Tess-Quik aka Gluten Free, Fructose Free Baking Mix

I love this stuff.  Period.  I found the recipe at Gingerlemongirl.com.  I originally found her new updated super healthy version, but was quickly put off by all the "not normal" ingredients.  The link below will take you to the version of the mix I make.  Below are the changes I've made to it, to make it fructose free, and Tess-approved.

Gluten Free All Purpose/Master Baking Mix

Ingredients that I've subbed out and their replacements:

brown rice flour white rice flour
oat flour - or - millet flour sorghum flour
tapioca flour - equal parts corn starch and arrowroot starch

This is now a staple in our pantry, which we have affectionately named "Tess-Quik"

Ginger Lemon Girl has a bunch of recipes posted on her blog that you can use this mix for.  I bought her e-book Gluten Free Baking *101* and it has been invaluable.  It also has a bunch of recipes using the mix.  It's the only cookbook I've paid for since we switched to the gluten free, low fructose diet.  It has a nice bit of information about the different flours and starches along with recipes.

Ready, Set, Bake!

In an effort to make my days easier, I've been packaging up baking mixes in mason jars. It is super easy to grab a jar of mix to take when Tess spends the night at grandma’s or to make for potlucks.

I stumbled across a master muffin mix online at themakeyourownzone.com.  I've changed it to be gluten-free and low fructose.

This mix is amazing.

It doesn't taste gritty or slimy like some gluten-free foods.  People don’t even realize it’s gluten free and low fructose unless I tell them.

As always, my goal with my recipes is to create/adapt quick and easy gluten-free and low-fructose recipes that are taste approved by my 6-year-old and that have lower cost, easier to find ingredients.

Gluten Free Low Fructose Muffin Mix

Ingredients

·         2 2/3 cups sorghum flour

·         2 2/3 cups white rice flour

·         1 1/3 cups arrowroot starch

·         1 1/3 cups corn starch

·         4 tsp xanthan gum

·         2 cups evaporated cane juice

·         1 1/3 cups powdered dextrose

·         3 TBSP baking powder

·         2 tsp salt

·         1 TBSP ground cinnamon

·         1 TBSP ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in an extra large bowl, whisking and stirring until thoroughly combined.

Keep it all in an airtight container or divide it into single batch jars.  A single batch (2 ¾ cups) should just fit into a pint size mason jar.

The recipe makes just over 5 batches of muffins. 

2 ¾ cups mix should make 12-18 muffins.

Substitutions –

·         The evaporated cane juice and dextrose can be swapped out for whatever dry sweetener you prefer, as long as it is the equivalent of 3 cups of granulated sugar.

·         Millet flour can be used instead of the sorghum flour.

·         Arrowroot starch, Tapioca starch/flour or potato starch can be used instead of corn starch.

To make muffins:

Ingredients

·         1 Jar muffin mix (2 ¾ cups)

·         1 egg

·         1 cup milk

·         ½ cup butter (melted)

·         1 cup “add-In”  (see below)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Put paper liners in a muffin tin, or grease REALLY well.

Mix egg, milk & butter in a small bowl until well combined.

Dump dry mix into a mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Add wet ingredients.  Stir until just moistened.  Stir in add in.

Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes.

Add In ideas:      Berries, Mashed banana, Pumpkin puree, Chocolate chips, etc…

So far I've made blueberry, chocolate chip, and bittersweet almond muffins.  If you try it and I’d love to hear about it.

deal.

depression sucks.
not the my-cat-just-died depressed.
the mind-numbing, bone-aching, unending-grey-swirling-mess depression.

it sucks.

deal.

admit it. look yourself in the mirror.
say, yes, I am depressed. I am having a hard time functioning on a day to day basis.  I will make an appointment to see a health care professional.  i will go to said appointment.

giving in and sleeping all day is easier.
easier for whom?

you?  sure, probably.
your family?
nope.  not a chance.

deal.  get up. function.

you don't have to like it, it will probably hurt and totally suck.
you'll get frustrated that you can barely manage to switch the loads of laundry before you're exhausted.

it doesn't matter.
get up. do it.
grit your teeth and deal with it.

switch the laundry.
someone is counting on you.  someone needs you to switch the loads.

what you do is more important than how you feel.

great.  now there are clothes in the dryer so everyone will have clean clothes in the morning.

what's next?

food.  yup.  kids will want to eat.  spouses want to eat. pets, they want to eat too.
believe it or not, you need to eat, even if the thought of food makes you sick to your stomach.

deal with it. eat. something.

