Maple Yogurt Scones

After finding myself with an abundance of yogurt recently, I decided to make scones. Yogurt scones have always sounded very appealing, especially slathered with jam. These scones turned out nice and dry and not too sweet (the way I like them), but if you like scones that resemble muffins a little more and are a little sweeter, then add more yogurt and a little more maple syrup for a softer, slightly sticky dough. Dried blueberries would be a nice addition to these scones, as would a dusting of cinnamon-sugar!

2 cups GF flour blend (I used this one)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
dash nutmeg
1/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free margarine (such as Earth Balance)
1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free yogurt (such as So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt)
1/4 cup maple syrup
coconut milk and cinnamon sugar for topping, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour through the nutmeg. Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles small meal. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the yogurt and maple syrup. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and stir well with a fork until fully incorporated. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be neither too wet nor too dry. If it's too dry, add a tablespoon of coconut milk or other liquid and stir until there are no dry bits in the bottom of the bowl.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board. Knead two or three times, then pat into a circle 1/2 inch high. The dough should not be sticky - ideally, you will not need to dust it with flour to keep your hands from getting sticky. Cut the circle into eight equal parts. With a spatula, transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little coconut milk and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if desired. Bake about 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Transfer the wedges to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 scones.

ADHD turns six...and she's breaking everything!

Megan has been breaking things lately with regularity. I don't think she's doing it on purpose. I think she's trying to figure out how things work and she wants to do it herself. In the process, she doesn't play with toys the way they were meant to be played with, she takes them apart and then she loses the pieces. Also in this process, she is frustrating all the other members of the family.

Here are some recent examples of what I believe is a learning process (and not being bad or seeking negative attention). She took apart her Barbie Vet toy, interested in what it did and how it did it, but then lost most of the pieces to it. She took the ball out of Sugar's Crazy Circle chase toy to see if and how it would come out, but then she didn't put it back in and lost the ball. She got up on a bed and dropped Anna's snow globe from height, which shattered into a million pieces all over the floor. This was especially chaotic with Anna screaming in anger and Megan crying that she didn't mean to do it. (Really? You didn't mean to do it? What did you think was going to happen?) But my dad says she probably wanted to find out what the "snow" inside of the globe was and her curiosity overran her common sense. She keeps breaking headbands and I think this is because she's trying to see how far they will bend before they break. Similarly, she keeps pressing down on Sugar's back to see how far it will bend before Sugar squeaks. Or she used to do that before I told her if she kept doing that she'd break the cat and really hurt her. Broken toys are one thing, but we don't need a broken cat!

I really don't think Megan is doing these things to create chaos or be naughty. But she is creating chaos...glass smashes on the floor, Anna cries when her stuff is ruined, the cat runs away from her, toy parts get lost. Right now Megan just wants to disassemble things, she does not seem to be intent on putting them back together again.

This is frustrating for me. I am not like that. I've got the ADHD too but I was quiet - a reader, not a fixer. My dad is a fixer, though. I swear he can fix just about anything. He can see how things work, take them apart and put them back together, and build stuff out of nothing from just the pictures in his head. I have always admired that...the ingenuity, the creativity, the thinking outside of the box. While my dad and I are very similar, I didn't end up with that particular talent (my brother did though and oh, I'm so jealous). My dad says that Megan is displaying the same signs of his way of thinking and that the taking apart comes first - the putting back together comes later. He used to frustrate his mother too with the things he disassembled and reassembled just to see how they worked.

So, I have a daughter a lot like my father and I don't know quite what to do with that. I want to encourage her emerging talents, and I do think that Megan is in the process of thinking (outside of the box!) and learning, and finding her way. If she ends up being a fixer or a builder (or both!), I would really dig that. But I don't think like that, so I'm not sure how to guide her...other than to give her toys that are okay for her to break before she figures out how to fix them. And aligning her with a mentor. (Hey Dad, you have some homework to do when you come visit next!)

