Merry Christmas Y'all

 

God has blessed us with a great year!

The old farm place in Noxubee county was hit by a tornado back in April and completely wiped out. We went through a tough transition but God is merciful and we are doing well.

Honey has had problems with his sugar but after diet adjustments and prayer he is feeling much better.

I am feeling better than ever before. My headaches are very few this day in time after giving up caffeine and the use of saccharine.

Our kids are doing great the grand-children are growing up and changing every day which is bitter sweet but we wouldn't have it any other way.

REMEMBER friends, in spite of all that is going on in our world today GOD IS STILL GOD AND HE CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD! John 3:17

Merry Christmas Y'all and thanks for stopping by. Please come again soon!

Have a Happy New Year

To continue with my Christmas post, the Christmas was full of sorrow and joy. Let me explain!

 Sarah and Lida at Umi's

We celebrated with our daughter Sarah while she was here by going out to a Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar for lunch and then back to our children's home in Starkville for play time, dessert and  to open gifts.

Time to take a spin

Our happy baby boy.

No, this was not her Christmas

Our photo shoot

We took our daughter Sarah to Jx for a wedding and to catch her flight for home. After she went to board her plane we left for Greenwood to prepare to return to Starkville for Christmas day.

Early Monday morning we recieved a text that our babies were sick and the kids said that they would understand if we didn't want to come to their house for Christmas. After talking the situation over Honey and I decided that we would go ahead with our plans and maybe we could help with the sick babies, at the time we didn't know it but this was a God thing. We had a fun Monday night filled with rocking sick babies and lots of cooking. We were up most of the time Monday night with the baby because of his not being able to breath and also teething.

Monday morning bright and early my Dad knocked on the door he was here for the day. We were excited that he decided to come although the babies were sick.

I played Santa Claus during the night and we were exicted to see Austin's reaction when she saw what was under the tree.

She seemed stunned when she saw the doll she had asked for, she didn't try to touch it she just stared.

Talking about the gifts while Daddy looks on.

A bag for Gammy's house

Benny Boop and his MSU football and got a cowbell too. 

He's all boy loves wheels, balls and making noise! 

Click on the photo at the bottom of the page to see lots more photos of our Christmas.

We lost two precious souls during the holiday, our lost is heavens gain!

Uncle Bob was a retired Baptist preacher who never really retired although he tried too many times. I cherish the way he led his family by example and his love for us all! He is in a better place now and he will be greatly missed!

Before lunch Christmas day our son received a phone call that he was needed in another town. His best friend had died unexpectedly, what a blow to us all. He and Ash hurried off to be with the family and I took care of dinner and the sick kids. Thank the Lord my Dad and Honey were there to help!

Chris Rushing was a special person! I can't began to list the wonderful things he has done for our family! He will always be remembered for his loving, sweet, gentle spirit and the love he has shown! I'm disappointed though that I didn't get to help set him up with the woman of his dreams, I tried a few times. Now he is in a MUCH better place with others that loved him as we did and one day we'll all be reunited once more.

Thank the Lord that we know where both of these precious souls are, it helps us to endure the sorrow we feel!!

Have a Happy New Year friends, we never know when it may be our last.

Thanks for stopping by y'all and please come again soon!
 

Merry Christmas Y'all

We've had a great holiday season so far!

We started our celebrating with the "Annual Roy Martin Christmas Parade" in our hometown which is always great.

 Santa Claus

Then we assisted with our annual "Breakfast with Santa". It was so much fun. It's like a Christmas carnival at our church.

 Santa and his Elves

We've had Christmas dinner with our church family and attended the adult and children's programs. Both programs were top notch and I hear the dinner was fabulous, my piece of pie sure was.

Our last event was dinner with the Good family and celebrating our grand-daughter Lida's 2nd birthday. It's always fun when you get a lot of kids together.

 NOT a picture perfect moment!

The two youngest

My two big girls, Lida and Austin!

Now we are beginning to celebrate with our children. None of us together but each family separately because we are scattered all over the USA. I'll post photos and details of these celebrations after the first of the year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family! 

Let's remember the REAL meaning of Christmas it's not all about the presents and food!

Thanks for stopping by y'all and please come again soon!

My 4th of July

I had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend what made it so special is that Honey took a few days off and we spent time with the kids.

On the Thursday before the fourth we attended Stars and Stripes and the 1st Annual Boat Parade in Greenwood here are a few of the photos from that night.

We took a picnic with us and ate at the park while listening to the live entertainment. 

What a great shot NOT. I am trying to put Punkin's straps to her blouse up on her shoulders.

