Blueberry Muffins {Gluten Free}

In case you hadn’t noticed, I have a thing for muffins. They are less messy because they are conveniently wrapped in their own personal muffin cup. I can grab one to go faster than, say, banana bread, because I don’t have to slice it, or get a napkin. Plus, I just feel that they are healthier.  This particular recipe is sugar-free, dairy-free, and packs some protein from almond flour, coconut flour, and eggs. (See the more detailed breakdown below) Here’s the blueberry muffin recipe:

Combine Dry Ingredients:

1 cup Pamela’s Artesian Flour Blend

1 cup almond four

½ cup coconut flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking soda

Mix wet ingredients:

6 eggs

½ cup honey

¾ teaspoons vanilla

1 ripe banana 

Natural Mosquito Repellent

I love the internet, but I hate it.  As Abraham Lincoln so wisely pointed out, “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity.”

But seriously, we found this natural mosquito repellent recipe somewhere on the internet, and now I do not know which website it is originally from because this picture (left) and recipe are on

Mosquitoes and Wasps and Bites, Oh My!

The word “mosquitoes” brings other words to mind. Bugs. Blood-suckers. Real-life vampires. Disease-carriers. But for most of us in first-world countries, they’re just annoying. Itchy. Stop! Don’t scratch your

Banana Bread Brownies or Bars {Gluten Free}

These are delightfully moist due to the bananas and sour cream. We actually found this recipe on Facebook (looks like that content is not available anymore) but we had to modify it to make it gluten free, like almost everything, and we reduced the sugar. (While you’re at it, like my page, Left and Write.)

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

½ cup butter, softened

 2 eggs

1 ¾ cups or 4 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

French Toast Strata, or Breakfast Casserole {Gluten Free}

How many times has this happened to you: you try out a new type of gluten free bread, and it flops. It tastes funny. It’s dry. It crumbles. You think to yourself, Now what am I going to do? That bread was expensive, and I’ve got to somehow choke it down, because I can’t let it go to waste!

You could just toast the bread in the toaster before you eat it, because all gluten free breads taste better toasted. It makes them moister somehow. Or, better yet, you could make French toast with the bread. But, when you have a whole loaf of unpleasant bread, the best thing to do is to make French toast strata in a 9x13 pan, and use it up in one fell swoop!

We love to make this dish the night before a big weekend, and/or when we have company so we don’t have to take time to make breakfast, we just have to bake breakfast.

(For more ways to save dry bread, try this stuffing recipe. If you are still looking for truly good gluten free bread, checkout some of the brands I've tried here.)

Ingredients:

(1) ~1 pound loaf of gluten free bread

(1) 8 ounce package of cream cheese, thawed to room temperature

6 Tablespoons melted butter
2 ½ cups milk

¼ cup maple syrup

8 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Black Raspberry Crisp {Gluten Free}

Donuts are to bagels what cupcakes are to muffins, or what store bought is to homemade- sugary and overrated versus wholesome and even healthy.

I propose another lovely switch for gluten free people: crisp in exchange for pie. Pies are already too time-consuming for me my mom to make, and it only gets worse when you add gluten-free dough! It sticks to everything but itself! It won’t hold its shape. Crisps are quick and obedient by comparison.

Filling:

5 cups black raspberries

½ cup sugar

¼ cup potato starch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

dash of cloves

Combine and dump in a greased 8 by 8 pan. We use coconut oil for grease.

Topping:

½ cup each of oats*, 

Hot Lemonade

Hee hee hee. Imagine deep, diabolical chuckling. Deep, because I woke up with a sore throat. Diabolical because I figured out how to transfer pictures from a camera to this blog. All by myself. Ok, so someone
showed me, but now I can do it all by myself.

Anyway, I woke up with a sore throat, so naturally I made myself some hot lemonade. It is our family’s go-to sore throat soothing hot drink, especially for the members of the family who do not like real tea. It has been around so long I’m not sure where we got the recipe. Most likely it came from my grandma.

What is the recipe? It’s simple.

Red, White, and Berry Gluten Free Muffins

These patriotic muffins have red raspberries, “white” bananas, and “blue” black raspberries. The batter has an almost biscuit-like consistency, light and fluffy, unlike any other dense gluten free muffin you’ve ever tasted! They are also sugar free, sweetened with bananas and honey.

Yield 2 dozen

Ingredients; Dry:

1 cup Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix, (which is add-an-egg-and-oil-easy. It has flours, starches, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum)

1 ¾ cup Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend (flours, starches and guar gum)

1 cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

The Declaration of Independance

“When in the course of human events…” the famous document begins. What  made it so potent and transcendent? Thomas Jefferson, representing the thirteen colonies, penned the powerful declaration appealing to God’s authority, logic, and pathos.

Image from http://www.founding.com/the_declaration_of_i/
Read the full text of the Declaration there as well

Wisely, Jefferson based his case on the Solid
Rock. “They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…” These rights are not removable because they come from God, not government. Thomas appeals to the “Supreme Judge of the world,” rather than King George, who has turned a deaf ear. Not surprisingly, God is also the author of Justice, order, and logic.

Continuing on, Jefferson piles up pillars of logic to frame his case. He explains that “Prudence… will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light… causes…” This is not a whimsical fancy. Thomas’ tone indicates he means business; he uses formal, serious words. Systematically, he lists the thirteen colonies’ complaints against the King. George III won’t listen to reason or representation. He set up puppet rulers and tore down proper ones. He required a standing army in peace time, forced colonists to quarter

What Keeps People Up at Night?

What keeps people up at night? Fears. Noises. Nothing in particular. Whether rational or laughable, strange things keep writers awake.

Everyone’s heard of writer’s block, where one cannot think of what to write about, or how to write it, but

Flourless Chocolate Cake {Gluten Free}

I love this recipe! Sometimes I have looked up a delicious dessert only to find it called for a type or brand of gluten free flour I had never heard of, did not have, or could not find in my area. Who wants to pay shipping and handling? I find it hard to justify buying and trying every gluten-free package out there. It is expensive, especially because gluten-free foods are not created equal! I never know if it is going to be dry, crumbly, and/or flavored funny!

This dish has none of those problems. It is a dense, moist chocolate cake, almost like a brownie. It is perfect for friends or relatives who are not gluten-free. There are no pricey, gluten-free flours and gums (xanthan gum or guar gum) in this dish. You or your friends do not have to buy a big bag of some ingredient that you will only use once to make a gluten free dish! This is also great for novices like my mom and I were when we found this recipe. 

You can make a basic chocolate cake, or a mint chocolate cake, or a cream cheese marble. Plus, you can make it dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips. I've used baking chocolate chips that are not "certified" df but don't have any dairy in the ingredients. 

Finally, you can make brownie bites in mini or standard size muffin cups! (Line the cups with paper and bake for less time.) Spooning batter into muffin tins takes more time so we usually just make the cake.

Batter:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or df chips).

*Variation: dark chocolate and mint chips (2 in 1 package from Nestle)

1/2 cup butter, or if you want to make it dairy free, coconut oil.

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs                

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

Directions:

To Blog, or Not to Blog, that is the Question

Obviously I decided to take the plunge, or more accurately, to dip my toe in and test the waters. I feel like just another fish in the sea. Why should anyone read my blog in the sea of countless others? Let me tell you. I plan on posting on a variety of topics, including eating gluten free, being a writer, and surprising subjects you will just have to keep watching for. I hope to make a splash, but I am also realistically concentrating on creating ripples before I make waves. Because I am just starting out, I will not be posting every single day. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please paddle back again soon.