Simple & Beautiful Cake

In preparing for Grandaddy's Birthday, Lydia helped bake his birthday cake;)

Since we have food allergies, we followed the very easy recipe of cake mix and a cake of soda. Mix it up very well and stick the cake(s) in the oven!! Lydia did the mixing alone.

She sprayed the pans, I divided the batter and put them in the oven.

The simplicity of the baking (and the super sweet and cute helper).
And then the simplicity of the decorating, I thought would be fun to share our final product!

I definitely am not a decorator at heart... but every once in a while a crazy idea WORKS for me :) Like using a single bow on the top!!

Oh and in case you're wondering....

it was red velvet, Granddaddy's favorite!


Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday!

More Wordless Wednesday at  NapTime MomTog, 5 Minutes for Mom,  Mama to 4 Blessings, Go Graham Go.

Dairy & Egg-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

We are taking two of our favorites and putting them together for our "new" recipe this week :)

The first is our favorite dairy and egg-free chocolate chip cookie recipe from Food Allergy Mama.

The recipe is totally worth re-posting... with a few tweaks:)

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
from Food Allergy Mama

2/3 c. dairy free shortening
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 to a whole box of Jello vanilla pudding mix (my tweak)
1 tsp. good quality vanilla extract
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. mini dairy free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the shortening, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and applesauce. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add to shortening mixture and combine until creamy. Stir in chocolate chips and drop with a cookie scooper onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes (we usually only bake them about 9 minutes) or until lightly brown. Cool slightly on baking sheet and serve!

** I NEVER make just ONE batch. I always double it... always! Whether we have no other sweets in the house or someone needs to bring a snack or we are wanting to share!


The second favorite for this recipe is Trader Joe's soy ice cream!!

I have to be honest, I detest MOST non-dairy ice creams!! I don't think they are worth the calories;)LOL!!

But Trader Joe's has some fantastic soy ice cream making skills;)  We purchase ice cream (and chocolate chips) while we visit with family and then transport it all packed up in multiple coolers to get it home! Or we make them bring us some when they visit;) Thanks, MOM!!!

Cookie, Trader Joe's Soy Ice Cream...

and another Cookie;)

A delicious "new" desert for us that is delightful to eat:)

Linking up to...
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green 

More Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are That Family!

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Buffalo Chicken Wings

I haven't shared much about my many resolutions for this New Year... right now I'm just trying to be a good Mom and keep up :/

One of my goals though through the year is to try out some new recipes:) I feel like we've been in such a food rut, just eating what the kids like and that is easy to fix, and I'm ready to make a change. Put more effort into meals  and to mix up our meals a bit.

So on top of everything else we have going on, I'm going to try to cook, bake, or create a new recipe each week or maybe more and just share one each week!

We had chicken wings on sale last week and I thought I'd try a Buffalo Chicken Wing recipe that I thought Brian would like. Something I know he would like to eat while we're out but couldn't because of his food allergies (milk, and sensitivity to garlic).


Restaurant Style Buffalo Chicken Wings
recipe from allrecipes.com and adapted to fit us;)

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika*
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
(I didn't have the paprika or c.pepper, so I used 1/4+ of chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings
oil for deep frying
1/4 cup butter (light Blue Bonnet)
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash garlic powder (I left this out)

Directions

1. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

I was a little worried how leftovers would taste, but I didn't need to worry!! Brian ate all that I made for him:)

And he is wanting to invite over friends for a party so I will make some more;)

Just an FYI... these are obviously are a treat for us:) And the kids were not impressed... LOL!! They would barely smell them!

* I didn't have the paprika or c.pepper, so I used 1/4+ of chili powder.

Linking up to...

Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Tasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday @ 33 Shades of Green

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WFMW: EASY Peasy Egg-Free Cake

When we discovered Chris' egg allergy baking treats got harder....

Cake mixes were out until we found an egg replacer at a health food store. Even then the cakes/cupcakes looked fine but then like crumbled into a million pieces soo easily! Very, very messy!

