So many projects, so many happy days!

Elderberry gummies

Jewelry I'm making

I have been so busy making yummy new gluten free foods, and Paleo inspired foods.  I have made so many things that ended up being fantastic, and therefore added to my favorites cookbooks.  I will one day get around to putting them each on this blog, but at the time that I made them, I simply made pictures and posted them on Google+!  

Hubby and I found new hobby...home roasting coffee beans

Lip balm

Mark and I received 4 lbs of green coffee beans from Santa this Christmas, and we have fallen in love with roasting our own beans!  Then last week when my birthday rolled around, he gave me a home steamer, so that it's easy to have fresh cappuccinos everyday!

Stove top steamer!  

I always make time to supply myself and my family with homemade lotions, lip balms and vitamins. Recently I added a new  passion...one of making jewelry out of broken pieces!  So, for now, I have many irons in the fire, and plan to share some of my favorite findings soon.  Many blessings, Joanna

Gluten free, Dairy free Pumpkin Bread Muffins

     Now that fall has arrived, I find myself burning my favorite candles all day: pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and Christmas cookie.  I made a new batch of body scrub using pumpkin pie spice and vanilla, and I made a room spray of cinnamon and clove essential oils.  Now with all the scents of fall, I am craving the tastes as well!

     Now since I have to be gluten free, I had a hard time finding recipes that featured ingredients that I had on hand.  As I've said before, when the mood strikes me, I have to bake right then!  So, if some ingredients aren't available, I substitute.  Many times such substitutions aren't good, and I consider the attempt a fail.  However, other times I am very happy with the results, and this was such a time!

     

      I had originally shared a post about making the muffins with a cream cheese glaze, but I didn't want to use as much sugar as it seemed to take to make it taste good, so I omitted it, and stayed with the basic muffin.  If you don't mind the sugar, I'm sure it would be fabulous with cream cheese frosting!

     As I said in that post, I combined recipes from +Martha Stewart , +Jules Shepard , +Bob's Red Mill ,and one of my Grandmother's old church cookbooks.  I'm sure that any one of these would be great standing alone, but I didn't have all the ingredients I needed, and/or the recipe wasn't gluten free, so here is what my resulting recipe is:

• 6 Tbl. Earth Balance butter
• 1 1/2 Tbl. molassas
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar in the Raw
• 2   eggs
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree, plus 2 Tbl. of pear or apple butter
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten free flour blend
• 3/4 tsp Xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup Almond flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking solda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 
  

1. Preheatr oven to 350* and oil a muffin pan, or 4 mini loaf pans
2. Cream the butter, molasses, and sugar
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well
4. Add orange juice, pumpkin puree, and pear or apple butter, mix well
5. Sift all dry ingredients together in another bowl
6. Slowly add the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients bowl, stir well
7. Add dried fruits
8. Spoon into prepared pans
9. Bake 4 mini loaves 45 min. or until done in middle, and muffins 25-30 min. or until done in the middle.
10. Cool 10-15 minutes and turn out

     These were very moist and made the house smell as warm and inviting as my fall candles!  The best part was enjoying a muffin and a cup of Russian Tea.  I love the fall!!!

Many Blessings,

Joanna

     

DIY pumpkin and green pea dog treats

     Well, here we are in my favorite time of year...fall!  I love the cooler weather, the crispness in the air, the excitement that it's almost time to wear jeans and boots, and the prospects of pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and tastes!  I always say that the tastes of pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and apples equals the tastes of fall.

     I have been experimenting with some new gluten free pumpkin baked goodies for me, so I thought it was time to make a new treat for my baby...my four-legged baby, Marley.  She loves the other treats that I have made for her http://newbeginningsglutenfreeherbal.blogspot.com/2013/07/bacon-and-peanut-butter-dog-treats-diy.html is one of her favorites, as this one featuring blueberries http://newbeginningsglutenfreeherbal.blogspot.com/2013/07/homemade-all-natural-dog-treats-for.html 

     Now we've traded in the blueberries for pumpkin, and I threw in some green peas too.

