Frozen Yogurt Pop!

My helper Luke and I found a yummy way to use some left over chunks of papaya!
In a blender, we liquified:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 t. vanilla extract
1 cup papaya chunks
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup pineapple juice.
We then put them in the freezer, in popsicle trays. It took them a full day to get all the way hard, I guess yogurt freezes slow??..
They are very rich, and very yogurty, and the kids LOVED them!!
Im sure we will play with this idea much more in the future with lots of other fruits.

Homemade Pancake Mix

I am finding that most pancake mixes that are approved for Hannah to have, contain Hyro oils. I am trying to aviod giving those to the kids as much as possible, so Ive been looking for a good mix recipe. I think Ive found one!! I would estimate the cost of making it to be about half the cost of buying it, so thats a plus.

The bottom Pancake is made as the recipe directs. The middle pancake has an extra 1/8 cup of milk added, this is the one I prefer. The top pancake has an extra 1/4 cup of milk added.

I used an old 10 pound bag from pancake mix we had used up to hold my new mix.
Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR PANCAKES:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR BLUEBERRY BANANA PANCAKES:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
3/4 cup blueberries
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
To prepare pancakes: In a bowl, combine egg and milk. Whisk in 1 cup pancake mix. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown
To prepare blueberry banana pancakes: In a bowl, combine egg, milk and banana. Whisk in 1 cup pancake mix. Fold in blueberries. Cook as directed above.

Waffle Ala Mode!

I made a waffle mix, that is extra sweet, topped it with Bryers Natural Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, a slice of waffle and drizzled it with the chocolate syrup mentioned below. When handed hers, Hannah asked "Wow Mom, will be have this another time?!"
Here is the recipe I used for the waffle mix, except I made it in a normal waffle machine.
WAFFLE CONE

WAFFLE-CONE - Waffle ice-cream cone, pizelles

This recipe comes from a recent issue of Canadian Living
magazine. Waffle cones look like round waffles shaped into
a cone, and have a wonderful taste. (I admit it-I'm hooked
on them.) This recipe is actually for a type of cookie
called the pizelle, but it tastes just like the waffle cones
you can get at an ice-cream parlor.

INGREDIENTS (about 20 cones)
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups
flour
2 tsp baking powder

PROCEDURE
(1) Beat the eggs and gradually beat in the sugar
until the mixture is creamy.

(2) Stir in the melted butter and vanilla.

(3) Combine the flour and baking powder, and then add
it to the mixture. Blend it in well.

(4) Drop about 4 tsp of the batter into a heated
pizelle iron, and cook both sides over medium-high
heat for about 1 minute each, or until golden
brown.

(5) Remove the waffle from the pizelle iron and
immediately shape it into a cone while it is still
pliable.

MMMMM.....Indian!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my favorite food in the world is Indian! I could eat it everyday! In fact, I try to convince Calvin that we should just move to India, but I guess he doesnt feel the love of a food should cause us to move half way around the globe :-)
So, now that Im cooking more, I getting more courage to try different recipes. And thanks to great sites like allrecipes.com, I can read reviews first, to aviod potential disaster recipes. They are prooving to be a great help in avoiding waste of time, money and energy. So, all you recipe websites, my hats off to you!!


Here is the naan. I changed around the recipe a little, so I will post 'my' version here. Keep in mind, this bread gets a bit tough after a day or so. Its better to eat right away or soon after. Well, this was Calvins critic, the kids didnt have one, they loved it!
INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour or more, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500*f, with pizza stone, or any large stone inside oven.
Roll dough into flat circle, brush with butter on each side.
Place dough in oven, on HOT stone for 3-4 minutes. Its ready when you start to see dark brown spots on top side of bread.
Enjoy!!!


This chicken recipe is not stage 1, but will be soon :-) I made it last night, to see how it tasted, next I will be switching out ingredients, until I get the right mixture for Hannah to have! But Ive gotta say, it was really good!
Heres the recipe:
http://www.recipezaar.com/88578

This last recipe I have made three times, it is stage 1, but I keep forgetting to take a photo of it :-( I will add one soon, because I know I will be making it again, and likely soon! It is really good. There is a trick though, and I need to figure it out, as to getting it the right creamy consistency. All the kids loved it! I got this from the feingold recipe board, under Cindys Recipes, so Thanks Cindy!
Indian Spice Chicken
1 stick butter
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 T. cumin
1 T. turmeric
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. chicken stock or water
1/2 c. sour cream

Saute chicken strips in butter until browned. Add cumin, turmeric and garlic; stir and saute for a couple of minutes. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream and heat through (do not boil). Good with brown rice

Hello...YUM!

