HomePort Mom

I made brownie cupcakes for Pierce today. I am beyond excited for these. A new twist on brownies and Pierce can eat them.

▢ 1 cup plant butter, melted and cooled
▢ 2 cups granulated white sugar
▢ 4 large eggs
▢ 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
▢ 1 cup cocoa powder
▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl stir together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla* just until combined. Don't use a hand or stand mixer otherwise you have too much air pockets in the batter, and this makes them cakey instead of fudgy. Stir by hand with a whisk. Sift in flour, cocoa, and salt and stir just until combined. Spoon batter with an ice cream scoop into the liners and fill almost full. I got 18 cupcakes.

I had to bake mine 30 minutes to make them safe for Pierce. You might want to adjust your cooking time to meet your taste buds of brownies.

Topping-this is a tried and true recipe. It is very good alone or as a topping on other desserts.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) plant butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons almond milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour (see NOTES below)
1½ cups Enjoy Life semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips

Mix together with a hand mixer. It will start out chunky. It comes together very nicely. Don't add extra milk.

Roll dough in small balls and flatten out, place on top of brownies.

I topped these with Halloween sprinkles for the season. These could have decorative chocolate syrup.

I made Pierce cupcakes for snacks today. I used eggs in this recipe but changed the milk to almond milk. I got raving reviews from all that tried them. Here is the recipe. I didn't add an icing to the cupcakes. I used Halloween--Pierce calls them, Halloween Sprinkles. I got extra cheers from him for the Halloween.

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Instructions
For the cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cupcake tins with 28 to 30 paper liners.

Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine.
Measure the milk and the vegetable oil into a glass liquid measuring cup. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk everything together with a fork.

Add the almond milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together just until no streaks of flour remain.

Add the 1 cup of boiling water into the batter slowly, whisking everything together as you add the boiling water.

Once the batter comes together and the boiling water is combined throughout, portion the batter into the 28-30 prepared cupcake liners until each are about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Allergy testing day always seems to be a little more of stressful day. I try my best to not think about the outcome before it happens. Last year was a big deflate to my confidence as an allergy mom because we took huge steps back. This year was a little different. I had zero hope of things getting better.

Today we took zero steps backwards, only slight improvements. I will take slight improvements! Pierce’s egg and peanut improved. His milk allergy stayed the same.

We can work on the egg allergy by cooking more and more foods for him in a controlled setting. He has really done well with all I have made for him so far.

I cannot do anything for his peanut or milk. But, the fact that peanut improved is HUGE!

I just keep praying each day that one day we will walk out of the allergist office with an allergy completely off the list.

Here’s to cooking a lot of baked goods and him enjoying them!

As we wrap up our homeschool year, I was inspired by Snoop Dog, to write a little, Thank You for Homeschool.

I would like to thank me for homeschooling my children

I would like to thank me for taking the time to find curriculum that suits each of my children

I would like to thank me for sticking to it and getting up each day ready to teach my children

I would like to thank me for giving up a career to help my children have a great education

I would like to thank me for taking the criticism from family close and extended that didn’t think I had what it took to educate my own children

I would like to thank me for having a loving spouse that supports me and our family in ways others can’t see.

I would like to thank me for always being flexible and ready to change plans for the needs of my children.

I would like to thank me for just showing up for my family.

I would like to thank me for offering stability in a crazy society.

By, Tiffany

I made Pierce his own version of French Toast using sour dough bread. It was super easy. I melted some plant butter and add almond milk to it. Poured it over the bread, added some brown sugar and cinnamon. Baked it for 20 minutes at 350°. It was a hit at breakfast for all.

I made the kids pizza “slices” on homemade sourdough bread. My oldest 3 like pizza on the little Stonefire NAAN crust. But, we didn’t have any of those. Since I have to make so many substitutions for Pierce, I made all 4 pizza on Sourdough. They all gobbled it up. My kids love sausage on their pizza, but you could individualize your slices for each person.  

I had a craving for biscuits and not just any biscuits, my Nanny’s homemade buttermilk biscuits. The problem was, buttermilk. Lately I have been thinking, “how about almond milk run turned sour”. So today I did it.

Using a glass measuring cup
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Let sit for 10-15 minutes

In a mixing bowl
2 cups self-rising flour
2 Tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable or canola)
3/4 cup almond milk mixture

Mix together and hand knead if needed

Roll out dough and cut

Place on a lightly greased metal cooking sheet

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.

Garnish and enjoy.

They aren’t exactly my Nanny’s biscuits but they will do when the craving hits and I need a biscuit.

