Stories from My Kitchen

Brown Rice Flour Cookies

1 cup Brown Rice Flour
2 Tbs butter or vegetable oil
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup nuts (ground)

Directions: Blend all ingredients thoroughly. If you’d like, chill for several hours or overnight. Roll into 1-inch balls and arrange on oiled baking sheet. Press flat with bottom of glass. Without chilling, just spoon onto baking sheet.  The balls will spread out, but the cookies will still be tasty. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

Cookies came out well and my daughter enjoyed having them.  Yield was about 8 cookies.

Ranch dressing

Molasses taffy (hfcs-free)

Fish sticks (wheat free) & Tartar sauce (hfcs-free)

Chicken nuggets (wheat free)

Brown Rice Flour Cake

Here is a tried and tested brown rice flour recipe I found on net.  It works well and tastes good even for those who can have wheat.

Brown Rice Flour Cake (Wheat free)

4oz (1/2 cup) butter or vegetable oil or shortening (not Crisco; instead try Earth Bound)
4oz (1/2 cup) sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (alcohol-free)
5oz (1 1/4 cup) brown rice flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).  Grease and flour an 8″ cake pan.  Cream butter and sugar until light, then beat in eggs and vanilla.  Beat in flour adn baking powder until thoroughly combined.  Note:  Alternate wet and dry ingredients for better combination.  Pour into cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.

Happy Baking!

10 Things You Can Do To Be Green

1. Turn the faucet off when you’re brushing your teeth.  You’re supposed to be brushing your teeth for 5 minute so why is the water running for that long?
2. Carry your own grocery bags.  At WholeFoods you get 10 cents back for each bag you use.  You save money and the planet.
3. Make your own cleaning solution.  Its easy, a little clorox, water and liquid soap.http://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-regular-bleach/how-to/
4. Make your own floor shining solution.  Even easier, a little vinegar and water and if you don’t like the smell, just add a little tea tree oil or perfume oil.  Tea tree disinfects so I prefer to add that. http://www.vinegartips.com
5. When you’re buying chicken, buy the whole chicken instead of cutup. Cut out the bones yourself and use the bones for stock whilst use the chicken for your cooking.  You can use the stock for soup or just have it as a broth.  If you don’t like skin, just remove it after cooking.  You won’t have to use oil or butter to make the chicken crispy and moist if you leave the skin on.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRWTHM-Q-CA
6. When using butter in baking, use the empty butter wrappers to butter your pans.  You will save on butter.  You can also use the wrappers to line your pan.
7. Have two bins in your kitchen.  One for garbage and one for recycle.  Most cities now have separate recycle bins, its as easy as putting the recycle garbage in the correct bin.
8. Wear clothes again before washing.  You can also dryclean with Dryel thus saving on water and detergent.
9. Carpool whenever you can.
10. Make a grocery list and plan your meals so you don’t have to keep running to the grocery store.  You will save time, money and gasoline with this one.