Good Afternoon! I hope this finds you all well!

We are all well here! We have been enjoying the sunny days we have been having and been getting out and about to the parks and going for walks….I love this time of the year when you can finish dinner and go for a nice evening stroll (or in our case, chase of the kids!) …. and we have also been appreciating the rainy days that are filling our tanks back up and making everything grow so beautifully!

I don’t get out to the shops often, besides my daily post office visit! As the twins don’t sit still long enough, and I don’t blame them really! It’s far more fun to run and play then be wheeled through the shops! When I went last week I realized just how close Christmas was, Christmas Carollers singing in the middle of the shopping centre, gift ideas everywhere, Santa is at the shops already and the front of every magazine is tempting and mouth watering Christmas Food ideas…..I stopped buying these magazines many years ago when I was diagnosed with so many allergies as it was just no point, I couldn’t eat any of them!

I am at and exciting stage though now where I want to turn everything and anything into Gluten, Dairy and Preservative Free! AND I want them to be recipes that everyone can enjoy and no one would know the difference……like Shortbread….you know Shortbread is one of my favourites and Miss 10 and Miss 8 agree….its something we make every Christmas and leave for Santa with a glass of milk…..and every year I wonder why I only ever make them at Christmas time!!!!???? I attempted making them Cut out the Crap friendly last year but didnt succeed and didn’t perservere…..I was determined to get them right and I think I did…..my girls agree….they were THRILLED to come home form school yesterday to find Shortbread waiting…..I didn’t tell them (or hubby) it was GF, DF & PF and they devoured THE LOT telling me how good they were…..YAY!!!!!

I hope you love them as much as we did and you can add the recipe to your favourites for Christmas time…..and the rest of the year if you remember!!!!!!

Shortbread

¾ cup coconut oil

½ cup icing sugar

1 cup rice flour

½ cup quinoa flour (or GF flour of your choice)

Preheat oven to 170c and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Place coconut oil and icing sugar into a medium bowl and mix well.

Add both flours and mix well with a spoon.

Turn mixture out onto a non stick mat or a lightly floured surface and knead mixture extremely well (2-3 minutes) The longer you do it the less crumbly it will become and the oil will warm with the heat of your hands and make the mixture more manageable.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter (As shortbread mixture is quite delicate I used a small flat knife to lift the shapes up whilst the cookie cutter was still on, and transferred this onto the baking paper tray)

Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until slightly golden, be careful not to burn them! (or drop them…see my picture!)

Watch out for little people!

I really need proper oven mits! I am forever dropping food because I burn my hands using a teatowel to get things out of the oven!

Option for a Christmas flavoured twist– add 1 heaped tspn of both dried ginger and cinnamon and ½ tspn nutmeg to the mixture at the same time as the flour.

Shortbreads with spices made into a little log shape and flattened slightly with a fork

I also made Christmas looking lamingtons for the kids! I thought they would be perfect with a little Christmas decoration, holly or a bow on top….its the same Lamingtom recipe that is in CUT OUT THE CRAP FOR KIDS but I have used Hopper GREEN colouring in the Icing!

Christmas GREEN! (and its additive free!)

mmmmm……

Santa would be happy with this!

Last week my twins (almost 2!) had a Christmas photo shoot done with my good friend and photographer Jasi from JasArt Photographic Art www.jasartphotography.com.au …..here is a sneak peak!!!!!!