To the individual who told me to give Megan the summer to "mature" out of her ADHD...well, ADHD is not something you "grow out of". I should know. And you know what? I would not want that anyway...not for Megan, not for my dad, not for myself. ADHD might be challenging at times, but when harnessed and allowed room to grow, think and explore, it is a blessing. So there you go, Megan...you might be breaking things now, but you will be fixing things later. And I think that rocks.

Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt

I recently tried my hand at homemade yogurt. I've been very into DIY lately and I chose to follow the recipe found in Wild Fermenation (making yogurt using an insulated cooler instead of a yogurt maker), substituting canned full-fat coconut milk for the cow's milk. I also read with interest the process for making coconut milk yogurt here at The GFCF Lady.

Making my own yogurt turned out to be very easy and the result was very creamy. I really like it a lot. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more sour and yogurt-y it tastes. It's very rich and tastes quite decadent. The only problem I had with the process described in Wild Fermentation is that it was hard to maintain the ideal 110 degree temperature in an insulated cooler, and I did need to add pectin to thicken a fairly runny end product. But I would do it again, now that I know how. Next time, I'm going to try making yogurt in a crock pot following these guidelines here, and then I might also try using the oven method (leaving the light on in the oven and wrapping towels around the crock).

So what I did this first time around was this:

Heat 3 cans of coconut milk to 180 degrees. Let the coconut milk cool to 110 degrees. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

For each can of coconut milk, add 1 capsule of your favorite probiotic (we use dairy-free Bluebonnet ). Take out 1 cup of coconut milk, whisk in the probiotics and add back to the rest of the coconut milk, whisking to combine. Pour into two quart-sized glass jars with lids.

Wrap the jars with warm towels and place in an insulated cooler. Place jars of hot water inside the cooler and cover with a lid. Let the yogurt sit overnight. I found it hard to maintain the temperature to an ideal 110 degrees even in an insulated cooler (maybe I should get a different cooler) so I had to replace the jars of hot water with more hot water and re-wrap the yogurt jars with warm towels.

I let the yogurt sit for another 12 hours (24 hours total). Then I poured the yogurt into a blender, whisked in 1 tsp. Pomona's Universal Pectin and the 1 tsp. calcium water that comes with the package, and blended until smooth. I poured the yogurt back into the quart jars and placed them in the refrigerator. The next day, I had creamy, mild-tasting yogurt. We enjoyed this yogurt over the course of 3 weeks and the longer it sat in the fridge, the more it tasted like yogurt. Our favorite way to enjoy this ultra-creamy yogurt is for dessert, drizzled with a little bit of maple syrup. I'm hooked, and I can't wait to make it again!

(Next time I make yogurt - probably this week - I will use the crock pot method.)

The question for which I have no pithy answer

Our summer of freedom is coming to a close. Or should I say, our summer of slacking? We've been busy in many ways, including being busy slacking off. We ripped up the carpets and refinished our hardwood floors, the girls took swimming lessons and Anna attended social skills camp. And in-between, when we were not shopping for groceries or swimming at the local pool, we were reading. I was sleeping in - until 8am almost every morning! The girls were playing...intensely pretend playing all summer long. They played for hours and hours together, making up elaborate stories and scenarios while I sipped coffee and read the news...or made meals. It was fabulous. One of my favorite things is to listen to the girls play together - cooperative, imaginative play. Just a few years ago, this was not possible. But it's possible now, and I'm enjoying every last second of it. I will enjoy it forever...the gift of laughter, of friendship, of communication will never get old. I will never cease to be thankful for these small things. But they are not small, are they? They are huge. They are life.

Yesterday while taking Megan to meet her teacher at our local elementary school, I was asked by another mom - what is Asperger's Syndrome? Conscious of children running up and down the hallway and other parents possibly listening in, my brain froze for a moment while several different thoughts ran through my head...the memories of all the therapies, the frustration, the fierce love and pride, the refusal to accept anything other than joy and love for my daughter's future...the years of fear, the tantrums, the screaming, the tears...how could I encapsulate that into one pithy, hopeful statement? I couldn't. I simply stated that Asperger's Syndrome is a high functioning form of autism, and waited. The response? One, how do we fix it and two...looking at Anna, you'd never know.

