Homemade Eggo Waffles!

Okay. Brace yourself. You are about to witness the most delicious gluten free waffles, i.e. eggos, ever made! I was not expecting these to be so good, but they really taste like those terribly satisfying boxed up eggo freezer waffles (without all the gunk)! Granted these still probably aren't as nutritious as they could be, but I only have so many options of gluten-free flours here in Cambodia. :)

I was off of school yesterday and today, so I thought, "What a perfect time for waffles!" Everyone needs waffles sometimes. Especially heart waffles!

I wasn't really feeling like a sweet tasting waffle. Instead I wanted one that was nearly savory, so when it was paired with syrup it would be just the perfect amount of sweetness. In other words, I wasn't in the mood for a sugar coma yesterday morning. These are probably one of the most spontaneous things I've ever made, and yet they turned better than most things!

 I was ecstatic when they worked. So happy that I made another batch so we would have a bundle in the freezer-who doesn't like quick breakfasts? I know mom does.

 Homemade Eggo Waffles

Yields: about 4

Ingredients:

2/3 cup gluten free flour (I used a boxed mix with corn, tapioca, and rice flour)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. flax meal (optional)
2 egg whites
1/3 cup coconut oil (or any oil)
1/3 cup soymilk (or any milk)
3 or 4 shakes of salt (probably 1/2 tsp.)
~1 cup water

Directions:

1. Mix everything except the water in a bowl.
2. Slowly add the water a little bit at a time until the mixture is fairly soupy (not too much though). I used nearly 1 cup.
3. Spray a waffle iron (I don't know how they would turn out in a belgian waffle iron. I only  tried the thin heart shaped one).
4. Pour the batter onto the iron and cook!
Serve with warm syrup, fruit, or applesauce, etc.

Cinnamon Granola Bars

I love granola bars! I love making granola bars! They are such a wonderful, power-packed, portable snack! And they are so easy to make any flavor you want!

I threw these together because I was really wanting a granola bar, and I want an easy snack to take to school. Walaah!! 

I present, Cinnamon Granola Bars (everything is better with cinnamon!)

(Oh, and these seriously stay together-barely any crumbs when unwrapped)!

CINNAMON GRANOLA BARS

Yields: 8 bars

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
~1/3 cup raisins
~4 dried plums, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix together the oats, rice, flour, and cinnamon.
3. Add honey and mix together until dry mixture is covered with honey.
4. Add the raisins and plums and mix together.
5. Gently press into a 9"x13" pan or really any pan size.
6. Bake for approximately 20-30 min. or until hard. (sorry! i didn't keep track of time again!!)

Notes: The rice makes these bars very chewy. You could just use another cup of oats if you wanted. Any flour could be used. Any dried fruit would be good as well. Just whatever you have on hand.

Doctors, Lobby Crew, and Gratitude

Things have been good here. I'm trying to think of things to say about my week, but not a lot is coming to mind. During the week it seems like there is so much to write about, but then I get to Sunday, and my mind is blank! Funny how that happens. I guess one abnormal thing is that mom and I went to the doctor on Wednesday to see if we can get my whole body thing figured out (stomach aches after eating anything, tiredness,etc.). I had gone to a doctor at home right before we came, but we didn't have time to figure anything out. We finally decided to go here after I came home from dance on Tuesday night feeling like I could barely lift a finger I was so exhausted. I have been extremely tired for a while. It's like my muscles and brain literally can't move and I could just drop asleep any moment. So, we went and after describing everything, the doctor said, "Hmm, I'm going to have to think hard about this one." We just laughed. That's it, I'm a complete mystery!! I got some (a lot!) of blood taken the next day for several tests. Ugh! I very strongly dislike getting blood taken! It made it even better that out in the foyer of the clinic there was a TV playing a very graphic National Geographic show where lions, etc. were viciously tearing apart other animals. Needless to say, I was already slightly lightheaded and queasy before getting my blood taken. :)

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I was part of the Lobby Crew for the elementary school play. Along with helping man the food station, I also baked cookies for two nights and banana bread for one. I always volunteer to bake things because I love to share my baking with others, but after I always wonder why I put such a busy task upon me. It turned out to be pretty good. I got a free t-shirt, which hey, is worth doing anything right?! 

