It's Hot In Northern California

As I write this, it has been extremely hot here where we live. Monday was 106. Triple digits!! A bit melting for our family. My husband has to work in this weather (he is a building contractor). So, when the weather is this way, our family huddles inside and tries to do other activities.

I let my kids watch a few more movies than normal, do crafts, read books, and such. I also, don't cook on the stove top or oven. We do cook in the microwave, make cold sandwiches, and eat salads. Anything to keep the cottage from heating up. It was a good thing Monday morning, I had put a chicken in the crockpot. It was completely cooked before the power went off.

This week I did make a skirt for my daughter and a slip. For myself and very pretty skirt.

Regarding using my time more wisely, just staying off the computer. Making sure that I read my bible in the morning before doing activities in the house. So far so good.

I hope your 4th of July was wonderful.

A pair of earrings I made for my daughters Awana leader. They were clip on earrings. Yes, vintage all the way. These earrings have character.

My kids and I made fans on Monday for the power went off. Due to a fire  near an electrical substation in town. It was really hot that  day.

The items I ordered from Wawak sewing supplies. The shipping is very low, ship fast, prices are excellent. I used a coupon code for $20.00 off purchases $40.00 or more. It's good till September 30, 2013. Type in this code upon checking out  THREADS913. Next month or August I may order something else. We will see what they happen to have on sale.

• Spinach strawberry pecan salad
• Crockpot chicken
• Chicken, sausage, tomato sauce and rice mix (left overs)
• Pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans
• Yummy BBQ for the 4th of July at our friends home on the 4th

My Accomplishments From Last Week

Busy week it has been. We started our Summer homeschooling again, after a long break of house selling. Things did have to be pushed to the side for a while. The Lord was really gracious to us during that time. It feels good to be back on track and getting things accomplished around the rental cottage. I have even put some photos up of the cute cards I made with my kids this week. We enjoy making the cards and having them ready in a box to send when one is needed. So much better than purchasing a card.

Lately, I have been thinking about how I am using my time wisely. Honestly lately it has been a bit crazy with the move and getting settled. My heart wants to glorify God in how my time is spent. I will keep you updated on what steps have been taken in order to accomplish this important change in my life.

Super Delicious Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins

Perfect Gluten Free Oatmeal Millet Bread

The cards my children and I made. We used my embossing machine from Sizzix and fun templates from Cuttlebug.

• I made homemade chicken pot pie, used up phyllo dough sheets I have had in the freezer since last November.
• I made a double batch of gluten free millet oatmeal bread, and pumpkin muffins. Family loves these
• Made a spaghetti with italian sauce, then ate leftovers another day.
• Really focused on how my time is spent. I find that my accomplishments this last week were were more than they had been in quite a while.
• We had homemade vegetarian chili from dried beans in my bulk buckets. The best way to re-hydrate beans is in the pressure cooker. I just cook them for 15 minutes and they are pretty soft.
• Took a few more things out of boxes from the garage.

Have a wonderful day!!

Blessings,

Carol

The Cottage

Busy is the word for our household last week. Things began to get back to regular schedule since our home had been put up for sale. We had to sign final papers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday escrow closed and getting settled in our rental cottage. The Lord has been very good to us during this time of stretching in our faith. Selling a home is a huge undertaking.

The cottage is out from town about 15 minutes or so. The trips I take into town are few now. I am so glad that the last few years purchasing food in bulk, cooking from scratch and  stocking up the pantry has been done in my household. Not having to run to the store for something has been great. Last week I made some great meals from items we had in the freezer, and pantry. Here is a list of some of the things we have eaten last week.

Turkey spam sandwiches
Black bean chili with rice
Pork chops with left over black bean chili with rice
Left over pork, black bean chili, rice tacos
Lots of wonderful green salads
Ham (that was already cooked)and baked potatoes
Potato zucchini pancakes with salad and fruit

I did make a large pitcher of mint water. Our landlords planted several things for us in the garden on the property. The mint water was very refreshing. My daughter asked if I could make some more. Very free indeed. My main goal is to make everything stretch as far as possible. Making sure the meals are healthy and tasty.

