Can't make gluten free cheesecake or nanimo bars or smores without graham crackers. It's far more economical to make them than buy them at $6 a box, yikes!
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of milk (low fat okay, non fat not okay)
1 1/2 cup all purpose Gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add honey, vanilla and milk, mixing after each addition. Add flour, Xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder until well combined.
Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap (may need to separate into two batches). Rechill in fridge for another 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares, and poke tops with a fork. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crackers are crisp. They puff up a bit but don't spread out too much. All them to cool completely before handling.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Cheesecake!
(Anything this good deserves an exclamation point)
I made a batch of gluten free mini cheesecakes for Christmas. It all started with the graham crackers. I had to make gluten free graham crackers, which didn't turn out too bad but sadly I did not get a picture of them. I borrowed a food processor from a friend (yay for communal sharing) and made the crackers into crumbs. I will post the graham cracker recipe after this post.
Cheesecake
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp of soft butter
Mix in a large bowl. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners, not using the liners will result in the cakes sticking to the sides. Spoon a bit of graham crumbs into the bottoms and press down to make it flat.
In a mixing bowl, soften;
two 250gr packages of plain cream cheese
Add:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix and then add:
2 eggs
Mix until smooth. This is when I divided the mixture into three separate bowls and added food colouring. Spoon into lined cupcake pan. These do not expand much so no need to worry about them overflowing while baking.
Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, for mini cakes, 40 minutes for a whole pie-sized cheesecake.
Refrigerated for minimum 3 hours before serving. You can add a berry sauce on top before serving or keep them plain like I do for easy entertaining.
I made a batch of gluten free mini cheesecakes for Christmas. It all started with the graham crackers. I had to make gluten free graham crackers, which didn't turn out too bad but sadly I did not get a picture of them. I borrowed a food processor from a friend (yay for communal sharing) and made the crackers into crumbs. I will post the graham cracker recipe after this post.
Cheesecake
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp of soft butter
Mix in a large bowl. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners, not using the liners will result in the cakes sticking to the sides. Spoon a bit of graham crumbs into the bottoms and press down to make it flat.
In a mixing bowl, soften;
two 250gr packages of plain cream cheese
Add:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix and then add:
2 eggs
Mix until smooth. This is when I divided the mixture into three separate bowls and added food colouring. Spoon into lined cupcake pan. These do not expand much so no need to worry about them overflowing while baking.
Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, for mini cakes, 40 minutes for a whole pie-sized cheesecake.
Refrigerated for minimum 3 hours before serving. You can add a berry sauce on top before serving or keep them plain like I do for easy entertaining.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Staying Active
This winter I have resolved to stay active. I plan to walk or hike whenever I can and have signed up for Yoga classes at a local studio. Today I intended to take my kids to city hall for a skate around the circular rink they have out front. In summer it's a beautiful water fountain, the perfect back drop for the farmer's market. We drove by yesterday on the way to the library and saw people skating. The kids begged me to go so since we already had skates, all we needed was for them to be sharpened. Well I decided to buy a pair for myself.
My kids were very excited. I was very nervous. I had visions of epic falls with bones cracking and people crying (me). But no, I did fine. Like getting on a bicycle. I wasn't fast or very pretty but I did it. And my legs are feeling funny, good, but funny.
We plan to go every week now until the ice melts. It should be a great way to keep moving even when the snow threatens to keep us inside.
My kids were very excited. I was very nervous. I had visions of epic falls with bones cracking and people crying (me). But no, I did fine. Like getting on a bicycle. I wasn't fast or very pretty but I did it. And my legs are feeling funny, good, but funny.
We plan to go every week now until the ice melts. It should be a great way to keep moving even when the snow threatens to keep us inside.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Natural Attitude
Since I began this long journey to live more naturally, I have noticed a phenomenon amongst like minded people and I must say I am not pleased about it. When I started I expected that when I met an individual with similar goals and aspirations that they would be supportive and helpful. I thought we were all there to help each other understand things and start making progress toward a more sustainable life. I actually thought I could find a community of people that I could bounce ideas off and garner support.
