TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 153)

As we gear up for the madness that goes along with the season, it is so easy to get caught up in the rush. I know I get stressed out from time to time and what do you do? Do you go nuts? Do you yell at passing dogs and children? Do you make everyone miserable because your stressed? Well then, knock it off! Take a few minutes to decompress and chill. Put yourself in time out occasionally too.
One of my great loves in this life is music, especially piano music. I never get tired of listening to it and I find that it helps me stay calm too. David Lanz (featured in the video) is a great New Age artist and he weaves melodic notes of tranquility, instantly calms and soothes the frazzled spirit and is by far one of my favorites. When I find myself stressed out by the mere fact that living in this age is hard sometimes, I load his music in my YouTube playlist and chill while I complete my computer work. Instantly life is better and whatever is stressing me out so, doesn't seem to be so bad.
Taking the time to chill and reset occasionally will help you enjoy the "reason for the season" and enjoy what life has to offer or at least it does for me! TiP fOr TuEsDaY and chill out! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 152)

Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour

Happy Monday to you all! Whether you like it or not I'm back, after a longer-than-necessary hiatis! I'd feel horrible, but according to my news feed I've had 7 visitors in the last 3 days and 3 of those were me. Apparently everyone else was busy too and I'm okay with that! Since I have the luxury of sending all my kids back to school for the day and no one is getting out early and I have no where overly important to go, I get to sit here and type for a couple of hours! Ahh...bliss!;0)
Okay I'll get to the product all ready, since I'm sure this is why you all are here in the first place (yes, all four of you). Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour! I know that anyone who claims themselves G.F. is well versed with the Bob's Red Mill product line. I don't think I've used any of their products that I didn't like, but I love the All-Purpose flour especially! I have substituted this flour in so many things with great results, that I just HAD to share with you! Just look at my recipe side bar and several of the recipes use this stuff, it's great! For Thanksgiving alone I used it to make pie crust (yum!) and my gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin pie turned out great! We used it to whip up a batch of turkey gravy as well, yum yum! My pumpkin bread recipe uses this great flour, as well as, my delicious potato soup! I make home-made pancakes with it and will be making sugar cookies for everyone to decorate soon as well. I've made loaves of bread with it and pizza crust, really the possibilities are endless!
I want to truly thank the good folks at Bob's Red Mill for manufacturing such a great product and I want to especially thank Costco for carrying the large bags of it again! I scored 2 of them yesterday, SHAZAAM!! Holiday baking made gluten-free, yes! ;0)

Thanksgiving Day 2010

"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed

when you are discouraged thinking all is lost 

count your many blessings name them one by one

and it will surprise you what the Lord has done..." 

Johnson Oatman Jr.

                                                                       J. Lamb 2010

I don't know about all of you, but I sure am thankful. Not only because of the date on the calender, but in general as well. It's so easy to get caught up in all the things that need to be accomplished, in all the things you can or cannot help, in running as fast as you can in the rat race. I don't know if I'm a little different or what, but if I don't take the time to step back and reflect occasionally on all the good things, I lose sight of what is really important in life. I'm well aware that what's important to people is really a matter of perspective, of where you are in the journey of life. This is what I know is important to me and what I am truly grateful for:

My family.

Full of quirks and idiosyncrasy, but never lacking in the love and support department. I love my Mom and Dad so much, they did the very best job with what they knew and I never felt deprived in anyway and never had to wonder how much they loved me. Thank you! My kids. I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful, well-behaved, thoughtful kids, but I'm not complaining! Not having them to kiss every night for almost 2 years was the hardest thing I've ever had to endure, I will never not appreciate that they are here everyday, to drive me nuts and to love! I love you guys! My Man. I will not tell you that it has always been easy with us, in fact it's an ongoing process, but I really do love and appreciate everything you do for us and the wonderful job you do in helping raise "our" kids. I love you!

 The Basics.

You never know how important little things like food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in are until you don't have them. I've been very poor in my lifetime, so poor that if not for the help of others we wouldn't have had those basic things. If you have much in your life, then you owe it to yourself to help others that don't have as much as you. It doesn't have to be much, donate used clothing, donate food, donate time to help others less fortunate than you.

My life and freedom.

I have the wonderful opportunity to wake up each and every morning with the simple knowledge that I am alive for another day and I am free to live it how I choose. I am alive to see the beautiful scenery of the world around us, I am free to move about and breathe as I choose. I can write about whatever I want without the fear of being persecuted for my beliefs and I know enough to appreciate that freedom. I love the fact that I am alive to be here and love my loved ones. I am truly grateful.

The great Turkey Day Gluten-Free Menu

No pics for the post today, I really didn't have time to round any up...no matter though! I thought I'd take a few minutes to tell you how to make Thanksgiving yummy and gluten-free and it really isn't that hard! ;0)

Turkey. Actually nothing fancy has to be done with the turkey at all, just avoid using the little seasoning/sauce packet that comes with the bird. Not only is it loaded with preservatives and isn't any good for you, 99% of the time it has a gluten based substance in it as well. Just baste the turkey with a little butter (or soy butter), add some fresh herbs (think rosemary and thyme), we usually add crushed pineapple to the top of ours as well. That's it!;0)

Mashed Potatoes. Believe it or not, I think gluten-free/dairy-free mashed potatoes taste every bit as good or better than the regular kind and these aren't hard at all either. Boil cubed potatoes with two or three cloves of fresh garlic (yes, boil the garlic too) when they are soft enough, drain them, add some soy butter (Earth Balance is really good) and some original flavored soy milk. Just enough to blend them smoothly and not be runny. Add a dash of onion powder and a little dill for flavor and you have some awesome good gf/df mashed potatoes.

