CHRISTMAS TREE MERINGUE

HEAVENLY PORTIONS

After hearing that a 9th planet may have been discovered, we had to celebrate with my favorite dessert: Banana Pudding.  I know this was a fitting choice, because when I ate it, it was like eating a piece of heaven.

I use my own recipe for the pudding, which is a bit like Aunt Irene's:

VANILLA PUDDING

2/3 C. sugar

1/3 C. cornstarch

2 1/2 C. milk (even low-fat milk works just fine)

2 eggs, well beaten

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla (which I often forget to put in)

In a 1 quart container:  Blend sugar and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in milk, mixing well.

Microwave on HIGH for 5-7 minutes, whisking/stirring every 3 minutes, until thickened, smooth, and clear:  until it looks like pudding!

Drizzle (stirring madly) a small amount (perhaps 1 cup) of hot pudding gradually into the egg.  Then return the egg mixture to the hot pudding, mixing well.

Microwave on MEDIUM LOW (#7 out of 10) for 1 to 5 minutes, stirring after each minute, until it is smooth and thickened.  I do sometimes have trouble with this step; sometimes it really thins out and I don't know why.  So keep at it till it thickens.  Someone has suggested not to let it get over 180 degrees hot?

Add butter and vanilla.

Now, you're supposed to wait until the pudding cools before adding bananas and graham crackers. This is the hardest part of the recipe!  My son has suggested that you make a double batch of the pudding so that you can eat some of it plain while it's hot.  This will hold off your anxiety until the pudding cools enough to be used for the BANANA part.

This plan works well.

BANANA PUDDING (SOME CALL IT REFRIGERATOR PUDDING)

The proportions depend upon your taste, but the general idea is to make it in layers:  pudding, graham cracker crumbs Kinnickinick makes great GF ones), sliced bananas.  Again and again until you've reached the end of the pudding.

It is SO GOOD!

SNARFIN' IT UP

Everyone posts photos of their Christmas sugar cookies, but I wanted to tell about ours because they're gluten-free--and just as easy and regular to make as anyone else's.

I am going to do an (unpaid) advertisement.

We use a cup-for-cup gluten-free substitute called Better Batter, made in eastern PA, for all our cookies, pie crusts, gravies/sauces, and muffins.  With our own pre-GF recipes, completely unchanged except for the rolling out of the pies (which needs to be done between pieces of saran).  We buy it in bulk once a year, which makes it affordable.

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker's cookbook.

Now about the cookies:  we have troubles at our house.  I know that some people bake a whole lot of types and quantities early in December and then feast off them all the month long, but that hasn't worked well in our house.  (With a little bit of exaggeration, but not much) we tend to make a batch and eat it in a couple of days.  Then we make a different cookie and eat it up quickly.  Then a different treat and snarf it up.  And by December 7, all the goodies are gone, we are bereft, and have nothing to celebrate with for the rest of the month!

What to do?

Last year, I made a double or triple batch of one type, and secreted some into the freezer when no one was looking (there would definitely be frowns if I did this in front of the family).  Then surprise!  Just when you thought the season was at an end way too early, some more treats magically appeared.

I will see what I can manage again this year.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER:  PI DAY

Yes, I should have done it when my Youngest Son wrote and presented a speech on it a couple of years ago (which made him quite famous).  But it's "better late than never", so yesterday we celebrated BIG.

We ate nothing but pie.

The menu looked like this:

It was terribly hard to choose, because there really are an awful lot of pies out there.  I didn't include any of the cream pies, for example, nor did we have any ice cream pie. There's a whole slew of Bisquick Impossible pies, and they are all fantastic.  Plus, there are only so many hours in the day for this cook to deal with it!

So, the night before, I worked on breakfast and lunch.  These are all made with gluten-free flour, but if you want to use wheat, simply substitute regular wheat flour for the Better Batter GF flour mix that I used.

Because my guys take their lunch to school, I made the French Canadian Tourtiere first, to kinda set the tone with its decoration. 