Super quick make this morning.

3 ingredients (I keep all all of them on hand) quick bake and easy clean up. I say yes to all of those.

2 bananas
1 cup quick oats
Chocolate chips (I used enjoy life to make them Pierce friendly since he can’t have dairy)

Mix all together and spoon out on baking sheet (i added a piece of parchment paper for quicker clean up)

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Pierce had a simple dinner tonight, Rotini noodles and a spaghetti sauce base.

I make homemade spaghetti using crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste, oregano, basil and basil seasoning. (The rest had lasagna using the same tomato sauce base).

Pierce doesn’t have to have gluten free. I give them to him because they aren’t manufactured near eggs, dairy or peanut.

He ate the whole serving and a piece of sour dough bread.

*Disclaimer* I do not decorate cakes, so this was a amateur effort to make something for my son since I could not buy a professional cake for him.

For Pierce's 1st birthday I wanted him to have a cake that he could eat and smash. Since going to the store and buying one was not an option like I had done for all my other children, I had to learn to make one that he could happily eat and would not hurt him. I first tried to find a recipe for a white cake, I just wasn't happy with what I found. In my searching, I found a Butter Cake recipe and decided to give it a try. It was a big hit among the family before the party as they got to eat all the "cut off" pieces while I was working to make the cake level.

Butter Cake Recipe (substitutions for all dairy and egg)

1 cup of Butter (2 Sticks of Country Crock Almond flavor)
2 Cups Sugar
**In a glass combine 6 teaspoons of Ener-G Egg & 8 Tablespoons of warm water, mix well** egg substitute
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
**Glass measuring cup add 1 cup of almond milk and juice of one 1/2 lemon. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes** to make buttermilk alternative

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg mixture, beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition.

Pour into a greased and floured 6 inch round baking pan, 2/3 full. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges and center tube of pan. Invert cake onto a wire rack over waxed paper.

Allow to cool and decorate. My son had a lion (Fierce Pierce) theme party so I used buttercream icing that I could color and pipe onto the cake.

Hershey Perfectly Chocolate Cake-Modified

I have learned how to modify recipes by doing lots of research on what blends well and what to use as substitutions.

This modification was actually pretty easy. I was concerned as to how it would taste with the different ingredients since we all LOVED the original recipe.

We use this cake for our Housiversary cake, a silly holiday we celebrate in our family, the closing day of our house. I also served this cake for Pierce's 1st birthday and everyone LOVED it. No one knew I had modified it to be dairy and egg free.

Modified Cake Recipe
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg substitute ( I use ENER G) Egg Replacer—3 tsp of replacer mixed with 4 tbs of warm water
1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup=1 stick of Country Crock Plant Butter Almond Oil flavor
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup Almond Milk (I used unsweetened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Make alternate egg mixture in a small cup.

Add egg mixture, almond milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.

Make the "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting:

Melt Country Crock Almond Oil butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and Almond milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional Almond milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

Divide in 2 greased round 9 inch pans.

Bake 30 to 35* minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.

*I have found the cake actually needs to bake about 40 minutes for it to be firm. 35 minutes it is still super moist and jiggly.

I have been craving, CRAVING, homemade sourdough cinnamon rolls for a couple of weeks. They contain butter, cream cheese and milk, all that Pierce can’t have. I knew with a little grocery searching I could find a make some with alternatives he and I could enjoy. I did it!! They are very tasty.

The homemade sourdough rolls are made from the same dough used to make the bread. The filler for rolls, Country Crock Plant Butter Almond, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Icing, daiya cream cheese style spread, almond milk and powdered sugar.

Country Crock is making this butter thing easy with tasty butter. I enjoyed some today on homemade sour dough bread.

I love that it comes in this cute little tub.

My honest thoughts!! Get ready!!

They look like the real Mac &Cheese. The cheese packet is awesome. They have their own smell, not bad, different. The noodles cook up nice, the cheese spreads nicely over the noodles, not clumpy, smooth.
Pierce ate it without contest. I tried two full bites, it wasn’t the real stuff but if I had no other choice, I would eat it.
The girls tried it. Lola swallowed it and gave a side thumb to it. Shelton spit it in the trash.

I will buy it again for Pierce.

Tonight I made Chocolate Chip cookies for the family. I made them with these substitutes, egg replacer and plant butter. Matthew tasted the chocolate chip ones, he said they are REALLY REALLY GOOD!!!

I made Pierce a few without the chocolate chips since they contain milk.

