Thinkery

I used to use a notebook for to do lists, call lists, grocery lists, prioritization lists, notes, etc. I used to read Facebook and say, "Oh, I want to watch that video later" and then forget about it. No more! I have a Thinkery now. I just put the site or note or whatever into the thinkery while I'm on the computer and it saves it for me later. It's like a bulletin board or notebook for your browser. You can check it out here:

Thinkery walk-through from The Next Web on Vimeo.

Very cool, huh?

Kale Chips

We eat more than just rice, I promise.

For a snack during school time, we often eat kale chips.

They are crunchy and salty, and, though you will never be fooled into thinking they are potato chips, they are extremely healthy!

KALE CHIPS

1 bag of kale, your oil of choice, salt.

Dry the kale overnight on a towel. It must be dry or the oil will not stick. If the kale is not dry the next day (it usually isn't), then place it in a large bowl and dry with a hair dryer. We use the top of a cake cozy (see the picture). When it is dry, cover your hands with a bit of your oil, about 1/2 T--- we use canola, but olive oil or coconut oil will work, too. Work the oil over all of the leaves, really coat it, not so much thickly, but thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt and spread on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake in the oven at 350 until it crunches like fall leaves (20-30 minutes).

An Heirloom Recipe

I'm still working on a standard gluten-free, casein-free, corn-free, soy-free, low salicylate, Feingold-approved menu... still looking for recipes.... still looking for snacks...

Today I found a good one. A great one. A recipe that is so good it will be passed down for generations to come on a carefully-treasured scrap of yellowed paper.

Here it is:

RICE PUDDING

1 3/4 cup rice grits (from 2 cups of frozen rice)
4 cups almond milk
2 cans coconut milk (approx. 13 fl oz)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir frequently. Cook until thick (about 25 minutes)

It was SOOOOO good....

With a flourish, I served it to my precious, sweet, angelic children, who...

come to find out....

don't like the taste of coconut.

Meh.

Back to the drawing board.

Image Courtesy of: http://thenourishingcook.com/simple-rice-pudding-comfort-food-at-its-best/

Our Favorite Christmas Movies

In a sequel to our favorite Chanukah movies, here are some of my favorite Christmas flicks.

The Muppets' Family Christmas

The Muppets' Christmas Carol (Amazon Instant)

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (YouTube)

Frosty the Snowman (YouTube)- pieces are out of order

Frosty Returns (I can't find this... so much for his return)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Amazon Instant)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Amazon Instant)

Twas the Night Before Christmas (YouTube)

and my children want to add:

The Toy That Saved Christmas (Amazon Instant)

Image Courtesy of: http://powsley.blogspot.com/2008/12/frosty-snowman-original-art-rankinbass.html

Muppins

UPDATE: WARNING!! THIS POST MAY NOT BE CORN FREE. I have decided to leave it up for all of our GF/CF and not Corn Free friends. 

ORGINAL POST:
When my son was younger, he called muffins "muppins" and the name stuck. This morning I made muffins from gluten-free Bisquick. There was no recipe for muffins on the box, so I made my own:

BISQUICK MUFFINS

1 box of gluten-free Bisquick

2 cups rice milk

2 eggs

2 T canola oil 

1/3 cup sugar

Combine ingredients and spoon into a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. 

These were very white and light in texture and flavor. They will go well with any type of topping. And with no gluten and no casein, it works well here. I did have a small reaction to the xanthum gum (or my coffee??). But, for now, at least it will remain on the menu for our weekly Sunday Muppins.

UPDATE: The reaction seems to have been from the xanthum gum. Though xanthum gum is made from the black mold found on vegetables, the "vegetable" most commonly used to grow it is corn. Soon, I hope to have a corn-free, homemade recipe for Bisquick. Check back soon. 

After you make the muffins, you can make donuts with this quick and simple method:

Image Courtesy of: www.amazon.com

My New Blender

I have a really great blender. Really. White, glass jar, crunches ice. Sure, I melted the front in a mishap with the electric skillet, but, hey, it isn't THAT bad. Adds character. It's an old friend--- and essential for making rice milk, which is essential for our casein-free life.

But then I lost the O-ring. 

I have really great children. Really. In the process of raising responsible citizens, they help with the dishes. In the process of raising responsible citizens, the O-ring disappeared. 

But I needed rice milk. Right. Then. Argh. 

So I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a new blender. Need it with a food processor, too? Sure. Why not? 

Of course (of course!) as soon as I got home I found the old O-ring. Score. 2 blenders! And they have really come in handy with the amount of chopping and pureeing I do. The new blender made me realize how dull the blade of the old one had gotten over time. The new Oster blender can blend smoothies and rice milk much creamier than the other blender. 

So here is my recipe for Rice Milk:

RICE MILK

1 cup brown rice

6 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

Put the brown rice in a small crockpot and add 6 cups of water.

Cover and cook from 3-6 hours, the longer the better. Let cool.

Put half of the rice into a blender. Add water to fill. Blend for 1-2 minutes on high. 

Pour through a strainer into a large pitcher. 

Put remaining rice into the blender. Add water to fill and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for 1-2 minutes on high.

Now here's the tricky part:

Pour the rice milk from blender into the pitcher with the rest. Then pour it from the pitcher back into the blender, and then into the pitcher, and then the blender. You get the idea. The turbidity of the pouring liquid mixes the two batches more effectively than a spoon. Chill. 

*****

I'll be making a batch of this in just a few minutes. Right after I find that O-ring...

photo courtesy of: http://khuzama.edu.glogster.com/brown-rice/

Rice Grits

On a whim at Wal-Mart, I decided to purchase Arrowhead Mills' Rice & Shine Rice Grits. We ate them this morning, and they were a big hit! Easy to make (though they do need constant stirring) and no sweetening required to make it palatable. Just add some salt and canola oil and you're good to go.

Not knowing how much I would need for our family, I made too much for breakfast. But all was not lost, as these make great leftovers, not like the congealed mass that corn grits turns into. The kids gobbled up the rest at snack time.

This recipe does not meet most paleo standards, but it is kosher, gluten-free, casein-free, corn-free, and Feingold approved.

Now we embark on the journey of learning how to make our own.

Here's the recipe I used for 9 people with enough leftovers for snack:

RICE GRITS

1 box (which was 1 qt) of Arrowhead Mills' Rice & Shine Rice Grits
2 tsp salt
3 T oil
12 cups of water

Place all ingredients in a large pot. Cook on medium/high heat, stirring constantly, until desired thickness.

Photo courtesy of: www.amazon.com

Our Favorite Chanukah Movies

These are some of our favorite Chanukah movies. Enjoy!

Chanukah at Bubbe's

The Story of the Maccabees, Part 1

The Story of the Maccabees, Part 2

The Maccabeats: Candlelight

Photo courtesy of: http://www.israellycool.com/2011/12/20/chanukah-first-night-2/