Italian Spaghetti with Meatballs

Tonight I decided to try a new spaghetti recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.  Jaden is not a fan of my usual homemade spaghetti sauce anymore thanks to a stomach bug that he caught 2 years ago after eating dinner.  And I don’t blame him one bit!  Anyhow, tonight he ate this new sauce and liked it so much that he even went for seconds.

We all loved it, especially the meatballs.  They were super yummy.  I followed the recipe almost exactly… except I added some oregano, a little extra garlic and used both whole tomatoes and diced since that is what I had in the pantry.  And I made the meatballs with gluten free breadcrumbs.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/italian-spaghetti-sauce-with-meatballs/

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Quick and Easy Gluten Free Pizza

Jonah hasn’t felt good for the past few days – headache, tummy ache and a congested cough.  He hasn’t been eating much and has been craving more water (which has been great since he usually prefers anything but water!).  Yesterday after lunch, his school called for me to come pick him up… and he is staying home, with a fever, today.  He is getting plenty of rest on the couch while listening to Jaden and I do schoolwork.  And he is getting schooled whether he realizes it or not.  :)

A few minutes ago, he said that he was hungry and asked me to make him some pizza.  I know.  Not the best food when one is sick.  But he’s actually hungry and wanting to eat.  And it’s homemade… so I’m making it for him.  It will be just as healing as chicken soup… right?

Anyhow, I dug out an old recipe card that I had from back when Scott and I were first married.  It is a quick and easy pizza that I used to occasionally make.  I have no idea where I got the recipe from, and as I always seem to do, I’m sure that I adapted it in some way from the original.  Today I adapted it further in that I made it gluten-free.  And it turned out well so I thought I’d share the recipe.

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Pizza

1 c. gf flour mix (I used a mixture of amarath, tapioca and rice flours)

1/4 t. guar gum or xanthan gum

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t. basil

1/4 t. garlic powder

dash of ground pepper

2 beaten eggs

2/3 c. milk (cow, rice, almond, or coconut)

tomato or pizza sauce – about 1/2 cup

2 c. shredded cheese – I used a 4 cheese italian blend and added some cheddar, too!

Pizza toppings – if desired.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium to large bowl, mix the flours, spices, beaten eggs, and milk until smooth.  Pour into a greased pie plate.  Spoon the tomato sauce on top and try to spread it around a bit.  Top with the cheese and whatever toppings you desire.  Then sprinkle with a little oregano.  Pop it into the oven for about 25 minutes and it’s done!

Jonah ate 3 pieces.  :)  And now he’s back on the couch, reading.

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MFW – CTG through week 17

We are still loving CTG!  Here are some recent photos from our home schooling adventures…

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We’re back in Oregon!

Hello friends – I am back in Oregon and back on the blogosphere.

Our family had a great move from Colorado to Oregon.  Lots of friends came out to help us load up the moving truck, clean our duplex and send us off with prayers.  It was a bittersweet time – one that I will remember fondly and never forget.  Our first few hours of driving were full of tears and sharing of memories.  Saying goodbye is hard.  And we forgot to take pictures.  Sigh.

Our travels were full of sunshine and clear, gorgeous weather though!  We drove down into New Mexico and then across to Arizona and into California, ending up in Anaheim for a little trip to Disneyland.  (Thanks, Granny and Grandpa!!)  After our 2 day vacation, we drove up through California and then headed into Oregon.  I have to say that out of all the states we traveled through, Oregon is by far the most beautiful.  We were all so excited to see the green and the trees and the snow-capped mountains – it felt so good to be arriving home after such a long journey.

We arrived at our house (the same one we lived in before) and were greeted by many friends, old and new, who helped us unload the truck and start unpacking.  It was wonderful to be reunited and once again be able to physically hug the necks of those we love and have missed over the past couple of years.

The following weeks were a frenzy of unpacking, enrolling Jonah into his school, and finding where I had put everything so that some sort of normalcy could begin once again, which it has.  After unpacking, we discovered that more things had been stolen out of our storage unit last summer.  Like the cradle that my grandfather made for me when I was a girl.  It’s the loss of the sentimental things that angers me.  The rest can easily be replaced… or not.

So, now we are mostly settled and love being back in Oregon.  Jonah is doing so well in his new school that he’s been taken off an iep.  All I can say is wow and thank you, Jesus!  I resumed home schooling Jaden a few weeks ago and plan to enroll him in a co-op that starts up in a couple of weeks.  Scott started his job right after we moved in and is learning the ropes, but no doubt doing a great job!

 

Thank you to all who helped us throughout the moving process and to those who prayed so faithfully for a safe and fun journey.

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Jaden’s new poem

At Night

At night, my mother says, “Sleep tight!”

At night, my father says, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

At night, the moon shines brite.

At night, my brothers and sisters say, “Good night.”

 

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