Saturday, October 22, 2016

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies






3/4 C butter
1/4 C vegetable oil
3/4 C brown sugar
2 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1 1/4 C gluten free flour blend
1 C coconut flour
2 C chocolate chips

In a stand mixer, mix in order.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.



I came up with this recipe because I had some of the flour blend and some of the coconut flour but not enough for the recipe I had tried before.  It also called for shortening and more sugar, so these were my adaptations.  Turns out, the flavor came out perfect this way as well as the shape and color.  The nice thing about adding a little coconut flour is it has tons of protein and fiber which are usually lacking in the basic GF flour blends.  I only baked up about 15 of these and then froze the other cookie dough balls for later.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Berry Crisp



I had a bag of berries in my freezer with high hopes for starting my green smoothie habit back up. Since that hasn't happened, and I was craving a warm dessert, I decided to really work on creating a crisp recipe.  I usually like my sugar amounts lower than standard recipes so I can taste the tartness of the fruit, and I also need it to be gluten free.  Here's what I'm enjoying the most right now:



6 C frozen berries
1/4 C white sugar
2 T cornstarch

Mix and place in glass 9 x 13 pan.

1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C gluten free flour mix
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 cube butter

I mix those in bowl, you can cut in the butter like with pie crust, but I just microwave the whole thing for 30 seconds and then mix the soft butter into the rest of the mixture.

Then sprinkle over berries in pan and bake at 375 for an hour.


Man it makes the house smell good!


Thursday, October 13, 2016

Living Room ideas

This morning I was daydreaming about living rooms.  The time will come when we start planning for a home again and really the living room is a main event.  The kitchen is a big deal too...and I hope to have them connected, but where we sit and talk and relax together will set the tone for our home I think. 



Bettendorf, Iowa - Jennifer Home (by Windmiller Design)



 When I started looking through inspiration photos I noticed some trends.  I like balance and equivalent "weight" on each side.


Industrial Home Designs


I like plain colored walls.  Patterned wall paper increases my sensory stress.  I like the full wall's scale of one color.


Anita


I thought I was sick of gray in decorating, but it is SO calming.  I relax when I look at these pictures.  Big clear windows are everything to me too.  I love light and I love feeling more connected to the outside.


Budget Blinds


I like brick--real brick, accents that remind me of industrial loft-like spaces.


Contemporary Ranch House
Funky and Fun Living Room



Natural materials (stone and wood) speak to me, too.


Mountain Park Residence
Salon with Custom Plaster Ceiling
Contemporary in Deephaven

Chocolate Yogurt Oat Muffins

  1 C oat flour 1/2 C sugar 1/4 C cocoa powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 salt 1/2 C chocolate chips 1 egg 1/2 C plain greek yogurt 1/4 melted bu...