Officially Back to Blogging

So much has happened since March. We placed our home up for sale in April. 4 offers and 3 times in escrow we officially handed the house to the new buyers as of today. It was an odd journey but, God had his best plans for our family. We ended up with the best offer and more money in our pockets. Last week (Thursday) we finished moving everything out of the house. What a huge chore!! Glad it is done. Loving our little rental cottage out in the country. Many birds, deer and other wildlife visit our place. Best thing of all, no traffic noise anymore. We are thankful for all the Lord has done for our family. Now we are praying for our next home, prayerfully before Christmas.

Blessings,

Carol

I have a camera now!!

Last weekend my husband and I traveled down to Southern California. I picked items from my mother's estate. One item was her digital camera. So, happily I can say photos will be coming to my blog. I am excited to post some fun scrapbook pages and other creations. What a huge blessing to get another camera. I felt like a fish out of water not having a camera for the last couple of months.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Carol

Still no camera BUT, New Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Hi all, hoping your day was a great one. Today I made 3 different batches of bread. Actually one batch was bagels. Sorry to say that I still do not have a camera. Hoping soon. So, I thought I would share this wonderful millet oatmeal bread. Very yummy it is. My cravings for bread really came to a head today. I needed bread bad!! So, taking my ingredients out of the cupboard and the fridge, away I went. I found this recipe online but tweaked it a bit. Enjoy it to the fullest.



GLUTEN FREE MILLET OATMEAL BREAD RECIPE
1 1/2 cup Carol's flour Mix
1/2 cup certified gluten free oat flour (you can pulverize oats in a food processor to make oat flour)
3/4 cup millet flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch* you can substitute cornstarch if you need to
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
3 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoon dried yeast
1 Tablespoon molasses
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons butter or butter substitute melted , or olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
DIRECTIONS:
Make sure all your dry ingredients (and eggs!) are at room temperature. Grease the bottom of a 10 inch loaf pan or two 8 inch pans. Heat the oven to 200 degrees and then turn off.Add all dry ingredients together, this includes the fast acting yeast.  In a separate medium bowl, mix eggs, molasses, vinegar, and melted butter together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Then slowly add your water  to achieve the right consistency in your batter. Since different brands, flours, measuring techniques act different I do not recommend just  dumping in the rest of the water but adding gradually instead.  If you accidentally add too much water simply add a little flour until you achieve the dough consistency you are after. Put the dough in your prepared pan and place in oven to rise for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours in the warm oven or on top of the oven. You can put plastic wrap or a towel over the pan. Once the dough has risen to the top of the pan, bake the bread for 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until
Makes a delicious loaf of bread that is eaten in no time.  I would not refrigerate this bread ( it might get soggy), but I would slice and freeze it for later use.

Gluten Free Dumplings

As a child, my mom made chicken and dumplings. Just saying those words brings back wonderful memories. Choosing to completely stay away from gluten has been good for me. I wanted to find a simple recipe for gluten free dumplings to put in my chicken soup. Well, this is it. I tweaked it a little and it turned out wonderful. In fact, my family really liked it too. Hoping you will enjoy this also.

Blessings,

Carol

Dumplings
(Makes about 12 dumplings)

2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend*
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives or other fresh herbs (optional)
2 tablespoonsoil
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk of choice
1 large egg, beaten



Make the dumpling batter by sifting together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add chopped chives or other fresh herbs. Add melted butter, milk and egg to the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a wooden spoon or fork until mixture is moist and comes together.  Do not overmix or dumplings will be too dense.


Drop dumpling batter into the simmering stew by heaping tablespoonfuls, over the surface of the stew. (Note that the dumplings will double in size as they cook.)  Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.   Do not uncover and peek while the dumplings are cooking.  In order for the dumplings to be light and fluffy, they must steam, not boil. Uncovering the pan releases the steam. If after 15 minutes they are still not cooked through (use a toothpick or skewer to test) cover pan again, and cook for another 5 minutes.


* If all-purpose flour blend contains salt, do not add additional salt.  If blend does not contain xanthan or guar gum, add 1 teaspoon gum to the dry ingredients.