Cuddly the tank!

When Grandma was here Nicholas built with cardboard a tank called Cuddly. Daddy said it is in the way in the garage, so he made a deal. If he could fire off a firework out of the cannon then daddy could burn Cuddly up. So we videoed the burning and Nicholas was emotional. It is hard for him to give up something he created. I asked Grandma and Nicholas how did they come up with the name Cuddly? There was no reason. Sounds a bit girly for a TANK don't you think? The video is 5 minutes long but worth the wait. Hope you enjoy, I did get frustrated with how long it was taking for daddy to build the fire! I love to see Nicholas' imagination at work. Tomorrow he is going to build a mini scale of cuddly he can keep in his room. I am sure he will paint it and draw flames this week. We are going on a mini vacation this weekend to Spokane. Jeff's parents are having a family reunion in Spokane. We are staying with his sister so the kids can be with Alexis as much as possible. They have a beautiful pool and I am sure we will be in it the entire time. Nicholas loves to swim with Lexie, he wants to show her his new swimming skills. I will be taking lots of pics I am sure. Paisley is starting to really enjoy the water and can imitate Nicholas and most of his moves! She looks really cute in her swim cap!

My cousin Darin aka Pyro tech since age 5...did a great fireworks display and here is a link to view it on utube. It is a great show, awesome job Darin!

Grandma Kristi part 2

Just a few more pictures to show what a great time we had. We enjoyed every minute of our vacation together. Paisley got sick the last few days, but we made the best of it. We even tried out some of our gluten free recipes on grandma and she loved them. Mom and I even got to so shopping for a few hours by ourselves....no kids. Thanks for spoiling us and wanting to spend a few weeks with us. We really enjoyed having you.

Grandma Kristi

What a great two weeks we had with grandma. We got to spend a week in Yellowstone, one of her favorite spots. We enjoyed coffee, laughs, sewing, kids, food, cooking together and most of all just her company. She loves to play with the kids and will do any adventure we ask her to. She got up at 6 am to go to swimming, played pirates, swam in our pool, did the laundry and ironing...all of it....., bought transformers, jewelry, kitchen glasses and a BIKE for Paiser! She really spoiled us. We took lots of pictures and wanted to share some of our fun times. We love you Grandma and miss you tons!

Gluten Free Banana donuts

Nicholas loves donuts. I have been buying GF Donuts at almost $1 a piece. I found this recipe and converted it to gluten free by using rice flower mixture and some pamelas baking mix. Nicholas loves them and so does the rest of the family. I hope you enjoy them.


Glazed donut drops /Jenny Flake
Ingredients

* 3 large ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
* 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
* 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
* Vegetable oil, for frying
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 egg
* 1 cup cinnamon chips (recommended: Hershey's)

Glaze:

* 1/3 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place sliced bananas into a small baking dish. Top evenly with cubed butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Remove and coarsely mash with a fork, still leaving chunks of bananas. Set aside.

Heat 3 inches of oil into a large Dutch oven or large deep-fryer over medium heat, to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Gently whisk the heavy cream, sour cream and egg until just combined. Slowly stir banana mixture, cream mixture and cinnamon chips into dry ingredients until just combined.

In batches, using a medium cookie scoop (that holds approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons); scoop dough and carefully drop into hot oil, about 8 at a time. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes turning frequently, or until golden brown. Transfer doughnuts with a skimmer onto a paper towel lined plate to drain, until all have been fried.

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, mix the milk, butter, and vanilla until the butter is melted. Slowly add sugar, beating until glaze is smooth. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, turning to coat, and carefully transfer them to a large sheet of waxed paper to dry.

The ingredients for the GF version are

1 cup rice flower
1/2 cup pamelas baking mix
1/4 cup tapioca
1/8 cup potato starch