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!

Busy Week - Busier Weekend.....Recipe #A9 Sweet Corn Bread

What a week! This past holiday weekend was a blur. From picking blackberries to having a cookout to shooting off fireworks to seeing movies. And that was just in 3 days! Last Friday, we met up with Mom and Lowell and went blackberry picking. The Blueberry Farm in LaFayette was out, so we picked off the side of the road. Hey, they had thorns, but they were free! And, we picked 6 cups exactly....just what I needed for a blackberry cobbler. Ummmm...so good! On Saturday, mom and Lowell came over, along with Ken's parents and we had a cookout. After we stuffed our faces, we all kicked back and watched "Finding Nemo"....one of Kevin's favorites. Then we shot off fireworks, along with everyone else. We were watching fireworks in the sky in stereo. It was nice. On Sunday, after church with some friends, we headed out to our favorite Chinese restaurant, had a nice lunch and then went to see "Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs". All in all, it was a great weekend.

This week has been mostly work....cooking, cleaning and home schooling Kevin. Yes, I have continued his education through the summer (but just an hour a day) so that he would remain consistent in a schedule. Plus, since I'm his 1st grade teacher next school year, I wanted him to remember what he learned in Kindergarten!

Wednesday was Lowell's birthday. Happy Birthday Dad...we love you. We went over there last night and gave him his present and a cake. Kevin picked out the design....can't you tell?

We had a great time, and of course Kevin had a blast! He has so much energy. If only I could borrow a little some time.


As for this weekend....well, we are heading to Dollywood. My friend Julie lives in Kodak, so we are going up there for a weekend of fun! Dollywood all day Saturday, followed with a lot of running around on Sunday. The main thing on the list Sunday is a trip to the Disney store. We haven't set foot in a Disney store in over a year! I hope we don't go wild (<: As for today.....lots of errands to run. But as promised, here is the recipe for my Sweet Corn Bread. This goes great with the Vegetable Hamburger Stew (recipe #A6).

Sweet Corn Bread

2/3 cup soy butter
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons oil, 3 teaspoons baking powder*
1 2/3 cups soy milk
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup allergy free cornmeal
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400.

*Combine the water, oil and baking powder in a small bowl until powder dissolves and ingredients fizz. Set aside.

Mix butter and sugar in large bowl. Add water/oil/baking powder and soy milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, 4 ½ tsp baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is done.

Makes approx. 15 servings

Next week, I am going back to my true love.....COOKIES! I will post my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I make these a few times a month, at least. There's nothing like a hot, gooey, soft chocolate chip cookie from the oven.....or a scoop of cookie dough! It's funny how the simple things mean so much. Like how much joy I get in watching Kevin lick the bowl. After we found out about his allergies, I thought I would never be able to experience that. When life gives you hurdles....jump over, keep going and don't look back!

Have a great weekend!

Mom's Birthday...

Yesterday was my mother's birthday....so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM/MAMAW!!!!



Kevin had specific orders for the cake I was to make for her. He wanted it to be a caterpillar cake. They love to spend time together playing outside, and she always finds some kind of critter to show him. So, now, anything to do with his mamaw revolves around nature. So, I made the cake....although it did end up looking like something for a 1 year old. But, she loved it and that's all that mattered.



Today, we drove up to Sweetwater and picked strawberries. We have been waiting all winter to go do this again. This was our 3rd year going up to Strawberry Knob Farms. They have the best strawberries, and it is so much fun spending the day with your family picking fruit. Of course, I think Kevin ate more than he put in the bucket....Ken too. We plan to go up there one more time before the season is up. We usually try to go the week before our beach trip. That way we have a huge bucket of them to eat on our drive to Florida. Good plan huh?



Also, I may be making a few minor changes to the blog. Lately, I have been receiving lots of emails and requests for allergy free recipes. As many of you know, I have been working on a Milk free / Egg free / Nut free cookbook for some time now. Since it takes money to publish a book and market it....I have decided that for the time being, I will put a new recipe on this blog each week. These are not only for allergy sufferers, but for anyone looking to eat healthier and cut back on fat and cholesterol. To make it easier to find the new recipes, I will include "Recipe # XX" in the subject line. I hope this will help those looking for the recipes, instead of having to read through all the family stuff.



Well, I am off to tend to my garden. I already have a ton of squash and some tomatoes growing. Plus, the carrots are going wild. I think next year, I will cut back on how many seeds I sow.....maybe (<:

Surgery is over and all is good!!!

First things first, I want to wish my Aunt Gayle a very happy birthday. I hope it was a great day for her...even though I gave her a hard time about her age! Nothing but love though!!

