AAAAHOOHOOHOOOEEEEE!!!!

Contrary to how it may appear, I have not fallen off the face of the earth!

I did, however, take a much needed summer sabbatical. Of course, now that I’m working three days a week in addition to my full time homemaking job, this seemed like the logical time to pick up my blog again. A little backwards, but it’s just the way I roll.

My goal is to post at least once a week and give fresh ideas and hope to fellow food allergy sufferers!

Blessings!

AUUUUGGHGHHGHH!!!

That, my friends, is the sound of a woman with three teenage drivers plus another who will be going to Driver’s Ed in a month. And they’re all working. And the baby twelve year old is mowing lawns. And I am feeling slightly nutty right now.

I promise I am not neglecting you.

I promise that I have not fallen off the face of the earth.

I promise I will post recipes again.

I sound like a candidate for the President of the United States.

But, unlike most of them, I will keep my promises.

See you soon!

 

Happy Holding Onto the Dashboard for Dear Life While the Blonde is Learning to Drive Days!!!!

 

 

 

A Bit of a Diversion…

Please forgive my absence, all three and a half of you who noticed.

I really do have a good reason.

And it has something to do with this:

 

The exceeding good news is that after going straight up in the air, landing and rolling twice, my precious oldest daughter is okay.

Praise God.

But I’m a little sidetracked. I hope you understand.

She and I did make a delicious chocolate treat to eat while we sat and cried about the entire ordeal, so at least I’ll have a recipe to share with you in a few days.

Blessings – hold your babies and loved ones tight.

 

Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate another Christmas Day, I am reminded once again that another year has passed.

And even through the trying times, the tears and the sorrows this world brings:

God has been SO GOOD to me.

I’m so thankful that Jesus Christ, the babe in the manger that everyone finds so cute and impartial, did not stay that babe, but grew to be the Savior of mankind.

John 3:16 & 17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

I’m thankful He took my sins upon Him that day on the cross.

Everything good in my life is because of Him.

And that is why I celebrate today:

Not that Jesus was born and that it makes a nice story.

But because He, being God, humbled himself to become a human being for thirty three years.

And then He purchased my salvation when His time here on earth was over.

THAT, my friends, is the greatest gift I have ever received.

My prayer is that anyone reading this post today would receive that same gift.

Merry Christmas!

Two Words

Kidney. Infection.

Holy stinkin’ moley.

Praise the Lord for narcotics and cranberries.

I’ll be back with some yummy posts in a few days.

Aye yi yi.

 

Happy Hydrocodone! 

I Love Amy!!!!!

LOOK! Just LOOK at what she has made now!

I haven’t actually tasted it yet, but I almost ran my tongue over the computer monitor.

I am not making this up.

In fact, I’m looking for my car keys so I can go to the local freak food store in search of this tasty treat.

Sure, I can make my own. But it’s too much fun to buy a box of frozen something, like I’m perfectly normal in the area of food toleration like the other folks at the store. Sauntering with my cart, as I casually throw a frozen dinner into my basket, like I haven’t a care in the world what the ingredients say.

It’s like a little secret, held between Amy and me.

I will say that the one drawback to this lasagna is that it does contain tofu. Why they had to add that pesky little critter in there, I’ll never know. But if a small amount of soybean doesn’t bother you, you can be in on the ‘Amy and Me Secret’ too, with our clandestine grocery cart contents.

Thank you, Amy. And thank you Daiya. You have just brought a smile to this cold, blustery, winter’s day.

Happy Instant Gratification!  

Chicken and Dumplings – Yes, Allergy Free.

Seriously. Yes, you can eat dumplings too.

You probably thought that just because the doctor said no more dairy, wheat and eggs that you would never enjoy chicken and dumplings again.

I am happy to say you thought wrong.

Shall we begin?

You will need for the broth and soup portion of the recipe:

• One whole roasting chicken
• 2 boxes chicken broth, such as Pacific brand

First, take the whole roasting chicken and put ‘er in the slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with a variety of spices.

I used:

• Basil, Mrs. Dash, garlic, one bay leaf, poultry seasoning, dill weed, cumin, and turmeric.

• Pour three cups water over the chicken so that most of the spices mingle with the liquid.

Turn on low for 6 hours or for 3 hours on high and walk away.

When you return, this is what will greet you:

When chicken is thoroughly cooked, if you are ready to make your dumplings, turn off the slow cooker and keep the lid on it. Otherwise, keep it on warm until you are about a 1/2 hour away from prepping the dumplings, at which point you can turn it off with the lid still on.

To make your dumpling dough, you will need:

• 3 C gluten free flour
• 1 Tb baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup non dairy milk (I used Silk original unsweetened almond)
• Water
• Additional GF flour

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Next cut in the Earth Balance. Add non dairy milk and mix with a mixer. At this point, you will need to add water a bit at a time until your dough resembles the texture of biscuit dough – not too sticky and not too dry. Just *slightly* sticky.

