36-hour chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free

36-hour chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup potato starch
1 cup amaranth flour
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (we used bakers’ sugar, which is extra fine)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces Dagoba chocodrops
sea salt
Sifting the dry ingredients. Sift each of the four flours, individually, into a medium-sized bowl. Add the xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir well (I like to use a whisk, to sift again, in a way). Set aside.
Mixing the wet ingredients. Put the soft butter and the sugars into a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, mix them well, until they are just combined, and then 1 minute more. (Do not over-cream, however, because this could lead to spreading in the baking stage.) Add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Pour in the vanilla extract and mix for a beat.
Finishing the cookie dough. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter, about 1/2 cup at a time, and then mixing. When the all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add the chocolate pieces and mix for just a moment. You don’t want broken chocolate here.
Refrigerating. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in your refrigerator. You might want to shove it to the back and arrange even more enticing foods in front of it, because you shouldn’t touch the dough for 36 hours. Really.
Preparing to bake. 36 hours later (or as long as you could stand it), pull the dough from the refrigerator. Uncover it. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
Baking the cookies. Scoop generous balls of dough from the bowl. (You can determine the size for yourself. David suggested they be the size of large golf balls. Or you can weigh them at 3 1/2 ounces each. Mine were the size of the indentation of the palm of my hand, but I could still lightly wrap my fingers around the ball.) Place 6 of them onto the baking sheet. Poke any errant chocolate pieces into the dough. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with the sea salt.
Bake the cookies about 18 minutes, or until the tops have turned golden brown. The middles should still be somewhat soft, however. Take the baking sheet out of the oven. Allow the baking sheet to sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Transfer the cooling cookies onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool for a few more moments.
Eat warm chocolate chip cookies and feel grateful. Why not?
Makes 1 to 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies, depending on the size you make.

Gluten Free Brands

With all of Hanna's food allergies it is always a challenge finding things she can eat. Here are some brands that are Hanna tested and Hanna approved but unfortunately Hanna has added corn to her list of food allergies. 


Hanna was so EXCITED when we found marshmallows she could have. It wasn't easy finding marshmallows that were egg, gelatin and gluten free.


Hanna loved her pancakes with carob-chips.  Check my recipes for the pancake recipe I use now.








This pasta comes in several verities (spaghetti, shell, elbow, and spiral). Some of the grocery stores are starting to carry this pasta with the gluten free section. 





While on vacation we found these waffles for Hanna.  She really enojoyed them. 

Legos Organization

Both my kids love Legos. Hanna was thrilled when Legos came out with the Friends Legos this year. I have been trying to help my kids keep up with and organize their Legos. I have found a couple of ideas off of Pintrest.
 
Lego MEN! My son is getting quite the collection of Lego men. Keeping up with them all can be a challenge at times. I have found them scattered all over the house. I found a couple of good ideas on Pintrest on displaying and storing the men so they wouldn't get lost. While visiting my parents and sister recently I had the opportunity to go to a Lego store. While there I was telling one of the guys that work there about some of the ideas I found online on displaying and storing the Lego men. He gave me a suggestion witch I ended up going with. The display consists of 1 large grey board ($14) and 96 clear 1x2 "brick" and the board is optional (the boarder is made up of white "radiator grille" 1x2 pieces with red 1x1 "flat tile" in each corner) . I bought the "brick" pieces off the "pick a brick" wall. They have 2 size cups you can buy and fill cup with the different bricks off the wall (the small one was more than big enough to hold what we needed for the board plus extras and it was $7). If you really wanted you could super glue the pieces onto the board but I didn't. I was going to wait and see how he did with them just pressed into place first that way he can rearrange them as he wanted or need because of the man’s height. Now securing it to the wall is a trial thing at the moment. I used painters tape rolled up on the back to hang it and we have had no problem with it staying up so far.

