Meatloaf

My father-in-law wanted to make meatloaf. He was distressed when he couldn't find a can of seasoning than he always used. I got a couple of employees to help in the grocery store. I don't think any of us know what he was searching for though. He bought the ground meat but asked me if I could make the meatloaf like his mother did. Quickly I clarified. I can make meatloaf. I will NOT include raisins in mine. He chuckled about that, then reminisced about how plump the raisins would get. Nope. I'm not going there.

We have so many food allergies but I'm determined to find delicious healthy foods that we can share.
We avoid:

• barley
• cashews
• dairy (from cow)
• garlic (but powdered garlic is alright)
• malt (except when made from corn)
• mangoes
• rye
• tomatoes
• wheat

So I made meatloaf that everyone in the family can eat. Here is my recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 65 minutes
Serves: 8-9

2. INGREDIENTS
3. 3 pounds ground beef
4. 1.5 cup Oats (Gluten Free)
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1 teaspoon black pepper
8. 1 tablespoon onion powder
9. 1 tablespoon garlic powder
10. 
    
11. 2 tablespoons olive oil
12. 2 tablespoons onion powder
13. 2 tablespoons cornstarch
14. 2 cups Gluten Free beef (or chicken) broth 
15. 
    
17. PREPARATION
18. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Combine first seven ingredients; mix thoroughly. Split and form into two loaves. Bake until internal temperature in 160°F (about an hour). Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. 
19. 
    
20. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons onion powder and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a saucepan. Heat over medium to a simmer. Slowly add 2 cups of broth while stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon over cooked loaves or serve on the side.
21. 
    
22. For easier storage and clean-up cook the loaves on aluminum foil.

Too Ripe Bananas & Amazing Dog Treats

Yin and Yang napping. We didn't name them that but we sure could have.

I've never knew what to do with too ripe bananas. I've heard freeze them. I could use them later for banana bread-I cannot eat wheat and my daughter only likes bananas by themselves. Recently 3 ingredient dog treats was recommended on Pinterest. (Pinterest has a pretty good algorithm). The original post is Homemade Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats at http://munchkinsandmilitary.com/2015/02/homemade-peanut-butter-banana-dog-treats.html

Ingredients I have on hand in my kitchen: an almost empty oatmeal box,
 an almost empty peanut butter jar and three very ripe bananas.

Simple enough the recipe called for: 1 1/2 cups uncooked Oatmeal, 1 large Banana, and 1/2 cup Peanut Butter. That didn't match my ingredients. I had 1 cups uncooked Oatmeal, 3 medium Bananas and 3/4 cup Peanut Butter. Also probably because of the change of ingredients, my treats could probably been cooked even longer than the 20 minutes at 350°F. Either way the pups love them. So don't be afraid of changing the proportions.

I made two big ones with my dog bone
cookie cutter and the rest about 2 inch rounds. 

Update 08/26/2017: both of the dogs loved these!!

Disney World EPCOT - "Club Cool"

Disney World EPCOT - "Club Cool"

a.k.a. The Coca Cola Place and Ice Station Cool

Cool Club as seen from Starbucks in EPCOT

I had a 2-day Disney World adventure. We have passes again so I know we'll be going frequently.

EPCOT is my daughter's favorite and everybody loves tasting interesting Coca Cola products, right? We love this place.

I hadn't been to EPCOT in 5 years and usually in between many people have told me that: "there is no such place," "am I sure," and most lately "its been replaced with Starbucks."

Guess what? It's still there. It's in the same location as it has always been; inside of EPCOT back near the World Showcase Lagoon but still n Future World on the right as you enter (on the West).





We are always so excited to get there. On this particular day, EPCOT opened at 9:00 AM BUT (and this is a big but to me) Cool Club didn't open until 10:30 AM and the World Showcase didn't open until 11:00 AM. Cool Club opened as promised but the World showcase had ropes and guards blocking past and they weren't going by a clock. They had to wait for a call on their radio. I'm not sure why the gates open hours before the Showcase opens.

So back to Club Cool

Club Cool Coca Cola International Flavors

The flavor-flaves had changed which is nice. It's been 15 years but I have been to the tasting part of the Atlanta World of Coca-Cola Museum and I know that there are dozens of flavors. This visit has:
Beverly, Fanta (Pineapple), Fanta (Melon Frosty), VegitaBeta, Bibo, Sparberry, Inca Kola and Guaraná Kuat.

On the "Flavors Around the World Fountain" the drinks are described.

Beverly – This soda from Italy is a popular non-alcoholic aperitif that is bitter flavored and is a traditional part of Italian refreshment culture.