It comes from my battered La Leche League's Whole Foods for the Whole Family cookbook and is a hearty meat pie that is a favorite in this house.  I bake it in a 10" pie pan instead of the 9"  they recommend, because usually my grocery store gives me more meat than the recipe calls for.

French Canadian Tourtiere

pastry dough for a 2-crust 9" pie  (go to the end of this post to see
    my gluten-free pie crust recipe)
1 1/2 lbs. mixture of lean ground pork and hamburger (sometimes my
    store sells a "meatloaf mix" that includes veal
1 medium onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1/2 C. hot water
1/4 tsp. crushed celery seeds
1 large potato, grated

1.  Brown the meat and onions in a large pot.  Pour off the grease.  Add the
      rest of the ingredients and cook  uncovered for 20 minutes. 
2.  Make the pie crust, put the meat mixture inside, and add the pie crust
      top.  Prick with a fork.
3.  Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes until the crust is brown.


Next, I worked on the Ham and Cheese Pocket Pies.  These are the to die for sort of things that are great for picnics, snacks, and travel. 
 

My Ham and Cheese Pocket Pies

GF Crust:  I use the directions from Better Batter for Hot Pocket Dough, which tends to stick together better:

    2 C. Better Batter flour
    1 tsp. salt
    1 C. butter
    4 T. cream cheese
    8 T. ice water
    egg white

1.    Combine the flour, salt, butter, and cream cheese in a food processor
      until coarse crumbs form.  With motor running, add ice water and process
      just a bit more to form a dough.
2.    Divide it into 16 balls and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Wheat Crust:  Just make your favorite pie crust for a 2-crust 9" pie.

Mix together:

1 lb. shaved ham--chopped
1 C. cheese (cheddar or mozarella)
15 oz. can pizza sauce

Make the pockets:

1.    Roll out each ball into a circle.  With the GF recipe, I do this between
      2 sheets of saran.  Gently remove the circle from the saran and hold it in
      one hand while using the other hand to scoop up some of the meat/cheese
      mixture and place it in a row in the center of the circle.
2.    Fold the circle in half and crimp the edges with your fingers.
3.    Place all the pockets onto a greased cookie sheet, brush with egg white,
      and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Try really hard to get the pockets sealed well, but for those of you who know GF flour, that can be hard to do! 

One great thing is that it never seems to matter whether or not you succeed in making these perfectly beautiful--they always look great in the end!

I made the Connemarra Apple Tart next.  It is gently sweet with a slightly cake-like crust.  In place of the self-rising wheat flour, I used Better Batter and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.  The recipe can be found here (although my own calls for 1/4 cup of sugar in the topping as well as in the crust).

The next day, I armed myself with video versions of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and continued on baking.  First up was the Impossible Broccoli Pie, creamy-cheesy-smooth.  With Betty Crocker now selling a gluten-free version of their Bisquick, it was impossibly easy to convert the original recipe (its real name is Impossible Brunch Pie).

In looking for more side dishes, I decided to try a new recipe for a Vidalia Onion Pie.  I notice that in eating leftovers today, it is the pie I have been gravitating to the most.  I found it at allrecipes.com.  Once again I used Better Batter to make a single pie crust, baked it for 8 minutes at 350 degrees and stuffed it full of the onion mixture.

Next came the Chicken Pot Pie.  I've combined many versions of this old-fashioned dish to make my own, as simply as possible.  The chicken and onion, already chopped, come from my freezer.  The spices are so important to make this dish stay away from blandness.

My Chicken Pot Pie

2 C. chicken--chopped (I do chicken & turkeys in big batches, then cut it up
      and freeze it in 2 C. portions for whatever recipe might come along)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 to 1 tsp. basil
1 1/2 C. chicken broth
3 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 C. onion, chopped
1/3 C. flour (Better Batter)
3/4 C. milk
5 oz. (1 C.) frozen peas, thawed

1.    Bring carrots, celery, onion, and broth to a boil; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

2.    Drain the broth from the carrots/onions into a microwavable dish such as a
      medium glass casserole that already has the flour and milk in it.  Mix well with
      a wire whisk and microwave this into a thick sauce:  Microwave on HIGH for
      1 minute; stir.  Micro on HI for 1 minute; stir.  Micro on HI 1 minute; stir.