Homemade potato chips...mmmmm.....
I didnt have lunch planned, so we cut up a few potatos and tossed them in a hot pan of oil, and dipped them in the carrot ketchup! YUM! Oh, and a sprinkel of salt :-)


Hannah was my assistant this morning, making some cocoanut maccroons! Then, we made Susan's Better Than Hershey's Syrup to dip them in! YUM!
Heres the super yummy chocolate syrup recipe:
Better Thank Hershey's Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mix sugar, cocoa, salt and water in saucepan. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly until everything dissolves. Remove from heat and add vanilla. When it has cooled down, pour into a clean chocolate syrup squeeze bottle.

For a glass of chocolate milk, add 1-2 TBS syrup. Great on desserts and in coffee mochas, too.

Cinnamon Biscotti!

While cleaning up some in the kitchen yesterday, to begin a new batch of cooking, I decided to make the old bread pieces and ends into crumbs. I put them all on a bread sheet, and in the oven. Before I could get them ground up in the food processor, the kids had eaten them all! This got my wheels goes, and used my new loaf, that didnt raise properly, to make cinnamon biscotti's!
Next I will cut just the crust off the whole loaf, cut them into small squares, sprinkle with cinnamon, and have cinnamon chips!!
Im really enjoying the adventurous side of home cooking. And the kids are too!!

Ketchup.....Kind of....

In avoiding tomatoes, this is attempt #2 at ketchup. The first recipe smelled horrid. This one smells like canned baby food carrots. But, the taste wasnt so bad. Im going to let it sit a while, and maybe add salt and pepper. We will see.... The main goal is not for me to accept it, but for the kids to! Im planning to make some french fries for dinner, and see how this goes over...
Carrot Ketchup
4 large carrots, sliced thin
2-3 tablespoons vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
pear juice
I put everything except the pear juice in the slow cooker and cooked until the carrots were mushy. Then I scooped everything into the food processor and processed with pear juice until I got a nice ketchupy consistency.

Vodka Anyone??.......

This was posted on our other blog as well, giving me the opportunity to relive a memory from my time in Russia at 17. Memories......
However, it is taken on a much different, far better tasting face now!!!
MUCH to my suprise, I recently learned that vanilla extract (the real stuff), is made from vanilla beans soaking in vodka for a few months, and never goes bad! So, the longer it sits in the vodka, the better it gets! Im tired of paying TOO much for tiny little bottles, and am very excited to be making our own! I ordered high grade Madagasgar vanilla beans online, got advise from the gentleman working in the local liquor store, and we are on our way!!
Now, another comment I must make. For anyone saying "I cant believe you would bring that in your home!!!" The immitation vanilla is made of deadly chemicals, google it!

FG approved Taco Seasoning mix!!

Okay, the label could be better.... (But I dont have a printer right now.) However I did find a great use for the pepper can I was about to toss into recycling!
Tacos became a frequently eatten item in our home while in NM. So, I was sad to cut it out of our meals when we began the FG diet. However, someone named 'Cindy' has masterfully put one together!!! The only thing missing from it is the color. It tastes JUST like any other taco seasoning. The kids loved it!
Taco Seasoning Recipe:
2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch(can replace with potato starch)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground oregeno
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Brown 2# of Burger and add seasoning and 1/4 cup of water.Cook until thick..

The BEST Ethiopian Cabbage!!

There are a few recipes that we use each week in our cooking, that Meya and I make together. This is one of them. Not just because I love passing off some of the potato peeling and chopping to someone else :-) But because she loves to cook anything, expecially Ethiopian! This is one of our staple foods, it is cooked in double batches once or twice a week. (More often twice!)
I havent mastered, or even minored Injera, so we eat it with tortillas!!
Here is the link to the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ethiopian-Cabbage-Dish/Detail.aspx
I LOVE www.allrecipes.com!

The verdict is in!

The S'mores were a huge success! "Better then the real ones!" is how the kids judged them!
In addition to the marshmallows, we added Ghardelli chocolate chips on top of homemade graham crackers! YUMMY! You know how the store brand crackers will break apart, making a big mess? These dont break apart! The marshmallows still makes a sticky mess however, but isnt that half the fun! :-)
Heres the recipe for the graham crackers. I cut mine with a biscuit cutter, making perfect circles rather than squares. They are soft like cookies, and yummy, so can be eaten as cookies also!
http://www.recipezaar.com/9125

Hummus Lover? Heres a good one!

