Sippy Cup Corral

Hate your Tupperware drawer/cabinet/etc?

Me too.

Do your kids delight in dumping your initially organized stack of plastic ware?

Me too.

Unite my fellow parents!

The night is OURS!!!!!!!

No more will we spend our evenings picking up and stacking plastic do-hickies.

We will RECLAIM our floor space and party if we want to!

Okay, maybe that's drastic, the kids are gunna dump the Tupperware, and they (we) are gunna spend some amount of time picking it up.

BUT

By simply using a loose basket, cleanup is quicker and easier.

Make sure to get a (durable) basket that will fit IN your cabinet, or somewhere reasonable that's also easily in reach of our babes- cuz, let's face it, it's a safe way for our kids to play and learn in the kitchen!

Send the children away with the basket and tell them to "Recover the bounty"!
*Warning* this does make it particularly easy to "dump" the contents, but I see that as one con in a whole stack of pros...

All you have to do is throw the cups and lids from the dishwasher into the basket and slide the basket in the cabinet! I have to admit my son has been known to take it upon himself to unload the things he knows belong in the green basket.

I will also admit to you that it is very easy to send Boomba to get a cup and lid himself. Ahhh he's such a big boy!

Hey- another play/learn experience. SCORE!

Casein Free Chocolate Chips Recipe Sneak Peek

Introducing Momuporgohome's 1st Original CF Recipe:

CHOCOLATE CHIPS!

This is just a teaser taste! Recipe will be published SOON!
I'll say these taste -just like- Hersey's brand chocolate chips!

Air Freshener & Humidifier

It's fall.

Cinnamon.
Cozy.
Cloves.
Warm.
Cooking.

Simply keep water simmering on the stove and add to it: used up orange peel, cinnamon (ground and/or sticks), cloves, and maybe even some lime or lemon juice to add more citrus, to create a warm smell of Autumn in your haven of a home.

This is also a tried and true way to add moisture to the cool autumn air.

The trick is to make sure to keep the pot pretty full and always turn the stove off when not attending the pot.

Though it will not look this beautiful for days, it can be used for its other benefits for a looooooong time.

Casein Free Chocolate Fudge Topping Recipe

This post was formally known as the "Casein Free Chocolate CHIP Recipe". But after some careful consideration I decided that it wasn't good enough.

This recipe as "chips" are tasty, but other than that- they are MELTY. So melty that they cannot be used in place of Casein Contaminated Chocolate chips. I'm not suggesting using Casein Chips. I'm suggesting a NEW and BETTER recipe! A recipe that will soon be linked to this vary page after a few more "tests" to make sure it's good enough to be on Mom Up or Go Home.
Stay tuned for the link!
Till then, enjoy some FUDGEy goodness!

I was thrilled when I found a recipe for Home Made Chocolate Chips here. Today was my second attempt at the recipe.

To make these into a Casein Free treat, you just have to use Casein Free "butter". I've recently discovered that Parkay Lite is Casein Free! Check the labels for your self, every time to be sure though. I would encourage writing to a company to let them know you appreciate that they are serving your family with an allergy safe product. I would even recommended writing a thank you note to a company that correctly labels their products so you know they are not safe for your family due to allergens. These links lead right to the email format- I did all the work for ya, you just gotta send a note now. Great Value from Wal Mart is VERY good at labeling for allergens.

ANYWAY:

The first time I made these I used salted Margarine (the only CF "butter" we had) and they were SALTY! This time I used my Parkay Lite and it tasted a lot better.

My only complaint about this recipe is that the chips melt VERY quickly. So quickly they make only "ugly cookies" as the original blogger describes.
I'll take ugly and safe compared to casein chips any day. But why, when you can have a better recipe? Use this as a fudge to pour over desserts! It's sooo good!

Here we go, another stab at
Photo-Recipeism!

First thing is first- get a double broiler going. This overwhelmed me the first time I made this, but it's EASY! You can put the ingredients into a glass jar and set in it a pot of boiling water. I, however, put a metal mixing bowl on top of a boiling pot of water. This is so your ingredients don't scorch.

Pictured below is Boomba sneaking an early taste. It's also to show that even though it look that way, I didn't fill a casserole dish up to the brim. I lined my casserole pan and it's lid with wax paper and this picture is of the lid, filled with Chocolate Chip Yummy Goodness. The reason I over flowed into the lid? I made a double batch! heheheheeee.
Who's sneaky now?

Because this recipe is best for fudge topping, you could pour the mixture directly into a Tupperware container and set it in the fridge to cool. Store it in the freezer, lidded once cooled completely. If you don't have the patience, your lid might pop as it cools!

Suffering: an Opportunity to See God's "Omni" Attributes

I've been thinking a lot about allergies.
I've been thinking a lot about suffering.
I've been thinking a lot about anger.
I've been thinking a lot about sin.
I've been thinking a lot about God.

See how that works?
Hardship comes and we get upset, angry, sad, and then we turn to God.

I have lovely, Christ-centered, caring, intuitive friends; thank God. They've been reminding me that heavy burdens are only given to you if God knows you can handle the weight. Wouldn't you know I even caught myself saying a few lines that I needed to hear more than anyone?

As I talked to a friend today I reminded her that her hardship was an opportunity.
Yea, we're still friends.

