COTM: Gluten Free Mint Chocolate Cupcake

So cupcake of the month this month is a really pretty cupcake. I used green tea to color the icing. I'm not liking the color, but I have other things up my sleeve.

I also have a new flour mix. I was doing cookies from Gluten Free Goddess Here And she used Sorghum, Almond, and Potato. Well Normally I do my dry ingredients and set them aside. I loved how this looked in the bowl. Got me thinking could this be used as a flour mix? So I did up a batch of 1 Cup Sorghum, 3/4 Cup Potato, and 1/2 Cup Almond Meal (I'm way too cheap for Almond Flour). I went through that batch and really liked my results. So I went out and bought a 25 pound bag of Potato Starch and made up two more batches. I'm working my way through that right now. I'm really liking the results so far.

Gluten Free (Allergy Free) Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
By Marcie Dingerson

Mix Dry Ingredients and set aside:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose GF Mix
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Salt

In the mixer mix together:

1 Cup Pumpkin (2 eggs)
3/4 Cup Butter Milk (coconut milk mixed with cider vinegar set aside for a few minutes)
3 Tablespoons Organic Canola Oil
1 Teaspoon Pure Organic Peppermint Extract
3/4 Cup water

Mix and add in the dry ingredients. Bake in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

Icing is a butter cream. I dumped in one cup corn free powdered sugar (Trader Joe's) I added some vanilla, and mint extract, and green tea powder. I mixed, I added enough coconut milk to make it into icing. I then added some more powdered sugar, because apparently I added too much milk. Then I added more powdered sugar and more. I dipped the cupcakes into the icing, and topped with shaved dark chocolate.

GF All Purpose Flour Mix
Gluten Free Goddess

1 Cup Sorghum Flour
3/4 Cup Potato Starch
1/2 Cup Almond Flour (or meal)

PS. I will try and post when I can how I make her cookies allergy free. It's the best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever. I have been making batch after batch and honestly it looks better then the photo she has up!

Done

So Tucker is done with his Saxon Math 2 Part 1....YIPPEE

Last night he curled up with me and we did lesson after lesson, got within two lessons and he was done. The second I got up this morning I was attacked. He wanted to finish.

Why you ask?

His surprise was waiting for him and he know what it was...

We start Part 2 tomorrow. Although I"m sure he doesn't want to see another math problem anytime soon!

Playful Tuesday

Not a Kitchen play...

Crafting play. So my boy, my small little boy is soooooooooooooooo into Thomas the Train. It's so beyond silly at times. But that is his thing. He almost has enough track to go around the house. Which he reminds me daily I need more track mom. (Christmas Is Coming)

So I got an idea one day. These trains need their own sheds (homes) So we went off to Home Depot and bought some 4" by 8' wood, it's more of a 3 1/2 so I don't understand the 4 inch thing? Anywho. We came home and played with sizes. From the 3 boards I made 8 houses. Only 4 are done. I used my Sizzix machine to cut out the name, I taped it on and painted and removed them later. I glued the wood together as screws were just tearing it apart. But so far they are holding up.

I can not tell ya how excited Cole is. Dash is in the photo, he has been saving his allowance and today we went to Toys'r'us to make a Christmas list and he was able to buy it.

Go Play....

Playful Tuesday

Do you remember this playful Tuesday? So I made some jars of Chocolate Mint Simple Syrup. And I have to find a way to use all of this stuff now. So about a week ago, I had the thought to do my chocolate pops, but instead of agave to use my Mint Simple Syrup. What a hit. I didn't tell the kids so they dove into it and they were like OH MOM IT TASTE LIKE MINT...Mom did you add mint? Mom Mint, it's minty. There is enough sugar in there for the boys which is nice. We don't do a lot of sugar around here.

So go and play...I use one cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup cocoa, and about 1/2 cup sweetener. Makes about 6 or so.

Guess Who Is Done With Kindergarten Math?

Yepo, Cole finished Kindergarten Math today....YEAH... First Grade Math here I come!

Apples, Apples, Everywhere an Apple Apple

So went apple picking this week. 6 totes of apples in two hours. We processed tote one today. 23 Quarts 3 Pints later. We still have 5 totes to go.

During the apple picking I got a call from my sister. She was ticked about our parents. Well yeah so I'm I.

See my sister has come to realize it's all about Mom. Mom this and Mom that. well Yeah I agree. See I'm apple picking, I have a garden, I have two beds of carrots to can, I have 100 pounds of potatoes calling my name. Not to mention frost is hitting and we are loosing tomatoes. But yet mom wants me to give up a day and come out and plant her plants.

So apparently her plants are soooooooooooooo much more important then my food. The hell with my food right? And the fact that if we don't can, then we don't eat, but at least her plants will be in the ground?

She called me once this week to ask me to come up. Then she came down to my house to ask me to come up. Both times I have said no. Then she had the nerve to make dad call me to ask me to come up and plant her plants.

But what did I do today? I turned off my phone, I cranked up Martina McBride singing It's My Time, and I put on my skinny shorts (to date I have lost 16 pounds) and danced around the kitchen well canning 23 quarts and 3 pints of applesauce. To hell with her. I moved her that was more then enough, if we make moving easy on her, she will oopsy forget to pay the rent over and over and it's us who will have to keep moving her. NOPE.

Gosh Blooming, it's my time! It's my time to be in my garden. It's my time to harvest food for my family. I have a family now. I have three kids dependant on me. It's not all about her anymore! It's about my kids now. It's about my family. So I may or may not find my phone next week. I may or may not turn it on.

So Friday we went to the Chicks Sale. It's a BIG country sale around here. I was looking for planters and such for the garden. I was looking for things for our bedroom wall. And we came across this. A 15 story bird house. I just HAD to have it. It's sitting in the front yard, probably until Spring. Then it will find a home in the back field in the garden.

So as the frost is hitting now. Been crazy busy out in the garden. All the tomatoes died, so we had to pull all the tomatoes. Now they are in the green house waiting to turn red. We (the kids and I) are out pulling and clearing beds. I'm going to need to get the herbs covered soon. 

Playful Tuesday Chocolate Popsicles

Well I have been on a quest to make Really good Chocolate Popsicles. Ever since I bought some at Fred Meyer and the boys LOVED them. But I hate spending money. So when I can across this easy peasy recipe in a raw cookbook I know I Just had to try. Sure enough...They are BETTER then the ones we bought in the past.

Notice The Proof!

Allergy Free Chocolate Popsicles
By Jennifer Cornbleet Raw for Dessert
Adapted By Marcie Dingerson

1 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1/2 Cup Agave

Blend and pour into Popsicle molds...

Of course after I put this into the freezer I had the idea of maybe using the chocolate mint syrup I made about two weeks ago? Use that in place of Agave and maybe add some chocolate chips? Will have to play.

This made 6 Popsicles and they were all gone within hours.