Uncle Sam was there and he asked Punkin if she would have her picture taken with him;

she had no problem saying NO.

Some of the boat parade

We left before the fireworks because we were hot and Punkin had, had enough. But we enjoyed our time together in the park, I hope we can attend again next year and this time maybe we can stay for the fireworks.

On Friday the men went to check out the farm and look at farm equipment so the girls went out to lunch and did a little shopping. Then on Friday night we cooked out at the house.

On Monday the 4th we went to Starkville and had a fun relaxing day of watching movies, eating and playing with Punkin. 

I love it when the family can get together we stay too busy to do this often but there have been a few times that we managed to get together lately. Soon it will be harvest time and the times to get together will be few and far in between.

Thanks for stopping by y'all and please come again soon!

My Easter Card to You!

There is always hope no matter what we are experiencing! I have to remind myself of this daily as I battle with environmental allergies, food allergies, gluten sensitivities and now osteoarthritis. It is such a relief for me to know that these things are temporary and that something greater is waiting for me after my life here on earth.

I hope you have a wonderful week leading up to the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Happy Easter Friend  

Thanks for stopping by and y'all please come again soon!

Happy New Year with GLuten Free Caramel Chip Bars

New Years blessings just for you!

I don't remember where I got the original recipe of this, if it was you Mary I'm sorry! :( If it was you and you would like to be connected to it as posting the original PLEASE contact me through twitter or my e-mail and I would love to connect you to it.

I have taken it and transposed it to be gluten free and it looks GREAT and better yet it taste GREAT! Sorry friends Honey and I had to try just one piece we wouldn't want it to make you sick or anything.

Caramel Chip Bars

1/2 c. butter
1 pkg. caramel bits (11-oz) or 32 caramels
1 can (14-oz) sweetened cond. milk
1 pkg. (15-oz.) gluten free yellow cake mix
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 pkg. (12-oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. vanilla or white chips
1 Heath candy bar (1.4-oz.) chopped

In a lg. saucepan, combine the butter, caramels and milk; cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth. Cool, in a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oil and eggs; mix well. Stir in chips and chopped candy bar (dough will be stiff).

Press three-fourths into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Place on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Pour caramel mixture over the crust. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto caramel layer.

 
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes; run a knife around edges of pan. Cool 40 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until served.

It's not too late bake you up some for that New Years party and again Happy New Years ya'll.

See ya next year!

Garlic Shrimp and Grits

I just had a thought, holidays weren't meant to be like this!

Honey and I have been extremely busy. Last Thursday night we went to Pine Lake and saw Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio in the "Glory in the Highest" tour. It was great and I wouldn't have missed it for the world after the concert we went to my Dad's for the night, then picked up Punkin and kept her for a couple of days. We were able to take her to breakfast with Santa Saturday morning and it was so much fun. It's not everyday that you get to do these things with your grand-children.

Sunday we attended the Christmas cantata and then spent the afternoon with Ash and the baby. All afternoon I was stressed because of all that I had to do. Our computer is out and we are trying to set up a new one, I am days behind on paying bills, payroll taxes are due, Honey has new glasses to pick up, I have prescriptions that I need to have filled, the house needs cleaned, my washer isn't working correctly, we have a business meeting in a few days and on top of it all I have only sparsely decorated for Christmas. Earlier I had shared with my family that I was overwhelmed with it all. Christmas isn't supposed to be like this, this is not the reason for the season.

So while the family slept I made an executive decision, I took out a few more decorations and decided that there will be no tree this year. At first I felt bad because this is the first year that I have not put up a tree but we are leaving to go on a trip next weekend and we are having Christmas at Ben and Ash's when we get home. Besides, spending time with my family is the most important thing right now and I was wasting my time worrying.

After I made this decision I felt so much better, and I started to straighten up the house and think about cooking supper. Now after spending all afternoon fretting I had no meat thawed and had no idea what I was going to cook. Then I remembered that I had bought the ingredients to try a garlic shrimp and grits recipe that I had copied from Southern Living magazine. It was a cold night and so this sounded really good and man oh man it WAS!!! We all loved it and so I want to share it with you.

Garlic Shrimp and Grits
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 pound unpeeled medium size shrimp; cooked
3 c. water
1 c. whipping cream
¼ c. butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt
1 c. quick-cooking grits; uncooked
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves; minced

Instructions:
Peel shrimp, and devein, if desired. Bring 3 cups water, cream, butter, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in grits. Cook, whisking constantly, 7 to 8 minutes or until mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 pound shrimp, cheese and garlic, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Garnish with chopped fresh chives, peeled and cooked shrimp, freshly ground black pepper if desired.

