A Recipe for Holiday Fudge - GFCF and Feingold-approved

Holiday Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
5 ounces canned coconut milk
1 container (7 ounces) Tiny Trapeze Confections marshmallow creme (available at Whole Foods Market)
3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (made with real vanilla - available at Whole Foods Markets as well as some supermarkets)

1- Combine first five ingredients.  Stir over low heat until blended. 

2- Bring to a boil over moderate heat.  Boil slowly, stirring constantly for five minutes.

3- Remove from heat.  Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla unil chocolate is melted.  Pour into a greased 9 inch x 13 inch glass baking dish.  Cool.

I've made two batches of this yummy fudge recipe so far this season, and it truly tastes like "the real thing" - even to the unaware :)

First Snow!

Yesterday morning, we awoke to winter's first snow!

Playing in the Snow!

Eggs: Why Organic?

Last week, The Pure Baby (PB) had a fun - though quite cold! - day at a nearby Audobon nature center and farm!  Among other things, the farm raises chickens and actually sells "free-range" eggs for $4.50/dozen.  The eggs, though, are not "USDA organic" - so we did not take any eggs home with us. 

I think that there is probably lots of confusion regarding "free-range" or "cage-free" versus "USDA organic" and possibly some people may be confused into thinking that "free-range" or "cage-free" is "USDA organic".  The labels of "free-range and "cage-free" are basically unverified claims that any egg producer can claim.  Essentially - and very sadly -, that means that "free-range" and "cage-free" are worthless when one is seeking the healthiest eggs to take home to his or her family.

For our family, buying "USDA organic" eggs is extremely important for the following reasons:
1- "USDA organic" eggs are free of antibiotics  - and -
2- USDA organic" eggs are free of arsenic.

Sadly non-organic eggs are contaminated very much in the same way as non-organic chicken.  Lots of antibiotics and lots of arsenic.  Not what you want to serve your family.

The Pure Baby Explores *The Freedom Trail* !

In keeping with the Thanksgiving spirit of being thankful for our American freedom, here are some pictures of our visit to The Freedom Trail a few weeks ago! 

BOSTON COMMON

PARK STREET CHURCH

GRANARY BURYING GROUND

KING'S CHAPEL

THE FREEDOM TRAIL SEAL

SITE OF THE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL

BEN FRANKLIN'S STATUE

OLD SOUTH MEETING HOUSE

FANEUIL HALL

PAUL REVERE HOUSE

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  Have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends :)


Our family will be having a gluten free / casein free (GFCF) plus Feingold Diet Thanksgiving!  This is our first GFCF holiday in a few years, and I am overjoyed at the great improvement in GFCF foods and recipes :)  GFCF food actually tastes yummy! 


Here is our pumpkin pie recipe, for the delicious GFCF (and Feingold Diet) pumpkin pie we will be enjoying tomorrow on Thanksgiving.  Our sample pie was amazingly *just like the real thing*!  So, tomorrow we will proudly share our pie with our extended family.

Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin  (I used organic canned pumpkin from Whole Foods).
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut milk  (I used organic canned coconut milk from Whole Foods, but the refrigerated So Delicious coconut milk is a likely excellent choice as well).
1 pie crust  (See below).

Preheat oven to 425.  Beat eggs.  Add all ingredients, except  for coconut milk.  When fully blended, add coconut milk and mix.  Pour into unbaked deep dish pie crust.  Bake 50-60 minutes, or until set.


Pie Crust
1/2 cup garfava flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons egg replacer powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 450.  Mix dry ingredients.  Mix in oil.  Mix in 1/3 cup water.  If too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon water at a time, until less crumbly.  Press dough into a greased pie dish.  Bake 1 minute.    

The Pure Baby is Back!

After a bit of a moving-related hiatus, The Pure Baby is happy to be back! 

We've been greatly enjoying our babywearing coat, on our fun outdoor hikes :) 

Our older boys have been having great outdoor fun as well! 

We explored a very cool beaver pond, where the beavers have built amazing dams as well as provided impressive evidence of beaver tree-cutting skills.

Fun on top of a big rock!

Balancing on a long walk across a fallen tree!

A Homemade Babywearing Coat for The Pure Baby

The Pure Baby (PB) and I have a new winter coat - to share!  Following some great instructions on TheBabyWearer, I was able to alter an Eddie Bauer parka into a babywearing winter coat!

My Eddie Bauer parka, prior to alterations:

The parka is a size "small".  I usually wear "extra-small".  The pictures show the parka's fit on me pre-babywearing coat.

 
After measuring/marking with a fabric marker and after attaching layers together with zig-zag stitching:

After cutting out the back panel, leaving the bottom attached:

The side panels:

The side panels were my most difficult part of the project.  The original German instructions are no longer available, and I completely had no clue what the TheBabyWearer instructions meant regarding a "curve".  In the end, my curve below was very inadequate. I was able to design a curve, with the side panels sewn to the coat flap, by holding out the coat flap and making it into sort of a box (as you will see in my final result, further down).

The side panels attached to the back flap of the parka:

With both top and side panels attached to the back flap of the parka:

The inner top flap with the fleece attached:

The inner top flap fleece sewn into place:

The finished exterior:

The pouch opening:

The finished interior:

The Pure Baby (PB) in our new babyweaing coat:

PB is being worn in our Kanga XT.

We're looking forward to a winter of wintry cold weather and lots of snow!