Black Bean Brownies

Yep!  Made with black beans!

Seeing as how my husband and son were out at a Scouting event and my oldest daughter was at a friend's house, I decided to spend some fun time with my lil one baking some gluten free treats.

My kitchen helper

I had been given a black bean brownie recipe years ago, and I just couldn't make myself bake them.  The "ick" factor was too high for me.  Now that we are baking gluten free, I decided to give it another shot.

My daughter was understandably skeptical.  I can't blame her.  I actually didn't even take a picture because it smelled so questionable in the first stages.  Once we added in the cocoa, it definitely started to smell like real brownies!

We popped them in the oven and danced to some fun tunes while we waited for them to bake.  I loved spending some actual one-on-one time with my sweet girl.  

Ready to go in the oven

Daddy and brother arrived home just as we finished sampling the finished product.  The verdict?  The family is split.  Daddy and brother were not sold on these brownies.  Hubs said they tasted ok, but didn't like the texture.  The little one and myself enjoyed them, although we needed a fork to eat them.  They are very fudgy in consistency, but I like that.  The taste is reminiscent of a dark chocolate brownie with a hint of coffee.

Will she like them?

Can't argue with these kind of reviews!

They are easy to make, so give them a try!  Recipe via Taste of Home

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 can 15oz black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 Tbl Canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup gluten free baking cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place the beans, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and oil in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Add the eggs, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder and salt; cover and process until smooth.
2. Transfer to a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 1 dozen.

Finished product

Review: Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White Bread & Hot Dog Buns

Love the way it looks!

I've been slowly trying new gluten free baked goods every week or so.  Due to their price, I have become very clever at eating without bread, so I don't need to buy as often as I did pre-GF.

The market near our kid's performance school is small, but packed with options.  I managed to find Canyon Bakehouse in the freezer section.  One of the things that is usually disappointing is the how small the slices of bread seem. I just wanted to have a Wonder bread looking bread.  I know that isn't really possible, but I still wanted to see that.  Their package of Mountain White looked pretty darn close!  The color and appealing texture to the bread was just what I wanted.  My craving this past month has been for a really good grilled cheese.  The kind with Havarti and Provolone and just enough butter to brown up the crust.  

We were also planning a nice bonfire at the beach (yes it's February and everyone is in buried in snow, but not here in So Cal!).  I love hotdogs and sausages at the beach.  The smell of a smoky fire is associated with those delicious dogs held just right by the toasted bun filled with toppings.  Canyon Bakehouse had buns that appeared fluffy and legitimately able to hold a sausage, so we grabbed those too.

My lil celiac girl has never liked sandwiches, so that part of eating GF has been easy.  However, when she heard I was making grilled cheese and she saw how good it looked in my pan, she was begging for one of her own.  I never thought she would like it.  Was I glad to be wrong!  She wolfed that sandwich down and promptly declared her love for the grilled cheese was now eternal.  To add to my surprise, my other daughter who does not eat GF, saw it and wanted one too.  I gave her mine and she happily ate hers and said she couldn't believe it was GF.

Grilled cheese, first time!

Finally, after making grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone else, I finally sat down to have mine.  The bread toasted nice and golden brown and it was crispy on the outside, soft and melty on the inside.  What is lacked in overall size, it made up for in its filling texture.  I was perfectly satiated after my small-ish sandwich and still surprised how much I enjoyed it.

The next night at the bonfire, we toasted up our buns and threw in hot dogs and sausages.  Again, to my surprise, my celiac kid ate the hot dog with the bun!!!  That is another first for her!  Everyone enjoyed those buns, and we felt we were not missing out on anything.  They even seemed to hold up better than the regular buns we brought for the rest of the family.  They were full of flavor but did not overwhelm.  I loved that they didn't turn crumbly when toasted.  

Nothing fell apart and the taste was awesome!

These two products from Canyon Bakehouse were home runs for our family.  If you are looking for a great white bread to replace your regular gluten sliced bread, this is a great one to start with.  We can't wait to try some of the other items from their line soon!

Valentine's Day 2014 Recap!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I went all in this year.  I had the time and I finally had the motivation to be one of "those" moms.  The moms I see on Facebook and Twitter.  The moms who make every little holiday a huge, over-the-top celebration.  The moms who I kinda hate, but secretly want to be like. OK, I really admire them.  How do they do it?!

