Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Ornaments

We put together several of these cute little reindeer the other day. They've been a big hit! Camden asked that we make a couple without strings for hanging, so he could play with them. You betcha, kiddo.

A tutorial really isn't even necessary, but here are the basics:

You'll need three "old fashioned" clothes pins. Size doesn't matter, but they should all be the same size. These are about three inches in length.You'll also need a tiny little red puff, a little brown or white puff {for the tail}, two wiggly eyes, some string of ribbon for hanging, and a glue gun.

Begin by gluing two of the clothespins side-to-side to make the body and legs. Next, attach the third clothespin in the opposite direction to make the face and antlers. {if you'd like a ribbon or string hanger, I suggest sandwiching the cut ends in between the body and head pins as you're gluing the pieces together.}

Use glue to attach the nose, eyes, and tail, and you're set! Our ornaments are hanging on our tree, of course. They would also make adorable little gift toppers.

As with my other projects, a word of caution... please use your best judgement with a glue gun and your small chid(ren). Same goes for the tiny puffs and eyes.

{DIY} Twine-Wrapped Christmas Ornaments

These ornaments come together quite easily {are you noticing a trend?? this mama needs simple, but with a big impact in the end!}, and are another perfect addition to our nature-inspired tree. All you need is a roll of twine from the hardware store, some plain glass bulbs {or old, recycled bulbs in funky colors}, and a glue gun.

The pictures below show the process pretty well, I think:

A couple of things worth mentioning:
1. Work in small sections. Lining up the twine can be a bit fiddly at times, and I'm forever amazed at how quickly that glue dries!
2. You might burn your fingers. I apologize. {also, for that reason, this is probably best reserved for adults or big kids.}
3. Notice that I didn't cut the twine until the very end. This way, I was guaranteed not to run out.
5. Stick the end of the twine down very well. This will keep it from looking ragged on the bottom.
4. Try other materials! Yarn? Sure! What else can you think to use?

Apple Crumble-Pie {vegan, gluten free, and soy free!}

These little pies are completely drool-worthy! They were consumed in quantity over the Thanksgiving weekend, and will definitely be making their way into our dessert rotation. They're quite tasty on their own, but they move to a whole other level when topped with freshly made caramel sauce.*

I like pie crust but I don't need a ton of it, and my hubby is the type to eat the filling and leave an empty shell on his plate. The little star-shaped crust on top was just enough for both of us. It mingles with the crumble topping just enough.

And the portion, when baked in cute little half-pint mason jars? Perfect! We all felt satisfied after a single serving, without the feeling that comes with having taken too much pie.

Ready to make some of your own? Let's do it!

You'll Need:
For the Filling
Apples {I used Pink Lady's, and cut up twelve apples for twelve jars}
1/2 C. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon {or more--it can't hurt}
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

For the Pie Crust
1 C. Gluten Free AP Flour Blend
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 C. Coconut Oil
1/4 C. Cold Water
2 tsp. Cider Vinegar

For the Crumble
2/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Earth Balance
1/2 C. Gluten Free AP Flour Blend
1/2 C. Gluten Free Rolled Oats
Sprinkle of Baking Powder

To Make:
For the Filling
Wash and peel your apples, and the slice into very thin slices, so they bake quickly. I estimated one medium-to-large apple per jar, and I was right! We had a few slices to spare, which my little guy consumed while he was "helping" me fill the jars.
Place the apples into a large mixing bowl, or use a large zip-top bag.
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch in a small bowl, and then pour over the top of the apples.
Stir to coat the apples, or close your zip-top bag and give the apples a good shake to coat.
Pack the apples into clean, dry half-pint mason jars. I spread my jars in front of me and worked with several jars at a time, placing apples as they fit, sometimes breaking a slice in half to fill a gap. I wanted to pack the apples in snugly, so that the pies wouldn't shrink too much once they had been baked. It may seem tedious, but it really isn't.

