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Pretzel Rolls to Die For!

7 Sep

the title says it all. i’m not kidding. these rolls are delicious. i have been craving bread (of any kind, really) for about a week now, so was perusing Pinterest (love it!) and saw this recipe for these killer rolls. Mine didn’t come out as gorgeous as the original bloggers’ , but i’m still proud of them! Next time, i’m doubling the recipe, 6 is not enough. 

I was so excited when i found this blog, she has a ton of recipes i want to try, but here’s the link for this one.  – http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/pretzel-rolls/

this time i’ll let you go over to her site for the recipe, she’s got great pictures to go with it. i’ll throw  my pictures of my adventure down below, but i will say this is one of the first gluten free recipes i’ve had turn out great the first time i’ve tried it!!!! the only problem i had was because my oven bakes hotter than it says, so they browned quickly. I had to leave them in about 30 minutes longer than called for on low temp to get the middle fully cooked.  Oh, and I, of course, used duck eggs instead of evil chicken eggs =) 

Hope this inspires you to try baking! 

 

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very wet dough….

 

Imagein the baking soda bath (had never done this before!!!)

 

Imageet voila!!! the finished product. and yes, i had to cut into one to eat it right away! YUM

Happy Baking friends!

 

 

 

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Chance Encounters

24 Aug

A while ago my mom and I were meandering through downtown (one of my favorite things to do!) and ended up in a cute used bookshop. They had a piano right in the middle of the room, with books stacked all on top of it. Now, if I could have that in my house….

Sorry, slight sidetrack. So, in that pile of books I found a book that I decided was worth the effort to buy get from the library. Luckily, I found it!  It is now one of my favorite books and eventually I will buy it! but for now, we are thankful for the library.

So, if you are interested in a biography wonderfully written, I suggest Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson –

 http://www.threecupsoftea.com/greg-mortenson-bio-and-professional-photo/

I am now reading a biography on Mother Teresa, (due to the Mortenson book….)  , this is a genre that I’ve never gotten into before, so I would love to hear any suggestions of further biographies. 

Happy Reading!!!

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The yes-it’s-actually-working-for-me- skin treatment

26 Jul

I have had, what i call, ‘skin issues’ (i absolutely hate the other words used for it ‘acn–‘ ‘pimp—‘ look , i can’t even type them. that’s how much i really do not use those words…) since a very early age. I can still remember my mom , bless her heart, telling me that since i started getting it so early, it would clear up sooner than most girls. . . . well, here i am 28 years old and still fighting it!
and losing to it mostly.
But recently i have found some things that have helped. and how overly glad that makes me!!!
So, i thought i would share them with you, in the chance that it might help you with your battle of the dreaded ‘issues’
step 1:
in the beginning of this year i splurged (well, that’s not entirely accurate, my OH did..) and bought Bare Minerals makeup. i had friends who used it and loved it and plus, I hated how my combination of Covergirl, Maybelline and Mary Kay didn’t stay on my face all day. i was constantly reapplying it. So, i had a trial run put on of the Bare Minerals and loved it all day. simply fantastic, my pores look smaller, my skin is one even tone and it does last all day!!

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step 2:
Then, i read on Pinterest how doing a oil cleanse is really good to get the gunk out of your skin and hydrates it all at the same time. so i thought, what the heck? i’ve got castor oil and olive oil here, i’ll mix up a batch and try it. it’s so nice. when i don’t do it in the evenings, my skin is drier the next day and i tend to have more little breakout issues than i do when i remember. here’s the link to how  to make your own oil concoction : http://simplemom.net/oil-cleansing-method/
step 3:
my mom bought me some facial cleanser that is gluten free, vegan. and everything else free, it’s fantastic. the brand is Acure. so i use that in the mornings in the shower.
step 4:
In the fall last year, when i was really frustrated with how horrible my skin was, my OH bought me some lotion that is fantastic. i mean really, it’s called Lotion with Potion for a reason. ( i got a sunburn last week, put it on it before i went to bed, especially the edges. and by the next morning, the burn was practically gone!) i love that the list of ingredients isn’t as long as my arm and i can pronounce everything. sigh. wonderful. It’s by Herb’s Daughter Custom soaps     

Imagehttp://herbsdaughter.net/

step 5:
this one might be a little weird. i don’t know of anyone else who does this. but for an ‘issue’ that is big and hurts and horrible, i pull out my spoon (that i always have in there )from the freezer and hold it on it. sounds strange. but it helps the irritation go down and it dims the bright horrid red-ness. brilliant.
So, there you go. ever since i started using the oil at night, lightly smooth on the lotion right after and use the face scrub in the morning, my issues aren’t nearly as bad. yes, i still get them and hate them, but i’m able to look at myself in the mirror and see something besides those spots. i’m able to see smooth skin and all one tone, thanks to the brilliance of Bare Minerals makeup.
Sigh. self – confidence is on the rise.

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Delicious GF Chocolate Cookies

20 Jun

Delicious GF Chocolate Cookies

SO. i got an urge to bake for a friend today….

 and after about 20 minutes of internet recipe searching i found this delightfulness on glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com 

Chocolate cookies. with chocolate chips. that i can eat. sigh. glorious. But since this baking spree could only include that which i had in my cupboards, i tweaked the recipe. i melted bakers chocolate instead of using cocoa powder, didn’t have sorghum flour so i doubled the oat flour amount. oh, and i ground my own oat flour from our oameal! felt quite industrious. 

continuing – i don’t have any brown sugar so i just poured a touch more white sugar into the bowl. i do think that i will use less xantham gum and olive oil next time. and i didn’t have chocolate chips, and i baked them maybe 12 minutes instead of the full 15. But man do these cookies hold their shape and come out soft and chewy , the way a cookie should be. 

 so grab a mixing bowl, turn that oven on and make some delicious cookies. i’d advise turning on some blues while you bake. =) 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper or an Exopat liner.