This is so good and EASY that I plan to make it often in the future!

Today treats.....

I have been busy cooking for my family to come for a visit. I am so excited about spending my first Thanksgiving in my new home with my children and grand-children. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas because our children who live away will not be able to return for Christmas.

The gifts are all wrapped, the house is clean and smells like a Holiday....

Here are a few items I have made, click on the link to get the recipe. It's all Good and it's gluten free!!!

Coffee Shop Fudge
My family loves fudge and some of us love coffee so I was so excited to find this recipe and give it a try.

Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars  
Though Pumpkin is not my favorite, when I read the recipe for these bars I knew that I had to try them. They are wonderful, this may be the beginning of a new tradition

Boiled Cookies
I've been making this recipe since Ash was a little girl. Now I make it with gluten free pure rolled oats so that I can have one. I think the taste is a little different but we love them just the same.

2 cups sugar
3 TBL cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats, uncooked
Nuts (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Boil for 1 minute in medium pan. Remove; add peanut butter, vanilla, uncooked oats and nuts. Stir only enough to blend and drop by spoon on waxed paper. Let set about 30 minutes.


I will also be making my famous Chicken and Dressing made with My Favorite Cornbread recipe.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving ya'll...

New 2010 Gluten Free Holiday Baking E-Book - Download it NOW!!!

I love my readers, family and friends and because of this I have teamed up with some other wonderful cooks to create a holiday gift just for you! So many of you have impacted my life in many ways whether it is by your support, comments, e-mails or actually cooking for me in your home and I  want to say a big Thank YOU!!!!

My friend Jeanine of "The Baking Beauties" has put this cookbook together for all of us to benefit from and I was to say a huge thanks go her, I think she did a first class job! 

So lets get started and... Happy Holidays!

By clicking the above image, you will be taken to Google Documents. You do NOT need a Google account to be able to download the e-book, no worries. You WILL need Adobe Reader to view it though. Once the document opens up in Google Docs, you can either open as a PDF in Adobe Reader, print it, or save it to your hard drive. I know I'll excited about having all these recipes in my kitchen!

Thank you so much to all the contributors, make sure you check out their blogs as well. There is a LOT of great food on these GF food blogs, so there is no reason any of us should feel left out this holiday season.

Aine Olson

Amy Green - www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com

Annette Ross

Beth Maurer

Carla Spacher - http://glutenfreerecipebox.com

Carol - www.easytobeglutenfree.com

Carolyn Ketchum - www.dreamaboutfood.blogspot.com

Deb Steel

Grace Good - www.gracefullyglutenfree.blogspot.com

Jeanine Friesen - www.thebakingbeauties.com

Jeanne Sauvage - www.artofglutenfreebaking.com

Johnna Perry - www.52Sweets.com

Kathleen Duquette - www.imadetoast.com

Kathryn Hogan

Lady Fire-Eyes

Linda Etherton - www.glutenfreehomemaker.com

Maggie Savage - www.SheLetThemEatCake.com

Nancy Guppy - www.chapmanslanding.blogspot.com

Sara Jeanne Burke

Sarah Roberson - www.lifeisstillsweet.com

Shoshana Ohriner - www.couldntbeparve.com

Tamara Wheeler

From our homes to yours...Have a Blessed Holiday Season!

Gluten-Free Banana Pudding,

I hope you had a good Memorial Day. We had a fun Memorial Day weekend, Dad came up and we grilled out and rested! Here are a few photos to share of our evening.

This was right before she bent over the side to pick grass and fell on her head.

So then she and the men had a cold glass of tea and rested while Ashia and I ran around starting supper, talking and taking photos.

It was a great time for all of us, we stayed outside until it started to thunder then we moved to the inside. When Ben got ready to put the steaks and veggies on the grill it came a downpour but he grilled in the rain and we ate it up! Thanks Ben it was wonderful! 

I made my first Gluten-Free Banana Pudding! It was really good but a little bit too sweet, I'll be modifying my recipe to use less sugar! 

I used "Arrowroot Animal Cookies" in place of Vanilla Wafers and they worked great! I'll give out my recipe when I perfect it!

We're still working on the house, I went Monday and bought a new bedroom suite. I love it and I love my new furniture store!

That'll have to do you for now more to come in the near future!

The Best of the 6th Annual Ornament Party

Last Thursday night was my sixth annual ornament party. I had the first party the year that I married Steve as a way to get to know ladies in the community, I think I had twelve ladies to attend that one. Then one of the parties we had around forty-five guest, that was a lot for my living room. We set anywhere imaginable and made it happen and what a blast we had. This is an event that we look forward to every year. In January we began the search for the perfect ornament for next year. My friends take this party very seriously!