I made three trips to Target and two to Michael's to get all the things I wanted.  I made special gluten-free, heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes and heart shaped bacon.  I got up at the crack of dawn and decorated with heart shaped placemats, red charger plates, personalized chalk boards and fake rose petals.  I wanted this day of love to be a day to remember.

My husband kept the kids upstairs until breakfast time and everything looked great!  I even had their vitamins and juice all prepped and ready to go.  Their eyes gleamed and they squealed in delight at the small treasures I had also bought for the day.  They opened their cards and enjoyed a fun breakfast before going to school for Valentine's Day parties.

They came in and ate in less than thirty minutes.  Days of preparation, hours of cooking and prepping and a really early morning of putting it all together for just about thirty minutes of enjoyment. *sigh*  It went by really fast.  As soon as they were done, I was stripping down the table and putting everything away wondering if all that work had been really "worth" it?

On the plus side, I loved spoiling them all.  I loved showing them in my own way what special Valentine's they all are to me.  To see them enjoying this all was a great reward to me.  Loving them is always "worth it".

On the other side...WAAAAY too much work.  I completely outdid myself.  Honestly, I don't know if I could do that every year.  Is this going to be something they expect for every holiday?  With my work, their school and outside classes, this was a TALL order to handle.  What if I disappointed them by not having a big celebration?

While I cannot guarantee that next years Valentine's Day will look anything like this years, I know my kids loved their morning.  They now have a special memory that they will keep with them forever.  That made every effort TOTALLY worth it!!

Next year, Valentine's Day is on a Saturday.  I told my hubby and kids that I get to sleep in and they can spoil me!

Here are some shots from V-Day 2014:

Table setting for breakfast

Love is in the air

Uniquely hers!

Tips To Making Perfect Valentine's Day Pancakes!

Heart shaped pancakes are sweet to make and eat

I am so excited about Valentine's Day!  I almost always have to work before or during, and my kids have to settle with what I can slap together at the last minute.  This year, I have off the day before and the day of Valentine's Day so I am prepping ahead and will be ready to go!  These are easy and fun, just be sure to purchase or find your heart shaped cookie cutter before starting.

Here are some tips to making your pancake breakfast easy and fun!

A pretty red plate for Valentine's Day makes even breakfast special

1 - Make them the day before!  There is no reason to not make your pancakes the day before.  By making them ahead, you will save time making them and cleaning up in the morning so you can actually enjoy the meal with your family.

2 - Batter consistency.  My instructions on my box called for far less milk than I actually used.  Why?  The batter was way too thick and could not be poured from a ladle.  If your batter is so thick it doesn't drizzle from the ladle, keep adding a tablespoon at a time until it is the consistency you want.   Nothing is worse than thick goopy pancakes!

3 - Butter on a fork.  Yep, I said it.  Put your butter on a fork and use a small plate to rest it in between use on the griddle.  I find non-stick sprays to be a bit bland.  By using the butter on the griddle, I add the great buttery taste and that means I don't have to add more on their plates.  Keep it on the fork and you will use less than cutting pats of butter.

4 - Try mini-chocolate chips.  Those little chocolate chips spread out easier and you will use less total chips which means less sugar!

5 - Make sure pancake is big enough for your heart cutter!   Once you put the batter on the griddle, hold your cookie cutter over the pancake and make sure it is big enough to cut later.

6 - Cool, cut and bag.  Let your pancakes rest a few minutes before moving to a cutting board to cut them into heart shapes.  If your pancakes stick, spray the heart with a little non stick spray.  Place into a large zip top bag when completely cool and store in the fridge.

I like to re-heat my pancakes on an oven proof platter in a 200degree oven while I am cooking bacon.  That should be plenty of time to warm them up, without overcooking them.  For a sweet touch, dust with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

First Post Diagnosis Check Up!

My bestest Z

Z had her first post-Celiac check up this month.  It's been a crazy long three months since we went gluten free.  I had some concerns regarding testing.  I had only recently heard of refractory Celiac that doesn't respond to the diet and I can't imagine any worse news for her.  I was also worried that since there is still gluten in the house, maybe we weren't doing a good enough job keeping her gluten free.

