July 4th Party!

We had a great party, I hope you did! Sorry I'm late for posting. The party was hosted by some great neighbors. We were in charge of most of the desserts ;). My sisters made cupcakes, a flag cake, a grain and sugar-free cake topped with (goat) cream cheese and berries and grain and sugar-free banana bread. I made M&M cookies (CCC's made with M&M's instead of chocolate chips), some filled with fresh marshmallow, and 3 cheesecakes - blueberry (that lemon recipe adapted, omitting the zest and using ground blueberries instead of the lemon juice), vanilla, and strawberry/raspberry (again, the lemon recipe adapted, omitting the zest, using ground strawberries instead of the lemon juice and adding some chopped raspberries). I added a topping to all of the cheesecakes (cream cheese, sugar and vanilla blended up, berries also if it was a berry cheesecake) because a couple we're so pretty :).

grain and sugar-free cake topped with (goat) cream cheese and berries

~ Peace,
Hanunyah

Homemade Cereal Time!

Happy June! The weather is getting warm here, but with a few cool and rainy days still.

Yesterday my sister and I made some cereal. We don't buy it from the store, so we thought it'd be nice to make some and stock up. She made some granola and Cinnamon Squares.

That reminded me why I like to have a blog . . . I may have lost that cinnamon cereal recipe had I not put it on here. I created it over a year ago, and even though it was very good, I just . . . forgot about it for whatever reason. So, that poor recipe is now revived ;). We used all rice flour since we're out of the buckwheat.

I also made a variation of Nicole Hunn's Mini 'Nilla Wafer Cereal from her blog, Gluten Free On A Shoestring. They are just so cute :)! I did change it around a bit - first, I doubled the recipe because I just knew I should. We were out of vanilla . . . yes, vanilla, the key flavor in the little cookies. I used about 1/2 cup cream cheese for the double batch, just to help give it a little flavor. They turned out great, and were a hit (they are all gone). They were pretty soft (not a bad thing), which I'm sure is because I added cream cheese. They weren't as uniform as Nicole's . . . I need some work there :).

Here's some cute kids to brighten your day!

Hilarious little gal! Just taking a nap on mama.

Naptime on mom is the best! LOL.

Handsome boy.

Pretty doeling.

Peace,
~ Hanunyah

Laua *Party*!

Vanilla Orange layer cake with a Hibiscus flower I drew on it (I used a stencil :) )

Saturday we had a hawaiian themed party. Several of my friends and family have birthdays in the month of May, plus it was Mother's Day weekend and so we rolled it all up into one big party! It was a really great party, we all had fun. Coconut race, singing, candle dance, banana pass, dancing, etc.

"Hairy", the coconut, was not someone to mess with! If you were caught with him when the music was randomly stopped, you'd get water, ice, banana, orange juice or whipped cream in your face! :)

As usual, there was tons of desserts. Here's just a few more pictures of the cake I made. I couldn't find any of the other desserts (my sisters made cookies, cakes, bars and fudge).

I hope you all had a good mother's day! I made some Black Gold Cookies for Grandma, she always appreciates them and I hadn't made them in awhile for some reason. 

Well, sorry this wasn't a long post . . . I am pretty tuckered out. We had a late night last night also, we had 2 does kid. That was quite eventful. Let me just say we had 6 kids out and were in bed by 2am :).

~ Hanunyah

Amazing Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies! Delicious cookies, fun to decorate! Sugar cookies can be made for a party anytime of the year, since they can be frosted and decorated in many ways.

These (gluten-free) cookies that my sister, Suriyah, makes are a roll-out cookie - that way the surface is flat and easy to frost and decorate. The dough is nice, a pleasure to work with and they stay together well.

Need a little extra somethin' to spice up your party? These are perfect!

Amazing Sugar Cookies
Adapted from 
(Gluten-free, Dairy-free, can be made Corn-free*)

1 cup lard
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder*
2 3/4 cups gluten-free flour (we use fine rice flour)

Cream fat & sugar. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add to the sugar mixture. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut either with cookie cutters into shapes or use a canning jar band (large or small, whatever size you want). Bake at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes.

Notes:
*To make this corn-free, substitute 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar in place of the baking powder.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! I did with my family. Today? We're having another party very soon! Friends are coming home, a friend's birthday is today and a 2nd Thanksgiving.

"I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Ps. 69:30
"giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. 5:20

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative
Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama

Thanksgiving 2012!

Thanksgiving already? Yep, 2 days! This year we're going to our Grandma's. She's making the meal, but she's not making it allergy-friendly . . . so we have to make a meal for those of us who don't eat that. Which is fine, but it's contamination we're concerned about. Thankfully, we're bringing the desserts so that should make it a bit easier.

