Easter Birthday

Well at my house if your birthday falls on Easter weekend such as DS2's, sometime in your life you need a bunny cake! Happy 4th Birthday to my Big Little Guy!

This cake was made with my GF sponge cake recipe in two round 8" pans.  A single layer, one circle makes the face and the other was cut to make ears and the bow tie. 

By Special request: Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Here is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes up really nicely with the Gluten Free flour mix.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of Gluten free flour mix with xanthan gum (or 1tbsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips or M&M's
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream first four ingredients until fluffy; sift dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture.
add chips and nuts.  Refrigerate for 1/2 hour.  Drop from a teaspoon, 2" apart.  Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool and remove from pan.

Giant Cookie for Parties
Double the same recipe as above, but after chilling, spread the dough out onto a pizza pan to about 1/2 inch thick. Spell a name or a birthday wish in M&M's if desired. Cook as directed, watching carefully that the center is finished without burning the edges and bottom. Can be iced with icing with the recipients name.

(pictures to follow!)

"It's Spring!" Table pond

I am packing, and sorting and tossing and packing more boxes.  I am moving to the other side of town in 3 weeks.  We are all very excited about the move, and the children are active participants in the tossing and sorting process. My oldest son is very excited about simplifying life and removing clutter and excess toys. But with so many little helpers, sometimes I need a break! So Grandma and Grandpa have been great helpers, coming and keeping them busy and taking them out on excursions. 
Today they spent an hour at the library together, and then came back to the house for a bike ride around the block.  They stopped often and picked up many spring treasures to fill their pockets.  I was presented with a large handful of Spring gifts when they returned.

So we put them all together with a few added pieces from their shell collection and placed them in a pan of shallow water to keep the crocuses  fresh. The two oldest then  had fun blowing bubbles into the water. It's a beautiful center piece! I wish I could get outside more to enjoy these sunny days, but I didn't mind them bringing a bit of it in for me to enjoy later. :o)

Head Cover

(Pardon my frown, I am squinting at the camera's view finder!)

I designed myself a head cover, and my friends love it! Can you see the Star of David on the brim?
It is essentially a snood or slouch hat, made with the mathematics of this pattern, with ties that are a part of the brim that tighten the cap just the way you want made with this technique . I am having difficulty writing out the pattern though. I have the techniques down, I have made 2 of these. but the wording isn't coming to me.  I may have to break down and chart this one. So for now, look and admire :o)

If you REALLY really want one, go to my Etsy and click Request a custom order. (I have two on order already!)

GF Chocalate sponge cake recipe

Here is the Chocolate version of the sponge cake recipe.  I made this cake for a friend.  It was made with an 9x113 pan and I doubled the recipe. I did have to cut off the edges, as I found they stayed higher than the center. These cakes "fall" a little when they hit the cool air, but are still light ad moist. (There is a layer of Raspberry jam between the two cakes, Yum!)

 Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 c gluten free flour mix with NO Xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 

Directions

1.Sift corn starch, flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside 

2. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.

3. Beat  egg yolks into the egg whites.

4.Gradually beat in sugar until mixture forms a figure 8. 

5.add vanilla

6.Fold in the dry ingredients.

7.Divide into 2 well greased 20 cm (8") sandwich pans.

8. Bake at 180 C or 350 F for about 15- 20 minutes.

9. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
10. When cool, top one with whipped cream and jam (jelly).

11. Place the other on top and dust with icing sugar.

Monkey #2 Was A Tad Jealous .....

So I made him one too.  This is with the red mouth knitted in variation.  And of course he wanted to show off to the camera as well!

Matthew 21- Are you ready for Christs Return?

I think Matthew 21 could refer to this subject as well. I am afraid there will be a great number of people who call themselves Christian who will be “surprised” on the day of judgment. I ask the question, how many Christians are now behaving towards God as the Jewish people did towards God , taking on the traditions of non believers and compromising Gods word to fit into society more comfortably. This story Jesus tells relates to His time because he is telling the Jewish people they will lose their blessing and it will be passed to another nation or group of nations. But I believe it applies to us today as well. When the Lord returns, God may chose to remove the blessing also from our nations and pass it onto another (perhaps even Muslims who convert?)
Notice in the parable that the husbandmen KNEW who the servants belonged to and that it was the Son they were casting out and killing (just as professing Christians KNOW Christ is the son of God). I don’t see how a Christian who willingly compromises Gods word (and puts down others who live with the bible as their absolute life guideline) to fit in easier with their community INCLUDING their church community, is any better than the husbandmen. And their hard labors (good works?) which produced a good yield were left for someone else to finish (end time witnesses?)

33 ¶ Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?