In the past months, her symptoms have improved dramatically!  She is still regular without Miralax, doesn't complain of stomach cramping and she also doesn't have constant gas anymore!  Whew - loved writing that sentence.

The only times she has had problems were at two restaurants that we ate at.  The last one cause a reaction that made me nervous enough to contact our pediatric GI doc.  He assured us it would be temporary, but it was a really hard sight to see the pain come back like it did.  In a way, it was good that it happened. A more determined 7 year old I have never seen.  She knows it makes her sick, and she hates feeling that way.  She misses some foods, but enjoys feeling better even more.

The doc says we will test every year to make sure her vitamin and iron levels stay healthy.  The results trickled in over the last week, but she has made great strides!  Her antibodies are below diagnostic levels.  That means, while not at zero, if she took it her first test today, she wouldn't be in the positive range.
Her iron levels went up, iron saturation went up and Vitamin D levels are up.  Everything had been pretty low, so even if they aren't great levels, they are not in the worrisome abnormally low range.  I can't express how gratifying it is to see the hard work and the buckets of money we spent on gluten-free food have been working on the inside too!

I try to imagine myself back at 7 years old.  I imagine being the only one in the my family who can't eat what I want.  I'm the only one who has to sit by while my brother and sister can eat any doughnut they want, while I get whatever flavor the store has in gluten-free.  What it would feel like to know every time someone offered me a treat, to have to say "no"?  Her life is changed.  While I am grateful that she doesn't have a dangerous allergy to a food, like my nephew does to peanuts, I still feel empathy for her and for all kids who have to learn to deal with this kind of life long restriction.  The kind few people know about and fewer people understand.

We are moving on to her one year goals.  I want to see her iron and Vit D up a little more into more healthy ranges.  I want to learn to BAKE gluten free foods without fear of messing up all the time.  I want to find MORE restaurants who willingly take on the challenge of serving gluten free foods.  I want those restaurants to cook well, cook deliciously and do it right!  No cross contamination!  No crappy substitutes that have been shipped frozen half way across the country!  Fresh, healthy and great tasting! Finally, I want to keep my daughter positive about her journey.  She loves that we all eat gluten free, she loves that I write reviews about places to eat, and she loves that I blog recipes that help other families eat yummy stuff like her. 

Our journey is just begun...but we are in it together.  That is what my family is all about.

Cheesy Cheeseburger Soup

Great soup...terrible picture!

Yup...Cheesy Cheeseburger Soup.  That might be too much cheese for the faint hearted, but I made this soup for those of use ready to get CHEESY!

Inspired by a recipe I saw, that I FORGOT to pin, this soup was a hit with me, my parents AND my kids.  My son has now begged me to make it at least once a week.  It is just a perfect warm-you-up hearty soup for this time of year.

Do not be scared of the ketchup/mustard in the soup!  It gives this recipe its distinctive "cheeseburger" taste.  The diced pickles are the BEST part of the recipe.  That crunch and dill flavor will really cut through the thick soup and brighten in a wonderful way for your tastebuds.

I do normally use turkey when possible, but using extra lean beef 90%/10% is really better tasting and keeps it lower fat.  As with most of my recipes, this one is gluten free.

Cheesy Cheeseburger Soup

4.5 cups beef broth
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 Tbl ketchup
1 Tbl yellow mustard
1 whole onion, diced
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 can evaporated milk, divided
3 Tbl corn starch
12 oz cubed Velveeta 2% reduced fat (if possible, or sub regular Velveeta)
Handful of Kosher pickles, diced
Optional 1 cup shredded cheddar for topping

Serves 10

• Brown ground beef and onions with season salt in large pan and keep aside until needed.
• In large pot, heat beef broth and add potatoes and carrots - simmer for 15 minutes
• Add in cooled beef and onion
• Add in all but 3 Tbl of evaporated milk
• Add in cubed Velveeta and stir until melted
• In small bowl, add corn starch to remaining evaporated milk and whisk until smooth
• Add corn starch/water into soup
• Simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened
• Serve with optional cheese and then diced pickles.

Gluten Free Pizza Biscuits

Today I felt inspired to bake something savory.  We were a bread heavy family before going GF and I really do miss bread, and probably always will.  I made some homemade pizza yesterday and decided that those flavors would be delicious in a biscuit form.