We (my sisters and I) made a list of desserts we plan on making:

Super Simple and Good Fudge Brownies - a little chocolate is good at every party, right?
Pumpkin Pie is a yummy classic to the Thanksgiving table, even without a crust. For plenty more pumpkin dessert options, see my Pumpkin Sweets Recipe Round-Up.
Oatmeal Creme Pies are like spiced up oatmeal cookies!
Pear and Apple Pies . . . Sorry no recipe up! Just in case I don't get to posting tomorrow: It's really simple. Basically mix up 1 cup sugar, a few cups of the fruit, a teaspoon or 2 of cinnamon, pour that into an unbaked pie shell and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes. I made some pear pies the other day, didn't really measure (although, probably should've) and they were gone!
Peanut Butter Cookies - more yummy cookies for the party!
Turkey Cookies - Nicole @ Gluten-Free on a Shoestring posted a great idea, and we like it! This can be part of a school project and Thanksgiving!
GAPS variations of pumpkin and apple pies (basically honey instead of sugar, and almond flour for rice flour).

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama & 1 other blog

31 for 21: Peanut Butter Cookies

Un-traditional traditional peanut butter cookies. What? In other words, peanut butter cookies, traditional as in criss-cross, flour containing cookies - with a different kind of flour than typically made with.

The other kind of peanut butter cookies are those 3-ingredient-flourless-easy-peasy type. There's a time for those, and a time for these more traditional ones. Have no flour, or just don't want to mess with it? Make those ones with no flour. Maybe you're low on peanut butter? Here's this recipe that uses less peanut butter and makes more cookies because it has other ingredients.

Oh, and this recipe is also courtesy of my sister Suriyah ;).

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)
Adapted from got milk? the cookie book

1/2 cup lard (or shortening or butter)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (we use rice)
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat the lard and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Add the flour  baking soda. Mix well.

3. Shape the dough into balls and drop them about 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie by pressing a fork into the center in a criss-cross pattern. If the fork sticks to the dough, wet the fork.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to color. Let sit for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

~ Hanunyah

31 for 21 is a blog challenge to raise Down Syndrome awareness 1 blog at a time. The challenge is to blog everyday the whole month of October (31 days) to raise awareness for Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). This is the 6th Annual 31 for 21 Challenge.

31 for 21: Suriyah's Chocolate Quakes

This recipe also is from my sister, Suriyah. Crunchy chocolate quake cookies with add-ins of your choice!

Suriyah's Chocolate Quakes (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)
Adapted from got milk? the cookie book

6 tablespoons oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips or M&Ms (optional)

Mix the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa powder well. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well. Add nuts and chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto pan. Be sure to give each cookie lots of space as they spread in the oven. Enjoy!

~ Hanunyah

31 for 21 is a blog challenge to raise Down Syndrome awareness 1 blog at a time. The challenge is to blog everyday the whole month of October (31 days) to raise awareness for Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). This is the 6th Annual 31 for 21 Challenge.

31 for 21: Pumpkin Sweets Recipe Round-Up

Hello, Fall! I know you got here on September 22, but I'm just getting up to date on things. I mean like, I just got a Facebook account. And I just started blogging on a regular basis again. I'm glad for 31 for 21, because it makes it so that I HAVE to blog everyday.

So to jump start the fall baking goodness, here are my favorite pumpkin recipes - and they're sweet ones, of course, 'cause that's how I roll. Hey, sugar is fun to play with! (and eat, unless you're like me and and don't eat it anyway . . . I make it for my family, including that sweet little boy I told you about a couple days ago. He has food allergies, so I make treats for him.)

Pumpkin Bread is a classic. This is a very good family recipe, moist and sweet. Let me tell you, tho, this recipe doesn't make pretty looking bread, but that doesn't matter really. I all goes the same way, right?
Pumpkin Buckle has some funky layer things going on here, but it bakes up to a hit with the family. It's a custard-like thing.
Pumpkin Butter would be good on pumpkin bread, or if you want just eat it with a spoon! Hey, guess what? It's a crockpot (slow cooker) recipe! Can't be much easier than that! Don't let any of that pumpkin go to waste.
Pumpkin Carrot Spice Muffins with Orange Glaze were some nice muffins. They turned out fluffy and stayed together even though they're made with mostly oat flour.
Pumpkin Impossible Pie is a crustless pie, that's what "impossible" means here. Whatcha do is add some flour to the pie batter, and bake to perfection! For that crunch, just add some nuts to the top.

Pumpkin Marshmallows are fluffy, sweet and spicy while being free of eggs, corn syrup and other allergens. Good for hot cocoa, toasting and fun!

