New Recipes - New Inspiration

So, we've taken a bit of a break.  A break from blogging, a break from communication to some extent - Sorry Mom :) - and a break from some stressors.  We've had a lot of change in the past month and a half.  I am continuing to heal from surgery.  YAY me!  Dave has been home for a few weeks now and will be home for another week. YAY US!  We've done lots of family activities.  We took Duncan to his first movie in a movie theatre (VERY scary when your child has a severe corn allergy,) we've gone to a local waterpark/kiddie pool several times and in fact got season passes (it was pretty 'cheap' since it was through parks and rec,) we've gone to the farmer's market some more, made preserves,we've watched movies at home, worked on our garden, made home-made play-doh,  gone on walks in the evenings and just over-all enjoyed life.  It's so NICE and AMAZING to be together as a family again. 

We've had some not so great changes as well.  Such as Duncan only having one therapy day left until December 31st.  And, the best part?  Dave's company won't approve for Duncan to have more days because giving Duncan the treatment that he needs for his neurological dysfunction is considered "special treatment."  And thus, they feel that Duncan does not deserve special treatment according to Dave's company.    So, we are placing this in God's hands.  Everything is going to work out, and hopefully to Duncan's benefit.  We're still pursuing what we can behind the scenes - but ultimately this is just one of those transitions in life that we're having to cope with and improve ourselves so that we can better serve our son.  We conquered a lot of his medical problems due to our own research and ingenuity - why should this be any different? 

What do I do when I'm stressed?  Anyone that's lived with me or really knows my nuances knows that I bake.  When I'm stressed I am an obsessive baker.  It takes me back to my childhood and spending time with my Grandma.   I think I  can speak for all of us Smith grandkids when I say that our Poppy and Grandma's house is one of the most wonderful places in the world.  They love unconditionally, welcome everyone in, always let you have special treats and Poppy would always cook you whatever you wanted for supper.  :)  When I'm a grandparent I hope I'm the kind of grandparent that they've always been to us. 

So, because we've had extra stressors lately Duncan has been the beneficiary.  He has had Chickpea Flour Bread Rounds, Carob Cake with Strawberries and Pineapple inside (you can't taste the fruit - it acts as a 'fluffer and moisturizer,' homemade oatmeal bites, oatmeal and dried berry granola bars (i'm not a fan of oatmeal cookies but these bars were wonderful! I got the springboard from another blog,) dry coffee-style brownies, pizzas and more things that I'm sure I'm leaving off.  He's also had fresh strawberry-orange juice which our juicer turned into a sorbet like consistency.  He drank it all so quickly we couldn't even keep any for later! 

Allergy friendly, at least Duncan friendly, baking is super difficult.  Usually gluten-free baking consists of a lot of corn-based ingredients.  Grain free baking usually consists of a lot of eggs.  Breads usually rely on yeast, vinegar, buttermilk or eggs.  The list could go on.  I'm sure you get the picture.  So, I'll leave you with this question to ponder:

How would you make a cake if I told you you can't use:
Standard sugar, brown sugar or powdered sugar
Eggs
Wheat Flour
Corn Starch
Standard Baking Powder
Standard Jams and Jellies
"Regular" Juice
Milk
Cream Cheese
Buttermilk
Vinegar
Standard Pudding
Yogurt
Gelatin

How would you do it?

It has taken me nearly two years to answer that question.  Due to my Grandma's wonderful assistance I turned into a great baker.  But, all of that was wiped away nearly two years ago.  All that remained was the desire.  The necessity.

Nearly two calendar years later after lots of research, lots of trial and error, lots of patiently waiting for ingredients to fit into our budget, lots of anxiously waiting for ingredients to arrival in the mail, lots of trial and error, lots of ingredients and experiments thrown in the trash I have that answer!

Success is sweet; and in this case it literally is!

Ash