3.    Meanwhile, put these into a large mixing bowl:  chicken, carrots/onions, peas,
      and spices.  Then add the thick sauce and stir.

4.    Pour all into a greased 9 X 13 glass dish.

5.    Make pastry dough for a 2-crust 9" pie and roll it into a rectangle shape of
      14" X 10".  Lay it on top and make slits for the steam.

6.    Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour till golden.

Last, but not least was the Cherry Pie.  HOWEVER:  Are you exhausted from reading all this?  I certainly was from making it!  So the cherry pie never got made.  I don't think any of us noticed at all.
__________

My Gluten-Free Pie Crust

With Better Batter gluten-free four mix, I just use my regular old pie crust recipe and substitute it for the wheat flour, cup-for-cup.  My recipe comes from the back of the Crisco can:

2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 C. Crisco shortening
6-8 T. water

With GF flour, it's easier to see how much water you should be adding.  You have to make sure it isn't too dry or it will be a crumbly mess.  So add enough water to make it really stick together--almost gloppy.

I have less stress when I roll it out between 2 sheets of saran.  Still--sometimes my frustration level gets really high.  Be assured that rather than killing yourself over getting that rolled-out dough over to the pan without tearing, you might just consider throwing the broken bits on top of the pie.  That's what I did with the rectangular Chicken Pot Pie above (see the photo).  Looks OK, doesn't it?

STILL HAVING FUN WITH MERINGUE

Because my Younger Son and I are gluten-free, and because we knew of six other wedding reception attendees who are gluten-free, it was suggested that I create a table of gluten-free goodies just for our own selves.

It was a lot of work.

It was kind of like planning for a whole 'nother reception, without the "going-to-Sam's Club-and-getting-food-that-was-already-made" part.

As it so happens, it was also extremely well received.  At the last minute, I added food for someone very allergic to poultry/eggs and then too, five more gluten-free people emerged at the reception!  This was something I had not planned, but fortunately, we had enough.

Here is what we had:

meatballs in a special sweet sauce
ham roll-ups
shrimp and sauce
sausage cheese balls
banana bread
fruit and veggies
spiced pecans
cookies--shortbread, Cocoa Pebbles, peanut butter kisses, meringue
cupcakes
brownies with mint frosting
eyeball candy
cheeseball with crackers
cheesecake
rice

Here is what the table looked like a few hours before the reception (with the refrigerator items missing):

Now, the something special that was going to grace the reception table--the beautiful and impressive dessert-- was another and new variation of meringue.  I have been having a grand time with meringue in the last year or so (click on the FOOD TABhere at my blog to find some recipes) and I was excited to surprise my friends with the latest:  meringue cookies with cream filling.  Part of the idea came from a magazine I saw at the doctor's office.

These are terribly good, and they come close to being a grand substitute for cream puffs.  But when the wedding was over, I lamented these were all gone by the time I got to the table.  I supposed so, anyway.  My Younger Son didn't remember having seen them either.  I wondered....

Today, 8 days after the wedding, I stopped at the reception hall, opened the freezer door, and...there were the meringue cookies!  All of them untouched from the time I put them inside.  Ah well; I didn't get to show them off, but my Younger Son and I enjoyed them very much and very quickly. 

CHRISTMAS CREAM MERINGUES

Make meringue cookies (here is my favorite recipe) with the following exceptions:

1.  Use almond flavoring instead of vanilla
2.  Don't put anything else in the cookies (such as chocolate chips)
3.  Pipe it (using either a decorator frosting bag or a ziplock bag with the corner
    snipped out) into Hershey Kiss-like mounds about 1 1/4" in diameter

When the cookies are finished, make the Cream Filling by mixing these together:

8 oz. cream cheese
8 drops red food color
1/4 C. strawberry preserves (try to find some without large lumps)

Assemble cookie sandwiches this way: 

1.  Spread some cream filling on the bottom of a cookie/kiss.
2.  Take another cookie/kiss and attach the bottom of it to the cream.