But you would know, if you knew what to look for. Maybe it's subtle. Maybe to other people, she's just "quirky". A little off-center. It's in the way she does not look at you when she talks to you. The way she turns her body from you instead of toward you while trying to engage you in conversation. It's in the way she says "Excuse me!" when she wants attention...to everyone, even her own parents. The way she spouts facts like everybody knows them and is interested in them. The way she uses formal language and big words, unlike other children her age. The way she starts to spontaneously laugh at something she thinks is hilarious but that nobody else thinks is even remotely funny (except maybe Megan, who I suspect is being nice). It's in the way she launches into the middle of a running monologue that's in her head like her listeners are cued into her internal thoughts and know exactly where she is and what she's talking about. The way she throws herself on the ground and cries "I can't, it's too hard!" when she doesn't get something right. It's in the way she plays younger than her age and is more comfortable around adults than her peers. You can tell. I can tell, it's as clear as fingernails on a chalkboard a lot of times. It makes me feel protective, but not like she needs to be fixed.

What is there to fix, exactly? A beautiful smile? Clear, lucid eyes? A love of learning? A kind-hearted spirit? A desire to engage with the world around her? What needs to be fixed? The tantrums? Well, yes - the tantrums. What else? What am I forgetting? The fear that was so raw that's now melting into gratitude for where we are and how far we've come acts as an analgesic. A balm. Love covers a multitude of hurts. Grace drives out fear. What is Asperger's? It's my daughter. It's a promise of life and love and laughter. It's all in how you look at it.

What I was thinking and feeling and not able to put into words in that crowded hallway is...take the best parts of your child...the energy, the love, the zest, the kindness...all the things that make your child awesome. Put them right in front of you so that's what you see all the time. Then take the things that need to change...the tantrums, the yelling, the anger, the frustration, the fear, the miscommunication, the behavioral challenges...and get some help to knock them down one by one. Speech therapy for communication challenges, social skills therapy for peer relationship challenges, occupational therapy for motor skills and sensory issues. Behavioral management, special diets, allergists...one by one, see what works for your child. Surround yourself with people who support you. It might take awhile. It will be hard work. But it's worth it. Every shared smile is worth it.

What is Asperger's? Maybe someday Anna will tell you herself.

The books that were most helpful to me at the beginning of our journey with autism spectrum disorder (which includes Asperger's, Autism, PDD-NOS, and NVLD) were The Autism Sourcebook, The Out of Sync Child, and Emergence: Labeled Autistic. Other good reads are There's a Boy in Here and Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew. Lastly, this page here explains all the different aspects of autism spectrum disorders.

Shortcut Sweet Chili Sauce

Recently a friend came over for lunch. I had promised her vegetable spring rolls (next time I'll make these) and at the last minute I forgot that I had run out of purchased Sweet Chili Sauce! So I threw some together from scratch (with the help of some purchased Chili Garlic Sauce). It came out really good, better than store-bought! Next time I'll make it from scratch for real, with fresh chilies, taking cues from this recipe here and this one here, but my shortcut version is super fast, easy and really hit the spot.

1 tbsp. prepared garlic-chili sauce
2 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. potato starch

Combine the garlic-chili sauce through the fish sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Whisk in the potato starch and simmer until slightly thickened, about a minute. Remove from heat. Cool before serving. The sauce will thicken a little bit more after cooking.

No Bake Cookies, Take Two

(These cookies look like truffles. Now that I think about it, they'd be cute rolled in dutch cocoa.
Now that I really think about it, they'd be great dipped in chocolate, on a stick!)

It was the motor. Our A/C motor up and kicked the bucket the other day. Even with the fans running it was so hot in the house, and it was even hotter outside. I like to joke with the girls that Sugar, since she spends a lot of her time in the garage standing guard against unwanted creepy-crawlies that find their way in from the outside, has baked her brains because it's so hot in there. Well now I know how it feels. I can't complain, though. It only took a day for someone to come out and replace the motor. I'm pretty sure the home warranty has paid for itself in just that one visit!

