GF Dream Oatmeal Cookies

I'm back!  Well, kinda.  I'm done with my National Board portfolio which I sent in last Thursday.  I have to say the whole process was a bit unnerving.  It is not like writing essays for graduate school.  There you know the professor, how they grade, what they want, etc.  Here they gave you rubrics but I have heard that the grading process is very arbitrary and people pass or fail randomly.  Then there is the whole packing the essays process which is much more an exercise on if you can follow directions than anything else.  There is even an envelope where you put the checklist that you filled out all of the checklists.  I was literally shaking packing it up because I was so worried that I'd make a mistake and then have to pay $300 to take the essay over just because I didn't paperclip the right way.  I heard that if you take the class (apparently I am "hardcore" because I didn't) they don't let you pack it up yourself.  You have to go in and 3 supervisors have to watch and sign off that you did it correctly.

So the National Board portfolio is done but now I have the test on the 4th which I supposedly should study for... however I know special education like the back of my hand so will take a quick look at the examples and go from there.  If this whole National Board process wasn't enough I have/had three full IEPs this week and it takes me 3 - 4 hours to finish each (depending on whether or not I am sitting in front of the TV while doing it).  Plus this weekend I have to input grades for 60 report cards which I haven't done in a month and have to do IEP report cards.  I don't know why I am writing more after doing all of this but I feel like my life has to get back to normal.  I have not cooked a real dish in three weeks, have gorged myself on bottles of Mountain Dew and bags of Carmel Bugles (oh man, sooooo good!  Found at Walgreens and now can't go into Walgreens because I don't have the self control to resist), and have eaten salads, eggs, and rice in different combinations for weeks.  I just want to be back to normal but I am super, super, super stressed and burnt out.

What is the best way to deal with such stress?  Eating gluten free cookies!  These are the absolutely best oatmeal cookies ever, that is why I call them my dream oatmeal cookies.  However, they aren't mine... they are actually my mom's.  She made these cookies for me (3 doz worth) during this crazy time.  I took some to work with me and everyone raved about them (4 people at my school are gluten free).   My mom even made me an "instant mix" bag with all of the ingredients mixed together so I can add the liquids and cook and be done with it.  Since then my dad has been sending loaves of GF challah bread which is insanely good so my parents are keeping me stocked in baked goods.  THANK YOU!

GF Dream Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients


2 cups of flour mix (2 parts brown rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca flour)
2 cups GF rolled oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Place foil on cookie sheet and lightly grease.  Mix together butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and creamy with a electric mixer.  Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and beat until a smooth dough forms.  Then mix in oats and raisins.

Drop in large tsp of  dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.   This recipe makes 60 cookies!  You can freeze unbaked dough.

3 Types of Fudge

I had high hopes for today since my husband is out of the house and I'm by myself for the first time in a week and a half. I wanted to work on another one of my National Board essays, work out, grocery shop, and take an 1 1/2 hour yoga class. Instead I am sitting in front of our space heater jacking up our electricity bill (it is freezing outside), ordering shoes (these are awesome-and in size 11!), eating gluten free cookies (which we got at Hub51 last night, one of my favorite restaurants), and watching multiple hours of Real Housewives... Totally non productive but I miss having some time alone. I will go grocery shopping (have a crazy taste for BBQ beans and gluten free cornbread and carrot fries, although the beans wont be as good as in Kansas City which has the BEST beans) and maybe work out and write my lesson plans for this week, but that is about it.

Fudge is one of my signature desserts/sweet snacks along with pecan pie squares and chocolate bark. I have been making the cookies and cream fudge (which everyone loves) for past 4 years and am always looking for new fun flavors. It is hard to find gluten free pre-made items to put in these types of fudge, and if you can find gluten free sandwich cookies and chocolate covered pretzels buy them right away!

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Ingredients

2 12 oz bags of white chocolate

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

dash of salt

1 cup of smashed regular oreos (or gluten free sandwich cookies)

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

In a saucepan mix together sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt, and white chocolate and heat over low heat. Stir until melted. Take off of heat and mix in vanilla extract and cookies. Pour into 9 inch square pan lined with wax paper. Chill until firm. Take out of pan by flipping it over onto a cutting board and peel off wax paper. Cut into squares. Freezes very well.

Peanut Butter Surprise Fudge

Ingredients

2 12 oz bags of semi-sweet chocolate

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

dash of salt

1/2 cup of smashed of chocolate covered pretzels (can use gluten free brand like Glutino)

1/4 cup of roasted lightly salted peanuts

1/2 cup of smashed peanut butter cups

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

In a saucepan mix together sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt, and chocolate and heat over low heat. Stir until melted. Take off of heat and mix in vanilla extract, peanuts, pretzels, and peanut butter cups. Pour into 9 inch square pan lined with wax paper. Chill until firm. Take out of pan by flipping it over onto a cutting board and peel off wax paper. Cut into squares. Freezes very well.

Minty Fun Fudge

Ingredients

2 12 oz bags of dark chocolate

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

dash of salt

1/2 cup of smashed peppermint patties (you can make them homemade- check out this recipe)

1/2 cup of smashed mint oreos (I couldn't find gluten free equivalent, you could use regular sandwich cookies instead or take them out of recipe)

1/4 cup of smashed andes mints

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

In a saucepan mix together sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt, and chocolate and heat over low heat. Stir until melted. Take off of heat and mix in vanilla extract, peppermint patties, oreos and andes mints. Pour into 9 inch square pan lined with wax paper. Chill until firm. Take out of pan by flipping it over onto a cutting board and peel off wax paper. Cut into squares. Freezes very well.

Meringues

Sugar Attack! I don't know what it is about October that makes me crave sugar. Last year I had a candy corn obsession and ate about a bag every 3 days... seriously, it was bad. This year I have stayed far away from the candy aisle, but other sweets have just been invading my life. How about the fresh cider doughnuts sitting at the apple orchard on my way home from Effingham or the brownies that are sitting on the counter at my school.... they make me want to eat gluten, and get sick.

So, this week I have had two things to help me through my sugar craze days. The first are Sprinkles cupcakes. I have always wanted to try these, and they finally came to Chicago. They only have one gluten free flavor, red velvet, but they were soooooo good! The cupcake part was really moist, different from many store/restaurant gluten free baked goods. The cream cheese frosting? Well, I could have eating a gallon if it on its own.

The second thing was meringues. These are so dangerous to make. I probably ate 4 or 5 when they were hot and then a bunch more when they were dry (and was up till 3 in the morning on a sugar high). My dad was feeling sick and I wanted to make something that both he and I could eat. In 1 day 30 of them were gone between the two of us!

Meringues

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

1 tsp almond, vanilla, or lemon extract

(lemon extract makes yummy meringues but they are much less stiff during mixing and flat when you bake)

Preheat oven at 200 degrees. In a large bowl, put in the egg whites, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for a minute or two until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat on high speed until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

Put parchment paper on baking sheets and drop the meringues by large teaspoonfuls onto the sheet. Depending on how large you make the cookies, you should have around 3 dozen. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for another hour to dry.