They say fast food is addictive.  Well, at least they are happy little addicts.

3 Reasons I love Today

1.  We went to the park today and the kids had so much fun.  I love the first few park visits of spring.  It's all brand new again.  The kids have fun the whole time and don't want to leave.  By the end of summer they start getting bored.  I should probably explain that we don't have a yard to play in at our town house so we go to the park everyday in spring and summer.

2.  It's grocery day, so I get to plan meals for the week.  I love thinking about food.

3.  My sister told me a hilarious story and I don't know if I'll ever stop laughing about her embarrassment.  I'm getting my award for sister of the year any day now.

I'm on a Roll...or a Biscuit?

I've been on a roll with these recipes, so here's another one!

E, D, N free Biscuits

3 C self rising flour

1 Tb canola oil

1 C rice milk (maybe a little more if dough is too dry)

Earth Balance for greasing the pan and tops of biscuits

Mix together self rising flour and oil.  Add rice milk slowly until dough forms.  On a floured surface press out dough, 1/4 of dough at a time and cut out using a biscuit cutter.  Place in a greased 8 inch round or 7inch square baking dish.  This recipe makes 8-10 big biscuits.

Egg, Dairy and Nut Free Vanilla Cake

For the Cake

1 1/2 C all purpose flour

1 C sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C oil (vegetable or canola)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 C rice milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl mix together sugar, oil, vanilla and rice vinegar.  In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the rice milk to the mixer beginning and ending with rice milk.  Beat to just combine.  This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes or 1 eight inch round cake pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Icing

In a pinch or to be cheap I use Pillsbury Vanilla Funfetti Frosting.  It has no dairy in it.  If I really want to make a tasty frosting this is what I do:

1 C Earth Balance 

3-5 C powdered sugar

1/2 C rice milk

1 tsp vanilla extract.

With a mixer on low speed combine Earth Balance, sugar (1 cup at a time until you like the consistency), rice milk and vanilla extract.  

Egg, Dairy and Nut Free Ice Cream Cake Pops!

I saw the originals on www.bakerella.com.  Typically you would use candy melts or chocolate for these, but then they would not be dairy free.  So, I decided to experiment.  I baked my E,D,N Free cake (recipe to come) and crumbled it up mixing it with frosting as instructed on the Bakerella website.  After forming the balls and refrigerating for a couple of hours I melted some frosting (I used Pillsbury Vanilla Funfetti Frosting because a homemade butter frosting would melt and get gross if sat out) by microwaving for 5 seconds.  Then I dipped my cake balls in that, sprinkled them and returned them to the refrigerator.  About an hour later these sweeties hardened up and looked like this.  What do you think?  I think it worked pretty well considering I didn't really know what I was doing!  Next time I will experiment with different shapes and color the frosting.  I cut the tops off of waffle cones this time (as instructed by Bakerella) to make these cute mini "ice cream" cones.  This was really fun and the kids loved them.  What's not to love, cake, icing, more icing, sprinkles!

Egg, Dairy and Nut Free Sugar Cookies

3 C all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 C Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 C sugar

1 TB (heaping) apple sauce

2 TB rice milk

powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Mix sugar and Earth Balance until light and fluffy.  Add apple sauce and rice milk and mix to combine.  Gradually add flour mixture and beat until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Divide dough in half and wrap in wax paper.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  Dust surface with powdered sugar and roll out dough.  Cut in desired shapes and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges turn just slightly golden.

The fondant recipe for these cookies comes from http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-make-marshmallow-fondant

Egg, Dairy and Nut Free Cinnamon Scones

2 C whole wheat flour

1TB baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 TB sugar plus more for dusting

1 tsp cinnamon

5 TB Earth Balance

3/4 C rice milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in buttery spread until coarse crumbs form.  Add milk until dough forms.  Taking 1/4 dough at a time pat out into a square.  Cut square in half diagonally to make triangles.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Brush tops with rice milk and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 10-12 minutes.