What I found was vastly different.
The economic downturn has brought urban homesteading to the forefront or mainstream and now it seems everyone is doing it. On one level this could be very good. Canning supplies are flying off the shelves. There are tonnes of new books being published on the subject. These are all great things for the most part but I also think it's created a new sense of competition. Instead of vying for the best gadgets or biggest house, now we are comparing pantries and garden plots.
Every time I meet like minded individuals the conversation quickly devolves into who has a bigger garden, how much jars have been put by and how natural a person's life is.
"Oh my kids NEVER eat sugar!"
"I would die if I had to live in the suburbs!"
"We NEVER exchange gifts during the holidays."
"That's not the best way. I do it this way..."
No support, just judgement. I don't even think people realize they are doing it. It's not only the things people say directly, but there seems to be an air of arrogance in a lot of people when it comes to living naturally. They know the way. They are better read on the subject, more experienced and better equipped than most. They are in essence more self sufficient.
I must say I have been flabbergasted at the number of conversations I have had recently that have left me feeling grossly inadequate and more or less the equivalent of a faker. It doesn't matter what I accomplish, someone has done better. Someone has a bigger garden, a more stocked pantry and a more simply life. Or at least they pretend to. Sigh.
This would all be very discouraging if it weren't for the simple fact that I am not doing this to impress people. I am not living simply and naturally so I can show everyone else up and act as if I am better. I am doing it for my family's health and the health of the planet. I have been on this simplicity journey for over three years and love it. Each year I learn more and get closer to my goals, as fluid as they are.
If homesteading is in the mainstream to stay then I would hope things will settle down and people will stop being so competitive about it. We need to just live and be a source of encouragement for others who are trying to do the same.
What I found was vastly different.
The economic downturn has brought urban homesteading to the forefront or mainstream and now it seems everyone is doing it. On one level this could be very good. Canning supplies are flying off the shelves. There are tonnes of new books being published on the subject. These are all great things for the most part but I also think it's created a new sense of competition. Instead of vying for the best gadgets or biggest house, now we are comparing pantries and garden plots.
Every time I meet like minded individuals the conversation quickly devolves into who has a bigger garden, how much jars have been put by and how natural a person's life is.
"Oh my kids NEVER eat sugar!"
"I would die if I had to live in the suburbs!"
"We NEVER exchange gifts during the holidays."
"That's not the best way. I do it this way..."
No support, just judgement. I don't even think people realize they are doing it. It's not only the things people say directly, but there seems to be an air of arrogance in a lot of people when it comes to living naturally. They know the way. They are better read on the subject, more experienced and better equipped than most. They are in essence more self sufficient.
I must say I have been flabbergasted at the number of conversations I have had recently that have left me feeling grossly inadequate and more or less the equivalent of a faker. It doesn't matter what I accomplish, someone has done better. Someone has a bigger garden, a more stocked pantry and a more simply life. Or at least they pretend to. Sigh.
This would all be very discouraging if it weren't for the simple fact that I am not doing this to impress people. I am not living simply and naturally so I can show everyone else up and act as if I am better. I am doing it for my family's health and the health of the planet. I have been on this simplicity journey for over three years and love it. Each year I learn more and get closer to my goals, as fluid as they are.
If homesteading is in the mainstream to stay then I would hope things will settle down and people will stop being so competitive about it. We need to just live and be a source of encouragement for others who are trying to do the same.
Snowballs- Gluten Free Naturally
Snowballs
2.5 cups white chocolate chips
2/3 cups of whipping cream
Place in a bowl over boiling water (or double boiler) and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of almond pieces. Stir until combined.
Pour in a greased 8x8 pan and place in the fridge for an hour.
Here's a homemade Christmas chocolate recipe that is always a hit.
