Canadians Disney Blog ~ Our trip to Disney World

I just realized that I haven't put a link or notice of another blog I started for our Disney World trip in May 2014.

We had a wonderful family vacation and this is the link to the other blog so you can check it out.

We had requests to include some dollar figures so you can plan more accurately for your own vacation if you want :)

Go HERE TO BLOG

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Gluten Free and Crustless Recipe

There is something delicious and wonderful about pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.  So how can we eat pumpkin pie without the gluten/wheat and the dairy?

Here is our family's solution

Crustless Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

2 cups / 15 oz can Pure Pumpkin
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/3 cup Coconut Flour (or any Gluten Free flour, like Arrowroot, etc)
1/3 cup Brown Sugar

Mix all together.

In another bowl, mix

3/4 Cup Milk (Coconut milk, Lactose Free Milk)  PLUS 2 tbsp milk of your choice (Lactose Free sour cream is good)
2 tbsp Coconut oil or Olive Oil or more milk if you don't have
1 Egg  OR 1 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp honey (or use more brown sugar)

Blend together.  Pour into a greased pie plate.  Decorate with Pecans or Walnuts.
400F oven for approx. 30 minutes.
Cool and serve.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie Gluten Free

For a Dairy Free whipped cream topping, try whipping Coconut Milk.  Use the canned coconut milk and put in the fridge over night.  The thick WHITE coconut cream can be whipped into a whipped cream topping.  Add a bit of sugar and vanilla to taste.  You can't always find the Lactose Free Whipping Cream.  Healthy than the Cool Whip edible oil product, and it's also Cholesterol Free.

Easter Hopping Bunnies Sweet Buns and Resurrection Buns

We had some fun today, made Hopping Bunnies and Resurrection Buns.  I have been very slack in my photo taking for, well, the past year and a half?  So this is what we've got.

So often we try to steer away from all the "sugar junk" that inevitably comes along with holidays, but whenever we have cut it out completely, there is always a feeling of "no celebration".  So...

Let the children get creative!

Anxiously awaiting the timer and a fresh hopping bunny!

YUM!

Resurrection buns...easy to make and have a great surprise inside!

Braids, Bunnies, Mickey Mouse, Kitty Cat, and something that looks like a snail?

 Hopping Bunnies Sweet Dough Recipe

1 Cup Scalded Milk                                1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Warm Water                                 2 Tbsp. Grated Orange Peel
1/3 Cup Sugar                                         5 to 6 cups White Flour
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Tsp. Salt                                              GLAZE:   2 Cups Icing Sugar
2 Eggs                                                                      1 Tsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Yeast                                                           1/4 Cup Hot Water

Scald milk with shortening.
Mix Yeast with 2 cups flour.
Add Milk with shortening, water, sugar, salt, eggs, orange juice and peel.
Add in enough flour to make a non-sticky dough.   ( I used my Bosch and did a double batch easily)
Let rise until Doubled.
Divide dough in half.  Roll into rectangles approx. 15 inches long.
Cut strips about 1/2 inch wide.  Roll or twist into ropes and then either do a FIGURE 8 shape and add a round tail OR Twist into a round spiral, then into a smaller round spiral for the head.  Add ears and a tail.  OR DO WHATEVER!
Let rise again, but watch to make sure they are not getting all wonky looking.  We did a double batch, and by the time the last ones were okay to go in, they still looked good.    Just keep baking as you design the rest.  You can also make triangles and roll them into Butterhorn or Crescent shapes.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.   Brush with glaze while still warm,
OR make a butter cream or cream cheese frosting to put on them.

Resurrection Buns

Take a square of dough (or Pillsbury Dough Boy brand).  Get a Large Marshmallow. (Jesus)  Roll this in oil (like anointing of Jesus, etc)  Put in the centre of your dough.  Roll it up and seal it well.  Let rise and bake.
When it's baked, cut it down the middle ~ SURPRISE ~ Where did Jesus go?  He rose from the dead, the tomb is empty!  All that is left is the sweet promise of salvation and all that Jesus gives us!

Now as you know, we have some GLUTEN FREE folks in our family, so we're not going to leave them out!  Tomorrow we will make the Gluten Free Paska recipe from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Cookbook click HERE for RECIPE
I'll let you know how they turn out!

Kisses From Katie ~ Uganda orphans

This book was first recommended to us from a friend in Manitoba who had read it along with her daughter.  I started to read it and found myself unable to put it down for too long...it was such a good book!  I finished it really quickly and then started to read it aloud with our family.

You can click on the link for a description of the book from Amazon, but I'll give you our family's take on it as well.

What our family enjoyed about this book was it's pure honesty and the view point of a teenager... a young woman who is just seeing the world for the first time.  What Katie did and does, is put her faith into action through simple things.  She does not toot her own horn, because she knows that there would be nothing to toot without Jesus helping her every step of the way.  

There were some funny stories, but more stories of just how simple acts of kindness can change a life, a family, a village.  She offers a little more insight into things like child school sponsorship programs, etc.

 We found her writing to give a clear picture of what life is really like in some other areas of the world.  Information on simple diseases that are devastating to those who can't get treatment, etc.  