Stuffing. Wait a minute, you can even make stuffing gluten-free? All it takes is using a loaf of gluten-free bread (I use tapioca loaf from Ener-G, although I wouldn't recommend making sandwiches with it as it's kind of dry, but perfectly acceptable for stuffing!) and then following your favorite homemade stuffing recipe. I wish I had the exact recipe to share with you, but since I don't actually make the stuffing (that would be my man's job)...you'll just have to trust me on this!;0) It involves eggs, celery, onions, and seasonings and is super yummy!;0)

Pumpkin Pie. I used a recipe that some one sent me last year that was a crustless version of the confection and although it was yummy, it wasn't really "pie" (I added it to the sidebar if you want to try it!). This year I'm going to make the real thing myself and see how it turns out. Crust. Pie crust is made with all purpose flour, salt, shortening, butter, vegetable oil, and milk Replacing the flour with my trusty Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour and using soy butter and soy milk should do the trick. The key with replacements such as these is to watch the consistency of the finished product, just adjust amounts of each as necessary...haha, I'll let you know how it turns out!;0) Filling. I essentially have to do nothing different with the filling, Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix (in the can) is already gluten-free (score!) and adding the necessary eggs and evaporated milk is the only trick. Eggs, no problem. Evaporated milk, that's a little trickier. I'll use soy milk, but not as much as the recipe calls for because it will be runnier than necessary anyway. The pie itself will be soft no doubt, but as far as I can tell it should taste perfectly yummy anyhow! ;0)

So if you think that gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner might sound a little "weird", I'll assure you that it really isn't! In fact most of my dinner guests tomorrow will have no idea what's gluten-free and what's not! ;0)

Today I'm thankful to have so many things to be thankful for!

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 149)

I'm truly thankful for the warmth and friendship of others I have the opportunity to enjoy.
 It's just the start of the crazy holiday madness, have you "lost it" already? I mean there just aren't some things that can be helped around the holidays traffic, spending money, obnoxious relatives, consuming far too many calories, whiny kids, lack of sleep...need I go on? Ha! I didn't think so! So what can you do to keep the holiday madness in check? A little organization is key my friends!
1. Create a master list.
Take the time to write out everything you'd like to accomplish for the holidays, the goodies you want to make, the presents you need to buy, supplies you'll need for all of it. Refer back to it often and check things off as you do them, you'll save yourself many a headache in the interim.
2. Budget it out (and stick to it!).
It's so easy to go way overboard in the spending dept. during the holidays and the best way to keep that in check is to plan out how much you want to spend and on what. I try to spend equally on my kids, say $100 a piece and I stick to it because no one wants to hear the kids whining that Susie got more than I did...bleh. Also while you're at it, make sure you are only buying things that the kids will in fact use and enjoy. I suck and my kids get a couple of fun things and a lot of practical things, it just saves me trips to the donation center later.
3. Think simple.
Keep the season simple and teach your kids to focus more on the "reason for the season" other than the gifts they'll receive. Play secret Santa for someone or the "12 days of Christmas" for a less fortunate family. They'll appreciate what they do have and it'll foster a life-long appreciation for service to others. I don't remember all the gifts I got as a child. The best things I remember are the fun times we spent as a family together and serving others.
4. Be realistic.
Everyone wants the holidays to be memorable and if your "to do" list is longer than you have time, then cut out some nonessentials. Recruit your spouse and your kids and have them help with everything including decorating, food prep, and what not. Remember it's far more important to make memories for your family by spending time with them and enjoying the little things.
5. Enjoy yourself too.
I know this last one is really hard as a parent, I'll confess to a few manic episodes during the holiday craziness myself. Take a deep breath, remember that all of this is supposed to be fun, and make sure it is. If you aren't having any fun then stop and try something else, hell, put yourself in time-out if you need to! ;0)

Try to keep all of this in mind as you run like a madwoman through Wal-Mart on Thursday morning because you forgot to buy potatoes...tsk, tsk, should have read my TiP fOr TuEsDaY! ;0)

Shameless plug time!

This is my friend Jamie, she makes great cards and crafts! You should go and check her blog here and enter her giveaway for a 55 dollar CSNstores gift card! You've been told, so hop to it! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 148)

Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa!

I'm thankful for always having enough to eat. Unfortunately, I know what it feels like to go hungry. I also know what it's like to depend on the kindness of others just to have the basics. My family always takes the time to donate to the food bank every year and I encourage anyone who is able to do the same. You'll be helping people right in your community. children, the elderly and maybe even someday someone will be helping you.You just never know...

What's a better treat for those chilly temperatures than hot cocoa? You're right I can't think of one either! So, if you're going to drink hot coca why not drink the best hot cocoa I say! Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa is the best, hands down! They have so many yummy flavors too, think Chocolate Mint Truffle (my personal fave), Dark Chocolate, Candy Cane Cocoa, Cherry Chocolate, Chocolate Cinnamon, Dulce de Leche, Pumpkin Spice....you get the idea! Not only is it really darn good, it's also gluten-free! Rock on!!
Is the nippy weather getting the best of you? If so, cuddle up with a cup of Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa and warm up! tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe! ;0)