Ingredients:

Whisk together:

1/2 cup GF buckwheat flour or certified gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup sorghum (jowar) flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/3 cup organic cocoa
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar

Add in:

1/2 cup light olive oil or Spectrum Organic Shortening
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk, coconut milk, or almond milk- more as needed

As you beat the dough pay close attention to the consistency. Add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until you achieve a smooth but sturdy cookie dough. I added two more tablespoons of rice milk to my dough.

Add in:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions:

Stir in the chocolate chips as best you can (the dough is stiff).

Roll a golf ball sized wad of dough between your palms, and place the ball on the lined baking sheet about two inches apart. Repeat this process to make 18 balls. Use your palm to press down on the dough and flatten slightly- not too much- unless you like your cookies thin. Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies, if you like.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 15 minutes until the cookies are set. They will still be slightly soft in the center. If you bake two pans at once, rotate the pans half way through baking.

Remove the pans from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool and “set” for a few minutes; then use a thin spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies will get crisper as they cool.

Cook time: 15 min

Yield: 24 cookies

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/04/gluten-free-chocolate-cookies-with.html#ixzz2WitnKwju

 

let me know if you make these!! or share your favorite cookie recipe with me! 

Thanks for stopping by

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Wal-Mart causes me stress

18 Jun

I have to share this frustration of mine – and see if anyone else shares it.

now, i haven’t ‘liked’ wal-mart for years but since meeting my OH i have conceded my ban on it and now go periodically because of how cheap everything is there. they even have gluten free items, now that’s just rude. and frustrating. don’t seduce me with gf items that are dollars cheaper than anywhere else! oy! 

anyway – i got sidetracked. the last few times i have been there not only is the place so huge and hard to find what you’re looking for , but there are birds flying around. 

um, really?

I asked my mom if i’m the only one that this bothers. . . 

am I?

now, I would love to have a garden and farm that fully sustains me – and then, of course, birds will be flying around and over my food. that doesn’t bother me in the least. it’s outside. nature. love it. but inside a store? shudder. 

well, now that i’ve gotten my rant out, i can focus on other things. like deep cleaning my house and taking care of my OH who is just getting back from the dentist, poor guy. 

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my little garden =)

5 Jun

my little garden =)

so i got very lucky with our yard in town — it came with 2 raised beds that are use-able. (1 i just tore apart this morning it was in such rough shape)
so i planted all sorts of veggies in this one, and the next one i am planning on putting in corn and pumkins! i also planted lavendar, thyme and chamomlie. i am excited to get my yard ready for summer bbq’s and the 4th of july (we have a perfect view from our yard!)
I have hopes of getting sod in and eventually a brick patio… with a firepit. =D

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THE -I- HAVE- TO- MAKE- THESE- SOON COOKIES

27 May

THE -I- HAVE- TO- MAKE- THESE- SOON COOKIES

now, i love oreo cookies. 

but being gluten free – dairy free  and egg free makes that a little difficult. . .

so when i saw this post on one of my favorite blogs – imglutenfree.com , i got so excited! The only thing i have to switch out is the butter for ours…so simple. i am so ready for some splurging money to come in, so i can go buy the ingredients needed and make them! mmmm they sound just perfect for this cloudy, overcast, lazy day.

i am working on fixing up our yard – i will start giving you progress pictures (and ask advice!) 

until next time, 

LAURA 

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delicious quick chicken meal

23 Feb

delicious quick chicken meal

So, the other night, i was RAVENOUS, and the OH was getting hungry (that situation being quite common, as i eat much more than him… which is just wrong) so i dug through the fridge and cupboards and threw together a dish that was really good. i think i want to try it again with some sort of sauce… or maybe just more of the veggies combo would do it. but we were sad when it was gone. so here you go
olive oil
chicken – bite sized
tomato
raisin
whatever spices you want

pasta or rice

i did our corn pasta because it’s about 10 minutes faster than rice…
i threw it all (except the pasta of course!) in the skillet and let it saute’ for a bit, then added the chicken last. the flavor was really good. like i said, would have been better with some sort of sauce, or maybe doubled tomatoes and raisin combo. shrug. but i was proud of it since we really didn’t have much in the way of meals . =)

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complaints

21 Feb

okay, friends, can anyone tell me WHY bakers/cooks on tv always wear their hair down? i cringe every time i see it. i mean, it’s against everything that you do in the kitchen… i get wanting to be ‘pretty’ for television, but put it up in a nice ‘do! i don’t want to know how many hairs are getting in the food that they are baking. 

sigh.

maybe it’s just because of everything else that is going on in my life that this bothers me so, you know, like a displacement of feelings or something?

IT. IS. Finished. (well, almost)

2 Feb

they are almost finished. one last meeting and our wedding invites are ordered. They  became one large project that neither of us expected. apparently, according to my OH , they are going to be awesome. 

right now we are listening to peter hollens sing the song ‘misty mountains’ from the Hobbit. Such a great talent right there. OH is doing homework. Relief fills us both , i think, knowing the invites only need me to give the final approval for the printer to start them going. whew. now on to the next item on the list…. 

OH’s wedding ring.. 

Suits for the men….

finish decorations (Also, so close!)

well, i’ll stop making you read my looong list of wedding to – do’s. but i’m sure you get the idea. things are coming along really well though, much better than i had originally thought they would. We are immensely blessed by those around us. 

but before i get going on the next item down, i’m going to enjoy the moment of one more thing being done. 

sigh. i love it. 

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