Christmas Day

I hope you have all had a wonderful day. Our house is peaceful again. All the kids have gone home. No1 son proposed to his beloved last week so there was a lot of discussion on wedding etc. We have not met her parents yet and are planning that for the New Year. They are professionals and we are aging hippies. Should be interesting.
Greg has really improved on the gift giving front. He gave me one of those bobbin winding thingy's which I had been thinking I could really use one of them. A pendant he bought purple and silver always a hit with me, a pendant he made of crystals and wood which looks like a little paintbrush and a tool box for my bits and bobs great gifts. I also got a great bag from my daughter. which GD1 told me about weeks ago and then said Don't tell Nan it's a surprise. A hippy shirt some chocolates and a cupcake carrying thingy which is pretty great. Troy bought me the new Enya CD and Matt sponsored a Women's health program in my name with OxFam. all great presents.
Anyway, On my Vintage Cloth Doll Yahoo group there has been a lot of discussion on sugar cookies (In Australian they are biscuits and what they call biscuits we call scones).... Oh yes biscuits. I thought I would give you my family's favorite cookie recipe.
No 2 son nearly died from E-Coli Food poisoning in 2000 and for a long time he was allergic to just about every thing. Wheat, Dairy Eggs, Soy, Peanuts etc etc... so I dug into my MIL's old recipes and found this recipe which is yummy and easy and has no eggs and can be made very successfully with gluten free flour and vegetable margarine. It makes lots.

1 cup butter or margarine
4 cups plain flour/flour substitute
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk or water (Milk is better can be soy milk or whatever)
1 teaspoon BiCarb Soda
1 tablespoon hot water.

Rub the butter into the flour (like when you make pastry)
Over low heat Dissolve the sugar in the milk then bring to the boil stirring all the time. As soon as it boils turn off the heat.
Dissolve the BiCarb in the hot water and add to the hot milk and sugar. It will foam up. Tip it straight into the flour/Butter mix
Mix together thoroughly. It will be really runny but as it cools it thickens up. Leave it too cool and then roll it out like pastry and cut into shapes. sprinkle with sugar and put on trays and Bake at 180 degrees C 375 F.

When using the gluten free flour I found that if I added a pinch of mixed spice to each cup of the flour used it tasted like real flour. I also didn't use Guar Gum I substituted some of the gluten free flour usually about 1 tablespoon for the equivalent of tapioca flour. the guar gum is a laxative and Troy couldn't tolerate it.

It is a yummy biscuit like this but I've also rolled it into sausages and then cut it and I've rolled it out and spread it with Nutella and then rolled it up like a swiss roll and chilled it and then cut it. I've added nuts or choc chips and I've made it with brown sugar instead of white and 3 teaspoons of dried ginger. I've also added grated lemon zest and currants and then iced them. I've cut them out with my gingerbread people cutters and made it into a myriad or shapes.
I am going to copy this and some of my son's favourite recipes and laminate them and put them in a folder for them for a wedding present.