Graham Crackers - Adapted from "Eating For Autism" by E. Strickland

This is a really good recipe that I use from the book, Eating For Autism by Elizabeth Strickland. I added a couple of ingredients to the original recipe and these are really, REALLY good! I make a bulk batch and, with homemade marshmallows, they make excellent s'mores. Spread them with peanut butter and it's a snack for school. I will not lie, these are kind of labor intensive. But, if you make a big batch, they store well so you only have to do it once a month.

2/3 cup Spectrum Shortening
1 cup honey or agave nectar
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients to form a thick, pasty dough. And...here comes the work. Cut parchment paper to fit your cookie sheets. Blop some dough on your parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, roll over the plastic wrap until your dough is the size of your parchment paper. You will have to experiment with this process until it makes sense to you. Basically, the dough won't stick to the parchment paper, which makes baking easier. You can roll it better with the plastic wrap over top because the dough is really sticky and the plastic wrap makes a nice barrier, also it won't stick to the dough so you can take it off before you bake it :) Anyway, once your dough is spread to cover your parchment paper and the thickness is relatively uniform, transfer the parchment and the dough to your cookie sheet and remove plastic wrap. Then, using a butter knife, score your crackers to the size/shape you want. Poke holes in the middle of each cracker with your knife or a fork. Put in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Pull out a bit and re-cut the lines you scored before baking. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Take out of the oven and put the next batch in. This recipe makes about 3 cookie sheets full. Let your crackers cool and test for desired crispness (they harden as they cool)- some might not be crisp - those you can return to the oven for a couple more minutes and let them cool again to see if they are done. It's not an exact science and I have made these a lot of times and am still working to perfect my technique. Obviously, since these are kind of a pain to make, they'd better be good - and they are. My kids love them!

Butter Pecan Frozen Custard

This stuff is incredibly rich and creamy - I made it for my dairy loving husband and can't wait to see his reaction!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup raw chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons Earth’s Balance margarine
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 C Rice Dream
• 1 C powdered milk substitute (I like Better Than Milk – Rice or Vance’s DariFree)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tsp xanthan gum

Directions

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, saute pecans in butter until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir together brown sugar, eggs and half rice milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat pour into blender to blend with remaining rice milk and vanilla.
3. Pour into freezer safe bowl and refrigerate to cool
4. Once cool, put bowl in the freezer, stir every hour to two until custard is the consistency of pudding. Add pecans and stir to disperse evenly…freeze until done.

"Butter"cream Frosting

This is my standard frosting recipe - it's my Mommy's recipe but adapted to deal with food allergies.

1/2 C Earth's Balance margarine melted
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 C powdered sugar (I buy 365 organic from Whole Foods b/c it doesn't contain corn starch)
2 tsp vanilla
non-dairy milk as needed

Mix all except the milk, add milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. The key is the bit of salt - it makes it extra yummy! Enjoy on whatever cake you like. If you want to color this frosting, try natural food coloring from India Tree or you can substitute fruit juice concentrate for the milk to add tint and flavor.

Yummy Carrot Cake - recipe from about.com

Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups light olive oil OR your favorite vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (I use 3/4 C sorghum, 3/4 C white rice and 1/2 C tapioca)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans)
• 3 cups freshly grated carrots

Use two round 9-inch cake pans, one 9x13 pan or 36 muffin cups for this recipe. If using round cake pans, lightly grease and place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan for easy removal. Use paper lining cups if making cupcakes.
1. Cream sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric beater or stand mixer. Add oil and vanilla and beat just until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until blended.
3. Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated (350) oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. For muffins, reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.
5. While cake or muffins are cooling, make frosting.
6. When cake is cool frost.

Vanilla Birthday Cake

This is my standard birthday cake after trying, and failing, with a number of different recipes. Top it with whatever you like - the cake can handle it :) Nobody knows it's gluten or dairy free unless I tell them..or they see me eating it :)

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups white rice flour
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise - yes, mayonnaise - use the real stuff
• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and rice flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Mix the white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.
3. Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread batter into the prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost and decorate!

Some Random Advice for Halloween

Last year, I posted a big rant about Halloween on Katy Autism Support's board. This year, I'm determined to make better choices. Here's what I've learned after lots of Halloweens' with a sensory sensitive kid:

Costume: Costumes need to fit correctly, not touch ankles, not be too tight around the collar, and not involve anything that goes on the head. So, this year - Lambert asked to be Jengo Fett and yep, the costume comes with a mask. I'm not a crafty sewing kind of Mom so I get our costumes at Party City - what can I say? Anyway, he is currently swearing up and down that he will wear that mask but I'm going to be prepared this year. This year, I will be armed with face paint...just in case. In Lambert's world, face paint is absolutely acceptable while headwear is a little shady :) Since I never know what kind of day it might be, I will make sure he's actually completely costumed, as opposed to running around in a random jumpsuit and crocs.

Candy: Now, I'll just start off by saying that I am a sanity loving woman. As such, I never, EVER give my kids anything that is artificially colored or flavored. Why? Because my children's sanity dissolves within minutes of consumption and, therefore, mine within the hour. So, it's considered an "allergy" at my house and that's how it's going to stay. Mix that in with a gluten intolerance and pretty much any trick or treat candy is out the window. Do we skip that time honored tradition of taking candy from strangers? Heck no! We trick or treat until are so overstimulated we're dueling strangers with our costume weaponry. However, when we get home, the kids trade in unacceptable treats for a big old bag of goodies I ordered from www.naturalcandystore.com. Sanity at the mere price of $25/kid - a bargain in my book.

Trick or Treating: Remember when I mentioned that whole dueling thing? Um...not a joke. I fact, last year, Lambert whacked an unknown man in the package (with his sword...) while I was admiring his darling baby dressed as a ladybug. So, what does this mean? Go EARLY! Be one of the first trick or treaters on the scene to avoid the crowds. Get kids back before the street is totally mobbed, put them in front of a movie and station a parent outside with candy for the rest of the crowd. Therefore, you can avoid all that noisy doorbell/shouting stuff being heard inside. When kids are in bed, sit outside together and enjoy the evening. And, for God's sake, keep the swords away from the kid with Autism! :)

I hope all these tips helps us all have a happy and indulgent Halloween. Stay safe!

Pizza!

This is just food I will not live without. Friday nights, you will find me making homemade pizza and knocking back a Red Bridge gluten free beer or two. It's kind of a pain but man, is it GOOD!

Here's how it goes:

Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust: I get this through a subscription service from amazon.com. It's about $2.50/pkg delivered to my door every month - yummy and easy!

Prepare crust as directed, spread evenly with wet hands on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake 10 mins at 425. Top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings - bake 8-10 mins at 425.

Some words about cheese: I can't eat cow cheese - I have an asthma attack, it's bad news. My oldest son can't deal with cow's milk, he gets kooky. Neither of us, however, is bothered by goat or sheep cheese. Yes, there is casein in those cheeses. However, it's a shorter chain form that does not break down to an opioid peptide. So, while it's not casein free, it doesn't get anyone in my family like cow cheese does. So, give it a try and see how it goes for your family. If you absolutely CAN'T deal with animal cheese, you can try Daiya. I didn't hate it but my kids did.

With all that said, I get my sheep cheese cheaply at Phonecia on Westheimer. They have lots of cool stuff there and it's definitely worth checking it out. I like Haloumi and Romano Pecorino cheeses best for my pizza. You can also get goat and/or sheep feta there at a great price. Bear in mind, US produced feta comes from cow's milk, not goat's milk.

Enjoy a weekly tradition at your house. Long live Pizza Night!!