a tough time dealing with eczema recently. I've tried everything, but I think that he has a food allergy/intolerance that is causing, or at least aggravating it.

I want to get him tested using Optimum Health Resource Laboratories but I just don't have the funds right now.

Until then, I'm keeping his skin well moisturized. JJ is very fussy about what I put on his skin. He doesn't like any creams, saying that all of them burn. I was using coconut oil mixed with some lavender essential oil, but he didn't like the oiliness. So, I made the following salve for him the other day. It seems to moisturize well, and it provides some relief from the itching. While I won't say that he likes it, he tolerates it. That's good enough for me!

Salve

2 parts shea butter
2 parts cocoa butter
1 part beeswax
1 part expeller pressed coconut oil or other natural oil
1 Vitamin E softgel capsule
Lavender Essential Oil (I use Young Living)

Melt shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, and coconut oil over low heat, stirring constantly. When everything has melted, remove from heat.

Using a sterilized needle, puncture the Vitamin E capsule and add the contents to the salve, stirring well. Stir in a few drops Lavender Essential Oil, adding more if desired.

Immediately pour into glass jars. Let cool and cover tightly.

Gluten-Free Play Dough

Play-Doh has gluten and dyes in it that affect JJ and GracieGirl, even if they're just touching it and not eating it. (I could be wrong, but to my knowledge, the only person in this house who currently tries to eat Play-Doh is E!) Anyway, we make our own gluten-free play dough. I really dislike the smell of Play-Doh, so I love the homemade stuff almost as much as the kids do! Sometimes we add a couple drops of lemon or orange essential oil, but we usually just make the plain old, regular variety!

Gluten-Free Play Dough

½ cup rice flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon oil
Natural food coloring, if desired
Extra rice flour

Mix all ingredients, except additional rice flour, in a medium saucepan.
Cook and stir over low heat for several minutes, until it forms a ball. When cool,
knead well, adding additional rice flour, if needed, until dough is no longer sticky.

Store in a zippered plastic bag. I keep ours in the refrigerator.

JJ made pepperoni pizza and spaghetti with play dough. I think that E messed up the spaghetti before I could get a picture, but that pizza looks good enough to eat!

W.M.E.S.

Yep, it's Worst Mom Ever Syndrome, and I've got it, big time.

First, of course, the excuses:

1. I was tired. I remember when I used to say I was tired. I was clueless. I had no idea what tired really was. Tired is when falling asleep at 2:00am is considered early. Tired is getting woken up, time and time again, by pain and by children, during the few hours that I'm actually in my bed. Tired is feeling nauseated and light-headed, solely because of lack of sleep.

2. I was in pain. Meals have not been going very well around here. Sometimes, I just want to be able to throw a pre-made dinner in the microwave and call it good, instead of having to make everything from scratch, all the time. Nick has had to make all of the meals, and between the cooking and taking care of the kids and me and the house, dinner is often really late, which doesn't make for happy kids or happy parents! So, yesterday, I decided to help out. I got up and made Italian Meatballs and put them in the crockpot. I made another crockpot full of BBQ Chicken. I made Sloppy Joes, and Ranch Dip, and cookies, and bread. Since I can't usually stand long enough to make half a meal, this was a huge undertaking, and despite sitting down every few minutes and rolling around in my desk chair on wheels whenever possible, I was paying dearly for my efforts. Ouch.

3. It was just a little bit hectic in the kitchen. I was trying to get ready to go on a date with Nick. Yep, we were going to the bank together. It may not sound too romantic, but compared to last week's date at the dentist's office, I was looking forward to it. So, our wonderful mother's helper was here, and her little sister was here, and it was too hot to go outside so they were all underfoot, and loud, and hungry.

That's when I was hit with W.M.E.S. I was doling out food to the poor, starving children...and I gave E a slice of bread. The bread is the only baked good that I still make that has eggs in it, since Jay loves it so much, and I just haven't come up with an egg-free version that doesn't resemble a brick!

So, I gave E the bread, with eggs in it, and E is allergic to eggs.

