Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook

After checking this out from the library and repeatedly renewing it until I HAD to return it, only to start the process over again, I knew that I needed to own this cookbook. When you have to remove a lot of  ingredients (dairy free, egg free, gluten free, soy [...]]]>

Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook

After checking this out from the library and repeatedly renewing it until I HAD to return it, only to start the process over again, I knew that I needed to own this cookbook. When you have to remove a lot of  ingredients (dairy free, egg free, gluten free, soy free, etc.)  from your diet and many of these are what you consider “essential” to baking, then to find a cookbook that has recipes that result in incredibly delicious, great-tasting allergen free items is a huge blessing! It was on my Amazon wishlist and John surprised me with it for Mother’s Day.

I have been trying recipes as I have time, but one that is on the repeat roster is her recipe for:

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Note: All of my changes from the original are in bold and italics.

1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1 TBSP coconut milk
1-1/2 cups g/f flour mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 TBSP coconut milk
1 cup g/f old fashion oats (I just use regular, not g/f)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I just spray lightly with PAM).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar, mixing on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and egg replacer and mix for 20 seconds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the mixer in three batches, mixing on low speed, alternating with the milk.

Add the oats, chocolate chips and raisins. Mix on the lowest possible speed until just combined. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to finish blending, if necessary.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes in the center of the oven, or until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.

(Sometimes I add cranberries instead of raisins, or nuts & coconut….basically you can switch out the chocolate chip and raisin measurements for similar items and still get a tasty cookie!)

“The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take” Psalms 37:23-24

I’m so blessed to have a good man as a father to Aletheia, Vance and Tirzah. Parenting alone would be so much harder and I’m thankful he’s at [...]]]> Happy Father’s Day to my husband, John Barach!

“The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take” Psalms 37:23-24

I’m so blessed to have a good man as a father to Aletheia, Vance and Tirzah. Parenting alone would be so much harder and I’m thankful he’s at my side as we work at raising godly children!

As her sister and brother before her, Tirzah started teething very early. Around 11 weeks she was miserable, I was exhausted from trying to soothe her and was ready to try something new. Several of my friends have used amber teething necklaces or anklets with their little ones and I decided to give it [...]]]>

As her sister and brother before her, Tirzah started teething very early. Around 11 weeks she was miserable, I was exhausted from trying to soothe her and was ready to try something new. Several of my friends have used amber teething necklaces or anklets with their little ones and I decided to give it a try. My local amber source was out of stock, so I looked into the products sold online by Inspired by Finn which had been highly recommended to me by several people.

Cons:
Their website is quite confusing and cluttered.
Determining sizing is hard just by looking at the website, so I sent a request for more info.
The two necklaces in colors I was most interested in were sold out and I was told it could take 8-12 weeks before they would be in stock!

Pros:
Very quick response to answer questions.
Very helpful to gauge correct sizing for the product I wanted.
Shipping costs are low and speed is fast!
The necklace came beautifully packaged and is gorgeous.
Thanks to the staff’s helpful & timely response to my sizing question, the sizing on the necklace is just right. I ordered the 11 1/2″ ~ 12 1/2″ size which I’m told should last her until she’s a toddler.

It’s been over a week now since Tirzah started wearing her lovely Tea colored Amber necklace made of  semi-polished Baltic Amber. Since then her teething symptoms have greatly diminished. She is still drooling excessively and wants to gnaw on everything in sight, but she’s not fussing, tugging at her ears and in a general state of unhappiness like she was prior to wearing her necklace. Let’s pray that this trend continues and her teething suffering will be minimal and my sanity levels stay calm.

If your daughter’s American Girl doll could use some fresh items for her spring wardrobe, then head on over to Liberty Jane for FREE American Girl doll patterns. These will fit 18″ dolls, so even if yours is not AG then you might want to take a look at the free patterns that are available.

Bananagrams is a variation of Scrabble, without the board and much more lively and interesting. [...]]]> When my parents came to visit in December/January, I was tired and waiting for Tirzah’s arrival, so we sat and played a LOT of games, or worked on puzzles. Here is my favorite game that they introduced to us:

Bananagrams is a variation of Scrabble, without the board and much more lively and interesting. It is fairly fast paced, we averaged around 20 minutes a game, and can be played with two or more players. Plus, with it’s small size, it’s great to throw in your carry-on while traveling for a quick match while waiting in the airport.