How to eat them:

The cream filling does make these cookies weep quickly.  So you must eat them fairly soon!  For the wedding, I intended to keep them in the freezer up till the last minute so they wouldn't have time to get soft.

Also, you yourself can ponder what method you would like to use in actually biting them.  It's a bit tricky trying to bite a little bit off at a time, in a dainty way.  The best method we have here at our house is to put the entire cookie in your mouth all at once:  not a pretty picture.

LEMON MERINGUE

(Continuing our Meringue Dessert Escapade)

Another way to use the yolks left over from making the meringue shell is to have a lemon pudding on top.  We tried Betty Crocker's (1976) Lemon Schaum Torte:

Meringue Shell (I used half of my favorite recipe)
3/4 C. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 T. butter
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/3 C. lemon juice
1 C. whipping cream

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan.  Stir in water gradually.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture thickens & boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir at least half the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks.  Blend into hot mixture in pan.  Boil and stir 1 minute.

Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice.  Cool to room temperature.  Spoon into shell.  Chill at least 12 hours.  Whip the cream and spread on top.

Before the Whipping Cream:

We did not like this recipe.  There was a dry gummy taste to it, perhaps from the cornstarch?  And of course, I've never grated a lemon without scubbing my hand up, so I vote for avoiding this altogether!  Maybe if we found a different lemon pudding filling, it would be more appealing to us, BUT:  WHO CARES, WHEN YOU CAN HAVE PAVLOVA WITH FRUIT ON TOP??  Here are directions.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE DESSERT

(Continuing our Meringue Dessert Escapade)

Next we tried a meringue shell with a chocolate insert, a recipe taken from my beloved Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1976 printing.  This is a great idea, because it gives you something to do with the egg yolks left over from making the meringue.

 

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE TORTE from Betty Crocker

Meringue Shell  (I used half of my favorite recipe)
2/3 C. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C. milk
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. chilled whipping cream
1/4 C. confectioners' sugar

Blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan.  Combine egg yolks and milk; gradually stir into sugar mixture.  Add chocolate.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till chocolate melts and mixture thickens & boils.  Boil & stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Cool to room temperature; chill 1 hour.  Spoon into shell.  Chill at least 12 hours.

In chilled bowl, beat cream and confectioners' sugar till stiff; spread on filling.

I spread the meringue shell into a circle with a crater in the center and the sides built up, to hold the pudding.  This time around, I learned that it's helpful to have wax paper underneath it, so it won't stick.  Otherwise, you end up with secret folk standing silently in the kitchen, scraping and licking the cookie sheet. Better to get it inside the tummy first time around, I think!

We liked this one! 

The quick quick route to this recipe would be to put some store-bought meringue cookies in each single-serving bowl.  Add some store-bought chocolate pudding and squirt ready-made whipping cream on top.  The chocolate pudding wouldn't be the same thicker and heavy chocolate as this recipe, but...pudding is NEVER bad, is it?

A NEW FLUFF BINGE

A year ago, I went on a meringue cookie-making binge.  I made plain ones and chocolate chip ones and peppermint ones.  The chocolate chip meringues are now the ones we make the most often.

This past holiday season I went on a meringue binge again--but this time with DESSERTS.  I've been branching out to try meringue desserts I've found here and there.  They have such a mixture of sweet and not-sweet and of fluff and crisp, it causes every bite to be ecstasy. 

On Christmas Eve, we tried Baked Alaska again.  We've tried this over the years, but it's so bulky in the freezer, and I prefer to have my cake not frozen, so I don't think we will be doing it again.  It's basically cake with ice cream covered by a meringue.

Then we made Pavlova.  It is the BEST.  "Pavlova" is the Australian/New Zealand name for a meringue shell topped by unsweetened whipped cream with fruit on top.