It was also hard for those wanting to include my kids in their own parties... many times I ended up making the cakes for others or for my kids' classes (which I was GLAD to do so that my kids could enjoy cake with their friends)!

A friend called last week with an egg-free cake recipe using a cake mix!! I was very DOUBTFUL it would work considering it was only 2 ingredients.... the cake mix and a 12oz can of soda!

She assured me that the recipe called only for cake mix and any non-diet can of soda.

We tried it! First choosing a cake that was milk-free and then some soda:)

The reaction between the soda and mix was awesome.... the kids really got a kick out of watching the two react and fizz!



After baking according to the cake instructions, we had some pretty little cupcakes! They smelled delicious and made us crave lunch a little earlier so we could enjoy them:)

Since we ate them before they were fully cooled, some did have bottom pieces that came off. But they didn't fall into a million pieces while the kids at them.... which was great since our house was full of kids that afternoon;)


I did notice that the cupcakes held together a lot more after they were completely cooled. WE even stored leftovers in a ziplock bag and didn't have fall apart!

We found some milk-free store bought icing! And we were sooo excited to have such a SIMPLE recipe to make cakes/cupcakes for us!

Best of all was that they were enjoyed by the kids!!!!

And yes, I haven't taken the time to count the extra calories or sugar content of the cake. I'm sure it's very high:) But when you're limited in food choices by food allergies, you enjoy what you can when you can:)

Check out more Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family!

UPDATED: I used a Carrot Cake mix this evening.... totally crumbly! Grrr.... so maybe it needs to be a little "under-cooked" and totally cooled before cutting. And the under-cooking is fine since there are no raw ingredients:)

Now if I could just WAIT to let it cool:)

YUmmmmm

I found a yummy recipe from one of the Family Circle Magazines my mother-in-love passed down to me. There are always TONS of recipes I'd love to try, but with little picky eaters, sometimes a big picky eater and food allergies, I'm kind of limited!!!!

So here is a new, yummmy, chocolately, allergy-safe (for us) dessert (candy):

Chocolate Breakup

Saltine crackers (salted)
1 stick Light Blue bonnet butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, or sprinkles for non-nut eaters)

1 Heat oven to 350. Cover 15.5 by 10-inch jelly rool pan with nonstick foil (and I spray it with cooking spray b/c one time it all stuck).

2. Line pan with Saltine crackers to form a single layer, breaking pieces to fit.

3. Bring butter and sugar to boil (on stovetop OR in microwave). Pour mixture evenly over the crackers. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes for until crackers are light brown.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolates over the crackers evenly (I usually stick back in the hot oven for a few minutes to help the chocolate melt and spread). Sprinkle the nuts on top.

5. Freeze for 3 hours. Break up into 2-inch pieces to serve!

Brian is my chocolate critic.... he really doesn't like chocolate desserts, especially semi-sweet chocolate.... but he is a BIG fan of this dessert!! It must be the combination with the salty crackers, sugar and the nuts???

Chocolate Breakup Recipe

OK... I found this recipe searching through one of the piles of magazines my mother-in-love left me during her last visit. I thought it looked yummy and pretty easy to make to fit our allergies..... and it had "normal" ingredients......

Chocolate Breakup

Makes: about 30 pieces

Prep: 10 minutes
Freeze: at least 3 hours
Bake: at 350 degree F for 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 matzoh boards (I used generic Saltine Crackers, enough to line the bottom of pan)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (check for allergens)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (we used pecans...we have a grove behind our church)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degree F. Cover a 15-1/2 x 10- inch jelly roll pan with nonstick foil.

2. Line the prepared jelly roll pan with the matzoh to form a single layer, breaking pieces as necessary to fit. Sprinkle with salt.

3. In a small saucepan, bring the butter or margarine and sugar to a boil. Pour mixture evenly over matzoh. Bake at 350 degree F for 10 to 15 minutes or until matzoh is lightly browned.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Working quickly, spread melting chips over matzoh. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

5. Freeze for 3 hours. Break up into 2-inch pieces to serve.

Even Brian, my picky chocolate dessert eater LOVED this:) YAY!!!!