Flavorful Friday: Snow Ice Cream Recipe!

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I think I have posted this particular Bible verse before, but it spoke to me today so here it is.

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Yep, today is a full-on snow day here in Plano, Texas!  

We don't get real snow often, so when we do it's lots of fun!  I was particularly surprised and in awe at how beautiful and perfect the snow flakes are.  I have been to snowy mountains in California, and I have lived in Colorado, yet I don't remember ever seeing such amazingly perfect flakes.


Today my son got to make his first snow angel, and taste his first snow ice cream! He loved it so much, and we had such fun making it, we thought it was a great idea to share our snow ice cream recipe with you here for Flavorful Friday! I have fond memories of eating snow ice cream as a child, though living in Austin, TX it was a rare treat, indeed!

This snow ice cream recipe is a base, a starting point, or you can just use as-is. You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to suit your own personal taste. Use your favorite milk- cow, raw cow, almond, coconut, oat, hemp, etc, whatever suits your fancy should work just fine. Note that if you are using sweetened milk, you may want to leave the sugar out all together. A fun trick could also be to use chocolate milk (yum!) or strawberry milk. Whatever you do, find the kid in you and have fun!

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:
4 C fresh, clean Snow 
1/2 C cold Milk
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract


Instructions:

First, mix together your milk, sugar, and vanilla with a whisk.  Leave them in the refrigerator while you go out to collect (and play in!) the snow.  The extra time helps the sugar to dissolve more completely.  Bring your snow back in and scoop it into a bowl.  Stir or shake the milk mix and then pour it over the snow. Give it a quick stir in the bowl and you are all set.  Enjoy!

Note: You may want more or less snow, and you can always add more snow or milk mix as you go if you like.

Merry Christmas! (And a Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Recipe!)

Matthew 1:23 KJB

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

From our hearts to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  May your hearts be filled with the joy of Christ and the miracle of His love for us all.

With love,

The Schunks

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Today we made Gluten Free Christmas Sugar Cookies for the first time ever!  We were a little nervous as to how this was going to turn out and I am pleased to say the results were excellent!  I can't take credit for the recipe, as I combined the genius of two other people to make these cookies.  Here is what we did in case you want to follow.

We used the "High Protein and Fiber Blend" gluten free flour recipe that I learned from Vanessa Weisbrod of "The Delight Gluten-Free Cookbook" and "Delight Gluten-Free Magazine" at the Dallas Gluten and Allergen Free Expo.  It is as follows:

• 1 C Sweet White Sorghum Flour
• 1 C Tapioca Flour
• 1/3 C Coconut Flour
• 1 tsp Xanthan Gum

Using this flour as our base, we followed the directions to make this cookie recipe:

http://www.momables.com/gluten-free-sugar-cookie-recipe/

Note that since the flour already contains Xanthan Gum, we did not add any extra.  We also did not add the cinnamon.  Otherwise, we followed the recipe to a "T".  The flour mix above makes a little more than the 2 Cups the recipe calls for, so we used the remainder for dusting the counter and the dough.  We also used just plain Tapioca Flour for the dusting and that worked out fine.  Be sure to refrigerate as it says!  Our cookies turned out gorgeous, buttery, perfectly flaky, and unrecognizable as any different from the traditional sugar cookies I have made with my family for years.  It is wonderful to be able to finally continue this tradition with my husband and son!

Tomorrow we'll be decorating them, if we don't eat them all first!

Merry Christmas!

Update: We did manage to save a few cookies to ice and I am SO glad we did!  They were pretty crispy, but after icing them and letting them sit for a day, they are soft and wonderful and delicious and taste just like those iced sugar cookies you buy at the bakery at the grocery store- so good!  And so pretty, too!  We all had a lot of fun decorating, and our friends can't even tell these are Gluten Free Sugar Cookies!

Flavorful Friday: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Recipe!

Romans 15:14 NIV
"I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another."


I believe that God has put in each of us a strong heart, a guide between right and wrong, good and evil.  We know deep in our heart of hearts how to live full and satisfying lives, yet sometimes we stray.  How wonderful to have friends and loved ones in our lives to remind us of our goodness, to steer us back onto the path that is straight and narrow.  It takes bravery and courage to speak truth in love to someone who may be making poor choices.  I recently rebuked a dear friend when I noticed her doing something that seemed out of alignment with the life she says she wants, with the person I know her to be.  It has been truly inspiring to watch her take in this information with the love with which it was offered, and to use this insight to transform her life and her actions.  I hope that when someone approaches me to instruct me in my ways that I can handle it with the grace and dignity she has shown.

To celebrate her, today I offer this fabulous Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Recipe!  She recently surprised me with some yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies, so here is my return favor.  With pumpkin in abundance in the grocery stores this month, here's a new way to try this healthy ingredient in a whole new way.

How have you used pumpkin lately?  I'd love to hear from you in comments below!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic
aka Brandi Schunk
bouncybrandi@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

PS- Keep an eye out on my Facebook page this weekend for on-the-spot updates from the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Dallas!  Click here to get your discounted pre-event tickets now!

PPS- I'll be posting in the coming weeks sharing highlights from the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo that starts TOMORROW in Dallas!  Dallas Market Hall - North Hall, 2200 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207.  I'm so excited!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

This recipe is loosely based on a list of ingredients that a relative told me after sharing her cookies with our family.  Her cookies used wheat flour and called for a lot more sugar, so I set out to make a healthier, gluten-free treat.  This cookie is very mild, so you’ll want to add more sugars or honey if you like things a little sweeter.  This recipe is also very forgiving, so feel free to experiment with ingredients and measurements, and add the optional ingredients to fit your own personal taste.

Ingredients:

1 Can (15oz) 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 Egg, beaten, at or near room temperature

1 Tbsp Butter, softened

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

¼ C Sugar

1 Tbsp Honey

½ C Almond Flour or Almond Meal

¼ C Coconut Flour

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

½ tsp Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

1 C Uncooked Old-Fashioned Oats

Instructions:

In a medium bowl mix Pumpkin, Egg, Butter, Vanilla, Sugar, and Honey.  Beat on low speed until well blended.  In a small bowl combine Almond Flour or Meal, Coconut Flour, Chia Seeds, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Celtic Sea Salt.  Whisk gently to mix all dry ingredients together.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mix, blending on medium until well combined.  Add Oats, stirring with a spoon until oats are fully incorporated into the mix.

Using hands, make Tablespoon size balls of dough and flatten them to about ¼” thick, making a cookie that is about 2” wide.  Place cookies an inch apart onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15-17 minutes, or until firm and slightly browned around the edges.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Store in a container with a lid sitting on top, but not sealed.

Serve warm with a big, cold glass of your favorite milk and enjoy!

This cookie is great for breakfast, dessert, or just as a snack!

Optional Ingredients:

Chopped Pecans

Brown Sugar

Molasses

Maple Syrup
Pumpkin Pie Spice