This year the party was held in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church of Macon. I hated to move it from my house, it's just always so personal in a home, but we are expecting a new grand-baby anytime and my house is also due some renovations so I decided that I had better not count on having it there.


Once again the party was a huge success, we had 24 in attendance. A few of them were ladies who had never been before and everyone seemed to have a great time. It's such a blessing to have friends you can be yourself and have fun with.

Here are a few of the photos from this years party.

The food was great as always and my friends made sure that there was some things I could eat! We enjoyed our time of fellowship together.

We each enjoy choosing and showing off our ornaments in hopes that no one else will like them enough to steal them!

It's exciting to see what others get.

We have to make sure someone applies a sticker so that it can't be passed over three times.

We learned something new this year about the pickle ornament.

I think the ladies had a story of their own.

LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS PICKLE
A pickle is used as decoration on the Christmas tree seems odd at first, but it is an old German tradition. When decorating the Christmas tree, it is traditional to hang the pickle last, hidden among the branches. The first child on Christmas Day to find the Christmas pickle receives a special blessing for the year and an extra gift! Great tradition to share with your family this year and for years to come!

If you have never attended an ornament party you should give it a try we love them and plan on many more!

Gluten-Free Chicken and Dressing Recipe

On Sunday afternoon sitting and talking with family and friends how was I to know what was happening in the world around me? My daughter Ashia received a phone call and all I heard was, "oh, no, you are kidding. How did you hear? Are you sure?"

Of course I was sitting there, "what Ashia, what" to now avail. After she hung up the phone she said, "Momma, Isaac Taylor killed himself".

Wow, how could that happen, what happened, some of the questions that may never be answered.

Immediately I called my Dad who lives next door to this precious family, "Dad have you heard, it's not true is it?" Well, Dad didn't know anything about it but told me he'd check and call me later. Deep down I knew that it was true so I began to make preparations to go to Harrisville, my home town and be with the family during this awful time.

Isaac's mom and I grew up together we had one of those relationships where we practically lived together. We joined the church together, attended ALL movies together, went to the state fair together, went to each other's famlies for all holidays together, in other words anything one of us did we did together. Kandi's parents were my parents, Kandi's uncles were my uncles, Kandi's aunts were my aunts and so on. Then I moved away in 1997 to Guatemala, Isaac was 8 years old then. I returned to H'ville in 2001 and after this time was privileged to teach Isaac in Sunday school and attend various activities with him. I'll never forget the smile on his face and the kindness he portrayed.

His passing away was a very sad and hard time for many people. I saw people during this time that I had not seen for 20 or 30 years. I was able to reconnect with Kandi and our friend Leslie and we are planning a girls weekend soon; I look forward to that! Thank you Lord for bringing good in a bad situation and for the years that you blessed us with Isaac.
I'll Praise You In This Storm
In Memory of Isaac Taylor 1989-2009


After getting on the road to H'ville I thought about I really had nothing to eat with me. I stopped by the local Kroger and picked up a few gluten-free items just to make it a couple of days. One of the things that I decide to try were "Enjoy Life Foods" Soft Bake Snickerdoodle Cookies. They are really good, they still have the gluten-free texture that most bought foods do but they taste great. These are allergen friendly cookies meaning that they are free from all of the most common allergies caused by foods.

Now it's time to change gears and think about Thanksgiving! What will I cook? What recipes do I want to share with you?

Here's one of my all time favorites! I can make it anytime but choose to save it for the holidays, it just makes them even more special.

Chicken and Dressing
Servings: 15
Cooking Time: 45 minutes Cuisine: Gluten-Free
Preparation Time: 1 hour Rating:

Ingredients :
2 or 3 chicken breast, cooked and deboned
1 ½ sticks butter
2 makings of favorite cornbread (I use "My Favorite Cornbread" Recipe that I featured in an earlier blog "101 Questions and Hot Buttered Cornbread")
chicken broth
1 bunch green onions
2 or 3 eggs
2 pkgs. Lipton Cup a Soup cream of chicken

Instructions :
Cover chicken breast in water and boil until done. Remove chicken from Broth (save broth) and set aside to cool. While cooling, sauté onions In 1/2, stick butter and set aside to cool. Remove chicken from bone. In a bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Add 1 stick of melted butter and Soup to chicken broth. Mix corn bread, meat and vegetables together. Add broth and egg mixture. Make sure it is juicy if not add more milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top.
ENJOY!!!!

Don't let your Holloween candy spook you.