Marley's Pumpkin Treats

• 1/2 cup plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling it has sugar)
• 2 Tbl bacon grease
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup cooked green peas (I used frozen, and don't add anything to them)
• about 1-2 Tbl brown rice flour (I added some without measuring just to get to the consistency that resembled a cookie dough)
• drop on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in 350* oven for about 10 minutes

 

Just like the other dog treats I make, I keep them in the freezer, and pull a couple to reach room temperature on the day that I will give them to her.  These aren't crunchy like the peanut butter bacon ones I mentioned above, so I thought they may be less desirable, not so!  Marley loves them.  Do you make treats for your dogs, I'd love to hear about it!

Blessings

Joanna

Mini chocolate peanut butter cups

  Have you ever started eating Reese's Peanut Butter cups, and had a very hard time stopping?  Me neither...yeah right!!!  They are my all time favorite candy.  I look forward to fall when I can buy them in autumn colored foil and they become a "decoration" displayed in a pumpkin jar.  (Never mind that they are a 2- 3 day decoration).
  After I found out I was gluten intolerant, I went to a search to see if I could still eat them.  Some sites say yes, some sites say no.  With the way I feel after ingesting gluten, I am still afraid to try, because I KNOW that I can't eat just one.  So, I broke out my Alicia Silverstone book, The Kind Diet.  I used to make her peanut butter cups a lot when I could have graham crackers.  I tried making them with gluten free graham crackers a few times, but it just wasn't the same.  So, I tried what I have done a lot for the past year, and instead of trying to duplicate an old recipe, only to find that it "doesn't taste as good without the gluten ingredient", I tried to make something new. I wasn't happy with the results a few times, but now I can say that I am happy!

You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter!

To make 12 cups in a mini muffin tin:

1. 2 1/2 Tbl. peanut butter (I used Natural chunky)
2. 1 1/2 Tbl. refined coconut oil
3. 1 Tbl. brown rice syrup

Stir together and fill the mini muffin cups.

In a separate bowl, combine:

1. 1 1/2 Tbl. melted coconut oil
2. 1 1/2 Tbl. melted butter (I used Kerrygold)
3. 1 Tbl. mini chocolate chops (I love Enjoy Life vegan chips)
4. 1 Tbl. cocoa powder ( I used dark this time, but love the regular as well)
5. 1 Tbl Maple syrup

Stir this mixture, and pour over the top of the peanut butter mixture that is already in your tin.  Then top with chopped peanuts, or since I was out this time, I used chopped almonds.  Refrigerate for an hour, or if you can't wait, pop in the freezer for 20 minutes!   

They are so much prettier than my photo shows.  I hope to improve my photography one day!

Enjoy...candy made with all natural ingredients!

I hope you will give them a try, and let me know how they work out.  I will surely miss the red and green Reese's when it comes to Christmas, now what will I use as a "decoration" in my snowman jar?
Many Blessings,
Joanna

Gingerbread pancakes...gluten free

  If there is one thing that I truly miss now that I can't have gluten, it's desserts, and biscuits.  O.K. that's two things.  I have been missing comfort desserts, especially those I associate with my favorite time of year...fall. I wasn't satisfied with any of the gluten free gingerbread  or gingerbread cookie recipes that I found. ( I still haven't' found a pumpkin bread recipe that can rival the awesome one I used to make with white and wheat flours).  But low and behold...I found a recipe for gluten free, vegan gingerbread pancakes, and they taste like a decadent dessert!
  I found this recipe from Babycakes.  I bought the cookbook Babycakes Covers the Classics and can't wait to try many of the other recipes!  This one wasn't hard to make, it just took a while to make all the small pancakes.  But once I was done, I ate a few, shared a few, and still had some to stick in the freezer for later.
  As I've said before, sometimes I make substitutions if I don't have all that  recipe calls for.  It turned out great, but I will let you know what I changed from the original.

The batter is somewhat thicker than "traditional" batter.

Flip once they start to bubble.