Ramen.  mac and cheese. easy dinner.  feed your family.

now they are fed and clothed.  the basics.  sit at the table and listen.
don't put your head down.

sit.
up.

listen to your family, talk with them, love them.

even if you aren't worth the effort, don't be selfish.
they are.  live for them.  deal with it for them.
don't lay on the couch and whine.

just deal with it.

overwhelmed yet?

deal.

deal with it everyday until you realize you are no longer dealing, but living.  figure it out.

but don't, don't, tell me you can't do something, or you're too tired.
it's a cop out.

been there.  done that.

I dealt. I functioned.  it sucked.

and now it doesn't.

Easy-Peasy Homemade Greek Yogurt

Tess loves flavored yogurt, but all the sugar-free ones in the store taste like aspartame.  Blech.  So I looked online for a method of making yogurt that didn't require a yogurt maker...or a bunch of effort... and I found one.

It sounded way too easy to actually work, so I kept looking.  and I found another recipe almost identical to the first.  hmm.  could I really make greek yogurt in my crockpot???

I can.  and it is delicious.  I shall strive to remember to take pictures of the steps next time I make a batch.  until then, here's the basic recipe.

Homemade Greek Yogurt

makes: about 32 oz

ingredients 

·         ½ gallon (8 cups) milk

·         ½ cup (6 oz) plain yogurt (with live cultures)

directions 

1.      Pour milk into slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 2 -2½ hours, or until temperature is 180 ºF.

2.   Turn off slow cooker and unplug it.  Let milk cool in slow cooker on counter for 3 hours, or until temperature is between 105 ºF and 110 ºF.

3.    Pour 1 (ish) cup of warmed milk into a small bowl.  Add yogurt.  Whisk to combine.  Pour milk and yogurt mixture back into slow cooker.  Whisk to combine.

4.      Put lid back on slow cooker.  Wrap entire bowl and lid with a towel and place in oven with light on.  Let sit in oven for 7-8 hours.

5.      Remove from oven.  Place in refrigerator for 3 hours, or until yogurt is cooled.

at this point you have "normal" yogurt.  to make it Greek:

6.    Line a strainer with multiple layers of damp cheesecloth or a layer of damp cotton (muslin).  Place strainer over a bowl.  Pour yogurt into strainer.  Return to refrigerator for 1 hour. 

7.      Pour off liquid in bowl and return to refrigerator to strain for 1 more hour.

8.      Sweeten yogurt to taste if desired and store in refrigerator in sealed containers.

notes:

~I usually scoop out 1/2 cup of unsweetened yogurt and save it in the fridge as the "starter" for the next batch.

~unsweetened it can be used as a sour cream substitute. (I used it in a bean dip this weekend and no one could tell it was yogurt)

~I've used both whole milk and 1%.  I liked the 1% better, it tastes less fatty.

~The liquid that is strained off is whey.  It can be used in cooking or fed to tomato plants.  Personally, I soak a bunch of oatmeal in it overnight and feed it to my chickens in the morning.  They love it.

costs:

a 1/2 gallon of milk cost me $1.44, and the initial yogurt purchase was ~$1.00, so that first batch cost me $2.44 for about 32 oz of yogurt.  Since then, I've been using my own starter, so now, it's about $1.44 for 32 oz, which is less than $0.30 a serving. 

I've been making about a batch a week, and then turning most of it into Low-Fructose Fruit-at-the-Bottom yogurt cups.

Perhaps you'd like to see how I do that?

Well, there you go.

In case you hadn't noticed, I've not been sewing much around here.  When we figured out that Tessa's tummy couldn't process fructose, I did a bunch of research and am now re-learning how to cook and bake gluten-free (GF) and no/low fructose (LF).  So the few extra minutes I had been sewing, I am now trying to find food that taste good and Tess can eat. 

Since I really don't want to make two of everything - blackberry cobbler, cupcakes, cookies - I've been making our sweeet treats Tessa-safe.

Trying to find a balance between the effort expended in preparing meals that everyone can eat and the additional cost of making enough GF/LF foods for the entire family has been tricky.  GF flours are stupidly expensive.  So, we've limited our cakes and cookies at the house because I'm too lazy to make a batch GF/LF, wash everything and clean up, then make a second "normal" batch.