What's really sad is that I didn't even realize what I'd done until later, after the romantic trip to the bank, when I was putting the bread away! I looked at the bread, caught my breath, and went to tell Nick what, as Worst Mom Ever, I'd done.

Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, E obviously didn't have a huge reaction. There are two eggs in the whole loaf of bread, and he sure didn't react the way he did when he actually ate a portion of scrambled eggs. He did get some hives, and this morning, he's still itching away. He's doing it with a smile on his face, though. Yes, he still loves me.

So, E is suffering with hives and I'm suffering with Worst Mom Ever Syndrome. I wonder which will last longer, his hives or my guilt...

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Gluten-Free Rice Flour Blend

3 cups brown rice flour (I use Lundberg Farms)
3 cups white rice flour (I buy from our local Asian or Indian grocery store)
2 cups potato starch (not flour)
1 cup tapioca starch

Mix all ingredients together with a large whisk. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Whisk or shake before using.

GFCF Pineapple Banana Muffins

GFCF Pineapple Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups GF Rice Flour Blend*
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp RealSalt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/4 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 c well-mashed ripe banana

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together Rice Flour Blend, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and RealSalt.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, Sucanat, rice milk, vanilla extract, and coconut oil.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Gently stir in pineapple and banana.

Grease muffin tins or line with foil (not paper) liners. Fill 2/3 full.

Bake 15-20 minutes for regular-sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins, until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffins from tins and cool on wire racks.

*Rice Flour Blend

3 cups brown rice flour (I use Lundberg Farms)
3 cups white rice flour (I buy from our local Asian or Indian grocery store)
2 cups potato starch (not flour)
1 cup tapioca starch

Mix all ingredients together with a large whisk. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Whisk or shake before using.

They Think They're Donuts!

I make pumpkin muffins, bake them in my smallest mini-muffin pans, and then dust them in powdered sugar. My kids actually think that they're donut holes! Of course, it's been awhile since they've had "real" donuts, but I'm just happy that they like these. There's no wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, or nuts in these, which also makes me happy!

Donut Holes

3 cups Sucanat (I use Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1 cup oil (I use Wilderness Family Naturals expeller pressed coconut oil, melted)
1 29-oz can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water
3 1/4 cups Rice Flour Blend (recipe below)
2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Confectioners' Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare mini muffin pans with oil.

In a large bowl, combine Sucanat, oil, pumpkin puree, and water. Whisk until well mixed.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour blend, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing well with a wooden spoon.

Fill muffin tins with prepared batter. I use a cookie scoop.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until they test done.

Roll in confectioners' sugar.

Store in an airtight container.

Rice Flour Blend

3 cups brown rice flour
3 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch (not flour)
1 cup tapioca starch

Mix together with a large whisk. Store in refrigerator or freezer and use as needed. Whisk or shake before using. Use in baked goods recipes calling for a GF flour blend.

I prefer to buy my rice flours in an Asian or Indian grocery store because the texture is much finer and less gritty than the rice flours I've tried from the health food store.  I just have to be careful to read labels for possible nut cross-contamination.

I LOVE This Cookbook!

I have so many GF, GFCF, and other allergy cookbooks that I thought would work for us, but I hadn't been able to find one that dealt with all of our allergies. I was fairly good at making GFCF recipes, but when we learned about E's food allergies, and I suddenly had to take eggs out of the equation, I ended up with all sorts of inedible flops! I was looking for a cookbook that could help.

I was in a health food store a couple of months ago and saw a flier for this book:

The Super Allergy Girl Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Nut-Free Allergy & Celiac Cookbook by Lisa A. Lundy.

Finally, I've found a cookbook that we can use. I was thrilled to once again be able to make brownies, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, and birthday cakes that everyone could eat! We've made rolls, snack mixes, and main dishes, too, and all of the recipes have been great.

There are some sample recipes on The Super Allergy Girl website, and I'd encourage anyone dealing with multiple food allergies to try some of them. I had some questions, so I emailed Lisa, and she responded promptly with the information I needed. She was very nice and helpful, and I highly recommend her cookbook.

