Snacks and Pizza night! - Trying Hail Merry and Against the Grain gluten free crust

Good morning! We have had a crazy week here (our youth group is doing a garage in sale fundraiser and our family has been busy helping) and I am just finally getting to sit down and collect my thoughts.

I have created a plan for shopping gluten free. I pick up all the tried and true item and then, quite tentatively most weeks, choose 2 extra item that we haven't tried before that claim "Gluten free" on the label.

I have had a lot of stuff that has just tasted like cardboard. Even a few things that make cardboard a desirable option! So I hesitate a lot, make sure there are no bean flours in the ingredients of sweets, *pancakes should never taste like beans!* and in general stand around in the store looking pained and confused.

This week I chose -

1. Hail Merry Persian Lime Miracle Tart
And
2. Against The Grain Gourmet 3 Cheese Pizza Shells

I tried the lime tart first with very low expectations. It was also pricey for how small it was and I regreted buying it not long after getting it home. The package claimed that half should be enough and it was very rich. I rolled my eyes dramaticly as I opened it. There was no way something that toted stamps for being kosher, vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, non-gmo, and even paleo friendly was going to be too rich for my tastebuds!

The first bite was an exposion of lime and coconut with a nutty sweetness. I have been baking since I was 9 and I was impressed! I honestly think it is the best thing I have tasted that has the certified gluten free sticker. Overall I would say-

Rated - 10 out of 10.
Texture, flavor, it was all spot on. Not buying 3 of them a week just for me may be a struggle.

On to the pizza crust. I had heard good things about the Against the Grain Pizza Shells so I was optimistic.  I decided on my very busy Wednesday evening that pizza would be perfect, even though my husband huffed and eyed the clock worriedly. We have a bible study every week on Wednesday nights across town at our church. With 45 minutes to make dinner and get out the door he was not impressed with  trying something new. I tossed 6 peices of frozen chicken breast into a pan with garlic, onion, olive oil, italian seasoning, and a little salt and pepper. I turned it to medium and covered it. Then changed a diaper, packed the diaper bag, and changed out of house clothes.
hurrying back to the stove, I found my chicken mostly soft and cooked on one side. Flip, cover, and run off to dress the toddler, and argue about what clothes you can wear out of the house with the 7 and 9 year olds.

The chicken quickly finished, even in the insanity and I proceeded to chop it up in the pan with my spatula because thats how I get things done in a hurry. Also, when you are in a rushed, 1/4 of a jar of Ragu is a pretty good substitute for homemade pizza sauce! Topped with a bit of shreaded cheese and parmesan over the chicken breast I was feeling pretty good about looks and crossing my fingers for taste.

I popped it in the oven at 325° for 18 mins.

It wasn't as crisp as I would like it but was pretty good! I'm calling this two wins in a week! 

Rated - 7 out of 10. 

It was good and didn't fall apart. I should have cooked it at a higher temp and that's my fault. the only thing I found to be lacking was I prefer the fluffy, yeast filled crusts and this one did not have that flavor... not my ideal pizza crust by a long stretch but would work great when you are in a hurry and want to make your own pizza!

Until next time!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

   Hello again!

   I'm here to talk about cookies! I tend to have a sense for what ingredients works well together.  Basicly I just make things up. XD  I rarely use recipes inless it is my own.  So today I'm going to share with you a recipe I made!  I'm very excited and hope you like it as much as I do. 

   It all started with a craving for junk food this morning.  I know, I know, healthy eating is a big deal, but sometimes I just have to satisfy the craving.  I'm snooping through all the cabinets with *of course* no luck because we have been trying to cut back on sweets and grain based foods in general.  There is a pan of homemade banana bread on the counter, but today,  that's just not good enough. 

   So cookies seem like a fantastic idea!  Only problem is, we are running low on quite a few ingredients for my favorite cookie recipes.  To the drawing board! Or in my case, my notebook full of ideas for recipes.  A fresh page and a few minutes of brainstorming and I now have a list of ingredients,  but no measurements. 