• 2 cups all-purpose gluten free baking powder
• 2 teas. baking soda
• 2 teas. baking powder
• 1 Tbls. ground ginger
• 1 teas. ground cinnamon
• 1 teas salt
• 1/2 xanthan gum
• 1/4 teas. ground cardamom( I had to use my mortar and pestle to grind some)
• 1/4 teas. ground cloves
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 agave
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2/3 cup rice milk (I didn't have any so I used coconut milk)
• 2 Tbls. vanilla extract

1. Whisk flour, soda, powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, xanthan gum, cardamom, and cloves together in a bowl.
2. Add applesauce, coconut oil, agave, molasses, milk, and vanilla and stir until smooth.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and pour about 1/4 of batter at a time into skillet.  (I fit 3 at a time onto my skillet)>
4. Cook until the pancake bubbles, and browns then flip.  Cook until it feels firm.

  These are so delicious...thanks Babycakes!  Do you have a favorite gluten free dessert recipe?  I'd love to hear about it.  As always, if you've found a good one for biscuits, please let me know!

Blessings,

Joanna

Gluten free microwaveable chocolate cake with fresh blueberries

   My son got the idea from watching +SORTED Food  to make a microwavable, individual cake in a cup.  So, I decided that I needed one as well, gluten free of course.  So I made mine with almond flour by experimenting, and I think I will only try one small change the next time that I make it.  Here's how I made the cake ,version 1...  It was so easy, and a nice little treat!

Microwave chocolate cake...oh yeah!

• 1 Tbl. of Kerrygold butter
• I Tbl. Sugar in the Raw
• 1 Tbl dark cocoa powder
• 1 Tbl natural applesauce
• 1 teas. vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 Tbl. almond flour
• pinch of sea salt
• fresh blueberries

1. Mix all ingredients(except blueberries) in a microwavable mug, or I used an 8 oz bowl.
2. Microwave for 1.5-2 minutes or until top is set, but still jiggly.
3. I topped mine with fresh blueberries that I had on hand, whipped cream would be good too.
4. That's it!  Next time I think I will add 1 teaspoon more of the butter, and 1 teaspoon more of the applesauce to try to make it a tad more moist.

                                     Give it a try whenever you want a chocolate treat, and want it fast!

Add a "bulletproof coffee" with your cake, and it makes a filling breakfast, or afternoon "tide-me-over" until dinner!

Enjoy a blessed day!
Joanna

Homemade eucalytpus, peppermint and ginger decongestant chest rub

The finished product...Eucalyptus chest rub!

  So,  I've decided to try a different decongestant rub for our family this year.  I usually make one with essential oils, coconut oil, and beeswax.  This time I have fresh eucalyptus leaves, so I wanted to try James Wong's recipe that I saw him make on The Cooking Channel's "Grow your own drugs" show.

Fresh eucalyptus leaves.

Add fresh ginger root & cracked black pepper.

   *We bought a small, digital kitchen scale for me to use for gluten free baking, and I needed it for James' UK measurements. --------

• 100 grams of eucalyptus leaves.

• 10 grams of freshly chopped ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper (his recipe says ground black pepper, but I used what I had)

• 150 grams of coconut oil, and 50 grams of white petroleum jelly (he used 200 grams of white petroleum jelly, but I did a combo of the coconut oil, so I'm sure it's a bit different than his).

• Combine the ingredients in a glass bowl that will fit over a pot to make your double boiler.  Let it simmer for 1 hour covered.  Make sure that you check to make sure water doesn't evaporate.  I set my timer for 20 minute intervals to check for this.

• Remove from the heat and let cool while covered.

• Strain and add 20 drops of peppermint essential oil.

I used a glass bowl with a lid atop my medium sized pot.

Strain, and pour the liquid into your glass container.

  You can use the rub once a day according to James.  I know that when fall allergies kick in, we will be grateful to have this around to ease some of the congestion in our chests and noses.  I especially like the cooling effect that it brings at night when you're trying to open up to be able to sleep.  I tried it a couple of times, and I love the way it feels.  I am not looking forward to a new wave of allergies, nor winter's bouts of colds, but I will be glad that I will have something to help sooth the symptoms.   

  I am also making an infused oil of sweet almond, olive oil, eucalyptus leaves, and rosemary leaves.  I will blog on that one after it gets 5 weeks to infuse in the sun.

Blessings,

Joanna