For the Pie Crust
Combine flour, xanthan gum, and sugar in a small mixing bowl.
Heat coconut oil a bit so you have a liquid, then add it to the flour mixture and stir.
Add cold water and vinegar, and stir or knead to thoroughly mix.
If you dough seems gummy or soupy, add a bit more flour, working in small increments to avoid making the dough too dry. I added a couple of extra teaspoons of flour to my batch.
When you're satisfied with the consistency of your dough, sandwich it between two pieces of waxed or parchment paper, and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick.
Use a cookie cutter to cut the shape you'd like to place on the top of your pies.
Place a cut-out on each pie. {If the dough is hard to work with at this point, place it in the fridge for several minutes to cool. Cooler dough retains its shape more easily, and won't stick to your fingers.}

For the Crumble
Combine brown sugar, earth balance, flour, oats, and baking powder in a small bowl.
Mix thoroughly with your hands, or with a potato masher. You can also use a hand mixer, though I've never gotten mine out for the purpose.
Dig your hands in and pack little bits of the crumble topping around the cut-out pie crust so that you've completely covered the top of each pie.

Arrange the jars on a baking sheet to more easily get them in and out of the oven, and then bake at 350 degrees until the filling bubbles and the crusts have a nice, golden color. Roughly 15-20 minutes, perhaps longer.

*Homemade caramel sauce recipe coming soon!

Shared on... Allergy Free Wednesdays

Green Bean Bundles {gluten, dairy, and soy free}

These little bundles of happiness have been a part of my life for years and years. You see, we spent a year living in Tennessee. We experienced a lot of fascinating stuff while we were there, and we made friends with some pretty memorable people. Among those friends? Allison.

Why am I telling you this?? Because Allison first shared this recipe with us when we were invited to celebrate Thanksgiving in her cute little log cabin. I'm pretty sure we've made these at least once a year since. I'm also pretty sure I do things a bit differently than Allison did on that day, because, well, it was a long time ago.

If you even sort of like green beans or bacon, you need to try this recipe. It's life-altering. It will make you regret all of those mushy green bean casseroles you've served over the years.

Change the quantities based on the number of people you're serving, but whatever you do, don't underestimate. Make a lot! My measurements, below, were enough to fill a 9x13 baking dish with bundles.

You'll Need:
Green Beans {we use four cans of whole beans}
Bacon {I used two packages of the uncured variety}
1 C. Earth Balance Spread {use butter if you aren't dairy free}
2 C. Brown Sugar
1 oz. Amaretto {completely optional! I didn't use any this year}
Garlic Powder {just a hearty sprinkle, or more if you really love garlic}
Toothpicks

To Make:
Soft-cook the bacon. I did this by lining baking sheets with parchment paper and baking the bacon for a few minutes at 350 degrees, while it preheated in preparation for our Thanksgiving turkey.
Drain the beans into a large collander and set aside.
After the bacon has cooled enough to work with, cut each strip in half so that you're left with two short strips of bacon.
To make a bundle, arrange several beans in your hand so they make a tidy little "stack," and then wrap the bacon around the center {as pictured above} of the beans. Secure with a toothpick, and place in your baking dish.
Continue wrapping beans in bacon until you've used up your supplies. Don't be afraid to squish the bundles in a bit, as they'll shrink some while they're in the oven. Making neat rows will also help you to fit more in. {I believe I wound up with 32 bundles in my 9x13 dish.}
Place the bacon-wrapped beans in the oven at 350 degrees for a while*, so the bacon continues to cook.
Make your sauce on the stove top. Add the Earth Balance, brown sugar, and garlic powder to a small sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat, until the brown sugar has dissolved completely. If the sauce comes to a boil, don't worry. That's just fine.
When the brown sugar is melted and thoroughly combined, remove the pan from the heat {that's an important one! never add alcohol to a pot that is being heated!} and add the amaretto. Give it a stir to mix.
Pull the beans out of the oven, pour the sauce over the top, and return to the oven.
Let the beans cook a bit longer {20 minutes or so, but a longer amount of time is just fine too*}, and then enjoy!

The beans and bacon, ready for their first round in the oven.

*I've found baking time to be REALLY unimportant with this recipe. I had between four and five baking dishes cycling through my oven at a time on Thanksgiving, as I usually do, and just stashed these in the oven and forgot about them--with the oven set at 325 degrees. I do this every year, and they're always perfect! So don't panic. Just put them in, and let 'em hang out.

Shared on... Allergy Free Wednesdays