French Toast that Delights

French Toast 

Preheat cast iron skillet and coat with coconut oil.  Preheat oven to 350.

2 eggs well beaten until frothy
1 cup (or so) coconut milk (unsweetened or vanilla sweetened work)
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
Cinnamon (optional)

Mix eggs and milk.  It will get nice and thick.  Add vanilla and cinnamon if desired.

Dip frozen bread into mixture and brown both sides of the bread.  Place browned bread on rimmed baking sheet.  Bake french bread for 10-20 minutes.  Serve with real maple syrup.

Braised Beef Ribs in a Dutch Oven

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Preheat cast iron skillet to medium high

Brown 4 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch long pieces in coconut oil in cast iron skillet

While browning ribs and mix together the remaining ingredients 
 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon  paprika
 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried ground thyme
2/3 cup tomato paste or ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce



Mix ingredients   

 Remove ribs and add to Dutch oven 
Put sauce in cast iron pan with dripping and mix

Pour sauce over ribs in Dutch oven

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 300 degrees cook for 2 hours 

 

2013

I think everyone does a bit of reflection at the end of the year and the beginning of the New Year.  We get that post holiday let down... sometimes it is the empty house after it was prettily decorated, a gift not received, goals not reached for the year, dealing with the result of indulging for the whole month of December on treats and goodies... whatever it is, we can bring all that into our new year.

Often we get the idea to make lofty resolutions or even just small ones.  Then. we. don't. do. them. not. one. bit.  Then we get the new year blues.

This year, I went with a new tack.  I am claiming a scripture verse for our family and each member.  My resolution is to use that for a praying point for them.  I started small.  I hope this grows into a mighty life changing work for us, but for now, this is what it is.  While I won't be sharing them all with you, I will share the simple, yet hard verse I am using for our family verse.

Luke 10:27
... You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

also found in the Old Testament

Deuteronomy 6:5
  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

The creche puzzle my grandpa made for me and a Cross my son made me. 

While this blog entry doesn't deal with food or allergies, in an abstract way it does.  Food nourishes us.  It nourishes our souls.  We gather together and break bread together.  Food is social.  This verse (I hope) will be nourishing to our family as we continue to eat allergen free and deal with how it impacts us.  We can look to God to sustain us and to give us knowledge to use food to heal our boys.

Not our fireplace, but oh, I wish it was!

New tradition of the boys playing Christmas Carols for us.

Wishing you and your family a very blessed 2013! I look forward to continuing to share recipes and life with you.

 

Creamed Corn

Creamed corn:

15 ounces of corn

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk

½ cup prepared Let’s Do Organice Crème

1 egg

1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers (GF such as Glutino)

Mix ingredients together and top with crushed crackers

Bake for 1 hour at 350*.

Gravy

Gravy

I would use a flour  mixture that has tapioca or potato starch..  Use 1/2 c. flour and a 'dash' of worcestershire, which I would probably skip myself (can be GF, but always make sure):

For the Gravy: Pour all the turkey pan drippings through a strainer into a liquid measuring cup and discard the solids.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the fat from the top of the drippings, and transfer to a saucepan.  To separate the remaining drippings and fat put them in the freezer for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, heat fat over medium heat, scatter the flour evenly on top and cook, stirring constantly, with a whisk until the flour browns slightly and smells toasty, about 4 minutes.   Slowly ladle the remaining hot broth into the flour mixture while whisking constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil; adjust the heat so it simmers gently. Skim and discard any excess fat from the remaining drippings, and add the pan juices to the gravy. Continue to simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with the Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.

New Cream of Mushroom Recipe

 Another Cream of Mushroom Recipe (Our favorite!)
½ box of Creamy Portabella Mushroom Soup by Imagine
1 cup diced mushrooms of choice
½ cup of prepared Let’s Do Organic Cremed Coconut prepared  (see note on pumpkin pie)
Dab of butter or coconut oil
1 TBSP agar agar flakes or tapioca flour

Saute mushrooms in butter.  Add in portabella soup and prepared coconut mixture.  Bring to a simmer.  Add in agar agar flakes.  Simmer on low for about 5 minutes.  Use in any recipe calling for cream of mushroom soup.

All American Boy

Its my sweet turkey's birthday and he requested a Captain America cake.  His birthday falls in a month were we have three hockey tournaments, Thanksgiving, two grandparents' birthdays, two cousins' birthdays, numerous hockey games, and a major violin concert for his older brother.  And yes, most of those events fall in the week surrounding his birthday.

I really wanted to take the easy way out and make just a shield cake, but his beguiling eyes begged for a cake with a person on it.

Now, this is not my best cake, but for making it at 11:00 pm after two hockey games, a hockey practice, violin concert and cousin's birthday party all in one day, I am pretty proud of it.  Tomorrow is his party, because, yes, its the only time we have free for weeks.  I hope he loves it when he wakes up to see it, because I sure love him.

And just 'cause I'm the recipe junkie, I have to say, I used Cooqi Cake and Pastry flour to make the white cake (YUM!) and my buttercream recipe for the frosting.  The cake is hand piped (eyeballing a picture).

Ok, I'm toast.  Off to bed for a few hours of sleep before its wake up and repeat... Hockey practice, tournament game, hockey game, birthday party... and maybe some sleep.