Sharing Gluten Free Recipes

So I was recently told that I haven't been sharing my gluten free recipes.  :(

My bad.

I basically use my recipes but substitute gluten free flour when my recipes calls for flour.  I have found that King Arthur's Gluten Free All-purpose Flour works well cup for cup.  I think my favorite GF All-purpose flour is in a Blue Bag called Dakota.  I find this one at a local Country Nutrition Store.

Jackie, from Blessings Overflowing, is friend of mine that has been cooking allergy free for her son.  You can't go wrong with her recipes.  (If you do not have egg or dairy allergy, you may use your 'normal' ingredients.)  I have tried a lot of her recipes and we enjoy the Chocolate Pumpkin Cake and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

I also get recipe ideas from Make it and Love it.  She is also a gluten free cook.

Want a recipe for your crockpot?  No problem!  Here is a site where I look:  A Year of Slow Cooking.  She even tells you what/how to make it gluten free.  I think I will be trying this Gluten Free Oreo Cheesecake Slow Cooker Recipe next...yum!

I will try to post actual recipes that I use.  I guess that means that could be a New Year Resolution for me in 2014.

Elf on the Shelf Story with Stickers

So we have an Elf.  He has been with us for 7 yrs now...

He is a good Elf, no mischief from him.  :)

He usually likes to hid and listen to the kids.  These kids for the most part are good kids...always on the nice list.

Our Elf, Percy, knows that we have been working on storytelling in Homeschool.  So he decided to help us out...

One night he left for the kids a pack of stickers and he started a story for the kids using the story.  He encouraged the kids to add on to his story.  The kids looked through the sticker pack to get ideas.

The Elf's story started with 2 penguins that wanted to go sledding...  :)

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

One of my favorite things is Strawberry Pie.

I have always made my pie using my Mom's recipes for the pie crust and the strawberry jell.  Delish!

This year due to going gluten free for my girls, I switched out the flour for gluten free flour.  So this pie crust recipe will work with either gluten free flour or regular flour.

I came accross a recipe for Fresh and Super Simple Strawberry Pie Filling (only 3 indredients) and decided to try it instead of making the jell.  The results were wonderful!  A certain uncle made sure he had a second piece before the end of the day.  :)  He knew it was gluten free, but he said he could not tell.

The recipe for my pie crust is below.


1 stick softened Oleo (butter)
1 (3 ounce) package Philadelphia Cream Cheese (generic works just as well)
1 cup flour (gluten free if needed.  I use an all purpose gluten free flour.)
+ extra flour for rolling

Mix the 3 ingredients together in bowl.  Roll the dough out and then place it in your pie pan.  Bake pie shell at 400 degrees F for 10-12 mins.

The recipe for the Pie Filling I mentioned above can be found  here.

Enjoy!

Dino's for Girls?

Yes!  Girls can play with and love dinosaurs too.  

Have you noticed though that if you would like a girly dinosaur shirt, you may have a hard time finding one?

My middle daughter was invited to her friend's birthday party.  We didn't know what the birthday girl wanted  so I asked her Mom.  The Mom mentioned that her little girl loved dinosaurs and wanted a shirt with a dinosaur.  

So, my middle daughter picked out the colors and the dinosaur outline and I went to work.   I even made a matching hair bow.   

  

To make this shirt, I printed a dinosaur pic to use for a pattern.  After I cut the dinosaur out of fabric, I zigzagged it to the shirt.  Simple.  You could even hand sew this if one doesn't have a sewing machine.  

Crayons, Stickers, and Paper...Oh, My!

Any guesses what this is?

Why, it is a travel art studio for my youngest.  It holds her crayons, paper, and stickers.  

I used Velcro at the top and bottom to keep it closed when not in use.  

Now, who is ready for vacation?  

Butterfly Cake

Another Birthday came and went.

My middle child celebrated her 6th birthday.

She was able to pick out  the colors for her butterfly cake.  She was very happy with the way her cake turned out.

I am so happy that I learned how to decorate cakes...  My kids love being able to ask for a specific type of cake.   (I remember my own mom decorating cakes for my brothers and me.  So I wanted to be able to do the same.)  My kids enjoy having a special cake for their day.

Of course, I made this a gluten free chocolate and white cake.

Minnie Mouse Cake

My youngest is 3.  

How is that possible?  

Here she is in her finished Dress and Ears.  

   

 I also made her a gluten free Minnie Mouse Cake.  It was both white and chocolate.  The white cake mix was Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free White Cake Mix.  The chocolate was Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix