Mom, no more serpents please!

Nothing warms the heart and delights the senses
like home made bread. Can't you smell it now? Ah...
Next time you tackle that dough
instead of forming a loaf how about
shaping some nifty rolls? I mean really nifty.

One way my kids learned the numbers and letters
was by making them. They shaped the dough
into numbers and letters. They got to feel the shapes.
Of course they got to eat them afterward.

We had so much fun making shapes to eat.

As a volunteer in the schools, I helped the kids
make different states when they were learning about
the 50 states.

We also made personalized pizzas in the shape of
the first letter of each child's name.

Sometimes I got carried away. One day my daughter
came home from school and said, "Mom, please
don't put any more serpents in my lunch.
I was afraid to eat it."

Whether your kid learns by seeing, touching, smelling,
tasting or hearing, when you use dough to teach,
you get your point across free from hassles.

The Best Story

Here is another game for the car. First person starts a story--makes up the characters, place, time, whatever details s/he wants. AND only talks about two minuites.
At that point, person #2 continues the story--adding whatever details s/he wants, taking the story where s/he wants to--for two minutes. Then person #3 (or the first person, if only two are playing)continues the story. Go on trading the role of story teller until all agree the story has been told.

This game is very entertaining. You start a story line thinking you want it to go a certain way. Only the next person has a whole different idea. You gotta think quick and accommodate whatever comes to you when it is your turn!

And you need to pay attention. This is one time you miss out if you are busy thinking about what you are going to say when your turn comes.

So this game is a great one to learn listening skills, using your imagination, waiting your turn, and just relaxing. This game is also about fun. There are no right or wrong pieces to the story!

Ali's Wheat-free Orange Pancakes

This dish is a very popular item at potlucks and parties. You can serve it as is OR do the decadent version by heating some Grand Marnier. igniting it then elegantly pouring the flaming sauce over the ensemble. Luscious either way.

pancakes:

1 C oat flour 2 TB melted butter
1 C barley flour 1 egg
1 Tb baking powder 1/4 orange juice concentrate
2 TB xylitol (or sweetener of your choice) 3/4 C soy milk ( or nutmilk--whatever
you prefer)
1 TB grated orange peel (be sure to use organic oranges)

Mix all liquids then beat in dry inredients.
Bake 6-8" pancakes on a buttered pan or pancake griddle
when bubbles form VERY GENTLY turn pancake
this is an extremely delicate pancake since there is no gluten flour to add elasticity.
If the pancake breaks while flipping simply put it together in the pan and it will seal itself.
If it gets messy just enjoy eating it and make another pancake. You will get the feel of it.

Have ready to go:
sectioned thin orange slices
ricotta cheese

Take a single pancake.
Cover it with a layer of ricotta cheese
Top the cheese with sliced orange sections
then stack the second pancake on the first and repeat the toppings until you have "stacked, cheesed and oranged" 4 pancakes

Top with warm sauce:
1 TB corn starch dissolved in 3/4 C pure water
2 TB freshly grated orange peel
1/3 C honey
1/4 C orange juice concentrate 2 TB unsalted butter
1 orange cut into small sections

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil STIRRING CONSTANTLY until thickened.
Ladle over the stacked pancakes and serve immediately.

For the decadent version, gently heat 1/4 C Grand Marnier ( I use a butter melter--perfect and flameproof). Use a candle lighter to ignite the Grand Marnier. ITtburns a gorgeous blue flame that may not be so easy to see so USE CAUTION as you pour the flames over the topped panckes.


ENJOY!

The Surprise Drawing

When you find yourself with young people wondering what to do create a surprise drawing. Why is it a surprise? Because you won't know what it is until your child completes it and then applies his or her imagination to what you see!

Huh? Take a piece of paper. Draw squiggly lines all over the page. Sometimes the lines cross making interesing little shapes and sometimes you have bigger weird shapes of all kinds.

Next randomly make dots inside the different shape--here and there, not everywhere. You might want to use colored pencils making dots of different colors inside different spaces.

Now hand the paper to your child with a pencil (or colored pencils) and instruct him or her to color in only the spaces where you marked a dot. If using colored pencils you can ask them to match the color to the color of the dot.

Once all dotted spaces are colored in, see what the picture actually is. In most cases your child will need to think up--use imagination--to tell you what he or she has drawn.

You can even take that process a step further by making up a story to go along with the picture.

Give a Kid a Camera

Get A New Perspective

When your family gets together for a party, a celebration, a wedding--whatever the occasion--hand a disposable camera to a kid. Kids, say aged 5-9, will not only feel really important but they will also get all kinds of shots the adults will not be able to take.

You see, people are willing to be themselves, maybe even goofy when posing for kids while they might feel more reserved posing for a peer or, worse yet, a professional photographer.

You will be delighted by the new perspective, I mean literally, since they are shorter and see everything at a different angle. Kids also consider different subjects as important than we do.

So surprise yourself and make the day for your young person or persons. Create non-traditional memories. You will glad you did.

the pizza you didn't expect

This is currently my favorite pizza recipe. I created it about 1 1/2 years ago. I like pizza and everything I eat and serve) to be delicious, appetizing, and nutritious. I stay away from wheat...just because.
I have been making pizza crusts with herbs and cheeses for 30 years--long before any commercial company thought of it. I also have been original with my toppings, also long before it became the trendy thing to do.

For your adventure in good-for-you pizza I bring you...

Rye Pizza

start with hot water. Add 3/4 tsp salt and 3 Tb xylitol natureal sweetener--check online to find its many health benefits including reducing cavities.
Once the mixture has cooled but is still warm (about 93 degrees F) sprinkle 1 TB baking yeast over it and let it sit and get bubbly so you know the yeast is fresh. alive and will allow your bread to rise--ever so slightly.

Once you see the bubbling action stir in 3 TB olive oil and mix those ingredients together.
Add 1 C soy flour. Using a whip blend the soy flour evenly into the liquid. then add 2 C of rye flour and 2 TB ground caraway seeds.
Mix it with a spoon then by hand. Knead for 5-100 minutes until the dough feels smooth A bread maker is ideal as this is sticky dough. a bit heavy. There is no gluten in soy or rye flour so this dough will sit there rather than become springy. Also it will not rise much and will be denser than wheat crust.

Do my oil technique by rubbing olive oil over the rounded dough then turn the dough over and use it to oil the bowl in which it will rise.
Cover with a dish towel and place in a slightly warm oven. I usually turn on my oven for about 1 minute then turn it off and slip the oiled covered ball of dough inside to rise. I let it rise for
1 1/2-2 hours.

turn out the dough onto parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/4 " thickness.
Place on your on a pizza stone or pizza pan or whatever you usually bake pizza on.
What? You don't bake pizza? Use a cookie sheet then.

Whole grain crust takes extra time to bake. So preheat your oven to 374 degrees F and place the crust in it. Bake for 10 minutes until the glossiness is gone yet the dough is no longer raw.

Remove the crust from the oven and top it. I recommend spreading a thin coat of your fvorite mustard. the top with both swiss and mozzarella cheese. Munster is a great choice too. I also like to add onion and spinach--truthfully I add whatever I see in my refrigerator or on my counter.

Bake for about 10 minutes and ENJOY!

Tell me how you liked your pizza. What did you put on it?