Pumpkin Dump Cake and Happy Halloweenie to you!

Happy Halloweenie!!

Today is Halloween. I happen to love the holiday. I love seeing the kids all dressed up and excited. I love candy (who doesn't?). I love carving pumpkins (not so much on the scooping them out part). It is just a fun day.

I am having dinner at my house tonight. I suppose you could call it a "trick-or-treater watch party". My parents are coming in for dinner and my brother and his wife. We will eat fun food, watch the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football (crossing our fingers they don't blow it), and hand out gobs of candy to the cute kids.

The menu tonight is "Baked Potato Bar", Rotel Cheese Dip, Mexican bean dip, and pumpkin dump cake. Baked potato bar is awesome because each person gets their favorite toppings to put on their tater. I'm making some taco meat, the cheese dip, bacon bits, sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc.

The recipe I am going to share with you is the pumpkin dump cake. It is super easy. It is a recipe that I converted to be gluten free a couple of years ago. Ok so on with the show........

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Ingredients

1 29-ounce can pure pumpkin

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pie spice

1 box yellow cake mix (Gluten free of course)

1 cup chopped pecans (optional, I leave them out usually)

3/4 cup melted margarine

Into the oven........

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six ingredients until well blended, and pour batter into a 9-by-13-inch greased pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top, and then cover with pecans. Pour melted margarine over top. Bake 50 minutes.

Mmmmmm golden brown

This is best served warm with whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream. Enjoy and have a safe and happy Halloween!

-Jessica

                                                                   

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies.....Halloweenie Style

I just love making sugar cookies for the holidays. They are so fun and colorful. I love getting out the special cookie cutters and deciding which ones to use. Am I a weirdo? If so I'm ok with it. Cookie making is fun. (Except for the dirty dishes it creates)
    There is a recipe that circulates locally. It is rumored to be "THE" recipe from this great little bakery that closed a few years back.  I used to LOVE their sugar cookies (pre gluten free days). So last year I decided I would take this little recipe and turn it gluten free!!

Drake's Bakery Sugar Cookies
‎1&1/2 sticks real butter (softened)
3/4c sugar
2 eggs
1T vanilla
2 3/4c flour (use your favorite gluten free mix and about 1/2 tsp xantham gum)
2t baking powder.

Combine all ingredients. Chill the dough in the fridge for about 20 min. Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Cut into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet and Bake at 350 8-9minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Icing: 2C Powdered sugar 1/2 t almond extract 1/2 t vanilla 3T warm water. Combine and dip cookies in the icing. Dry on wire rack until icing is set up.

I always start with the softened butter and sugar first. Cream the two together.

I find the easiest way to roll out dough is on a well floured surface. Then cover the dough with saran wrap. It doesn't stick to everything that way!!

Once your cookies are cut, I find that it is easier to remove the dough around the cut cookie, then use a floured small spatula to place it on the baking sheet.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheet asap. Cool the on a wire rack.

Use magic fairy dust to clean up the mess, or hire someone. ha

Enjoy the recipe and have a Happy Halloween!!

-Jessica

Let's talk Halloween Candy

Halloween is quickly sneaking up......only 11 days away now!! I know that Halloween and Trick-OR-Treating can be a BIG source of stress for parents of kids with food allergies and intollerances. There are lots of ways that you can handle the holiday. Here are a few that I like:

• Following trick or treating sit down and pick out all of the unsafe candy. Set the candy out for a "Candy fairy" and overnight the candy fairy replaces the non gluten free candy with a toy or with a bag of safe candy.
• Again sit down and pick out all of the unsafe candy and "trade" with your child for candy that is safe. Keep in mind that you will have to buy that candy in advance so that you can do the swap right when you get home.  That way they don't feel "cheated"
• Allow your trick or treater to go around getting their candy, when they get home trade out the entire bag for a "safe bag" until you can go through it.
• Have a bag of "safe candy" in the car or while you are walking around your neighborhood. That way if your child wants to eat a piece of candy while they are trick or treating, you will KNOW it is safe. It is awfully hard to read those candy labels in the dark and most candy that the kids will be getting is not labeled with ingredients.

 

The other issue is WHAT CANDY IS SAFE!?!?!!

    Thankfully there are people out there who keep lists. Bless their little hearts for doing this. It sure saves the gluten free community from having a meltdown! Seriously, candy is important!! Keep in mind that the lists are a guide. You should always double check for yourself by reading the label or calling a company to verify the gluten free status.

Celiac.com's 2011 GF Halloween Candy List: http://www.celiac.com/articles/22704/1/Gluten-free-and-Gluten-safe-Halloween-Candy-2011/Page1.html

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness 2011 Candy list (link goes to a PDF File): http://www.celiaccentral.org/SiteData/docs/NFCAGluten/b722688930c37dce/NFCA_Gluten-Free%20Candy%20List%202011.pdf

I hope that this gives you a couple of ideas so that Halloween can be a less stressful holiday for you and your family!

-Jessica