We ended this book wanting to know more...and thankfully, she does have a blog and a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/amazima to keep updated.  Facebook Page They started an organization called Amazina where woman make beaded necklaces, etc and sell them to provide for their families.  Click Here to go to the Amazina store.

We read this book and often felt the sticky hot heat as Katie described it...imagined brushing the red dirt from our feet and washing little dirty hands and eating beans.  

This book made us more aware than we normally are and while our hearts have always had compassion for the suffering ones, we felt more urgency to put our faith into action.  There will always be excuses and while some excuses may be very valid, others are not.  So we don't personally have a large enough house to adopt or provide foster care ~ can we do something else to help someone?  While we had talked to organizations about adoption, we now talked to them about "what can we do in our situation?"  Sometimes it's just being willing to step out.  Turns out there are other areas to help, right here in our little town.  Imagine that!  It does seem easier to sponsor a child overseas than to love one right here in our own neighborhood.    We felt we were being selfish and a bit hyprocritical  in our actions ~ oh how I wanted to adopt a child for years, but in the mean time, what was I doing?  While our family is our first priority, we were feeling that there was more, as there is always a call to let go of "self". So for us personally, it is doing what we can at the moment, while we wait to see what other doors may open for us.

When we were about 1/2 way through the book, a friend of our daughter sent her a copy for her birthday.  Now we own a copy!  If you are local and would like to borrow it, just let me know, we'd love to share it with you.

An Olive Garden Salad Recipe

When I lived in the big city of Winnipeg, my roomies and I would sometimes treat ourselves to a meal out at the Olive Gardens.  With FREE breadsticks and refillable salad or soup, we had it made!

In all honesty, I like to eat salad, but I really really really dislike making it.  I don't know why, "it's a struggle" for me!  haha.

So after I saw my cousin's 3 year old chowing down on some Peperoncini Peppers, I thought "I must eat Olive Gardens salad!"

After searching the wonderful internet I found this recipe and it is serving me well.  The photos are not great and my daughters say "I don't like when people take photos of food", but I need somewhere to keep this recipe so I won't forget it.

Olive Garden Salad and Dressing Recipe

Mixed greens (of your choice)  I used Red Leaf and Green Leaf and Iceberg lettuce
Red Onion
Tomato
Peperoncini Peppers (Unico has the canned ones)
Black Olives
Parmesan Cheese

Mix the above for your salad part, some use croutons, some don't.

Olive Garden style Salad Dressing

1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp olive oil (or of your choice)
2 tbsp corn syrup (I want to try some honey next time)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp romano cheese ( I didn't have, so I just added more parmesan)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning blend
1/2 tsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
sugar (optional)

Mix all together, and keep in a container in the fridge.  We used ours up within 10 days.

2013 The Christmas that didn't really happen

Well, despite all our excitement over an approaching holiday season filled with family and friend and good times ~ it didn't really come to pass.

What did come to stay were high fevers, aches, chills, head aches and tummy aches.  Yup, the girls started in on it around Mid December, Daddy caught it the day he came home the 18th and then Mommy rounded it off with everyone just before Christmas and into the New Year.

So, we have a few new traditions now.  The best is "when we're sick, we order Chinese".  Yup, we ordered out Chinese for our Christmas Eve dinner.  A brother picked it up in the neighboring town and we tried to enjoy it.  Our theme song this year has been Sarah MacLachlan "So this is Christmas" Click HERE for a live performance video.  We made up some of our own words, but Sarah's version is much prettier.  ha ha.

 The dog doesn't look very impressed with his reindeer antlers...

We have decided to have a "Christmas Do Over" in January sometime.  When we can actually have our ham with pineapple rings, potatoes, creamed corn, creamy carrots, gravy, pickles and olives and actually enjoy them.

New tradition for Plan B "When sick, order Chinese"

Does this even need explaining?  

 Our girls were very diligent with their beer can gathering this summer/fall.  They purchased a water filter, rabbits, chickens and a blanket for people in Asia with the money earned AND had money for presents for each other.  Win Win Win Win Win.

 Miss R has been stuck on Paris and the Eiffel tower...so the girls bought her a jewelry hanger of the tower.

Ripping paper is such a chore...at least a nice comfy hoodie was inside!

While we missed all the extended family gatherings, we did get lots of quality bonding family time on the couch.  We got the opportunity to introduce our girls to Audrey Hepburn and uh, Barbie Dreamhouse.  We discovered some short little TV shows of Barbie and laughed and laughed, just click HERE to see for yourself.  Maybe we were delirious with fever, but maybe not.

Baked the dogs some goodies 

...she wonders why the dogs always want in the house?  

ahhh Christmas day, chillin' at my folks

Playing "Things" got the tears of laughter rolling

Even the dog got the "man flu" and took advantage of all the lazy people

Decorating Gingerbread men, lady, hot peppers, pea cocks, etc.

Grandpa T reading from Luke

Couldn't resist this face or photo!

Grandma T made PJ's for all the little ones...I think the grown ups were getting a little green with envy

 Did anyone take note of the man at the egg nog counter?  Yup, a typical family gathering

 More time spent on the couch

So thus 2013 went out with a bang ~ guess that means that 2014 is going to rock our world with awesomeness!