Did you know that many candy companies have an allergen page? I didn't, until I was reading "Gluten Free Is Life" and she was talking about it. After reading this it sparked an area of interest and I started looking into it. Here is some of the information that I have found.

Baby Ruth (Nestlé USA)
Gluten-free information on 6/6/2009 on the FAQ page of the Baby Ruth website (http://www.babyruth.com):

Question: “Does Baby Ruth contain gluten?”
Answer: “No, Baby Ruth does not contain gluten, however, due to formula changes and new product introductions, consumers should always read the ingredient statement on the wrapper for the most current information.”

Brach's (Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc.)
Brach’s does not provide a list of their gluten-free products. To ask them whether a specific product is gluten-free call Farleys & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. Consumer Relations at 1-888-247-9855 (This is a toll free phone number.)

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc.
They do not provide lists of their gluten-free products. To ask them whether a specific product is gluten-free call Farleys & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. Consumer Relations at 1-888-247-9855 (This is a toll free phone number.) Their brands include: Brach's®, Bobs®, Chuckles®, Farley's®, Fruit Stripe®, Heide®, Now And Later®, RainBlo®, Sathers®, Super Bubble®, Trolli®.




Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.
Gluten-free information on 6/4/2009:

• Andes Products: Andes Mints, Andes Baking Chips
• Candy Carnival
• Caramel Apple Pops
• Cella Cherries
• Charleston Chew
• Charms Blow Pops
• Charms Flat Pops
• Child's Play
• Cry Baby
• Dots & Crows
• Dubble Bubble: Twist Gum, Ball Gum, Candy, Specialty Gum
• Fluffy Stuff
• Frooties
• Junior Mints
• Nik-L-Nip
• Razzles
• Sugar Babies
• Sugar Daddy
• Tootsie Pops
• Tootsie Roll
• Wack-O-Wax
• Zip-A-DEE Mini Pops

Gluten-free statement on the Company FAQ page on 6/04/2009 at the Tootsie Roll Industries website (www.tootsie.com):
Question: “Which of your products is gluten free?”
Answer: “At this time, all of our confections are gluten free. We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products.”

Gluten-free statement on the “Healthy Living” page under “Nutrition Labels and Allergen Information” on 6/04/2009 at the Tootsie Roll Industries website (www.tootsie.com):
“Tootsie provides the most accurate and updated ingredient statements for each of its products. Consult the Nutrition Chart for each product to determine whether a candy or gum fits into your dietary plan.
All Tootsie products are gluten-, peanut-, and nut product-free. Tootsie does not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt, or any of their components, either as ingredients or as part of the manufacturing process.
Corn and soy products are used during the manufacturing process.”

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
They do not provide a list of their gluten-free products. To ask which of their brands are gluten-free, call them toll free at 1-800-WRIGLEY. Wrigley brands include Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley's Spearmint®, Doublemint®, Skittles®, Life Savers®, Eclipse®, Winterfresh® and Altoids® .
Please note that Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints are NOT gluten-free and therefore Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints should be avoided on the gluten-free diet.

 Hershey's has an allergen page
Things that are gluten-free, verified recently (not miniatures):

• Hershey’s Special Dark
• Hershey’s Bars & Kisses
• Reese’s PB Cups

The modified food starch that we use in our candies in corn starch.  We are in the process of updating our package labels to reflect products that are gluten free.  
Our gluten free brands are: 
MIKE AND IKE® Brand Candies
HOT TAMALES® Brand Candies 
PEEPS® Marshmallow Candies 
PEANUT CHEW® Brand candies 
TEENEE BEANEE® Jelly Beans 
JUST BORN® Jelly Bean. 


This information pertains to all Just Born candies that we make and package at our two manufacturing locations (Bethlehem, PA and Philadelphia, PA) and are in their original packaging. Please be aware that we do sell some of our products in bulk to other manufacturers who may be repackaging them in another facility.  We encourage consumers to read the labels carefully for any gluten information on products that might be packaged elsewhere.  For further questions, we recommend consumers call our Consumer Relations Team toll-free at 1-888-645-3453.

Q:	My child has an intolerance to the gluten protein found in wheat. What products do NOT contain this ingredient?
A:	Dum Dum Pops, Saf-T-Pops, Swirl Saf-T-Pops, Marshmallow Treats, Candy Canes, Cane Classics, Dum Dum Canes and Dum Dum Chewy Pops do not contain the gluten protein found in wheat, barley, rye, or oats.

So dig in this Halloween and don't let your candy spook you. Maybe now you have a better idea of what is safe for you or your kids to eat.

I had to post a new photo of Austin, here she is ready for her first Doctor's appointment at 12-days old. I'm sure there are more to come!