I continued to explain that a time of stress and wonder and uncertainty is an opportunity to really see and enjoy how perfectly God does provide. He is Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. During hard times we turn to the cross, strengthened by the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We realize we are but sinners and it is God who we depend on. In these hard times we get a chance to remember God has it all under control and we really can't do anything about our situation; then again, why would we? Our actions are sinful and worldly based. Praise the Lord it is He who is in control.

It is He who is Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
-John 14:27 NIV

Home Made Finger Paints

Pinterest sure has got me hooked. I tuck little project ideas away for a lazy day and end up with this:

I originally got the recipe here. Notice you need to heat the ingredients on the stove top for about 10-15 minutes, constantly stirring the mixture. This recipe makes enough to fill 4 of those handy reusable Gerber baby food containers we all have laying in the cupboards.

After the solution coagulates, it looks like Vaseline. Weird, right?

After the concoction is ready to paint with (it's colored and cooled), it feels quite weird. It's smooth but leaves a texture and residue on your hands when it dries a bit. As long as you're not allergic to corn (and if you are, you can substitute corn scratch for cream of tarter and arrow root) it's safe and fun and cleans easily. Believe me, I know. I only put 3 drops of color in each container because I was afraid the coloring would stain if it was too concentrated, but it turns out that leaves the color quite pale. This definitively does the trick, but I'm open to trying a new recipe too.
Any suggestions?

CF Vegan Cheddar Alternative

My prized possession. This block of not-cheese holds so many possibilities. My son could enjoy his first bowl of mac n' "cheese" or he could have an omelet that includes shredded "cheese".

In fact, I did use this to make Boomba Mac N "Cheese" Honestly, it was horrible. BUT I was a little silly with the preparation. Noodles, Soy Milk, and "Cheese".
Eww.
I really should have added a seasoning or two, or even some bacon bits. I've discovered that bacon bits really help add a smokey flavor to the "cheese".

After I tried and failed at Mac N "Cheese" I shredded the remains and froze them for future use. It takes courage to try new things. Especially when they taste like coagulated vegetable oil...

Next was the Omelet. That, my friends, was De-Lish!
The omelet also included onions, green peppers, paprika and BACON BITS!
I fooled myself and thought I was eating real cheese!

Most recently was the wonderment of Pumpkin Pasta! The dish probably could have gone without the small addition of the "cheese", but I'd also like to think it was a positive experience with the Veagn-"Cheese" weirdness.

Not bias at all, feel that?
(sarcasm to the max)

Casein Free Caramelized Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Aren't those just lovely?
Imagine the taste.
Here's the recipe.

I used this site as a guide for how to go about preparing and drying the seeds out.

I'm not a pumpkin seed professional by any means. That's why I needed that second site to even tell me what to do to the seeds, but I will commit to this: These are the BEST pumpkin seeds EVER!

Sugar, Cumin, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cayenne....MmmmMMmmmm Doggie!
You gotta get you some of these! If you do make some, make sure there's plenty to share too.

Casein Free Quick N Easy Dinner Rolls

No seriously.
These are Quick AND Easy! The quick part is relative. This is a yeast recipe, but I've read that you don't really have to wait to let them rise. If you go that route this is a 25 minute recipe INCLUDING 18 minutes of cook time. Did you catch that? I had to let mine cook for 18 minutes. The 15 suggested left them just a bit doughy in the middle, even though the toothpick came out clean.

I recently tried skipping the wait time and I think it's well worth making sure to include it. Also- don't mistake tsp for TB when it comes to salt, like I did! Whoa!

These dinner rolls are so soft and a little bit flaky, too. They are made in a muffin tin so that means easy, Easy, EASY!

If you're interested click here for the recipe.

Casein Free Pumpkin Pasties & "Evaporated Milk"

As mentioned in my post about Pumpkin Pasta, I found a great website with 100 Pumpkin Recipes.

Pumpkin Pasties are a dessert talked about in Harry Potter, and happen to be a great fall pastry to serve up. I'm planning on making them again for Thanksgiving. You can also get creative and fill them with other flavors to create a personal pie for any occasion!

The main substitution here is for Evaporated Milk.

I found a very helpful site KidswithFoodAllergies.org. By scrolling down to the "Substituting for Evaporated Milk" section, you will discover the secret!

All you have to do is simmer a safe milk alternative (Rice or Soy Milk) without scorching it. Carefully simmer 3 cups of safe milk alternative until it's 1 cup! This did take a while and I did scorch it... no biggie...

When there is about 1 cup remaining add 1 1/4 Cup of sugar and completely dissolve in the sauce pan.

Here's what the final product looked like.

Note: Don't just brush the pastie with beaten egg, add a bit of water to the wash to get a smoother golden top!

Casein Free Pumpkin Pasta

I found a few recipes on this site after I googled "pumpkin recipe". To be precise, I found 100! But I specifically was drawn to Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Chili, and Pumpkin Pasta.

This is Pumpkin Pasta.

It was very easy to make this recipe into a Casein friendly meal. I keep a dish of shredded "cheddar" in the freezer for such occasions. This recipe calls for a lot of Parmesan and other various cheeses, but I just sprinkled a bit of our safe "cheddar" and let 'er cook! We used soy milk instead of cream. I usually use Coconut creamer instead of cream (like in my Scone recipe) but we work with what we have, and we had Silk!

I have to tell you. With every bite my husband was "MmmmMmm"-ing and he never does that! It was an easy, festive, savory dish.