So what's a gal to do when it's too hot to bake (or do anything, really) and there are no cookies for the children? (Other than going out to buy mighty over-priced ones at Whole Foods?) Conjure up some no-bake cookies that for the kids are both novel (what, raw cookies?) and fun to make, of course! These cookies get their sweetness from maple syrup, applesauce and shredded coconut. You could make them a little sweeter by including chocolate chips and rolling them in powdered sugar as desired. My girls liked making these almost as much as eating them and it made our hot afternoon a little more bearable.

No Bake Cookies, Take Two (see Take One)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce
6 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. coconut milk (I used So Delicious Vanilla Flavored)
1/4 cup almond butter or other nut butter as desired
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup uncooked buckwheat hot cereal
1/2 cup shredded dried coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, if desired
powdered sugar for rolling, if desired

First, toast the uncooked buckwheat hot cereal in a dry skillet over low heat for several minutes until fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool.

In a large bowl whisk together the coconut oil through the vanilla until smooth. In a medium bowl combine the quinoa flour through the shredded coconut (make sure the buckwheat is cool). Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips if desired. Refrigerate the mixture until firm enough to form into balls, about an hour.

Take heaping teaspoons of dough and form them into balls with the palms of your hands. Roll them in powdered sugar if desired. Place one layer on a plate or small glass dish and cover with wax paper. Repeat to make a second layer. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Roasted Garlic and Black Eyed Pea Dip

(The black eyed peas and roasted garlic give this dip a lovely subtle smoky flavor.)

It is over 100 degrees today. It's been like that for over a month. This summer has been just Too. Darn. Hot. And guess what we woke up to at 3am last night? A horrible squealing sound coming from the closet where our A/C until lives. It sounded like a cross between a fire alarm and a car's fan belt going out. Poor Anna screamed and jumped out of bed like her pants were on fire. We turned the A/C off, waited, then turned it back on. No more squealing, which was replaced with a high-pitched whine when the unit is on. Not so fabulous, but better than the squealing.

So I called our home warranty company this morning. Their A/C fixers will come out tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, 12 hours after the last squealing incident, our unit starts to scream like a stuck pig again. And it's 104 degrees outside. I'm just a little bit stressed. Off goes the unit...wait a few minutes...turn it back on...nothing. Maybe it's a belt, the motor, the compressor...who knows. The fixer can't get here fast enough. I hope the A/C does not die. As I'm fretting, I need to be moving. So I'm in the kitchen, making things that don't need an oven. We are having hippie chow for dinner (this time salmon over rice), no-bake cookies for dessert, and yummy hummus-y dip for a snack. Thank goodness for rice cookers, crock pots and toaster ovens!

Roasted Garlic and Black Eyed Pea Dip
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas (or 2 cans drained)
1 large head garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. salt (more if using cooked beans, less if using canned beans)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. parsley, if desired

Preheat oven (or toaster oven!) to 375 degrees. Place the head of garlic on a piece of tin foil. Cut the tops off each garlic clove, leaving the bulb intact. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. bring up the sides of the tin foil and fold over to make a pouch with the garlic inside. Roast the garlic about 20 minutes or until bulb is soft. Remove the pouch from the oven, unwrap the tin foil and let the garlic cool to room temperature. The roasted garlic can be stored for a day or two in the refrigerator.

Place the black-eyed peas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, water, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley into a food processor and process until smooth and thick. Adjust seasonings to your taste. This is good served warm or at room temperature.

Gluten Free & Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Because you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, here is another. They are crispy and reminiscent of Chips Ahoy, and they are good candidates for ice cream sandwiches!

2 cups GF flour blend
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup palm shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
generous 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dairy free, soy free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Sift together the sorghum flour through the salt, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and vanilla, beat well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by generous teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are very lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for a minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes just over 2 dozen cookies.