   I started out by letting the stick of butter and package of cream cheese reach room temp.

   *1/2 cup softened butter (4 oz)
   *1 package of softened cream cheese (8 oz)
   *1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla (I used 1 tsp., but would have used more, had I not ran out of vanilla)

   Blend together until smooth. 

   Once they were fully blended I moved them into a bigger bowl and added in my sugars.

   *1 cup granulated cane sugar
   *1/2 cup dark brown sugar

   Once the sugars were fully incorporated, then came the eggs.

   *2 large eggs

   Then we came to the fun part... figuring out how much flour to use.  Because of the thickness of the batter I decided to go with 2 cups of flour and add in more if it was needed. 

   *2 cups all purpose flour
   *1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
   *1 teaspoon ground sea salt (you could use table salt, I just prefer the taste of sea salt)
   * 2 cups simi sweet chocolate chips

   Once it was all mixed, I decided it looked about right. So I preheated the oven, while chilling the dough in the fridge, and cleaning up my mess. 

    I know, I'm a messy baker.

   First I attempted drop cookies... easy peasy. Just get a spoonful of dough and drop it on the sheet.

   I baked them at 350° for approx. 12 minutes. Only problem is... they didn't come out looking as pretty as I wanted them to. So the next batch I rolled into balls and they came out much prettier! :) It may seem odd to some people to even think of food being "pretty" but for me, baking isn't just about food tasting good, I would say appearence counts for at least 15 percent. 

   Pictured above are my ugly cookies, that tasted amazing! ;) The rolled ones turned out perfect though, crunch outside and soft gooey center <3

It didn't take long for Silas to find them! Hope you enjoy them as much as he did!

The Family Tree

Hello lovelies!

   It has been too long. Life has been hectic, to say the least. I'm reminded today of the things that really matter though. Time with family is the big one for me today. The older 2 boys stayed home from school today because we had a nasty round of hand, foot, and mouth disease in our house over the holiday weekend. I am the only one, other then Dex, to excape unscathed. Hopefully. ;)

   Since the boys were feeling well, we tackled the basement, with promises of playing video games and getting to veg out this afternoon. *Fabulous modivation, btw* While picking up everything Si was getting out, ignoring Rions dramatic sighs, giving directions, asking D to please remove the toy from his mouth, repeating the same directions because no one listened the first time, and rolling my eyes with a air of drama that is almost as good as Rions... I realized something.

   I really adore these children. And one day, they will get to do whatever they want and I will get no say. Rion told me, while glaring at me as only a 6 year old can, that when he is a adult, he will NEVER clean. I smiled and told him that would be up to him. One day soon though, they will be making much bigger choices then if they want to clean their room or not. That is sobering. They are growing up so fast.

   I came to the conclusion that I can do nothing. Nothing, but be a mama, set boundries, give them roots and watch them grow. While they are still young I can try to trim the wayward branches... but in the big scheme of things, they will make their own choices. I will love them no matter the choices they make, no matter the craziness they hand me. I will be their roots, something to keep them grounded. I just hope they blossom.

  Family come down to love... no matter your choices, no matter your failings. Family is saying, it's okay. I hope you do well, and I will help you if I can, but if you fall, I will be here to hold you up.

little man

My littlest munchkin is growing up so fast! He doesn't seem to care for food though. I guess he is just a boob man! ;)

Two of my beautiful boys, I love them so much!

Truth and lies

Thinking about the truth and lies people tell tonight. From the formula companys who try to convince you that your baby needs their products, to the friend who says aweful things behind your back. How do we tell the difference? Who do we trust? This is just one of those days when I am so sick and tired of this corrupt world we live in. I'm missing that fairytale world I dreamed of when I was little... Well littler :p I'm so tired of the lies and half truths. I wish life was simple, where if you hated me, you said so... If your product killed babies, you owned up to it. everything seems to be about "getting" something. I want to teach my children to tell the truth, even when it hurts, to always be kind, and to never get something out of someone elses pain. A little love and kindness could change this world.

I love this!