I'd rather spend my time elsewhere, thank you very much.  One of my least favorite chores is cleaning the kitchen, why on earth would I subject my self to doing that twice as often?

Tonight I whipped up a batch of brownies using a master baking mix recipe I modified.  Josh gave it the name "Tess-Quik" and it stuck.

No recipe tonight, we haven't tasted them yet.   But they sure smell promising!

I miss blogging, mostly because I felt like it was an outlet for the random thoughts and happenings I want to share.  So, perhaps I will be back more often, but there will be little to no craft-sewing going on here.

Instead, I'd like to use this as a platform to share with my friends and family, who I don't see/talk to much.  Mostly because I dislike "chatting" on the phone. 

I'm also using the Blogger app on my tablet, so be prepared for not-perfect posts.

GF, FF Peanut Butter Cookies

Super Simple, Extraordinary Cookies.  

Can't even tell they're gluten & sugar free.

Adapted from:  Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies 

Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients

1 large egg 
1 cup powdered dextrose 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 cup (9 1/2 oz) unsweetened peanut butter 
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract 

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Beat together egg, sugar, baking soda and vanilla in a standing mixer. Beat well, until thoroughly mixed and slightly fluffy.  Beat in the peanut butter. 

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, pressing lightly with the back of a fork. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until browned. Don't be tempted to take them out early, they need to be set all the way through.

Transfer to a paper-towel covered wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Fructose Malabsorption

Did you know that fructose is in everything?!?!  Well, almost everything.  We finally got up to see a specialist for my littlest's tummy problems.  She suggested we try a fructose-free diet for a month and see if that helped.

It did.  Within 4 days she was a completely different child.  No tummy-aches, no constipation.  For awhile I was completely overwhelmed by the lifestyle change I was confronted with.  Now, we're slowing building up the food choices available.  


She can have corn tortillas, refried beans and cheese, so she's completely happy.


I have complied a list of foods that are okay, as well as those that aren't.    Basically you start with a gluten-free diet and eliminate most sweeteners, fruits and veggies.

Long story short - my family has asked for a list of foods and recipes that Tessa can enjoy.  Since I already have this blog, I figured this would be the best place to post such things.

In my research I haven't been able to find many recipes.  I will post mine, as I create them, to help others in search of kid-friendly fructose free foods.

Needless to say, sewing has taken a backseat for the time being.  Such is life.

Tessa-safe foods are listed here.

When I create them, recipes will be here.

Ow. My brain hurts.

Whew.  Right now I barely have time to breathe, let alone blog.  

My list of priorities goes like this:

Mom-ing

Schooling

Housework

Laundry

Sewing

Blogging.

Sorry - bottom of the list, but that's how it is at the moment.

I'm carving out these few minutes while I listen to my kiddos argue about, well, who-knows-what.  I can tell you they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is getting their jammies on and hopping into bed for book-time.

Utterly frustrating.

Please don't get me wrong.  I love my children.  I adore them. I even like them.

Always have, always will.  But by golly they can be so utterly frustrating.

 And wow, have I had a month.

My littlest is 6. She's very smart and tested into 1st grade in November.  

This picture was taken about a month ago.  Goof-ball.

Very intelligent.  She's also only 6 years old.  So, I struggle with our expectations of her.  Is it unrealistic to expect her to wash her own hair?  How about putting her clothes away in the CORRECT drawer?

I try to think back to when the other two were six and its not really apples to apples, ya know?  

She has been struggling with tummy pain.

We finally have an appointment to see a pediatric "tummy doctor" but not until May 1.

I know there are days when she hurts and doesn't tell me, and then there are the days when it hurts too much for her to go to school.  Hopefully, will will get it all figured out soon.

My middle one, my BOY.  and wow is he a boy.

taken at Christmas, my boy is on the right, his cousin on the left.

 He totally reminds me of pigpen in the Peanuts cartoons.  He just steps outside and he's covered in dirt. He's growing out his hair, which adds to the shaggy messy look.

He also constantly is making noise - either sound effects or talking.

c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y.  

I try really hard to not let it drive me batty.  But man, wow.

an hour in the car with him feels like, well, an hour. in a car.  with constant noises behind my seat.

Other than that he's pretty easy right now, but being the middle child and the only boy, we do try to make sure he feels special too.  

