Pumpkin Cake...

Pumpkin Cake

This pumpkin cake needs no fancy accoutrement’s to entice diners. It is moist and flavorful and goes well with a cup of coffee at breakfast or dessert!

This recipe is based on my mom’s 30 year old recipe that comes from her former bridge partner, Beverly, “back in the day.” I have never seen pumpkin cake like this anywhere. I have seen pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin cheesecake, but never pumpkin cake. I have baked so many pumpkin treats today that my house is sure to carry that aroma into the week!

I always bake my pumpkin cake in a thin, dark coated, bundt pan. I also used this recipe today to make mini-pumpkin cake bites my using a pan with many small wells, and I also used a mini-bundt pan (with six rings in one pan) to make six individual pumpkin cakes.

My mom traditionally makes a orange glaze to drizzle on top and adds candy corns for her October version. You can also just sift powdered sugar over the top. I prefer it plain, and trust me, with no calorie or fat sifter, it’s a treat unto itself!

Ingredients: (more…)

Winning the CANDY WARS...

Winning the Candy Wars

An article by Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman

Our children are being bombarded with candy from every direction. Chocolate bars, gum, suckers, and assorted gummy candies line the checkout lanes in grocery stores. School fundraisers sell candy bars, cookies, and brownies in the hallways during lunch hours. Every mall, skating rink, soccer complex, movie theater, and even the video store has a place to buy candy.

And then there are the holidays. Halloween trick-or-treat bags bulge with every kind of candy imaginable. Christmas stockings are topped with bubble gum and chocolate bars. Valentine messages are stamped on candy hearts, and boxes of candy are the staple of communicating love. Easter baskets overflow with jellybeans and chocolate bunnies.

Candy is everywhere, and its presence is wreaking havoc on our children’s teeth and waistlines. Children are visiting the dentist with serious tooth decay at younger and younger ages every year. Obesity in children is a national concern.

With candy universally available and regularly within sight of children, what is a parent to do? How do you combat its influence on your children? How do you lessen the influence of advertisers and get candy consumption under control in your family? How can you win the candy wars?

The following 6 suggestions can assist you in curbing your children’s candy consumption. Use them to increase the health and wellbeing of your family.

1. Begin by being a model for your children to follow.If you are a chocoholic and find yourself foraging through the cupboard for the last chocolate bar or eating an entire bag of M&Ms once it is opened, reflect on the message you are sending your children. It will be difficult for you to curb their candy consumption when they see (more…)

Gluten Free Banana Bread...

My sister asked me if I could make her favorite banana bread recipe gluten free! Of course I can! That’s a much easier request than my friend who wants me to recreate the Hostess Ding Dong in a gluten free form (I’m still working on that!).

One of the best things about this recipe is that no mixer is required. Yet, another “easy bake” treat! It’s too bad that the blog doesn’t share the banana bread aroma and moist, delicious taste of this wonderful treat.

This recipe is (more…)

Cooking Gluten Free 101...

This post is a “back to basics” for my friends new to the gluten free way of living.

How do you help your child when you know something is not right and doctors don’t know what’s wrong?

This is the case for so many parents. Our particular story ended in the diagnosis of celiac disease and the prescription of a lifetime of eating gluten free. While it may sound daunting, it quite possibly was one of the best things that could have happened. We found out that there was no need for expensive medications, surgeries or doctors. The answer was to simply not eat gluten and our son would thrive. And thrive he does! He’s been gluten free for five years now, and I recently went gluten free in June 08.

What is gluten?

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, (more…)