After making a square one, we decided to cut it in half, so it's not very attractive.  Our Fruit Designers had some strange ideas too, but does that affect the taste?  No way!

The meringue shell is crisp on the outside, but soft and rather marshmellowy inside.  It is sweet.  The whipped cream is smooth and not sweet.  The fruit is a mix of sweet and sour.  What a combination!

There are so many slight differences between recipes for meringue (especially the cooking temps & times), but I've found this one to be superb, so I'm stickin' with it--with the recipe cut in half for a serving of 6 (I've heard that leftovers tend to get soggy, but we at our house wouldn't know).

If you want a short short version of this, here's what you could do:  Buy a container of ready-made meringue cookies and put some in each single-serving bowl.  Squirt ready-made whipping cream on top.  Add cut-up fruit.  Blueberries and strawberries and grapes are highly recommended, but ya do with what ya got.

YOU MUST TRY THIS AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME!

HERE'S LOOKIN' AT YA

We're happy that one of our favorite Christmas candies can be easily converted to a gluten free version--we call them "Eyeballs."

GLUTEN FREE EYEBALLS

(*see wheat version below)

8 oz. (or more) round GF pretzels (Ener-G Wylde)
3-5 bags of Hershey kisses, unwrapped
1/2 bag of M & M candies (in holiday colors)

Lay out the pretzels on a cookie sheet.

Place a Hershey kiss on top of each pretzel and place another round pretzel on top of that.*

Bake in a 200 degree oven for 7 minutes.  This makes the Hershey kiss soft.

Remove from the oven and immediately place an M & M candy on top.  Squish it down so that the chocolate is sure to connect well with the pretzels.

Place the whole sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that the chocolate solids up.

Pop an eyeball in your mouth...and another...and another....


*WHEAT VERSION
The GF pretzels are so small; that is why we use two per eyeball.  But for a wheat version, buy a bag of pretzels that are square and look like waffles.  Stack them like this--waffle, Hershey kiss, M & M--and that will be enough pretzel.

SELF-INFLICTED SURVEY

I couldn't resist the meme Old Hat has over at his website, so here it is (*with a few questions added myself)!

What is the most exciting thing you did this weekend?
We had our 6th annual Pemberley Promenade last night.  I taught the workshop two nights beforehand, and then was the Dance Mistress for the event (which included setup as well).  This year was Masquerade (Jane Austen style).  I went as Red Riding Hood.

What is the oddest chore you have done this week?
I ironed cloaks, dresses, pinafores, breeches, and neckties (from supposedly the 19th century).

*What is the hardest thing you have done this week?
Because each English Country Dance has music that matches the dance (for example, the music Row Well, Ye Mariners has a dance written for it that is called "Row Well, Ye Mariners") I have to use music from CDs for the balls.  But store-bought music doesn't play long enough for what we need, and so I use the computer to copy and paste bits of each to make them long enough.  For some reason, I had a terrible time getting The Rakes of Rochester to work.

What is the most ridiculous thing you attempted this week?

This week I made Regency trousers, complete with buttonholes and plackets below the knee and what I call "the peeing flap."

 

*What gave you the most worries this week?
I was worried about whether or not it would be too difficult for the dancers to learn some of the new dances I was going to introduce this weekend.  Also, my Younger Son had a terrible migraine headache this week.  I hope you can guess which of these worries REALLY worried me the most.

What is on your project list?
I need to make more soap (in 40-bar batches), as people like to buy it at Christmas time, and it takes 6 weeks to cure.

What are you reading for fun?
Sci-fi short stories.

What are you reading to improve your mind?
Um...do magazines like Time, U.S. News & World Report, Reader's Digest, and Scientific American count?
I don't really like to read many non-fiction books.

What is nearby and making you smile?
The trees are incredible this weekend, and today there is sunshine to make them a huge blur of yellow outside the window.

What should you be doing instead of this?
Changing out of my Sunday church clothes.