My eldest.

chopped off all her hair, in February.

 Man oh man.  She will be ten at the end of the month.  And the attitude has begun.  Snarky comments and back talking.  Currently, we're simply calling her on the attitude, telling her flat out when she's being disrespectful and rude. We're working on ways to treat her like she's 10 and not younger, like her sibs.  Tonight she made dinner - Mac & Cheese with Hot Dogs.

So totally normal family life, right?

Parenting seems to be taking more "time" lately.  For some reason they're rather high-maintenance at the moment.  But, I love being a mom.

I love being their mom.  Bring it on.

I love it more than fabric.

Add to that - I'm back to school.  I made it through my first term, yeah!

This new term is kicking my tail-feathers.  I'm taking Math, Chemistry and Soil Science.  Who's brilliant plan is was this?  So much left-brain use and little time for creativity.

And

 - wait - 

our home computer decided it was done. 

Blue screen of death and everything.

 So, after weighing the pros and cons we got a slick new laptop.  Which is great, except I spent the last 3 days getting all the software, programs and files on the new one. Getting new technology is not fun and exciting when it is unplannned.

On the plus side - I did get the new photoshop elements.  I'd been using 2.0 and now I've got 10.  Whoo hoo, wow, totally awesome - if I could find time to play with it.  I also got a new-to-me "real" camera, on loan from a photographer friend, for me to try out.  Again, gotta find time to play with it.

Another plus - 

I got my chickens!  

Or at least the first of them.  We ended up at the Farm Store on Free Chick Day.

Free!  How could I not bring some home? 

 I'm expecting more chicks to arrive in a couple of weeks.  tee-hee!

About a month ago I did manage to finish my Carolina Christmas.

I gave up finding the perfect binding and went with what I had.

 So, chicks on quilts!

Now I need to go figure out "Sine & Cosine and Their Functions"

All really want it a nice tumbler of Irish Whiskey,* 

whiskyla.com

Some cheesy chips, and an evening of NCIS.

tvbreakroom.com

*disclaimer - I rarely indulge, usually when I'm feeling like I need a nice treat.

Kinda like chocolate - only not really the same at all.

Family

I struggled for a while before writing this post. Do I share? Do I not?

I write this from my perspective. This week has affected many, what I share is what I feel, no one else.

My maternal grandmother passed away this week. It was not overly unexpected, she had alzheimer's, got pnuemonia and just couldn't recover. My sister and I took turns at her bedside, supporting our mom. 

I didn't really have a relatonship with my grandmother, we lived too far away to visit much,and when she moved closer, it was because of the alzheimers, and the woman my cousins knew was already disappearing. 

So, truly I feel very little loss. I don't regret not knowing her her either.

Supporting my mom and helping her was my main focus.  Yes, it was emotional comforting and watching my grandmother progress to the end.

It was incredibly hard for me, but not nearly as hard it was on my mom and her siblings who couldn't be here all week.  Slowly they trickled in, coming as soon as they could.  My mom's family has never been close, and family gatherings have been few and far between. 

Putting it mildly, it has been an emotionally exhausing week.  The service is planned for tomorrow and then they will all scatter across the country, back to their own lives and families.

This is not a sad post.

Last night, in the midst of wind storm that knocked out power at my house and dumped snow overnight, they came to my house.  I warned them all, my aunts and cousins, before they came out, I have no power!
But still they came. 
Luckily the power was restored before too long.

I reconnected with cousins that I never realized I had things in common with.  My kids and theirs played together almost instantly, even though they'd never met. Yes, there were tears and reactions that were fueled more by lack of sleep and stess than any rational thoughts. But there was also laughter, hugs and chocolate covered pretzels.

My mom and two of her sisters went home just after midnight.

These next two days will be just as exhausting.

But you know, if this wasn't happening at this particular time, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to know my extended family and lend my strength and support to a situation that I feel uniquely qualified to help with. More than likely, I wouldn't even know anything was happening, nor would they be aware of my experiences or would take my offers seriously.

My heart aches for those around me struggling to process the events of the last week, but personally I wonder at the timing of it all.
So, please, don't feel sorry for my loss.

I have lost little but gained much.

Guest Posting Today!!

I'm guest poster today over at Sew We Quilt!

The second installment of the Choose Your Own Adventure Projects!

Go look!  I'm so excited, my first guest post anywhere!