And now it will be ready to roll out to 1/4″ thickness. Be sure to use cornstarch or additional gluten free flour on your rolling surface. Sprinkle more GF flour on your rolling pin and the top of the dough as you go. Just be sure not to work the dough too much.

Next, using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into 1/2″ to 1″ strips lengthwise:

Then across the width, keeping the squares to 1/2″ to 1″ measurements.

Transfer the cut dumplings to a plate. Flour in between the layers. The flour will not only prevent the dumplings from sticking to each other, it will also help thicken the broth.

Next, strain the broth from your chicken into a five quart stock pot. I like to put a colander over the stock pot to catch the chicken and any loose herbs such as bay leaves as I pour the broth into the pot.

Set chicken aside.

Some people like to skim the fat off the chicken broth at this point. I most assuredly do not.

But if that is your thing, go ahead and do that step now.

Next, pour the two boxes of Pacific chicken broth into the stock pot.

Bring broth to a boil.

When broth is at a rolling boil, turn heat down to medium to keep it simmering.

Add the dumplings a few at a time. You don’t want them to stick together. When you get almost to the bottom of the plate, dump the rest in along with any additional flour from the plate.

When the dumplings are all safely nestled in the pot, cover it with a lid and turn down to low. Be sure your broth is still simmering. Keep the pot tightly covered for six minutes.

Meanwhile, strip that chicken of its meat. All of it. Get every little delectable bit off its bones.

Now uncover the pot and let the dumplings simmer for another six minutes.

When the six minutes are up, dump in the chicken and give it all a good stir. Let it all simmer for about another minute.

Turn off the heat and let everything mingle together for about five minutes before serving. Season individual servings with salt and pepper to taste.

The dumplings won’t be exactly as Momma used to make them, but they’ll be pert near close to the real deal.

Once again, here’s the run down if you want to copy and paste the recipe without the pics:

• One stewing chicken, seasoned and covered in 3 cups water, cooked in a slow cooker.
• 2 boxes Pacific broth

For the dumplings:

• 3 cups gluten free flour
• 1 Tb baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance spread
• 1/4 cup non dairy milk
• Water
• Additional GF flour

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Next cut in the Earth Balance. Add non dairy milk and mix with a mixer. At this point, you will need to add water a bit at a time until your dough resembles the texture of biscuit dough – not too sticky and not too dry. Just *slightly* sticky.

And now it will be ready to roll out to 1/4″ thickness. Be sure to use cornstarch or additional gluten free flour on your rolling surface. Sprinkle more GF flour on your rolling pin and the top of the dough as you go. Just be sure not to work the dough too much.

Next, using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into 1/2″ to 1″ strips. First lengthwise, then across the width.

Transfer the cut dumplings to a plate. Flour in between the layers. The flour will not only prevent the dumplings from sticking to each other, it will also help thicken the broth.

Next, strain the broth from your chicken into a five quart stock pot. I like to put a colander over the stock pot to catch the chicken and any loose herbs such as bay leaves as I pour the broth into the pot.

Set chicken aside.

Pour the two boxes of chicken broth into the stock pot.

Bring broth to a boil.

When broth is at a rolling boil, turn heat down to medium to keep it simmering.

Add the dumplings a few at a time. You don’t want them to stick together. When you get almost to the bottom of the plate, dump the rest in along with any additional flour from the plate.

When the dumplings are all safely nestled in the pot, cover it with a lid and turn down to low. Be sure your broth is still simmering. Keep the pot tightly covered for six minutes.

Meanwhile, strip that chicken of its meat. All of it. Get every little delectable bit off its bones.

Now uncover the pot and let the dumplings simmer for another six minutes.

When the six minutes are up, dump in the chicken and give it all a good stir. Let it all simmer for about another minute.

Turn off the heat and let everything mingle together for about five minutes before serving. Season individual servings with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Happy Evenings of Warm, Comforting Foods!

Chicken and Dumplings recipe copywritten by Jaime Rohm, The Freak Food Gourmet 2012

Where On Earth?!?!

If you’re wondering where I’ve been….all three of you….click on THIS LINK to have your mystery question answered.

 

Happy Adventures!

 

 

The Facebook Freak-Out

I did it.

I finally, finally did it!

We are no longer a ‘Facebook’ family.

Our accounts are deleted forever.

Which means we get more time with each other instead of with hundreds of people on a computer screen.

But it also means that The Freak Food Gourmet is no longer on Facebook either.

And that’s okay.

Because it was never really about fame and numbers anyway.

It was about helping dear people like you with your allergy suffering.

So I am still here and perhaps you’ll read even more from me.

Because I won’t be spending all of my computer and free time on Facebook.

And I’ll probably be in the kitchen more.

Much to the pleasure of my dear, sweet man.

::Next Up::

 My continuing saga of duck egg triumphs!

Happy Redeeming the Time!

Sabbatical

Our family is ‘unplugging’ for a time.

We are praying to refocus, reset, and renew our minds and relationships.

My husband and I had thought about doing this for quite a while. But it wasn’t until we watched the film, Captivated, that our eyes were truly opened to just how much media soaks up our family time.

And on that note, I will see you all in two weeks!