Meeting Abe and Recipe #A15 Skillet Noodles with Mushrooms

Last weekend, we took Kevin to the Northwest Georgia Coin Show. When we arrived, they mentioned that we may want to set in on a children's seminar about collecting coins. I reluctantly agreed, since Kevin got all excited....and so did Ken. So off we went into this conference room and there sat Abe Lincoln! He looked just like him, tall and thin with that trade mark beard. We were in that seminar for almost 2 hours, but who knew. We lost track of time when Abe stood up and started telling about himself (I learned so much about him that I never knew, or had forgotten from school). Then, he handed out Lincoln Pennies to all the kids. Not to mention all the pennies Kevin got, but he left with 2 bags full on coins, books, notepads, etc. I felt like we had been trick or treating. Well, Kevin got into the swing of things that since he is cute and little, with a great smile, once we entered the vendors room, Kevin would walk up to a vendor, smile and just stand there staring. If the vendor looked away, Kevin would move to another table. If not, the vendor would give him free coins! This kid figured it all out on his own. We had to make him stop because Ken and I felt uncomfortable, like he was begging. Leave it to a kid to get what he wants. Needless to say, Ken and Kevin have had a great week playing with all the coins and loot he collected. Some of the coins were priced at $19 a piece! Ken's wondering why we never took him to these places before! But, besides getting free stuff, Kevin was the hit of the place. As we were walking out, Abe spotted Kevin and called him over. He put his big black hat on him and signed an autograph. All these people started gathering around and snapping pictures. This was Kevin's first introduction to paparazzi....and he loved it! They said they were going to use his picture in their newsletters. I need to check their website for my little politician (<:And, to report on Kevin's home schooling....it is supposed to take him 18 days to finish each unit book. He finished his Math in 9 days, Language in 10, Science in 11, History & Geography in 12 and is taking his Bible test today. All the other tests he aced! And I was worried about teaching him. He is flying through his work, so much so that I have had to supplement his schooling with other workbooks I've picked up here and there. I'm going to have to add lots of field trips too. If not, he'll finish 1 st grade by Christmas! He's memorizing bible verses, including the book, chapter and verse. I can't even do that. My brain is so old and full of nonsense. That's the wonder of little kids, their brains are like sponges.

Today's recipe is Skillet Noodles with Mushrooms. This is one of Kevin's favorite sides to cast iron chicken (I'll include that recipe at the end also). Hope you enjoy!

Skillet Noodles with Mushrooms

8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked
4 tbls soy butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tsp garlic salt
½ cup water
1 tbls poppy seeds, optional
Salt
Pepper

Drain angel hair pasta, set aside.

In a large skilled, melt soy butter at med-hi heat. Add onion and mushroom and saute till onion begins to brown, sprinkle with garlic salt. Add pasta and water and cook until water is gone, stirring often.

Add poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings

As for Cast Iron Chicken, you need a cast iron.....duh, right? Just put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet, heat over Med-Hi. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the hot oil. Brown each side for just a few minutes, then move the whole skillet to a 450 degree oven. Bake 20-25 minutes until done. Moist and so flavorful!!!

Trip to PCBeach and Recipe #A14 Homemade Pretzels

We had a great quick trip to Panama City Beach last weekend....but boy are we tired - STILL! I never realized how taking a quick trip (even though it is a 6 hour drive) can wipe you out, or maybe I'm just getting older. I remember when we would just get up and go. Now, we have to plan a little before we hit the open road, but it was all worth it. The weather was great, the water was like bath water and the room we got was wonderful. With mom and Lowell already down there, it was nice to get to spend some time with them. Kevin loved playing football in the ocean with Grandaddy and searching for shells with Mamaw. Ken and I loved that Kevin wasn't constantly complaining "there's no one to play with". We actually went out to eat both nights we were there! And....we had no problems with Kevin's allergies. We did, however, stay out way too late and on all nights, didn't get into bed till almost 1am. Maybe that's why we are mostly tired. Who knew laying out in the sun on the beach all day could exhaust you. AWWWW...the life of a beach bum.