What are you doing right now to soothe your soul?
When I read this question, I stopped working on this meme and changed my clothes in preparation for taking a long walk outside.  But before I reached the door, sleep overcame me like a mist, and I took a nap instead. 

What kind of sunglasses do you wear?
I'm embarrassed to say I don't wear them.  I just got new eyeglasses and I need to purchase something that fits on them.

What is your current favorite song?
Does this mean my favorite song--or the current one going through my head ?  I finally got rid of Numa Numa, which stayed in there for at least 2 months (there's always the fear that simply typing the words "Numa Numa" will put it right back in there), and then a couple of weeks ago I picked up Doo, doo, doo, Lookin' Out My Back Door.  Of course this week it's been nothing but English Country Dance tunes--today it is Row Well, Ye Mariners.  Here's a video of our folks dancing it:

 

How is your iPod (or other music player) organized? 
Well, I have one of those things, but I can't figure out how to use it.  It has some good sermons on it, but sometimes I just have to listen to one I've already listened to--because I don't know how to find the other ones!

What have you not had time for lately, that you miss?
Long walks outside.

What is the strangest thing on your desk?
This is a windup toy I bought at a yard sale.  I wind it up every once in a while.

What would you be blogging about right now if you had the time and/or brain power?
I often would like to talk about some of my thoughts about relationships, particularly between mother and children or adults and their aging parents.  But since they read my blog, that makes it difficult.  Not that I would say mean things about them; it just would be awkward.

What do you have in your pocket that is not usually there?
I rarely use pockets.  Quite often I don't HAVE pockets.  It would be nice to have a big ol' pocket in my Regency-era ballgown so I wouldn't have to hold the wireless microphone box in my hand, but there you have it.  Me all dressed up, with a black mike on my cheek, a black box in my hand, and a black wire running in-between.

*What great food have you eaten lately?
This weekend I made a batch of meatballs in the large crockpot for gluten-eating folks at the ball AND a regular crockpot of gluten-free meatballs for us.  It's so easy and so good.  For a regular-sized crockpot, mix together one jar of apricot or peach jam with 18 oz. of barbecue sauce and pour it on top of 2 lbs. of frozen Aldi meatballs.  Cook on LOW all day.

Gluten-free:  Make your own meatballs, use Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, and gluten free jam.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MERINGUES

Last night I made meringue cookies with chocolate chips in them. They are divine.

I’ve been making so many, and they are eaten so fast, that now I automatically double the batch each time.  Be careful before you think of doing this though, as they ALL have to fit in the oven at the same time!

So I added 1 C. of chocolate chips per batch.

I also made peach meringues the other day too.  They were … OK.  I doubled the recipe—minus half cup of the sugar, and replaced it with a package of peach jello.  They tasted nice and peach-ish, but the rather artificial flavor of the gelatin was also there.

I think I’m done with meringues for a while!

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Today I made peppermint meringue cookies.

I had been warned that pure peppermint extract would make the cookies "flatten" and they did.  But it did not seem to affect the taste or texture one bit.  However:  1/2 teaspoon for the whole batch was WAY too much for me, although my guys were fine with it.

I sprinkled red sugar on top.

I made a second batch using the regular recipe and sprinkled crushed peppermint candy on top.  Perfect!

MERINGUE COOKIES

I LOVE being snowed in, here in our woods.  But today it doesn’t have quite the enjoyment as usual, because I had to tell 80 people that we would have to cancel their Jane-Austen-type ball.Hopefully we can reschedule.

Meanwhile, I’ve decided that one of the great joys of being gluten-free is my rediscovery of meringue cookies.  They are so easy to make, are low in calories, and are so very very good to eat.

 

I've tried a lot of recipes; this is the one that melts in my mouth and makes it hard to leave them alone!

BEST EVER MERINGUE COOKIES

4 egg whites
1 1/3 C. sugar--superfine (60 seconds in a food processor)
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 200.

2.On medium, beat egg whites well till foamy with uniform small bubbles.Add sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.On high, beat till glossy with stiff peaks.

3.Fold in vanilla.

