Blackberry & Gluten-free goodness {life from my iPhone}

I’ve been having the most fun with Instagram (thanks Angie Carley for introducing tech challenged me to that fun!) I have had a few friends ask for me to share some recipes from some fun I’ve been posting on my iPhone…so I’m going to post the links–so although I tweaked them–I didn’t write them:)

Our blackberries and raspberries are in full harvest…so we’ve been picking bowls full every day lately–which has required our getting creative with what to do with all these yummy berries. Every day our bowl looks just like this…

Last week we made a YUMMY blackberry and raspberry gluten-free cobbler…SERVE WARM + 2 scoops of coconut milk vanilla ice cream–organic goodness! (Rico and Parker had regular vanilla with theirs–but the rest of our crew can’t have dairy)

I don’t use special gluten-free recipe books. Nope–those are too mind-boggling and confusing for this momma. I like to keep things REALLY simple. I’ve found a gluten-free all purpose flour that I can substitute for any recipe and I it’s been fail proof and delicious thus far with all of our guests surprised or unaware that it’s gluten-free:). For this dish–I followed this Betty Crocker recipe HERE. BUT I substituted regular flour for GLUTEN FREE PANTRY ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR—I used aluminum free baking powder (Arm&Hammer, Clammer Girl and the others have aluminum and that’s not fun to feed your family)–I use sea salt instead of table salt–almond milk instead regular milk and 1/2 cup Stevia and 1/2 cup organic sugar. 3 changes–so I guess it’s my recipe:) Did you know you just have to make 3 changes to any recipe for it to be officially yours?? You learn something new every day.

THEN–tonight after dinner–we picked more berries. We sat down and the kids voted what we’d make with today’s batch. They wanted PIE. Blackberry pie…and momma insisted gluten-free black-berry pie:) Don’t you just wanna take a bite out of THIS…

I once again tweaked the recipe to be gluten free–and followed one on the Joy of Baking site. I didn’t use granulated white sugar as the recipe called for (that stuff is poison people…I kid you not) and once again I used The Gluten Free Pantry gluten free all-purpose flour. Worked beautifully. The kids had a BLAST cutting out stars with cookie cutters and placing them where ever they wanted on the pie! You should be able to find it at ANY grocery and even if you aren’t gluten free it might be night to have in your pantry for an unexpected gluten-free guest.

LOVE that mix because I can follow just about ANY recipe and it works like a charm!

OK…and now–just to entertain you with my top 10 favorite pictures just downloaded from my iPhone that were taken in the couple of weeks…(drum roll please…)

10. My kids sitting at my grandmother’s house on the SAME spinning stools I used to sit and spin while eating my cereal on. (My grandmother is a rock star by the way…she travels all over with her besties, dines from her own garden, cuts her own grass and makes ME need a nap when I try to keep up with her!)

9. Loo-bear jumping on a trampoline my aunt got when she was 13…that I jumped on when I was little…and now to watch her have a field day (yes–the springs are dangerous…but we like to live on the edge–no pun intended)

8. Isn’t it funny the things that take you back?? My grandmother made all my mom’s Barbie clothes when she was little. I remember playing with the same ones when I’d stay at her house during the summers and at holidays. When Laney pulled out THIS dress, I was taken back. Something about that white dress and the pearls…I remember thinking it was THE most beautiful dress I’d ever seen grace a Barbie…

7. Getting home from my grandmothers, I decided Isaac needed a haircut and although Uncle Rusty (Aunt Nisia’s man) usually cuts it–I decided I just couldn’t wait. He needed a clean save. And half way through…I needed a picture…

6. Refusing to cut Frankie baby’s hair…just not going to do it…

5. Do you think my kids drive our neighbors crazy with these kind of concoctions in our driveway all the time???

4. Home Depot sells these to change lightbulbs without a ladder. For us–it’s a tool to get Nerf bullets…

3. Isaac still hasn’t gotten brave enough to leave the TOP step of the neighborhood pool yet. BUT…he insists on wearing floaties and goggles. You see why I seriously am laughing the whole time we are at the pool???

2. Frank got my iPhone and insisted on taking a picture of me and Tami…one of my roommates from Auburn (War Eagle!) who joined us for dinner just a few days ago…

AND…

the #1 picture on my iPhone that is making me smile this week…is an out-take from adventures in potty-training. Some times it works out…and some times…you fall in

Hope y’all have a wonderful week!!! I’m volunteering all week at VBS…Isaac and Frank’s first VBS this year and they are having so much fun!!!

Blessings to you all!

Andrea