Monkey Munch, Our Style

Monkey Munch is GracieGirl's favorite special treat! We can't eat the regular stuff, so here's our allergy-safe version:

1 bag Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips
1/4 cup Sunbutter
1/4 cup Earth Balance, soy free
1 tsp vanilla extract (homemade)
1 12.8-oz box Rice Crunch-Ems
Glutino Pretzels, opt (can no longer use because of E's sesame allergy)
2 cups Wholesome Sweeteners organic confectioners' sugar

Melt chocolate chips, Sunbutter, Earth Balance, and vanilla extract in a large pot over low heat. Stir until chips melt. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and pretzels, if using. Let cool.

Place confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Add cereal mixture and mix gently.

We store it in the freezer because otherwise, certain little people tend to take it without asking. Check out the guilty look below. I don't know how I figured out that she'd been eating it! :)

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I made my own vanilla extract recently, and it's inexpensive and really good! I bought my beans through a co-op so they were quite reasonable. We ordered from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company. I've heard that they also sell their beans on eBay for a good price. I bought two types of beans, Tahitian and Bourbon. I also bought a bottle of vodka.

I poured 2 cups of vodka into a mason jar and added six Tahitian beans that I'd cut the long way with kitchen shears, leaving the last inch of the bean intact. I repeated the process with a second mason jar, using another 2 cups of vodka and six Bourbon beans.

I pushed the beans down so that they were submerged in the vodka. Then I put the jars into a closet, away from the light. I put a reminder on my computer to shake the bottles weekly. Considering the sad state of my brain, I probably should have also set a reminder about where I put the jars, but I managed to remember that much on my own. I guess my memory isn't completely trashed!

I shook the jars weekly for eight weeks. I now have two jars of vanilla extract, without any of the sweeteners and other less than desirable ingredients that are added to most commercial vanilla extracts. The plan was to pour them into smaller amber jars and put pretty labels on them, but, as with so many things in my life, I haven't gotten there yet!

Then and Now

Then:

1. Turn on oven
2. Open freezer
3. Pull out frozen pizza
4. Bake in oven
5. Slice and eat
6. Throw box in trash
7. Place dish in dishwasher
8. Sit down and relax

Now:

1. Pull out 17 different gluten-free flours (Okay, slight exaggeration...maybe not 17, but it sure looked like it!)
2. Mix them all together; add to other crust ingredients
3. Beat with mixer
4. Oil pizza stones
5. Attempt to make two large globs of very sticky dough resemble pizza crusts
6. Pre-bake crusts
7. Chop lots of garlic and sauté it in olive oil
8. Open numerous cans of different tomato products
9. Add to garlic, along with lots of spices
10. Simmer until it tastes like pizza sauce
11. Set up the food processor
12. Grate as much cheese as I can find in the refrigerator (If I’m going to clean the food processor afterwards, I'm going to make it worth my while!)
13. Spread the pizza sauce on the pizza; top with cheese
14. Listen to Nate complain that we never have pepperoni pizza anymore
15. Pop it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes
16. Answer the call from Nick who says that he’s working late…again
17. Ward off the starving kids as I take it out of the oven
18. Cut it into slices; place on plates
19. Stick the plates in the refrigerator so that the kids don’t lose the skin on the roofs of their mouths as they devour the scorching hot pizza
20. Look at the completely trashed kitchen and want to cry
21. Remember that I didn’t make any dinner for E, who's allergic to cheese
22. Feed him a pizza crust, praying that he doesn’t react to the cheese
23. Listen to the kids say that they’re still hungry because I never make enough pizza
24. Start cleaning the kitchen
25. Survey the damage to the house caused by the toddlers while I was making dinner
26. Call Nick to recommend that he put on a helmet before entering the house tonight!
27. Remember that I need to feed E something besides pizza crust for dinner
28. Make something for E to eat
29. Give in to the starving kids and serve them the rest of the pizza
30. Start thinking about what I’m going to make Nick for dinner
31. Dream about the time that I can collapse into bed...knowing that it won't be anytime in the near future!

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