Applesauce Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend (http://www.allergenfreemom.com/2013/04/gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix.html)
2/3 cup Almond or Rice Milk
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Applesauce
1/2 White Sugar
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 Cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter, or dairy-free soy-free margarine, melted
2 Tbsp Flax Seed, ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.  I like to use mini muffin pans.  Combine almond milk and vinegar and let stand 10 mins.  Meanwhile, combine flour blend, white sugar, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt in medium bowl.  Add egg, butter or margarine, and applesauce into almond milk/vinegar mixture.  Mix well, then combine with flour mixture. Drop batter into muffin cups.  Then mix brown sugar with 1/4 tsp cinnamon.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over tops of the muffins.  Bake 15-17 mins or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 5 mins. then remove muffins to continue cooling on rack.

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Pesto Sauce

Since I'm allergic to tomatoes, when I cook marinara sauce for the family on spaghetti night, I need something quick and easy to make for myself. I've made this by trial and error pulling out what we have had on hand.  This is the winner of all the variations I've tried.  It's super yummy and easy to adjust for what you have on hand in your kitchen.

1 small jar of Gluten Free Pesto Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (I keep a jar in the fridge at all times)
1 onion, diced
1/2 carton of mushrooms, diced
1/2 can of sliced black olives
20-ish slices of pepperoni, diced (also always on hand in our house for homemade pizza)

In a large frying pan, add the olive oil, garlic and onions.  Saute until getting translucent but not soft.  Add the pepperoni, mushrooms and olives.  Stir until well mixed and the mushrooms start to soften.  Then pour the Pesto sauce over the top and stir until heated through. Simmer a few minutes and serve over your favorite gluten-free pasta.  My favorite noodles are the Thai Kitchen Stir Fry Rice Noodles.    Garnish with parmesan cheese.

The garlic bread shown was made by thawing an Udi's brand hamburger bun,  topping it with butter then spreading minced garlic (from the jar) on top.  Cover with shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Homemade Laundry Detergent - Updated

I am disgusted with how expensive laundry detergent has become, especially if your family has sensitive skin like mine.  I became increasingly convinced there had to be a better (and cheaper) solution to this problem.  I found a plethora of options online but was not convinced of how effective any of them would be.  I finally decided to jump in and give it a try... I will NEVER go back! You should be able to find all of the items you need in your grocery store detergent isle.

Here is the recipe - enjoy the savings and the superior washing capability:

Use 1 Tablespoon per load for a regular sized washer or 2 Tablespoons for an over sized washer. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you need less. Also note that this detergent does NOT create suds which can actually redeposit dirt and grime back onto your clothes.  You may also notice a film on the top of the water of your first load which is the old soap residue left behind by your old detergent.

This makes enough detergent for approximately 210 loads for $12.63 or $.06 per load!  This does not include the initial investment of the glass jar and scoop. (If you include those, the first batch works out to be $.11 a load for the first load.)

1 box Borax 4 lb 12 oz (76 oz) ($3.39)
1 box Arm and Hammer Baking Soda 4 lb (64 oz) ($2.12)
1 box Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda 3 lb 7 oz (55 oz) ($3.24)
4 bars of Fels-Naptha soap  (16.5 oz each) ($3.88)

One time purchase to scoop and store your detergent:
2 gallon glass jar (in the kitchen isle for $9.98)
2 Tbsp metal coffee scoop (in the kitchen isle for $1.67)

Mix all the ingredients in the glass jar except for the Fels Naptha soap (there will be extra room to mix).  You may want to wear a mask while mixing, since these powders are very fine and may cause respiratory irritation to some people.  Grate your Fels-Naptha soap just like cheese with a cheese grater.  This last time I made a batch, I found out that my Ninja blender will "grate" the Fels Naptha soap for me!  I put it in and pulsed it like I would to make "shaved" ice.  It came out much smaller and finer.  However, I did find that I had to add about a cup of the other mixed ingredients to keep the soap from sticking together and to the sides.  Then add it to the rest and mix well.   Don't worry - either way, the Fels-Naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water.  

This recipe is HE washer safe, in fact, that is what I have.

Making "The Best Taco Seasoning Ever" for a large group of people

I have now made this recipe (http://www.allergenfreemom.com/2013/01/best-tacofajita-seasoning-ever.html) twice for a large group of people (40+ each time) and it was a HUGE success both times.  It was so inexpensive and easy to do, I wanted to share my tips and explain how I did it for anyone else who might like to try it.  I highly recommend it for any occasion!

Both times I used 3 5+ lb packages of ground beef which is much cheaper when you buy it in "bulk" that way.  At Aldi it cost less than $35 so it is super economical.  First, I browned the meat in a large frying pan in batches about 2.5 lbs each.  I drained the meat as I went, then put then meat in my turkey roaster.  After all the meat was browned and transferred over to my turkey roaster I added the water and the seasonings.  I highly recommend utilizing prep bowls to measure the individual spices since in this case you will be multiplying your recipe by 15 times! That way as you are counting out teaspoons etc. and you lose count, because you will lose count I promise, you can start over easier.

A word about the water.  It is tricky because when you are cooking a regular batch of this recipe on the stove you will be using a large frying pan over the stove and it is easy to bring the liquid to a boil.  However, when have this large a batch in the turkey roaster it is harder to bring the liquid to a boil and it takes significantly longer to boil the liquid down.  I would say if you put the turkey roaster on high (450-ish) closely watched for about at least an hour to an hour and a half it should be good.   Otherwise depending on when you want to serve it you can adjust the heat.   Make sure to leave the lid off during this time otherwise the liquid is trapped in the roaster and it does not boil down.

Both times I served the meat in the turkey roaster while it was still plugged in on low and it worked out great.  I set up the rest of the food in a taco bar fashion or assembly line and it worked out great.