4.Drop by tsp. on oiled pans.  (this recipe takes 2 1/2 cookie sheets)

5. Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, at 200 degrees.  Then turn off oven and crack the door open.

6. Leave them for 8 hours to dry.

I went on a binge yesterday to find out all the various extras one can add to them (although we admit we love them just the way they are), and the possibilities thrill the soul!  Next week I’m going to make several kinds to take to a potluck dinner.

ADDITIONS

1 C. chocolate chips, mini or regular—fantastic!
toffee bits
crushed peppermint
almond flavoring: half tsp.
lemon flavoring: half tsp.
maple flavored extract: half tsp.
crushed candy
peppermint flavoring--real peppermint oil can make it fall, but you might be able to do it, half tsp. folding in at the end
sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top
sprinkle with colored sugar on top
a packet of flavored jello(3 and a half T.?)
lemon zest
finely chopped almonds or pecans or walnuts, cashews--1 C.
salted peanuts
food coloring
color them green and can top it with one chocolate chip
Melt three 1 oz. squares of semisweet chocolate with 1 T. shortening and dip each cookie in it halfway
2 T. cocoa powder
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
three-fourths tsp. cardamom
1/4 C. candied fruit
Put a chocolate kiss inside--press in and cover it up

Last night I made almond.

GLUTTONED, NOT GLUTENED

I made a glutton out of myself yesterday at a celiac conference (for those who cannot eat gluten --wheat, barley, rye, or oats).  A group of Pittsburgh doctors who specialize in gastroenterology hosted some lectures and then we visited 22 gluten-free vendors who behaved like barkers at a circus:  “COME!  EAT, EAT!  TAKE MORE!  TRY THEM ALL!” 

It was exceedingly fun.  I came home with tons of goodies, including some bagels that are “to die for.”

 

Heard while I was eating a brownie:  “This is like trick-or-treating for celiacs!”

Heard while eating a doughnut:  “I can’t believe I’m walking around drinking gluten-free beer!”

GLUTTONED, NOT GLUTENED

GLUTTONED, NOT GLUTENED

I made a glutton out of myself yesterday at a celiac conference (for those who cannot eat gluten --wheat, barley, rye, or oats).  A group of Pittsburgh doctors who specialize in gastroenterology hosted some lectures and then we visited 22 gluten-free vendors who behaved like barkers at a circus:  "COME!  EAT, EAT!  TAKE MORE!  TRY THEM ALL!"

It was exceedingly fun.  I came home with tons of goodies, including some bagels that are "to die for."

Heard while I was eating a brownie:  "This is like trick-or-treating for celiacs!"

Heard while eating a doughnut:  "I can't believe I'm walking around drinking gluten-free beer!"

RICE CHEX AIN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE

Why is that woman grinning in the cereal aisle of the grocery? Because she’s allowed  to go

there:  Rice Chex are now gluten-free.  For those of you who (used to) subscribe to this blog, I wanted to let you know why my fingers haven’t found the time to write the millions of thoughts flying through my head.

My son and I have been learning how to eat gluten-free since being diagnosed with gluten-intolerance/celiac disease two months ago.  No more weeping over food cravings, brain
fog, and painful joints:  God answers prayers in ways we would never dream.

I’ve been learning how to grow old graciously:  in 3 ½ weeks, my mother-in-law went from assisted living to the hospital (pneumonia, bronchitis, and urinary tract infection) to the nursing home, to a bigger hospital (broken hip and broken facial bones) to a new nursing home.  When we remind her to pray, she says “God, help me….to be a witness in this place.”

I’ve been learning about care of the elderly: about catheters, fingernails, Medicare, Boost vs. Ensure,

the hierarchy of nurses, and what to watch for when your loved one is in a nursing home.  God has placed each of us in the family with a special talent to keep her safe.

Now we’re off for a 10-hour-6 day trip for a Regional speech tournament:  gluten-free all the way!  Of the 15 people from our club going on this trip, 4 others are gluten-free too:  God
chooses our friends with care!

“And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)