The room was great! Kevin got his bunk beds. The only thing that kind of freaked me out was the fact that we were on the 19th floor. If you know me, you know that I don't particularly like heights. It's not that I'm afraid of the height, it's the faith in the people that made these buildings. I didn't sleep very well the first night, constantly thinking how this building could collapse. As for the balcony, I was afraid the railing would come loose. But by the 2nd day, I learned to relax and love the fact that we could see for miles. It was great!

I think I'll take a break on planning any more trips right now. Believe it or not though, Ken even mentioned wanting to take another quick weekend trip back to the beach soon. Of course, since the weather will be getting cooler, he said that Savannah would be fine too. Doesn't this man know that's like throwing a lit match into a forest. What he is going to get started if he gives green lights like that. I love to plan and take trips!!!

We do, however, still have 2 more trips in the future. September 11-13 is our Food Allergy Retreat in KY. We can't wait to get to see all our friends and just have fun....without everything having to revolve around food! Then Disney is Sept 25- Oct 4. We've decided to extend the trip 2 extra days for travel. Kevin barely made it to PCB. When you're in a rush, it's pretty hard on a kid to ride nonstop. Since we will be busting it to get to Orlando (we have an 8pm dinner reservation that first night), we've decided to drive half way and get a room that Friday. Then drive in the rest of the way on Saturday. That will put us getting there earlier and maybe getting to go to the park a little. Then, when we leave, we are going to again stop halfway and drive the rest on Sunday. I've already booked the rooms through Priceline. I love Priceline! You can get rooms for around $50-60 dollars in nice places, but the problem is, you never know what you're going to get until after they accept your offer. THEN they tell you where you're staying. But the key is, choose a high star rating and that narrows your chances down. I first do a search of the star ratings in that area and bid on the one I like. We got La Quinta in Valdosta that Friday night and a Country Inn & Suites in Cordelle that following Saturday night. One thing to remember though, once your offer is accepted, call the hotel directly to make sure you get the beds you want and if you prefer non-smoking. For some reason, Priceline always sticks you in a King room. That would be great if it was just Ken and I. But I always switch to 2 Queens to accommodate Kevin too. Just thought I'd throw in some tips on that (<:

OK....the recipe I have for you today is Homemade Pretzels. I converted an old recipe I had to an allergy free version and they are wonderful. They take a little time, since you are working with a raised yeast recipe. But believe me, the smell and the taste of these soft chewy pretzels....you'll be making them often!


Soft Pretzels

1 ¼ cup warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 ¼ cups bread flour (can substitute with all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
Course salt
3 tablespoons soy butter, melted

Put warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle in yeast. Wait 5 minutes, then stir in the brown sugar, the 1 ½ tsp salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon.

Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a semi firm dough. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. Keep surface coated with flour to prevent sticking.

Pour oil in a large bowl and add dough, coating all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in warm place until dough is nearly doubled in size, around 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead for 1 minutes, divide in half. Place other half back in bowl and cover.

Divide dough into 3 balls. Roll each ball into a long rope, around 30” long. Shape into pretzel shape by making a circle and twisting the ends, then flipping the ends over the top of the circle. Place on a greased baking sheet, around 2-3” apart.


Combine the hot water and 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Lightly brush sugar water over pretzels with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes. While warm, remove to wire rack and brush with melted soy butter. Repeat with remaining dough.


Makes 6 large pretzels

Recipe #A13 - Allergy Free Beef Stroganoff

Not much to report this week. We're just spending this week relaxing since 1st grade will official start Monday for Kevin.

In the meantime, here is a recipe that I fix often for my family. It tastes like the real thing, but without all the dairy....and fat!