Don’t EVER buy hummus from the store again…this is the best recipe I’ve found! Just be sure not to tripple the recipe and mess up your math. Tonight it had a funny taste, and after re-checking the recipe, I discovered that I messed up the amount of sesame oil and olive oil, and ended up with 6T of sesame oil instead of 3t!!!! Oops. Meya still loved it :-) Guess we will work on fixing that tonight!
2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is ok, soaking your own is best)
2-3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)
2-3 T tahini
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 small to medium garlic clove
1/2 t toasted sesame oil
1/2 t sea salt
3-4 T water (or less/more as desired)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth, adding a little water at first, then more if desired to thin it. Scrape down sides of bowl several times throughout and puree again until very smooth. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice. Serve in a large bowl, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.

A Good Home.....Person.....Thing

Thats what my sweet husband called me last night. ;-) He wasnt sure what the politically correct term is. I think Im pretty okay with being called a Home Maker, because that is what I am. I see no offence, I dont need to be called a domestic something or other.

Canning my Un-tomato sauce

So, his praises were for chicken slow cooked in a crock put with 'faux' spaghetti sauce (made from beets and carrots), because with the Feingold diet we are avoiding tomatoes and served over pasta with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. The 100% homemade pizza the night before was great also, but very time consuming. What pushed me to make this un-tomato sauce was Meya making the comment "We never get to have pizza anymore because of Hannah". Ouch, not how I want the kids to feel! And surely this diet is not torture by any means, you have got to taste the fruit dip we topped our bananas with! YUM! I passed up ice cream last night for it. Okay, its REALLY high in calories, but chemical free!
Here is the recipe:
Caramel Fruit Dip:
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. white sugar
1 tsp. REAL vanilla, (imitation is deadly!!)
Then mix until smooth, YUM!

And here is the Un-tomato Sauce:
1 1-pound can beets, drained (or one pound fresh)
2 1-pound cans carrots, drained (or 2lb fresh or frozen)
2 Tbls. Lemon juice
1 C. Water
1 T. salt
2-3 T. Oregano
1.5 T. Garlic powder
2-3 T. Basil
2 t. sugar
Puree completely in food processor, extra long- to avoid any small beet chunks. Let set for several hours or overnight in refrigerator for flavors to blend.

Gotta have some carbs!

I cant find any of the Feingold 'approved' tortillas in our area. Tortillas became a staple food in our diet while living in NM. So, here is Meya rolling out a tortilla.......

And here is one cooking....

And the final product!! They taste really good. And when they were thicker, they were a little like Naan. And when they were super thin and cooked longer, they became chips! So, theres no messing these up :-)
Heres the recipe:
2 c all-purpose white flour (can substitute one cup for whole wheat if you like)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 c warm milk
Mix flour, powder, salt and oil. Slowly add warm milk. Stir until sticky ball forms. Knead for 2 minutes then cover with towel for 20 minutes. After 20 min. divide dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Let rest covered for 10 minutes. Then one at a time mash into flat pancake and roll from center out until it's very thin and about 8 inches in diameter. ( I did this on a lightly floured glass cutting board and they peeled right off when I went to cook them.) They won't be perfectly round. Keep rolled out dough covered until ready to cook. (I rolled and cooked at the same time) Cook on hot dry skillet 30 seconds on each side. Let cool and enjoy. Can freeze as well. These are very easy to make and taste great. Best of all you don't need shortening which I can't seem to find in any store!!



I finally found a bread maker at a thrift store, and what a great $3 investment it has become! This loaf actually lasted long enough to get sliced. The ones before it were a hard shell when I found them, so I guess that means Calvin likes the soft inside loaded with butter as much as I do :-)
Heres my favorite break recipe so far:
White bread
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 ounces warm water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Directions
Put ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer (usually wet ingredients followed by dry ingredients and yeast in middle) Use the white bread cycle.
Walk away and wait until it's done!

All this for some S'mores!!

First attempt :-(

Success!!

Since we have changed our eating habbits, to accomodate Hannahs chemical sensitity, Ive been learning all kids of things! Surely, this is coming with lots of sweat and tears :-) I really cant complain, we've had lots of successes. My first attempt at marshmellows were a flop. (But looking back, it may have worked as gummy worms, but its too late to try now...) And after pricing FG approved mellows online (EEK!), I decided to try one more time, because justifying $8 for a bag of mellows to cook while having a picnic. This attempt was a great success!!
Here is the recipe that finally worked:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/106/Marshmallows
Just call me a domestic engineer! :-)