Our local Von's has an entire display of their new Eating Right for Gluten Free line of foods.  I bought the baking mix and didn't get fancy with the basic instructions.  I just followed their instructions on the side for biscuits. I then added my savory ingredients and cheese.  I would think this would work with any GF baking mix that has a biscuit recommendation.  I was able to make eight large biscuits and served them with a warm side of our favorite GF pasta sauce.  

These biscuits were so good!  Oregano, garlic and basil along with romano and asiago cheese all mixed in a light and warm biscuit...mmmmm.  I baked half of mine with additional cheese on top.  It was a nice touch, but made them a bit messy.  Consider the extra cheese completely optional, as they are still great without it.

GF Pizza Biscuits

1 1/2 cups GF baking mix

4 Tbl. cold butter, diced

1/2 cup cold milk

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

2 Tbl. grated Italian cheese, such as Parmesan or Romano or Asiago

• Add flour mix to bowl.  
• Add in cold butter and mix with hands, pressing butter into the flour.  Mix well, or until flour can slightly stick to itself when pressed.
• Add in cold milk and mix lightly, just until blended
• Add in spices and cheese and mix lightly until just incorporated
• Drop by overfull tablespoon onto cookie sheet with Silpat or sprayed with non-stick spray.
• (sprinkle tops with additional cheese if desired)
• Bake at 400 degrees for 16 minutes or just turning golden brown
• Serve warm with pizza or favorite pasta sauce

Gone in seconds flat!  This recipe is a keeper!

Advancement to Second Class!

This past Friday, we had the honor of being present at the Red and White Banquet where my son was promoted to Second Class Scout in his Troop.

Scouts has been part of our family since 1st grade and we love the program and the values it is instilling.  Now that he is in Boy Scouts, there is a distinct shift from family oriented activities to those that build independence, responsibility and self-sufficiency.  Dom bridged from Cub Scouts one year ago this month.  The last year has been such a blur of activity.  Dominic has camped more than he ever has before and has learned some basic cooking techniques, compass skills, knot-tying, hiked for miles at a time and performed in several local service projects.  He also earned Merit Badges for Swimming, First-Aid, Sculpture, Fingerprinting and Art.  He also spend his first camping trip away from home in the mountains over Santa Barbara this last summer and had his first leadership position of Chaplain Aide.  What a year!

We are so proud of his accomplishments.  People usually ask us if he will become an Eagle Scout before his time is over with Scouts.  We can't say what the future holds.  To join Scouting with only the end of the journey in sight takes away from the moment and the focus on what is happening now.  He is an active Boy Scout, he loves his Troop and I am proud of the young man I see developing in front of me.  Enjoy the journey Dom!

Nervous before his promotion, Fen 2013

His old Pack and his new Patrol

O'Neill Regional Park Campout January 2014

Loves camping

Helping to mark veterans graveside with our flag

Every vet gets a salute

Leaving him at camp

Enjoying a camp ice cream

Setting up his first tent

Co-MC of the final campfire

Completed the swimming merit badge

Ready to lead

After his first promotion

Leading his first prayer

Posting flags in town for Memorial Day

Promotion to 2nd Class! Feb 2014

Sister is proud too!

Review: Angie's Valentine Kettle Corn

Fun to look at and fun to eat!

As a mom to a child with Celiac, I always want to be ahead of the curve for food when it comes to school parties.  Knowing Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I went over to my local Target for inspiration.

Among the class size bags of over-sugary and overly artificial snacks, I found a new unique product called Angie's Popcorn in some delicious sounding flavors.  I found their Sweetly Vanilla Cupcake Kettle Corn and Smoochy Tutti Frutti Kettle Corn.  What kid-at-heart wouldn't want to try those?

I was completely sold on trying them once I saw that it was not only gluten-free, but has no high fructose corn syrup and is non-GMO verified.  The ingredients are simple and all natural consisting mainly of the popcorn, sunflower oil, sea salt and evaporated cane crystals.  They are also kosher and dairy/nut free too.  This is perfect for our class party since we have so many children with different allergies.

There are 16 individual bags for easy sharing in class.  My daughter has a large class, so we picked up two of each flavor and dug in to taste them! (quality control you see).