Once cooled, and somewhat solid, scoop out with a spoon and roll into a ball with your hands. Roll the ball in coconut and set on wax paper. Once all the balls are completed place in fridge or freezer. These chocolates are so good when frozen but you could leave them on a tray for guests and they will be a hit.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Getting Ready for Christmas
I am a planner, but I wasn't always this way. I use to get by (barely) by just throwing in some of this, a sprinkle of that and pray that everything turns out. I wasted a lot of time and A LOT of money doing this in my early days of homemaking. Christmas was especially bad but over the years I have tweaked a system for Christmas, especially for the huge amount of baking I do.
I do A LOT of entertaining over the holidays. We are invited to lots of potlucks and special activities but I don't always have the time to make homemade christmas treats for all these occasions. A few years ago I started the season with one big bake. I do all my cookies and squares and freeze them. If I need a quick tray of treats for a party I just pull them out and dethaw. The big bake doesn`t all happen in one day. I start with one thing one day and another thing the next. Sometimes recipes lend themselves to pairing so I do them together. I
The baking season begins when I sit down with my recipe books, and a notepad and decide which goodies I want to make. This year was especially interesting because I wanted to focus on recipes that were naturally gluten free. I did not want the added expense of tonnes of gluten free flour, especially for people who aren't necessarily gluten free. I needed recipes that would be good for my celiac husband and kids and yummy for our guests.
This year I decided to make:
Mint Fudge
Snowballs (White chocolate, almonds and coconut)
Nanimo Bars (with homemade, gluten free graham cracker crumbs)
Magic Bars (more GF graham crackers)
Mini Cheesecake (and again more graham crackers)
Sugar cutout cookies (our one and only recipe that requires flour. I will probably make two batches, a gluten free one and a regular one)
I also plan to make Christmas Cookies in a Jar for quick gifts for my daughter's Girl Guide Leaders, my son's Aikido instructors and the neighbours.
So with this list I wrote out all the ingredients I needed using tally marks to indicate the number of cups I need for each item. I'll need 5 cups of sugar, 6 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 4 cups of coconut and so on. This makes my page look super messy so before I go shopping I write out the entire list with a price beside it, indicating how much money I should spend on each item.
Then, I hit the shops. I am heading out this afternoon so when I get back I will debrief you on the success of my mission.
I do A LOT of entertaining over the holidays. We are invited to lots of potlucks and special activities but I don't always have the time to make homemade christmas treats for all these occasions. A few years ago I started the season with one big bake. I do all my cookies and squares and freeze them. If I need a quick tray of treats for a party I just pull them out and dethaw. The big bake doesn`t all happen in one day. I start with one thing one day and another thing the next. Sometimes recipes lend themselves to pairing so I do them together. I
The baking season begins when I sit down with my recipe books, and a notepad and decide which goodies I want to make. This year was especially interesting because I wanted to focus on recipes that were naturally gluten free. I did not want the added expense of tonnes of gluten free flour, especially for people who aren't necessarily gluten free. I needed recipes that would be good for my celiac husband and kids and yummy for our guests.
This year I decided to make:
Mint Fudge
Snowballs (White chocolate, almonds and coconut)
Nanimo Bars (with homemade, gluten free graham cracker crumbs)
Magic Bars (more GF graham crackers)
Mini Cheesecake (and again more graham crackers)
Sugar cutout cookies (our one and only recipe that requires flour. I will probably make two batches, a gluten free one and a regular one)
I also plan to make Christmas Cookies in a Jar for quick gifts for my daughter's Girl Guide Leaders, my son's Aikido instructors and the neighbours.
So with this list I wrote out all the ingredients I needed using tally marks to indicate the number of cups I need for each item. I'll need 5 cups of sugar, 6 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 4 cups of coconut and so on. This makes my page look super messy so before I go shopping I write out the entire list with a price beside it, indicating how much money I should spend on each item.
Then, I hit the shops. I am heading out this afternoon so when I get back I will debrief you on the success of my mission.
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