NOTICE

At the time of publication, all recipes were free of the allergens listed as being free of in the title (i.e. soy-free, milk-free, etc.), and all other information shared was accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Though I strive to update outdated information quickly and work diligently to make sure you have the most accurate information possible at all times, it is your duty to double check labels EVERY TIME to ensure that the ingredients you use are SAFE FOR YOU.
DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS INGREDIENTS AND INFORMATION DO CHANGE.
Your doctor or allergist should also be your first go-to for information on how to handle your medical needs. That being said, if you DO notice an error, please send me an email letting me know (tell me what page or recipe the error is on, what the error is, etc.), and I will correct the error ASAP.
Thank you so much!

Please Be Advised:
I make sure all of my recipes use foods that are free of the allergens they say they are free of. You will need to do the same. For help with this, please see the appropriate "Alternative Names" page for the allergen(s) you need the recipe free of.

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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Frosted Sugar Cookies (Soy, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Milk, Wheat and Egg-Free)


Happy Valentine's Day, all!  It is a cold and wintry one here!  I hope you are all staying warm, safe, and spending some time with friends and family, even if it is only by phone, text, email, letter, Skype, etc.  Let someone know that they are loved and what they mean to you while you can.  You never know when you'll get another chance, and you'll never regret saying, "I love you, and you mean so much to me!" to those you love.

Our church is having our Valentine's banquet tonight, and we were asked to bring desserts.  My dessert?  The cookies you see above.  These are a modified version of ones I found on Center Cut Cook.  They taste very similar to a certain soft, frosted sugar cookie you find in the stores.  I'm sure you know which ones I mean. :)  I've been looking for a copy-cat recipe for awhile, and these come close enough to satisfy my cravings for them...and these are more allergy-friendly!  This version is soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), nut and fish-free, and can be milk, wheat and egg-free (see variations).  You can make these into cut-out cookies (which is the version I'll share first) or as round cookies (see variations).  No matter which way you make them, they are sure to become a family favorite!

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cookie Portion:
1 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup lard

2 eggs

1/2 Cup sour cream

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons vanilla

3 Cups soy-free flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting Portion:
2 Cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 Cup butter, softened

 Dash (up to 1/8 teaspoon) salt

1 to 2 Tablespoons milk

  1.  Preheat the oven to 350oF.
      
  2. In large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, lard, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well blended.
       
  3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the sugar blend and mix until well blended. (Note: Dough will be soft and a bit sticky, like your traditional sugar cookie or peanut butter cookie doughs.)
       
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough (either all or a portion at a time - your choice) until the dough is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
     
  5. Cut dough with cookie cutters into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
      
  6. Bake cookies 6 to 8 minutes (less time if they are thinner/smaller cookies, longer if they are bigger/thicker cookies).  DO NOT OVER BAKE!  (Note:  Cookies will look pale, NOT golden brown.  You want to cook them until they look just cooked through (read that as dry or dull vs. shiny on top), but not until they are browned on top.  You are better off slightly under cooking these cookies than over cooking them.)
      
  7. Transfer cookies onto waxed paper or brown paper or cooling rake to cool completely.
      
  8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 until all the dough is used up.
      
  9. While the cookies are cooling, mix together all the ingredients for the frosting portion except the milk in a medium mixing bowl until well blended.
      
  10. Add the milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until the frosting is the right consistency for spreading.  (Note: You can add more milk a teaspoon at a time, if need be, to get the right consistency.  I prefer my frosting light and fluffy, so I beat mine a bit longer to get it that way, too.)
      

  11. When cookies are completely cooled, frost them and enjoy. (Note: You can decorate them with color sugar or sprinkles, too, but make sure those items fit into your dietary needs before doing so.)
Recipe makes at least 3 dozen cookies (I normally get between 40 and 50, depending on size).
Variations (Please keep your individual allergy and dietary needs in mind when using substitutions!): 
  • Round Frosted Sugar Cookies: Prepare the cookies the same way, except, instead of rolling them out, take a Tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball.  Place the dough ball onto the ungreased cookie sheet and flatten it with your hand.  Repeat the process for each cookie, spacing them about 1 inch apart.  They should bake in about 6 to 7 minutes at this size.  You can make them bigger, but they will take slightly longer (about 10 minutes for a 2 Tablespoon-sized cookie).  Again, the cookies will NOT look done.  You want them to look the same as the cut-out cookies - dry or dull vs. shiny on top, but NOT browned.  Decorate them as desired once they are cooled, just like the cut-out version.
Round Frosted Sugar Cookies
  •  Milk-Free: Use any milk substitute of your choice for the milk.  Use any dairy-free "butter" for the butter in the recipe.  You can even use shortening, lard or coconut oil if they fit your dietary needs.  Sub a dairy-free yogurt (plain or vanilla) for the sour cream.
      
