SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS GLUTEN FREE PEACH BARS

 

Looking for an easy and delicious dessert?

Or something delicious to offer to your friends?

You don't need to look anymore!

These peach bars are both delicious and easy to make.

And they are gluten free!

The bars are guaranteed to make everyone happy and compliment your baking skills.

Especially if you serve them with some of super delicious vanilla sauce.

PEACH BARS

PEACH AT THE BOTTOM

1 can of peach

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tea spoon of cinnamon

ON THE TOP:

100 g butter

2 dl manioc (cassava) flour

3 dl oatmeal (gluten free)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tea spoon of vanilla

1) Take the 100g butter from the fridge and place it at room temperature.

2) Cut the peaches in wedges. Make them small or big, depending on your taste.

3) Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Put the mixture in a greased casserole dish.

4) Cut the butter into small cubes and rub the brown sugar and flour and oatmeal until they are well mixed. Add vanilla and mix well.

5) Put the mix on top of the peach mix in the casserole. Bake at 200 ° C for about 30 min.

6) Add some cold vanilla sauce and  ENJOY!

Virtual Or Real - In Which World Do You Live?

A fellow blogger Susan Evans wrote a very interesting post called Virtual or Real (Part 1).

It talked to my heart as a mother. It made me think about being a mother. It made me think about my son, our relationship, our relationship with God. And what all this means. At once I felt I had to answer her.

Just a few days ago I was looking at pictures of my son when he was little. He's 11 years old now, a big boy. And I missed that little boy who would come to sit on my lap and I could pick up and carry on my arms. I miss him so much.

I have my son still, but the relationship changes all the time. And I don't want to miss the important moments. Like yesterday watching a movie together while we ate pizza. Or reading him when he goes to bed.

Just a few days ago he sighed while he was laying in the bed, hugged me and told me that he's so glad I'm there for him all the time.

I felt a queer mixed sensation. I know I try to be there, but there are so many moments I feel guilty that I spend with the computer or at work and I'm not there for him.

I struggle with this daily. I try to find moments to show that all my attention is to him. To teach him about God and God's love, by showing him, my love, mirroring the love God has with the love I have for him.

And when he talks about his love for God, how he will never forget or deny God, it makes me feel so proud of him. And scared. Because I know how hard the world can be.

I find Susan's honesty encouraging and I respect her, as a mother and a person, even more because of it.

There are moments when my son asks me something while I'm on the computer and I answer something half intelligible. Sometimes he repeats what he's saying, sometimes he waits, other times he just gives up. And it breaks my heart when I think about it later on.

There are times when my son gets angry and says: You only care about the computer. Why don't you spend time with ME?

I think it's excellent that he can express his worries and anger. But it still breaks my heart.

But it also makes me a better mother because it makes me think about my choices and he challenges me to put him first and everything else I do second.

The good thing is that I have had some opportunities to take him with me to my work. We have visited indigenous communities, he has seen how the people there live, the schools they go to. And I think it will help him to see the world in quite a different way.

But it still broke my heart when he told me that he had thought that I didn't really work but only spend time on the computer. I guess since my office is at home, that is what he sees. His mother at the computer, just spending time when she could be with him.

A heartbreaking situation that many mothers must face today.

My answer to it.

Stop working when he talks to me. I know, it kills the flow. It takes ages to remember what I was doing and find the thread of thought I was following. But it also shows that I care, that I put him on the first spot.

Write when he's at school, asleep, with his friends, find moments when he isn't around to write. And when I have to write when the work absolutely takes me away from him, explain it to him. He is big, he's nine years old, he understands a lot of things.

And like I said before, make him part of the work. Show him what I do. Make him understand why it is so important to me.

I must tell these things have improved our relationship immensely. But there is still a lot to do. And I still keep praying and seeking God to give me understanding how to show more love to my son. How to show God's love and care to my son.

"Children are not casual guests in our home.  They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built."

James Dobson

Ecuadorian Bean Stew - Menestra de Frejol

Bean stew is very delicious and can be used as an accompaniment to many dishes.

It can also be eaten alone.

The beans have carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, not to mention having a low fat content.

In Ecuador the bean stew is usually eaten with rice and some fried ripe plantain banana.

Depending on the region where you are, people also add meat or fish to the dish.

In Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, the dish is called Sota, Caballo y Rey, or jack, queen and king, from the playing cards.

The dish includes rice, bean stew and fried meat.

In Guayaquil the dish is eaten with patacones, or fried green plantain bananas, instead of fried ripe plantain banana. 

Patacones are also called tostones or fritos in other parts of Latin America.

Ecuadorian Bean Stew

1 pound of fresh beans (I use kidney beans but you can use any kind you prefer)

1 small green plantain banana

1 small chopped onion

1 scallion, chopped

1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons of oil

salt to taste

½ teaspoon of cumin

1 clove of garlic, minced

Preparation:

1) In a saucepan heat the oil in a low flame, add the onion, garlic, scallions and stir everything so it does not burn.

2) Chop green plantain banana (peel it under running water or it’ll leave your hands sticky) into small squares and add it to the mix in the saucepan.

3) Add salt, cumin, coriander, fresh beans and water until it covers all the above ingredients. (I you use dry beans they’ll need more time to cook and remember to put them into water the day before.)

4) Cook until the beans are completely soft, if necessary increase a little more water if you want to cook in less time can do it in a pressure cooker.

5) Serve with rice and fried ripe plantain bananas.

ENJOY!

Gluten Free Vanilla Sauce

Vanilla sauce is a very delicious dessert and perfect to eat any time of the year.

But it is especially yummy during the hot season.

It can be eaten with fresh fruit and berries.

Or with pies, bakes, crumbles or bars.

It is a very versatile addition to any dessert and guaranteed to make them all even more delicious!

VANILLA SAUCE

5 dl of milk

1 dl of cream

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of manioc (cassava) flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1) Mix all the other ingredients, except the vanilla, in a saucepan. Stir well with a beater. Be careful to not let the flour clump.

2) Let the mix heat up, stirring constantly. The mix will easily stick to the bottom or burn.

3) When the mix heat up till the boiling point and you can see the first bubbles, take it away from the heat.

4) Put the saucepan into cold water and let the mix cool off. When it is cool, add the vanilla and stir.

5) Pour the sauce into a plastic or glass bowl and put it in the fridge to cool. Serve when it is cold.

ENJOY!