Powdered Sugar - a test in patience.......

As I stated earlier, all commercial powdered sugar contains cornstarch. I have not been able to find one brand that doesn't have it. So I must make it from scratch. It can be made too! All you need is a blender (a VitaMix is a wonderful help!), normal granulated sugar, and time.

First, make sure the blender is very dry.
Second, add about 1/4 c. sugar
Third, place wet rag on top of blender lid to catch escaping sugar.
Fourth, blend on highest setting for about 5 minutes.
Fifth, taste to see if there is any graininess to the sugar.
If yes, let the blender cool a minute and proceed to blend again for a couple more minutes.
If no, dump out into container, and start again at step one.

It is very important that you let the blender cool between blendings. Why you may ask? Well, if the blender gets too hot it will start to melt the sugar. Trust me! I have ruined 2 blenders this way. We want powdered sugar - not caramel:)

A VitaMix is a wonderful help in making powdered sugar. My friend has allowed me to borrow hers and I have made large batches of powdered sugar in a matter of minutes (okay 20 minutes - but it beats 3 hours any day!)

Yeah! New Treat for the Kiddos!

Hannah recently was invited to a birthday party where "Puppy Chow" was on the menu. Puppy Chow? That was my thought too. So going to my favorite spot for questions - Google - I quickly found my answer. Puppy Chow is a mixture of Rice Chex, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Butter, and Powdered Sugar. Could I modify this to work for my kiddos? I did and the kids loved it! They gobbled it all up. But I wanted to test it on an innocent bystander so I gave a few bites to a boy from down the block. He LOVED it! So I consider that a success! Here is the recipe:)

Gluten Free and Allergy Free Puppy Chow:

9 cups of General Mills Rice Chex (the only brand that is GF)

1 c. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

1/2c. SunButter (or any other nut butter that works for your diet)

1/4 c. Flieshman's Unsalted Margarine (has some corn oil in it but my son tolerates it well - - use whatever works for your family)

1 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar - - all commercial powdered sugar contains cornstarch so you will need to make your own. The next post will explain how to make it.

Melt Chocolate Chips, SunButter, and Margarine together until smooth. Pour over the top of the Rice Chex and mix until well blended. After blending, pour mixture into a 2 gallon ziplock bag. Pour in powdered sugar and shake. If you are out of bags (or like me to frugal to buy a box for one bag), I just stirred really carefully to coat well. :)

Store in the fridge as Enjoy Life's Chocolate Chips do not withstand warmer temps well.

Gluten Free Flour Blend.......

Many of the newer gluten free recipe blends have cornstarch, corn flour, or nut flours in them. For our family these new better tasting blends are out. But I have been able to come up with one that I LOVE! I think it tastes the best of anything that I have ever made before.

5 cups brown rice flour (you use all white rice flour or do a mix of brown and white rice flour)
1 cup sorghum flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cups tapioca starch/flour

Mix well and use:)

Where to begin?!?!

Who are we? We are a family with allergies. My children are allergic to - wheat, corn, soy, diary, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (all but almond), sesame, and shellfish. In addition to this they must also maintain a gluten free diet - - so out go rye, barly, spelt, and others!

Why are I starting this blog? I am starting this blog to document recipes and foods that I feed to my kids. I want to serve them by building a library of recipes for them to use when they are older and also as a way to serve the many families that have similiar needs. My goal is to find recipes from around the world that are already allergy friendly or that need little modification.

We are on a tight budget so I will also share ways to watch the bottom line while still being able to enjoy lots of delicious foods.

I hope this blog will be a blessing.

Teresa