Lego INSTRUCTION BOOKS! Ok now this one I did get off of Pintrest. I found a binder that wasn't being used and extra clear page protectors. The instructions that were just one page I put in the page protectors open and I was able to fit 2 in a protector. The small instruction books I just slid in to a page protector and grouped them according to theme (Cars, City, Nijago, Etc.). I gave the big instruction books their own page protector each. Now all the instructions are kept together and are not getting messed up.

                                 
Lego ORGANIZATION! I had some extra embroidery thread boxes I wasn't using and I gave them to Hanna to help organize some of her small Legos. Hanna likes to constantly build new things with her Legos. The boxes helped keep the little Legos organized (flowers, food, and the other misc. little Legos). Now she can see all little Legos easier and can find what she is looking for easier.

Pumpkin Bread - Gluten free

I am always looking for new gluten free recipes to try online. I came across this one at Gluten-free is Life. I halved the recipe and I also doubled the cinnamon. I used the "Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour". I made them into muffins so I could freeze some of them for later.

I made them while Hanna was at school. She was excited when she got home and she had a new treat.

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 can (1 lb pumpkin)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup flour (I use Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour)
3 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsps baking soda
1 ½ tsps salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts (Optional)
2/3 cup raisin (Optional) 

Heat oven to 350. Grease 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or 3 8.5×4.5×2.5 inch loaf pans. In large bowl, cream shortening & sugar until fluffy. Stir in eggs, pumpkin & water. Blend in flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon & cloves. Stir in nuts & raisins. Pour into pans. Bake about 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Chili Powder Seasoning

Chili Powder Seasoning

2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons oregano
1 ¼ teaspoons cumin
1 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

1. Mix'em up.

Pizza Soup (Gluten Free)

Hanna and I went to a baby shower at church and they had several soups there. I tried the pizza soup and loved it. I started asking around and found out who brought it. She said she found the recipe online. I found the recipe and made it at home. I was even able to alter the recipe and made Hanna a small pot just for her. These are the changes I made so Hanna can eat it. I cut the recipe in half when I made it.

Do to Hanna's allergies I use ground turkey instead of Italian sausage. I know they make gluten free turkey pepperoni but I just left that out. I used Hanna's gluten free pasta. She loved it so much she ate 3 bowl that night.

Pizza Soup

1 jar pizza sauce
3 empty jars of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I use chopped frozen peppers)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb Italian sausage, ground turkey, or hamburger
1 c. sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters
8 fresh basil leaves chopped or 1/2 T dried chopped basil leaves
1 T oregano
1/2 to 1/3 of dried pasta (if your past is tiny, use 1/3 cup. If it's big,do 1/2 cup.)
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Wash and chop onion and peppers (I use frozen chopped onion and peppers). Dump into crock pot. Brown sausage (and hamburger), drain, and add to crock pot. Cut up the pepperoni and add to the pot. Add basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours. Everything in this is already cooked, so you really only heating through and allowing the flavors to meld. Thirty minutes before serving, add dry pasta,m and turn to high. My pasta only takes about 20 minutes to soften.

Pizza Soup

Hanna and I went to a baby shower at church and they had several soups there. I tried the pizza soup and loved it. I started asking around and found out who brought it. She said she found the recipe online. I found the recipe and made it at home. I was even able to alter the recipe and made Hanna a small pot just for her.

Pizza Soup

1 jar pizza sauce
3 empty jars of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I use chopped frozen peppers)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb Italian sausage (I used half Italian sausage and half hamburger)
1 c. sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters
8 fresh basil leaves chopped or 1/2 T dried chopped basil leaves
1 T oregano
1/2 to 1/3 of dried pasta (if your past is tiny, use 1/3 cup. If it's big,do 1/2 cup.)
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Wash and chop onion and peppers (I use frozen chopped onion and peppers). Dump into crock pot. Brown sausage (and hamburger), drain, and add to crock pot. Cut up the pepperoni and add to the pot. Add basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours. Everything in this is already cooked, so you really only heating through and allowing the flavors to meld. Thirty minutes before serving, add dry pasta,m and turn to high. My pasta only takes about 20 minutes to soften.

Garnish with shredded cheese.