Beef Stroganoff

1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
1 pound boneless beef steak, thin slices
3 tablespoons oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ pound fresh sliced mushrooms
2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup water
1/3 cup parsley
Hot cooked egg free noodles

Combine soy milk and vinegar in small bowl, let stand 10 minutes to thicken.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir fry 1 minute. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Heat remaining oil in same pan. Add onion and mushrooms, stir fry 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

Blend flour, soy sauce, garlic, and ¼ cup water; add to skillet. Stirring constantly, bring to boil. Cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in soy milk mixture. Add beef and parsley. Cook, stirring, until just heated through. Serve over noodles.

Makes 4 servings

Until next week, have a great weekend!

A great weekend...and Recipe #A12 Ranch Dressing

I know I've been starting lots of posts with "what a great week/weekend", but this weekend was absolutely perfect. We headed up to the Gatlinburg area again for Julie's 40th birthday. I made her cake....a ladybug. She was so generous on making sure her party was safe for Kevin...ie, no milk products. It was so nice to enjoy ourselves and not worry if he would get anything on or in him. We had so much fun at the party. Kevin and Ken played wiffle ball with Julie's son Drew (he's in the red shirt pitching to Kevin, pictured below), plus there was several younger kids he could play with. There was a large playground and basketball court, so we pretty much stayed till well after the sun went down...and while Ken tried to recapture his youth by playing Drew and his cousins, Ashlea & Faith till we had to pull them off the court.

On Sunday, we headed up to Ober Gatlinburg and went ice skating. I figured it was like riding a bike. Even though I hadn't skated in 10+ years, no problem.....right!!! Who knew that getting old meant you can't do the things you used to. Well, you can, but they hurt more and for much longer. We did have a blast though, and Kevin did real well. He fell a few times, one time taking Julie down with him. But, by the end of the hour, he was skating by himself (close to the handle bar of course). We hated to leave, but Ken knew he would have a bad day at work, so we headed home. Not before we hit the Bass Pro Shop for the 3rd time that weekend...yes the 3rd time! Man, that place is awesome!!!
And...as you can see, we bought Kevin a old timer revolver, complete with holster and badge with his name engraved on it. The gun has these little cartridges that pop and smoke when you pull the trigger. He loves playing sheriff!!!

We don't have another trip planned up there yet, but hopefully soon. It is so nice to get away, and even much nicer to spend time with Julie. This trip was even more special since her 2 nieces, Ashlea (or as Kevin calls her "Ash-a-lee") and Faith were down from PA. They are the sweetest girls, and Kevin just loved them too. We've made us some life long friends. I just hate that there is so many miles between all of us. But, that's what texting, email and Facebook are for (<:

But, back to reality......the other new thing this week will be Kevin starting 1st grade. A neighbor asked where he was going to school and I replied "this great little place on Woodthrush Drive". UPS is supposed to deliver 31lbs of books tomorrow! I am having a mini breakdown thinking about all this. I keep thinking that here I am, molding a little brain for the future. What if I screw him up? It's a lot of pressure, but I know God placed him in my hands because he knew I could handle it. He has a lot more faith in me than I do. I just hope he grants me more patience while he's at it (<: This is a photo of Kevin and Ash-a-lee after ice skating (<:

Well, here is the recipe for Ranch Dressing. I wouldn't advise on doubling the recipe because it doesn't last that long in the fridge. This recipe makes enough for 3-4 salads and a little leftover. But be sure to eat it within the following 4 days, stirring first of course.

Milk Free Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup soy sour cream (I use Tofutti Sour Supreme....you can find it at Publix Greenwise, Greenlife and Village Market)

1 cup Veganaise (vegan mayo...you can find it at Publix Greenwise, Greenlife & Village Market)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

3/4 cup plain soymilk

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Stir vinegar into the soymilk and let sit for 5 minutes, till thickened.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add vinegar/soymilk to mixture. Pour into a container and seal closed (I use a canning jar with a used ring and seal). Let sit in fridge for 3 hours or overnight. You can eat it right away, but it tastes better if the seasonings mingle.

Makes around 2 1/4 cups

Not sure which recipe I will post next weekend. Let me know if there is something you would like to see.

Until then, have a great week!