Happy home-made soup

So, my family is really doing well and the other night I made the BEST split pea soup ever!! All the kids ate it happily. It is green, so #1 girl had some reservations, but I told her she could eat some GF Crackers with it and she was soooo happy. She ate TWO bowls full. I also found some GF sausage and cooked that in it for extra flavor. Try mixing in whatever sounds good. Bacon, meaty ham bones....What have you. This recipe I adapted from Disney's family cookbook I made it very basic. It smells so good while it is cooking.



Split Pea Soup

2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups chopped Onions ( make them really small if your kids don't like onions)
2 Crushed Garlic Cloves
a small bag of split peas
6 or more cups of clear liquid( I use GF chicken stock or GF Gravy and water)
Dill weed to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute' the onions and Garlic in the oil until everything smells awesome and the onions are translucent. Add the Split peas, the liquid, and the dill. Cook uncovered for 1 or two hours stirring occasionally. The soup is done when it all is soft and mushy looking. Season with salt and pepper. Top with whatever your family loves.

This is a good way to use leftover Gravy...Yum!!

Super happy Christmas!!!

Well, if you know me, you know that I love to take pictures. (New info if you don't know me.) Yesterday a package arrived at our house and I called my sweetie to see if it was something I could open. He told me it was my Christmas present, and the man cannot keep a secret, so this meant it was a digital camcorder . He told me if I wanted to use it now that it was fine with him!!! AWESOME!! I just have to wrap up the box and put it under the tree so I remember that he did get me something for Christmas. I had a few errands to run - sick kids medicine and the like-and then I got it out....it's so tiny, like a baby camcorder, I've never seen anything so small that can record nice pictures. I can hold it in my hand and wrap my fingers almost all the way around it. Ooh cute!! Well, we used it all day and recorded some pretty dumb stuff, but it was so fun. Thank You Sweetie pie!! I love you!!

So sick!!

Today we all have strep throat. Not fun for those of us who actually like to eat. I am one of those. I have had strep for a couple days and finally all the children are getting it one by one. By the time it makes the rounds I should be ready to get it again....no way!! I am not one to take this lying down. I will have them all seen by their nice pediatrician and he will give them all some medication and we will all feel better and not get this anymore!! Ha ha, I WILL WIN!! With that said, I am going to make my favorite coffee cake this morning. I got this recipe from a lady named Theresa Feusi and it is awesome! You can use any kind of GF flour, I use bob's red mill and I make sure it is cooked all the way through. Here you go....

Golden Crunch Coffee Cake

3 Cups GF Flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Sift all these ingredients into a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together until light and fluffy
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar

Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture; beating well after each addition
4 eggs

Beat in
1tsp Vanilla

Add alternately beating well after each addition
1 cup milk
Dry ingredients

For crumbly good stuff on top:
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs GF Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Cut together with a pastry blender

In a greased 13x9" baking pan Spread 1/2 the dough mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 the crumbly good stuff on and then add the other half of the dough followed by the rest of the good stuff. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until done. Enjoy warm.

I hope this coffee cake brings you as much happiness as it brings me.

The celiac story

I just wanted to let you know my story. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2002 right after #1 son was born. I was not feeling myself, but figured it was on account that I was a nursing mother and that was never something I was good at. I woke up in terrible pain one night when #1 son was about three months old. My smart husband rushed me into the emergency room because the pain was so bad that I was hyperventilating. I am still grateful for that wise decision. They told me I had an upset stomach.... Duh. They also gave me a recommendation to follow up with my family Doctor. I called him the next day and he saw me right away. He thought that I may have an ulcer or a case of acid reflux so we tried both medications. One for one month and the other the next month. When my stomach was still sensitive to touch he recommended That I see a specialist. I did. I had an endoscopy done and a blood test and a biopsy of my small intestine. It was a scary day going in for the results. I had to bring my mum with me for support. She and I were so relieved when we found out I didn't have cancer...Long story... But we had never heard of celiac sprue. He told me that if I eliminated certain foods from my diet I would be fine. I met with a dietitian and learned that a lot of foods are very glutenous. I was very excited to be better so I have been Gluten free for Five Years!! I have a young family so it was pretty easy to have us all be gluten free. It can be more expensive, but not having to cook two meals every night makes it worth it. (Not having cross contamination makes it more worth it.) I have found so much support and Gluten free foods right here in little Caldwell Idaho. I can't believe the difference it has made in my life. This morning I even had Gluten free Pancakes!! If you would like to try them here is the recipe:

Gluten free pancakes

1 1/2 cups Gluten free flour (I used Bob's red mill all purpose GF Flour You can use rice if you like.)
1/2 cup corn starch
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Sift them all together


Add 3 eggs or egg substitute
1/2 cup oil of choice
1 1/2 cups milk or water

Blend with a hand mixer until no lumps are present. Pour a small amount into a preheated, greased fry pan. Cook on one side until bubbles don't close up any more. Flip and cook other side half as long. ENJOY!! I like them with Choc. Chips or blue berries baked in, but my husband likes to smother them with Peanut butter. To each his own. there is no wrong way to eat a pancake.

Best of luck to you and yours enjoy your new life Gluten free....

Wow I never thought I'd be a blogger!!

That was so easy! I just wanted a space to have my thoughts about life, love, family and Gluten free living. Now I have one. Happy day.

I just had Thanksgiving at my house for the first time ever. This is HUGE for me because I have a gluten(a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) free house. I had everyone assigned a dish- most of which you couldn't make with Gluten anyway and we all had a healthy happy Thanksgiving. I made the Turkey and stuffing and Bread (my roll attempt that took me six hours is in the trash) and gravy. I also had made my first GF pumpkin pie and it was wonderful!! I had 25 relatives show up and we all had a great time together. There were things that could have been better.... like the stuffing, it was too dry..... but having the guts to try this was an amazing happy feeling in my heart. I have to thank the gluten free girl for her encouragement and recipes. She is also the reason I am making a blog spot of my own and perhaps I can help other people with this eating lifestyle.