  • Wheat-Free: Use a gluten-free baking mix of your choice in place of the flour.  Keep in mind that the cookies will be a different texture if you use this substitution.
       
  • Egg-Free: Use an egg replacer for the eggs or any of the substitutions listed here for the eggs.
        
  • Other Fats: You can use shortening, butter, coconut oil, a dairy-free "butter", etc. for the lard or butter in this recipe.
       
  • Sour Cream Substitution: If you wish, you can replace the sour cream with vanilla or plain yogurt.
      
  • Colored Frosting:  You can color the frosting if you wish, using natural food colorings or traditional store-bought types that fit your allergen needs.
      
  • Flavored Frostings:  You can change the flavor of the frosting by using another extract other than vanilla that fits your allergen needs such as strawberry, almond, peppermint, coconut, etc.  You can even use it along side the vanilla if you wish or use another combo of extracts that sounds good to you.  I would not use more than a total of 2 teaspoons worth of extract, though.  Also, you could sub juice for the milk in the frosting for some flavor, leaving out the vanilla or not depending on your personal preference.

  
Don't they look delish?

Again, have a Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

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What's your favorite Valentine's treat?

What's your favorite cookie?



(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Monthly Milestones 2015 {2}





Today is the start of the second Monthly Milestones for 2015. The "rules" are still the same as always. I will be giving you updates on the first Saturday of every month on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., and you can link up a post (or 3 or more) about some form of progress you are making, if you wish (see details below).  Being publicly accountable (as hard as it is) helps me out tremendously.  I hope you enjoy this link-up, will link up something inspiring and share it with others so that we can meet our goals together! :)

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me as of today, February 7, 2015, at 230 lbs.

  1. My weight is up a little.  I've gone up about 1/2 a pound this month.  Truthfully, I gained about 3 or 4 lbs. at the beginning of the month, so I'm actually down, but overall, I weight 1/2 a pound more than I did last month.  Hopefully I will be able to keep going down now.
      
  2. Walking more is still in the works.  I still walk my daughter to and from preschool on school days, but other than that, walking hasn't happened much.  We've had some nasty weather and bitter cold making taking walks a bit harder to do.  On the upside, I do try to be a bit more active when it comes to housework and the like.  If I sit too much, I get antsy now, so I figure that's a good change. :)
         
  3. Physically, I'm improving some.  I am really working on my diet.  My body is being less and less tolerant of foods that hurt me.  I get migraines or IBS symptoms a lot quicker if I don't eat right, so that helps keep me honest.  I'm still a work in progress, but I'm getting there. :)
        
  4.  I'm still working on my new groove with my blogs.  I still want to post at least once a month on here and on Natural and Free, and I'm shooting for every other week and working my way to once a week.  It's going slower than I'd like due to a lot of family and church things going on right now taking up more of my time, but it will happen. :)  I'll learn to juggle it all better, eventually.  Don't give up on me!  I'm still here - just a lot busier than I planned on being at this stage.
      
  5. This month is going to be insane, so you probably won't see a ton of posts from me.  As I alluded to above, there's a LOT going on right now.  Most of my weekends (translate that as "normally free-to-blog times") are filled up through this month.  I have no idea when I'll get to post after this.  I have so many things I want to share, but simply no time to post as of late.  There's also been some health issues with my mom (she's ok, but it was scary for a bit, and she needs to take it easy) which will require me to help out in some areas that I'd not planned on.  What can I say?  Life's an adventure. :)  I wish it was easier to juggle blog life and the rest of my life, but it just doesn't always work out that way.

That's about it for now.  How are you doing?  Are you reaching your goals?  Have you tried something new?  Come up with a new recipe?  I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will link-up a post telling me all about it or even leave a comment sharing your thoughts.  As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)





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Now It's Your Turn!



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Grab A Badge!


(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)