Fanta (Pineapple) – This soda from Greece made its debut in Europe in the 1940’s and was later introduced in the 1960’s in the United States. Fanta Pineapple is  caffeine-free that features a sweet pineapple taste.

Fanta (Melon Frosty) – Fanta Melon Frosty is the number one soft drink of Thailand. This fun melon flavored beverage is beloved in Thailand’s sunny tropical climate.

VegitaBeta – Originally launched in Japan in 1992, is a non-carbonated beverage with apricot and passion fruit flavors. It is rich in beta-carotene that contributes to it unique yellowish orange color.

Bibo – This soda was originally created in 1998 and is part of a fruit flavored line of juices popular in South Africa. The brand features fun characters such as Johnny Orange, Taka Strawberry, and Palo Peach.

Sparberry – A raspberry flavored cream soda, Sparberry launched in Africa in 1955. It is exclusively available in several countries in southeast Africa.

Inca Kola – Known as “The Taste of Peru” this soda has an unusually sweet fruity flavor that many compare to the taste of liquid bubblegum. The name “Inca Cola” refers to the Quechua words for king and queen.

Guaraná Kuat – This soda is a guaraná berry flavored soft drink that was launched in Brazil in 1997. The word guaraná comes from the word guara-ná which translates to “fruit like the eyes of the people”

Because I'm so special (all my fun allergies), I woke up the next day with my lips really swollen. I took a Zyrtec, went back to sleep for two hours and woke up only looking like I had overnight Collagen Injection/Lip Augmentation (like all the stars, ha ha). The swelling did go down within the day. I took a Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) at bed time. Even the next two days, my lips still felt funny. SO I am trying to find the ingredients to these drinks. I'm sure my reaction is due to "Bibo Kiwi Mango" which I did not taste. Since I do have a pretty severe reaction to mango. But I havent had much luck online. Here's what I have found:

Drink Name	Country	Ingredients	Source
Beverly	Italy	High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Salt, Sodium Benzoate, Natural and Artificial Flavors	glutenfreedairyfreewdw.com
Bibo Kiwi Mango	South Africa	Ingredients	Source
Fanta Melon Frosty	Thailand	Ingredients	Source
Fanta Pineapple	Greece	Ingredients	Source
Inca Kola	Peru	Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, sodium benzoate, Caffeine, artificial and natural flavors, yellow #5	Looked at the back of a bottle. See below.
Kuat Guaraná	Brazil	Carbonated water, sugar, guarana seed, acidity regulators citric acid and sodium citrate, identical to natural synthetic flavoring, caramel coloring IV conservative potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.	cocacolabrasil.com.br
Sparletta	Zimbabwe	Carbonated Water, Sugar, Flavouring, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Carmoisine	bobsbiltong.co.uk
VegitaBeta	Japan	Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Potassium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Yellow 5, beta-carotene, Tocopherols	glutenfreedairyfreewdw.com

Inca Kola

Inca Kola Ingredients

(407) 824-4321

Cleaning My Chalky Dishes in the Dishwasher

Chalky Dishes, Dishwasher, Limescale

I readily admit that housework is a challenge for me and that I use any shortcut or cheat that I can without endangering the life or well being of my friends and family. With that being said I had been using a powdered dishwasher distributed by Aldi's. I was happy for a while. Then this summer I started to notice that my dishes were chalky after they had been "cleaned" in the dishwasher. I was able to scrape the chalk off with my fingernail, it really appears as limescale. Not particularly a pleasant task to undertake. I use the dishwasher to make my life easier, not to add tasks to my day. I decided to buy Cascade. I have used Cascade over the years and I had never had any issues with it before. My first response was that Cascade has a new box. That is not really a big problem for me though. I am a firm believer in FUNCTION over FORM. I thought probably some research firm had decided that this newly designed box would entice more sales. The problem though was that my dishes did NOT improve. In fact, my previously black Farberware began to appear GRAY. My glasses and clear plastic cups all had a layer of limescale. I can remember an article, an announcement that my community had switched from using Chlorine to using Chloramine. So I decided to do some searching online. I found that many people across the country were having similar if not exactly the same issues as I was having. I asked a few local friends and they too were having trouble. I decided to try some of the solutions that I found online. I tried this first one, it works so I haven't tried any others.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
* 1/2 cup borax
* 1/2 cup baking soda
* 1/2 cup salt
* 3 envelopes unsweetened lemon drink mix (I am using Aldi's Flavoraide lemon-lime)
Use one tbsp for pre-wash and one tbsp wash.