The kids couldn't wait until we got home and they were already opening their Vanilla Cupcake bag in the care on the ride home.  My car never smelled so sweet.  The first comment I heard was a muffled, "Oh my gosh! These are so good!"  I got a piece away from one of them and yes, it was delicious.  Delicately sweet, not overpowering in its vanilla flavor and highly addictive.

The Tutti Frutti are reminiscent of a salty version of a classic bowl of cereal that a certain toucan loved to eat.  I was not expecting to like this one, and I have to admit it is my favorite!  

The only downside to these snacks is their limited availability.  It is only available this season only.  I hope Angie's Popcorn and Target team up again to carry a regular supply of these kid-allergy friendly snacks year round in kid-friendly flavors.  These snacks are a perfect addition to any kid's Valentine's Day class party and we are going back tomorrow to stock up for school lunches!

How Losing a Super Bowl Is Creating Super Kids

Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who knows me knows that I have loved the Denver Broncos since I was a young girl living in Colorado.  My mom's friend Darlene loved them and I thought that was so cool.  A GIRL could like football.  A girl could KNOW football.  A girl could be passionate and love a game just as much as a boy.  My favorite memory is when the Broncos lost the AFC Wildcard game in 1983.  She gave me a small stuffed orange horse with a bright blue mane of hair.  She had glued a few drop of Super Glue below the eyes to show he had been crying.  She told me that they lost, they were sad but we should still love them.

This past week was a super-fan's worst nightmare.  After fifteen years of mostly mediocre football, countless quarterbacks, coaching and general manager changes, the Broncos were back!  I spent most of the season trying to convince any of my three children to root for and start watching the Broncos with me.  My son was a no-go.  He was born in San Diego, and chose his birthplace for a football team over loyalty to the woman who birthed him.

My two girls were sorta into it!  My 10 year old was actually asking questions and trying to understand what was happening.  The 7 year old would run in and out of the room to check who was winning and give a cheer if it was the Broncos.  I spent weeks pumping them up for the playoffs, encouraging them to really get behind the team and enjoy the best season the team had ever had.

Super Bowl Day came, we went to Church.  I prayed for the team, but apparently God wasn't taking requests that day.  We came home, the girls made banners and asked if they could wear the precious jerseys that I hanging in the back of my closet.  I denied them access to my vintage Elway #7, but let them wear my two other favorite players, Terrell Davis and Ed McCaffrey.  (darn me for not getting a Rod Smith jersey when I had the chance!).  Can I just say they looked adorable in blue & orange??  It was great and it felt awesome.  The girls were on-board and ready to win...

Three and half hours later, the cheering had stopped and the girls were much less enthusiastic.  Even the 12 year old kid who lives next door and loves the Broncos as much as any kid I've met, came over with a blank expression of "What happened????" on his face.

What about my girls?  They knew what was coming at school the next day.  The kids who would claim to be sudden Seahawks fans were going to come at them and talk a lot of smack about the Broncos.  I took my girls aside, and I asked them to tell me what is the worst thing they can say?
"They could say they are terrible and they sucked."
"Yes they could say that.  And do you know what I would say?" I asked.  "I would say, you are absolutely right.  That was one terrible game and my team did not play good and Seattle played great, but I still love the Broncos."

In every Championship, there is a loser and a winner. Don't be a sore loser.

• Be classy.  
• Congratulate the winner. 
• Congratulating the winner does not mean you are ashamed of your team.

"Just remember," I said, "It's easy to be a fan when you are winning.  Real fans, true fans, stay loyal no matter what."

Does that ring a bell people?  Does it sound like anything else in life?
What about the phrase,  "In good times and in bad"?
What about the term, "Fair weather friend"?

It's easy to stick with people when things are easy, loyalty isn't shown until things get hard.  

If you can't stick with a football team when times are tough, what does that say about your commitment to anyone or anything else?  My daughters are learning that when the going gets tough, the tough stands by you.

I wore my Denver Broncos jacket the next morning to work.  I have worn it everyday since.  Almost every day I run into someone trying to make a sly comment about it, testing to see if I am a "real" fan.
"How about that Super Bowl?" or "Wow, you are still wearing that after Sunday?".  

Yes World, I am.  And I wear it proudly.