Pumpkin Pudding for some spicy, thick and creamy goodness. Eat it warm or cold, in a bowl or a pie shell, for breakfast or dessert - your choice!
PumpkinSnap Cookies is what happened when I crossed gingersnaps and pumpkin. Crispy, crunchy, snappy bottom-of-a-glass spice cookies. These are not the typical soft pumpkin cookies.
Pumpkin Spice Fudge was nice and smooth. That's one you probably haven't hear of, huh? I probably should re-do that recipe, though, to see if I could eliminate the corn syrup.

Remember these recipes when the pumpkin goes on sale! All 9 of them - bread, buckle, butter, muffins, pie, marshmallows, pudding, cookies and fudge - have real pumpkin in them.

Alrighty, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope fall baking and creating is a success for you!

~ Hanunyah

31 for 21 is a blog challenge to raise Down Syndrome awareness 1 blog at a time. The challenge is to blog everyday the whole month of October (31 days) to raise awareness for Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). This is the 6th Annual 31 for 31 Challenge.

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Unwasted Homemaking @ Don't Waste Your Homemaking
Tempt My Tummy @ Blessed With Grace
Wheat-Free Wednesdays @ Anne-Marie Cain
Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative & 6 other blogs
Gluten Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mamma

30 DOZEN Cookies

Well, actually I made more than that - but of just the Pumpkin Snap Cookies, I made about thirty dozen of them. It only took a couple of hours. I sort of felt like a machine ;). It was fun, though. Here's a few pictures of the huge stack of them.

~ Hanunyah

Chocolate Chunk Cookies, GRAIN & SUGAR FREE

Oops! I sort of forgot about the Chocolate Chunk Cookies I mentioned in one of my last posts . . . sorry ;). I'm still here, we've been busy with kidding/lambing season here.

Well, when people think of chocolate it is usually somehow linked with sugar. But it's this simple: cocoa powder does not have sugar in it. It's that simple. Add some good fat and a touch of honey to that powder. Let it set.

Chewy cookies with a touch of the sweetness of honey, add some . . . sugar-free chocolate. You got it.

The chocolate chunks actually have the taste and texture of chocolate, nice and smooth. My sugar-free friend - who really likes chocolate - was so excited that I made her something chocolate. And when she tasted it? Yep, it was a success.

Now, I'm not exactly sure if these are GAPS legal because of the cocoa. Some say "yes", others say "no". I didn't do extensive research about it, but you may decide for yourself, if you're on the GAPS diet.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Grain, Gluten, Dairy, Sugar, Corn, Soy, Gum, etc. FREE)
Ideas from Whole New Mom and Nourished and Nurtured

1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey, to taste

2 cups almond meal/flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1. In a small saucepan combine the first 3 ingredients. Melt together over medium heat, stirring constantly - be careful not to burn this mixture. Pour into a small bowl or dish. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the remaining ingredients to form a dough. Remove the chocolate mixture from the freezer and chop into small pieces. Stir the chocolate chunks into the cookie dough.

3. Drop the dough by a spoon onto a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil. Bake for 7 to 12 minutes, depending on size and shape of the cookies. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack (or your mouth ;) ) to cool completely.


~ Hanunyah

Linked to:

Tuesdays At The Table

Temp My Tummy Tuesdays

Home and Family Friday

Link Party @ the space between

Sugar & Spice by Seven Thirty Three

creative juices @ momnivore's dilemma

Happy 25 Anniversary to my Parents and GAPS Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Yesterday, the 17th, was my parent's 25 anniversary. You probably already guessed: we had a party (again) and I made cake. Just another reason for a party, as my dad (Abba, as we call him - means dad in Hebrew) said.

I made 2 cakes - one GAPS one, since Abba is on the GAPS diet, and one chocolate cake. I'm sure you can tell which one is the GAPS cake ;).

Raisins and freshly roasted peanuts on top of a egg white/honey frosting.

Chocolate chips on the same fluffy stuff. I counted 104 chocolate chips, just incase you are wondering :).

Here's the GAPS cake recipe. It is a cinnamon raisin bread, but I doubled it and baked in a round baking pan for the cake above. It is actually fluffy and pretty yummy - it uses a lot of eggs - 10 for the cake above! A big thanks goes to Nourished and Nurtured for the recipe that we adapted - go check out her GAPS recipes, they're awesome!
      So, here it is - this is the recipe not doubled.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread (GAPS legal, Grain, Sugar, Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Soy-Free)
Adapted from Nourished and Nurtured

5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup honey, or to taste
3/4 cup almond meal/flour*
1/2 cup raisins**

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease pans (see note below) with coconut oil or other GAPS legal fat.

