Leftovers

Today for lunch I was really wanting to make just a sandwich and have a nice salad. Well, once I opened up my fridge I realized that I better eat some of the leftovers in there or I would be tossing some food and that really angers Aaron. I don’t like wasting food either, but it is one of his major pet peeves. I respect that and try to do my best to eat the food before it goes to waste. I found a nice mix of veggies, so in place of my salad, I made a large veggie plate to go along side my Garlic Pork Roast that I shredded and put on some gluten-free bread. I had some leftover sweet potato/yam that I topped with black beans and some almond cheese (mozzerella style), some sauteed spinach and some fresh tomatoes (that I completely forgot to top with my fresh basil from the plant that I have in my kitchen window; I haven’t killed it yet!). What a yummy lunch! Here is a shot of the veggie platter:

Makes me want leftovers more often. 😉

The Cast ~ Day 3

Jon saw the orthopedic doctor/nurse practitioner on Wednesday morning. Not only did he chip/fracture the navicular bone in his hand, but at least one other bone and possibly 2 more! Poor kid! He will be in a cast for at least 4 weeks and possibly more. The good news is that he can play hockey! He is ecstatic! There a a couple of small, minor concerns. First, if he does fall and catch himself with the right hand, he may break the exposed fingers due to the placement of the cast. We are hoping that the hockey glove will prevent this. Second, he could really hurt someone else if he isn’t careful because of how hard the cast is. Fortunately the next 4 weeks are just evaluations and team placements, not scheduled games. He sees the orthopedist again on October 15th for more x-rays. If the bones are all healed, the cast comes off. This is where they will be able to see the 2 bones that they were unsure of. The 2 bones in question are on either side of his wrist and are right where a couple of growth plates are located. Apparently waiting the 4 weeks will allow them to see the changes and healing and determine if he goes back in the cast or not. Jon is still in some pain. I am not sure if it is still the actual injury or the cast causing the pain now. He says there isn’t enough padding under it and that he wants me to call the dr to take it off and put a new one on. I am thinking that he is just getting tired of the restrictions (no video games, football, etc) that have been forced upon him.

A picture of my prince in his cast (as you can see, he is beyond thrilled at being photographed for my enteratinment 😉 ):

Close up (you can see here that he has no movement of the thumb at all):

He chose red/scarlet for Ohio State. He wanted grey too, but the cast wasn’t big enough to do 2 colors.

He has tried to get out of every chore he normally does. I was understanding the first few days, but now I am not. He still has a perfectly good left hand with which he can empty the dishwasher with. I spared him from loading (God knows that we don’t need a wet and food covered cast to help speed along the smell that will start to come from within shortly), sweeping the floor and taking out the trash.

I have also rewarded him with lots of baked goods lately, including this awesome bread from Gluten-Free in the Country. This is an All Purpose Quick Bread and man, was it good! The kids loved it, as did I. It has stayed wonderfully at room temperature on my counter since Tuesday. Jon has eaten pulled pork sandwiches on it, PB & J and butter. Here are some pics of the bread:

All Purpose Quick Bread **Recipe Courtesy of Gluten Free in the Country

First mix:
4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Then add:
1 1/4 cups rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Mix well for about one minute. Pour into greased loaf pan (batter will be more like cake batter).
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Pumpkin Cookies

One of my favorite parts about fall is pumpkin. I have mentioned that before many times. Since I have been in the baking mood, I made pumpkin cookies the other day. This recipe comes from my Grandmother on my Dad’s side of the family. Sadly she passed away several years ago. Another reason I like this recipe so much is that it reminds me of her and all the times that she made them for us when we were kids.

Before baking:

After baking:

Frosted and ready to eat:

The recipe has been modified to be gluten-free. The icing can be made with or without the cinnamon. I personally like it with and that is how I made it for these cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup pumpkin (not pie mix)
1 ½ cups flour (I used rice, potato starch & tapioca mix that had guar gum in it; make sure to add 1.5 tsp. xanthan gum if your mix doesn’t have it)
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp baking powder (not a typo, these puppies get fluffy!)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

First mix sugar & shortening. Then add everything else. Spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer to baking rack. Tip: Place wax paper or parchment paper under your cooling rack so when you frost/ice the cookies you don’t make a disaster zone like I usually do. My husband, Aaron, always reminds me that I forgot the wax paper after the fact. Thanks, honey!

2 – 2 ½ dozen cookies (may need to double the recipe if you want more, this is a true count)

Icing – (let cookies cool before icing)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk (may need more)
1 tsp vanilla

Try ½ tsp cinnamon in the icing…YUM!

Enjoy!