So, I had a really funny conversation with friends during lunch one day. First off we started talking about food, and somehow got on the topic of oatmeal (one girl had never had it!!!) and I told them that oatmeal with flax meal cures any stomach ache (which it seriously does). And then we started talking about the sounds we wake up to. We all share something in common here. We wake up to: never-ending sweeping!, hose spraying in a bucket, the same bird whistle/tune, and cars honking. At one point I was like, "the first thing I think when I wake up is: STOP SWEEPING!!!!" Everyone bursted into laughter because we all think that. Anyway, it was really funny. Probably too funny to be understood by email. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time though. It felt so good. 

I have also gained a strong testimony of the power of gratitude this week. Just the simple act of writing 3 things I am grateful for at the end of the day lifts my spirits so much. Most of the time I end up writing a much longer list than 3. Gratitude is such a powerful thing!! I believe it has the power to lift your spirits out of the most difficult of times. 

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

 I love fresh spring rolls! There's just something about them that I love. I think it's the incredible freshness that they have.

And then there's the peanut sauce. I LOVE that! I made these for dinner one night when it was just mom and I, and we both literally licked the sauce off our plates. By the end we were just eating it by the spoonful! haha. Good times.

These are also great as leftovers for lunch or a snack the next day.

Fresh Spring Rolls
Yields: as many as you want to make!

Ingredients:

 rice paper

rice vermicelli noodles

 pork, chicken, beef, fish, or shrimp (cooked and shredded or thinly sliced)

shredded carrots

shredded/sliced thinly zucchini or cucumber 

lettuce (sliced, chopped, or shredded)

parsley (optional)

mint leaves (optional)

Directions:

1.     Cook rice noodles according to package.

2.     Place 1 or 2 rice papers in cold water for several seconds or until no longer firm. Lay on flat surface.

3.     Layer lettuce, meat, rice noodles, carrots, and zucchini, parsley, and mint in the middle of the paper. Carefully fold the sides over. Then roll it up with the other sides.

 Serve with peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce. Enjoy!

*Notes: I like to boil the meat as it is easy and doesn’t require oil or anything. You can add or take out any ingredients you want/have. Personally I don’t like parsley or mint. Only put a little bit of each ingredient in the roll. If there is too much they will break. Don’t worry if they don’t look that big-they fill you up!

Peanut Sauce (from my Cambodian cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped (according to spiciness desires)

generous 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped

2/3 cup coconut milk (we used soy milk cause coconut milk hurts my stomach)

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce ( i don't think we used this)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a small wok or heavy pan. Stir in the garlic and chillies, stir-fry until they begin to color, then add all the peanuts . Stir-fry for a few minutes until the natural oil from the peanuts begins to weep. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat  and cook gently until the sauce begins to thicken a little and specks of oil appear on the surface. 

The Secret to Cookies

Lately, I've been on a cookie craze. I don't know why. I've been craving the taste of mom's chocolate chip cookies. 

So, I took it as a challenge and set out to make a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. 

First of all, mom and I discovered a plethora of gluten free foods/flours at a small "healthy" store (it basically had the same ingredients as a normal store). We were about to leave when I looked up and saw a whole shelf for gf stuff. Yeah!! We bought this flour which also contributed to my cookie making craze. 

The first batches I made were incredible!! My first taste of cookie dough nearly made me have a heart attack. These cookies (especially the dough) taste exactly like mom's cookies. I'm not even joking. Granted you still probably don't want to eat mom's cookie dough and then mine, but still this is the closest I've ever gotten to "real" tasting cookies. I strongly suggest you try it!

However, I still was not completely satisfied.

That's because the cookies didn't spread out in the oven. They stayed in the exact same position they were in before being cooked. The only reason their flat is because I pushed them down.