2. Beat together the eggs, soda, cinnamon and honey to taste. Stir in the almond flour. Fold in the raisins.

3. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 25-35 minutes, until the middle is set and the top is golden brown. (see note below).

Notes:
*The recipe used 1/3 cup coconut flour and 1/4 cup almond flour, but we use just almond.
**You may substitute safe nuts for the raisins or omit the raisins all together, if desired.

Here are a few of Sarah's notes and tips:
"I used loaf pans that were 7.5X3.75X2.25 inch.  Although the batter would all fit into a larger loaf pan, it will cook better as two smaller loaves so that the coconut flour will not be overcooked before the middle is set."
"I like to cook this bread for a few minutes past when the middle is set so that the bread will be nice and dry for toasting."
"Store in the fridge or freezer.  I like to use a good bread knife to cut each loaf into many slices.  I then place a small square of parchment paper between each slice, wrap it all in plastic wrap, and store it in the freezer.  The parchment paper ensures that I can easily pull out just one slice at a time.  This bread freezes very well, and makes great toast!"

One more thing . . . while I was experimenting with GAPS recipes (which is not very common for me), I remembered a friend who is on a diet for her Lyme disease. She really likes chocolate. So, I created a grain and sugar free recipe for CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES! She was sooooo excited! They are yummy . . . recipe later, Lord willing ;). The base for the recipe for these yummy, chewy cookies can be found at Nourished and Nurtured (I told you she has great recipes!).

~ Hanunyah


Linked to Show and Tell Saturday by Be Different Act Normal

Bit O' Cocoa Cookies

One last recipe for 2011. Little cookies with a bit o' cocoa, they are just perfect for winter. Accompanied by some hot cocoa, a extra bit o' cocoa could just brighten one's day coming in from the chilly winter morning. Plus, being easy with only 5 basic ingredients, you can whip these up quick.
     Although, we have had a SUPER mild winter . . . very warm. It was over 60 degrees F when we went ice-skating the other day! - as opposed to our winter (here in OK) last year - we already had snow in November. Though the winter is not over yet - it could get cold here on us hard and fast.

     So, to the recipe . . . I wanted a chocolate cookie that didn't spread much and would hold together really well - for ice-cream sandwiches. Solution - don't use leavening, little lard, and use several eggs because they do wonders for holding things together. It was first-time success.

Bit O' Cocoa Cookies (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Gum-free)
Hanunyah Creation

1/4 cup lard
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
3 eggs
1/2 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cups rice flour (or other GF flour)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Beat together the lard, sugar, cocoa and eggs. Add the flours.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets, or for more uniform cookies roll into balls (flouring your hands), and flatten out a little.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until set and the edges start to lightly brown.


~ Hanunyah

Thanksgiving Party

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of the thanksgiving party we had. It was a fun time with friends and family - singing, dancing, quizzes and of course, lots of food.

Something went wrong with this GAPS pumpkin pie that a friend made - it looked fine when it came out of the oven, but it became like this overnight. It still tasted great!! It was dense like a cheesecake.

~ Hanunyah

Whoopie Pies

There are many kinds of whoopie pies - pumpkin, red velvet, peanut butter, banana, etc. There are so many kinds that there are books with just whoopie pie recipes. But, the traditional is made with soft chocolate cookies and vanilla cream filling.

I am learning how to bake with oat flour. It is very interesting. Gluten-free baking in general (let alone "regular" baking) is kitchen science . . . much to learn. I have just touched the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. You have to learn to expand your horizon, not just follow recipes. That's when it gets fun. You'll most likely have flops somewhere along the line, but finally success comes in if you press on.

For the filling, I made a simple powdered sugar frosting: Beat together a few tablespoons lard or shortening and about 3 cups powdered sugar, adding enough water for the right consistency. Add about a teaspoon or more vanilla.


Whoopie Pies (Gluten, Dairy, Corn-free)
Adapted from Epicurious.com

1/2 cup lard

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups oat or other gluten-free flour

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda*

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat together lard and sugar in a large bowl, then add egg, beating until combined well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Drop by teaspoonfulls (or whatever size you want) onto large greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 14 minutes (depending on size of cookies), until the top is set. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

4. Spread filling on bottom side of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Notes:

*The first few I baked I left the baking soda out to see how they would do. I later added some baking soda to the batter. But, I liked how the ones turned out without the baking soda - they held together way better than the ones with the baking soda. The ones with the baking soda were puffier, but if I made these again I probably would not use the baking soda, unless using some kind of gum to hold them together.

~ Hanunyah