Christmas food/handmade ornaments, etc.

For ornaments – I made little cross-stitched ones once for my family when I was about 15.  I had a little pattern book of animals, etc, so I stitched those and put all my family’s names on them.  I didn’t have any money, but we had some new canning jar lids, so I cut a circle that was inside the lip of the lid.  Then I cut my crsoss-stitch out in a slightly bigger circle, making sure that the pattern was centered.  Next I put a tiny bit of fabric stuffing on the paper, centered the pattern over it and glued my cross-stitch overlap onto the back.  I had some small lace scraps that I glued to the back on the rubber ring.  I also glued a ribbon hanger to the back.  I glued another circle over that, with my to: and From: on it.   When you look at it, you see a cute little personalized cross-stitch with a glod border lined with lace.  They turned out really cute.  My older brother (who just died this year) was 16 when made us all stars out of wood that he cut, labeled with our names, and hung a piece of yarn on the back.   My SIL made  bells out of tiny clay flower pots that she turned upside down, painted and hung a little bell on twine inside on the hanger as it passed up through the drainage hole (which is now the top).  Very cute.  There are lots of others on my mom’s tree that we have made over the years.  My mon still hangs them all on her tree every year, and it is a special memory to us since we have lost several of my brothers and sisters.   

For recipes here are 4  of our holiday-treat sharing goodies.  These are all gluten, dairy, yeast, and soy free.  They are not sugar free and I have no idea how to substitute it.  =)  These are for sugar cookies, buttercream icing, chocolate cookies, and pumpkin bread.  I adapted the cookies and pumpkin bread from our “old” recipes.  The tradtition that we have is to make goodies and deliver them with cards to friends and neighbors.  The girls refused to let this tradtion die when we changed our diet.  lol

Mary’s Holiday Lemon Sugar Cookies (Living Without)

1 ¼ cup Mary’s All-purpose Flour Blend*

½ cup tapioca starch

½ cup potato starch

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 cup EarthBalance buttery sticks

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp GF lemon extract

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients.  Set aside.  In large mixer bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat for 3 minutes until mixture is a pale yellow.   Add in egg, vanilla extract and lemon extract.  Add dry ingredients, slowly mixing until dough forms.  Place bowl in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove half the dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.  Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, place on baking sheets.  Reroll scraps of dough.  If dough becomes too sticky, chill again.  Repeat with second half of dough.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light brown.  Remove and chill thoroughly before handling and decorating.

This dough lasts well up to a week in the refrigerator.  We like to eat them just slightly warm with a swipe of frosting on them.  =)

*Mary’s GF All-Purpose Flour Blend

2 cups brown rice flour

2 cups white rice flour

1-1/3 cups potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca starch

Mix all ingredients together.  Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until used.  (I usually store it on a shelf, but I guess if you didn’t use it fast enough it might go rancid.)

Wilton’s Buttercream Icing

¼ cup shortening

¼ cup butter (EarthBalance Buttery Sticks)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk (almond, rice, or soy)

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat together shortening and butter.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add powdered sugar, alternating with milk.  Add more milk if frosting is too stiff.  (colors very well)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar

¾ cup oil

¾ cup cocoa

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2-1/3 scant cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Mix

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Powdered sugar

Stir together sugar and oil.  Add cocoa and blend well.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Blend together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate 6 hours.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease cookie sheets.  Roll dough into 1” balls and cover in powder sugar.  Bake in oven for 12-14 minutes, or until cookie is crackled.    Let cool 2 minutes before removing from pan.

Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

3 scant cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Mix

3 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp xanthan gum

1 cup oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

Chopped nuts, if desired

Combine ingredients, grease 3 bread pans  and bake at 350 for 45min.  Makes 3 loaves.  Adjust baking times for smaller loaves.

EarthBalance does have a margarine that is soy free, and we have used the tub margarine (the one w/ soy) as a sub for some of our cookie recipes that call for the EB sticks by name.  Also, coconut oil has worked as an excellent sub for us in recipes calling for sticks of butter.