Yesterday was a crazy day between running to the hospital and then taking Kevin home. But everything worked out great!!! I think it was harder on me than it was on Kevin!! After all the med's they gave him, he was feeling really good. As they wheeled him to surgery, he was sitting up flirting with all the nurses. I was the one crying my eyes out. But, after about an hour & a half, the doc came into our room to tell us that everything looked great. There was no tethering, no scar tissue, the urethra looked great and he had a good straight solid stream of urine. The only thing they did find, which wasn't a big deal, was a little pocket of something in the urethra. It was from the sutchers from his previous surgery, but it was only 1 mm long and she removed it with no problem. Also, since they thought it was going to be more intensive, they gave him a caudle (sp?) in his back to numb him from the waist down. But that wore off before 3pm. So, thankfully, this chapter of his life is closed. There should be no need for any more surgeries! What a relief!!! After the doctor left, I felt like I could have ran a marathon and climbed the highest mountain. Then, once home, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was exhausted. Lack of sleep the night before (I think I got a total of 3 hours) and all the worrying and waiting....boy will that take it out of you. So once we got home and Mamaw & Grandaddy (Mom and Lowell) left, I ran around town getting whatever Kevin requested. Thankfully the kid has my taste and he wanted steak and potatoes for dinner with cookies for dessert. Good boy!!! I was able to pick me up something too....a new orchid for my collection. It is almost as tall as Kevin....how beautiful. By the way, this was Kevin 5 hours after the hospital....doesn't he look great!!!


So now, we will be able to celebrate Easter with the family. We plan on going to church with Mamaw and Grandaddy, hunting easter eggs and a big dinner. And since Saturday is supposed to be nice, maybe we'll go hiking or something. Whatever little Boo Boo wants!

From our family to yours.....Happy Easter!

Welcome to my first blog!!! Over the past months, so much has happened in my life and my family's life that I have decided to put it all down for family and friends. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this daily, but I am praying that there will not be enough drama to report...only good things.

Today, I want to express my concerns over our son Kevin and his upcoming surgery Thursday April 9th. This will also be my aunt Gayle's 60th birthday, so this will be a day to celebrate and a day to worry. Hopefully the worry will not last too long and we can celebrate both events.

For those that do not know, our son Kevin is a wild 5 year old boy that has over come many challenges in his life. He was born 10 weeks early and survived 35 days in the NICU. He has bounced back from 3 surgeries and survived 2 anaphylactic reactions to food allergies. His food allergies have grown to milk (the worst), eggs, peanuts, treenuts, and coconuts. He has a ton of environmental allergies....too many to mention. But this has yet to stop this child. He loves life and is always happy. He is a blessing in more ways than one, and continues to show us that his many limitations will never stop him, just push him to jump over them. He has taught us more about patience, life and love than I could ever imagine.

Now, we are facing new wonderful challenges, all of which Kevin is helping his parents through. The first is our adventure into home schooling. Due to his increased food allergies, the thought of taking him to school to just bite my nails all day in hopes that he would not lose his battle to food allergies was too much for us. Of course, home schooling was a new chapter for us all. I was so scared into thinking how I was going to be responsible for teaching my child...it was very nerve racking. But, as this year has progressed, we are having more fun and I am amazed at how easy a child can learn, or how much they want to learn. Instead of dreading school work, we both look forward to spending time together and seeing the light come on when he gets something. That is the best feeling in the world!!

The second adventure has been with our garden. I was recently able to buy a small greenhouse for the back yard. Kevin and I have had a blast this past winter growing seeds. I have been growing vegetables and citrus, while Kevin has been focusing on flowers. He has grown Sunflowers, Marigolds, Zinnias, Daisies and Poppies. Now if the weather would just stay warm!!!

The third adventure is going to be little league baseball. Kevin has decided that he will play baseball this year. He will be playing in Collegedale, TN for the Baltimore Orioles. He is so excited. We will be going next week to pick out his pants, cleats and helmet...all of which I will report on. Ken has been working with him and he is getting really good. At his first game, I think we will need to reserve a whole section of the stands. From neighbors, to family, to friends, they all want to be there. It will be a great day!!


Some bad news....a few weeks ago our beloved cat Kitty of almost 13 years passed away. We are still mourning the loss. Many friends have tried to encourage us with new cats....but we are just not ready. At this time, I don't think that another cat could fill Kitty's paws. He was a wonderful part of our family and will be greatly missed.


So, for now, you are pretty much up to date. Until tomorrow........