I'd say it's the ultimate cookie mystery.

Why don't these cookies spread out and mom's do??

Google.

Answer :)

The culprit is sugar.

Now I'm sure your all going, duh, of course it's the sugar. A cookie is not a cookie without sugar. Well, there's more to it. I had been using honey in this recipe, but as it turns out sugar is the ingredient that makes the dough spread out when cooked. Sugar melts and dissolves when you warm it up, so when it's in a cookie, it melts causing the dough to spread out. Honey is already melted so it wouldn't expand the cookie any.

Now you all know the science behind cookies :)! (granted other ingredients play a little part too).
I would definitely be a potions student if I were in Harry Potter.

My next trial run I used coconut sugar instead of honey. I was so excited to see the result because I was sure it would make them spread out.

Wrong. They didn't budge. Urgh! What could it possibly be then?!! They did "grow" a little more than the others but not like I wanted.

 I was going to try again with less flour, but it turned out I didn't have enough flour so instead I made a cookie cake! Yum. It turned out pretty darn good.

 Pair it with some homemade vanilla ice cream (or icy vanilla-tasting soy milk:) and you've got yourself a winner! A nice warm cookie cake with cold vanilla topping. So good.

 And now for the recipe. Sorry for the super long post.

REAL Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from mygutsy.com)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oil
2 egg whites
1/2 cup. coconut sugar (or 1/4 c. honey)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (the secret to the best cookies on earth! all cookies should have this)
scant 1 cup gluten free flour (or any flour)
1/2-1 oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped (or any choc. chips)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix together oil, egg whites, and sugar (or honey). Add vanilla, salt, soda, cinnamon, and mix together. Add flour, starting with 1/2 cup and adding more until desired cookie dough consistency.

*For cookie cake add only 1/2 cup of flour.

Enjoy!

It's November!

Hello! How is everyone?

 I feel really out of the loop with this whole Sandy Hurricane thing. From what it sounds like it's another hurricane Katrina, if not worse, and yet I've barely heard anything about it! It's really strange! Shea, I hope your safe. It's good to hear your not right in the target zone! Ben and Kelcy, did it hit Boston at all? I would think it would since it got NY pretty bad. 

I'm also weirded out by the fact that it's November!!! I'm not even joking when I say it literally feels like I wrote my New Year's goals yesterday! I don't know about anyone else, but it almost makes me a little bit frustrated. I want to yell at Time and say, " Wait! Stop! I didn't have time to accomplish all of my New Year's goals!" Anyway, speaking of November...elections! I also feel completely out of the loop with this whole thing! Surprisingly I'm really quite nervous about the elections! 

School is also speeding up, which is good and bad. It's bad because deadlines for my big research papers are coming up fast, but it's good because that means I don't have to worry about them anymore! Needless to say, I'll be happy when Dec. 1 is over and my BYU application is done! I've been stressing about that because I don't really know how to do it since I've only been international for one year and my grades for this year are not based on the same system. I talked to mom and hopefully (I'm crossing my fingers!) mom and dad can sit down and go through it with me!

While I try to be optimistic about life, I'm going to be honest. This week was hard. Very hard. I just got an overwhelming feeling of frustration, sadness, loneliness, etc. and didn't want to be here anymore. Yes, I do have friends at school, but they never do anything on the weekends, and the kids who do do something just get drunk. Yes, the young women do speak a little bit of english, but they don't use it. And to be honest with myself, I don't understand Khmer. So, I don't feel like I really fit in anywhere at church. Especially when you hear the YW say "mackenzie" in a sentence and then laugh really hard and you have no idea what their saying. Not the best feeling. Add to that, mom and dad are gone to Battambong until Tuesday.  Anyway, I don't mean to be Johnny Raincloud, but I feel like it's a good thing for people to once in awhile hear the bad times as well as the good. 

I hope I haven't left you all with a depressing feeling. We did start practicing for the church Christmas concert here. Christmas music always mends the soul! Have a fantastic week!