I gave this recipe some thought. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) and Unsweetened Lemon Drink Mix (Citric Acid) make that lovely foam (http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/baking-soda-and-vinegar.html) giving off water and carbon dioxide. If I put salt in my bath it softens the water. For that matter people pay to have Calcium and Manganese removed from their water with salt in "water softeners." Now, I am certain that the gray is in fact limescale! And limescale is often Calcium Bicarbonate and can be removed with citric acid.

I like the recipe because I can mix it up from items I actually already have on hand. I give it a try. Immediately, my dishes were clean AND less scaley. I tried adding vinegar during the rinse cycle in a load with all of my Farberware. Now my spatula and spoons look brand new again.

I am happy with this simple solution maybe you will be too!

Finally Chalky Dishes in the Dishwasher Come Clean

Missing Soy Sauce

If you knew me, you would know that food is a comfort item and one of my favorites is sushi. I love to make a thick paste of soy sauce and wasabi and dip each piece gingerly into that loving "sauce." Traditional soy sauce was making me sick so I asked around. I have several family members who have also found themselves avoiding wheat. We have found ourselves to be braggarts. We love Bragg's Liquid Amino. I had my brother-in-law compare it to soy sauce. He thought the soy sauce was thicker. I can agree with that too but that doesn't bother me in the least. If it does bother me at some point I will just thicken it with some cornstarch. It was just the taste that I wanted.

Going Gluten Free

It seems that maybe I should go Gluten Free. It seems to run in my family as well as other allergies. I have already proven allergies to dust, cashews, mangoes, some milk products, and penicillin. My dad has serious poultry allergy and pretty severe sinus allergies to hay, pollen and dust.

My mom mentioned that some of the things that I was working around may just go away without Gluten. An example, I had already "figured out" that if I ate pizza and spaghetti with red sauce in the same day, I would be awakened with heartburn. What I didn't realize was that it was the bread that gave me the heart burn. I thought it was the tomatoes, I never dreamed it was the gluten. I also thought that I was becoming allergic to soy, because it seemed that some soy products caused me either heartburn or diarrhea. Well the soy products I was using had wheat and Maltodextrin in the ingredients list.

So I gave it a try. The first day, I just ate things I already have in my home: grapefruit, rice and beans, salad with home-made dressing. When I woke up on the second day, not only did I not have heartburn or diarrhea, I woke up with very little pain. I had been waking up with more and more pain. I used to describe it as "you know that feeling that you were hit by a bus yesterday" but no one seemed to understand that. That pain that I had when I woke up had been becoming more and more frequent over the last 15 years, until it was a daily feeling.

Cutting Back

Everywhere I go my friends and family are talking about cutting back. I have been able to maintain a similar grocery bill over the last 4 years despite the increased costs by doing a few things.

1. Try to not overbuy: if there are items that you inevitably throw away, (for us Fruit Loops comes to mind, it always becomes stale before anyone wants to eat them) stop buying them. It sounds simple but it isn't always. I was also having bread go stale. Shopping more frequently but buying less has helped that. My family seems to go in spurts with bread. They eat 2 loaves in two days then they don't eat any bread for a week. Also, bread can be frozen and I have 2 half loaves in there now. One is my gluten-free loaf that I leave in there and the other is just plain bread.

2. Try to buy the cheapest size. There are several items that I buy that it is cheaper to buy in the smaller size. Bring your calculator and check the per-ounce price.

3. Try the no-name brand or store brand. Most items will be just fine. My family actually prefers some store brand items over the more pricey advertised national brands.

4. I started buying all my staples at a cheaper store. I alternate, one week at Aldi's and the next at Publix. Aldi's is small but clean and has cheaper basic staples but may not have my son's favorite cereal or my daughter's favorite cheesy turkey dogs. Publix is a huge supermarket but it has a homey feel and has had many of the same employees all 15 years that I have been shopping there.

5. Save coupons. We read the paper online, so I grab the coupons from my mother and father-in-law. I don't bother with coupons under a $1.00 off. I don't bother with things I don't use; just the brands of items I am already buying. I put the coupons with my dollars. Some weeks I don't take any coupons, other weeks I'll grab three or four. It only takes a few minutes to look through them.

6. Buy the meat that is on sale. When whole honey-baked hams were on sale I bought two. One was for right then, and the other went into the freezer for a month. I also kept the fat (for seasoning beans) and the bone (to make broth for soup) in the freezer. The whole fryer chickens are an easy meal too. Just bake, add a few favorite sides, and the family meal feels like a feast. My family likes these sides: sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes, carrots or peas, and salad as the sides. I bake the chickens and everyone is so happy.

7. When either grocery has sales on items we always use, I grab a few. When the cereal is on sale I grab two boxes not just one.

There are plenty websites and articles on how to save money these are just the things that I use.