Thanks to a friend for finding this gem for us. Pierce and I can now have butter. I made a sweet potato today with this butter.

Last week I made a lemon cake with the butter and no one knew any different.

Pierce enjoyed his dinner

Dinner for Pierce and I tonight. A spaghetti with meatballs. I made the spaghetti sauce and needed to use the leftovers. I put Pierce approved cheese on it for an added flavor. This cheese is really good, all my other kids ate it didn’t know the difference.

Technically, he doesn’t have to have gluten free noodles but I bought these for some soup so I am using them.

The meatballs have a kick to them, but are good.

Here’s to a healthy repurposed meal for Pierce.

Pierce and I both like this one. I have been ask if Pierce can have soy, I prefer the taste of almond to soy so we are going to stick with this one.

He had a small questionable blood allergy to soy so I try to avoid it when possible.

We were actually told to introduce him to tree nuts in types of foods at least 3 times a week to prevent that as becoming an allergy

Our 3 to avoid are milk, eggs and peanut.

Have you ever read a label when you were trying to avoid foods? It is hard to find food that don’t contain all 3 at once. But, it is getting easier.

Pierce and I tried these today. They are GOOD! I am buying these at Sam’s for us.

Another small victory.

It is always exciting to learn a family favorite gets to stay on the family menu for Pierce. We love pork chops with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Don’t tell my girls, they think it is chicken.

If you have never tried this, it is so yummy and easy!! Seriously, pork and this dressing.

Pierce and I had squash and zucchini as our sides.
The rest of the family had mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese.

We all enjoyed a loaf of sour dough bread~yummy!!

HomePort Mom updated their business hours.

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I began to notice a trend in Pierce and his sleep when my diet wasn’t the same as his.

About a month ago I had something with peanut butter and milk, fed him about 2 hours later and laid him down for a nap. He screamed for 2 hours. I thought it was because he didn’t want to lay down. I now know that my diet was causing him pain. (I remember calling Matthew that day and telling him, “I feel like I am constantly sleep training this baby, it is unlike any of our other children.”

My diet had to change along with Pierce. It has been harder on me because I know the foods I like, love, crave.

Coffee is one I really like. I just recently made the switch to almond creamer. I will admit, it took me a lot of talking myself up to even try almond milk. I actually liked it, a lot.

Amazing all the foods that have hidden allergens for Pierce. One day this will become second nature and we won't spend the long minutes reading food labels, we will just know what we can and can't feed him.

foodallergy.org

look here for more information

Wet wraps! Who knew!

Pierce has really bad eczema caused by his allergies. It was a major concern to his pediatrician and allergist. Because of how bad it is, we were given a fun strategy to heal it. Both of us kinda laughed when we were told what to do. Wet wraps: coat his skin in the areas needed with the prescribed oil, cover with sealer like Vaseline, dampened pj’s in the spots where oil has been applied and then dry pj’s.

When the allergist told us this all I could think was about the amount of Pj’s we would go through in a week. A trip to Target was a must, ultimately I bought several for cheaper on Amazon.

But, the results speak volumes. Pierce has baby smooth skin, almost! It is so much softer than it was before.

This is about Whey milk allergy.

Whey: A Worthwhile Byproduct of Cheese The liquid byproduct of cheese and yogurt production, whey contains valuable nutrients and rich flavor; you don't have to let it go to waste.

I have been learning so much about a milk allergy. There are actually two kinds. Pierce has both.

Casein and Whey. This article is about casein.

Demystifying Milk Casein So what is casein, exactly? It is a milk protein, and it is used in everyday products you may not suspect.

Small Victories!!! I am thankful to find this list. It helps to have a list that details the top allergens.

Pierce loves Waffle Fries. Not all fries are created the same.

We have been having to eat out a lot since our kitchen redo is still happening.

Nutrition and Allergens Learn more about your favorite menu items at Chick-fil-A with our comprehensive nutrition and allergen guide.

Last night we went to eat at Cheddar’s. We only had Pierce with us so it made it easier for us to feed him without other food being in front of him and him wanting it.

I have to commend our waiter, Cameron. He went above and beyond when I told him Pierce had a peanut, milk and egg allergy. I know that broccoli usually comes with a butter sauce in restaurants, he made sure they left that off. But, what made me the happiest, I forgot to mention no rice if it had a sauce over it that contained any of the 3 foods Pierce can’t have.

When Cameron brought our food to the table he explained the kitchen left the rice off because it has a butter sauce.

Also, the chicken was tender, good taste and Pierce LOVED it. He also ate the broccoli with no issue.