Pumpkin Pie From Scratch, with Local Pumpkins, Gluten Free Dairy Free

Got pumpkins from Mailloux's Farm in Amherstburg.  Its a bit more work than using pumpkin filling from a can but saves you so much $$$.  You can make 5-6 pies for the price of 1.  To make the filling diary free just substitute coconut milk.  The crust is made from ground almonds and gluten free cookie mix. 

Here is a recipe to follow for 1 pie.  If you're using fresh pumpkins you need to quintuple those proportions.
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/piesandcobblers/r/Dairy-Free-Pumpkin-Pie_Milk_Free.htm

Its easier to peel the smaller chunks with a knife.  Boil the chunks down in a pot until its soft enough to mash with a fork.

 

The pumpkin should be getting real soupy after boiling for about 30mins.

 Grind up almonds for a crust (mom did this).

Start adding the eggs, spices and sugar.

Next, you

Mix in the other ingredients and the coconut milk, fill in the pies.

Bake it until nothing sticks to a knife you stick in the filling.

So yummehh!

Fun at Snake Forest (Cedar Creek Harrow Ontario)

  Today we went to a hidden forest near Cedar Creek in Harrow Ontario.  We call it Snake Forest.  Its a pretty secluded place with lots of clearings and hills to explore if you can push through all the rose thorns.

Credit cards or food bank?

So this week is one of those weeks where living without consumer credit forces lifestyle changes.  I had a minor car repair, and had almost no pizza deliveries last week, so this week I totally ran out of cash.    I have just enough gas money to get to work, but like most people I had to take the money out of grocery budget.  Oh if only landlords and insurance companies were as elastic as our stomachs.

So today I went to a food bank, Men United for God on wyandotte.  I got some fresh peppers and tomatoes, bread, canned vegetables, juice and pasta.  I'm very thankful that our community has this kind of help.  During my time volunteering at a food bank I felt the joy of helping others, and today I felt the joy of being helped.

I know there is a culture of shame in our society about taking handouts, but for me the real shame is using credit cards to make ends meet.  I know so many people who month after month dig themselves a deeper debt grave.  Economic realities are so hard to see in this lifestyle, there are many blurred lines between wants, needs, what is affordable and what is not.  This week, I could not afford to drive to work and eat.  If i bought groceries on credit card, I still could not afford to eat, but would have the illusion that I did. 

If you do have credit cards, I encourage you to max them out and never pay it back.  Its best to take as much money as you can from the sharks, while you have the opportunity.  When you need financial help, turn to the community for true help, please do not turn to consumer credit to exchange help for financial slavery.

Random Fun With Kids

 I'm loving his Luke Skywalker hair!  Yes, I guess that is an anarchist pamphlet on the floor.

 In one of my last posts I bragged about how cheaply I bought these kids clothes at the thrift store.  Well Lynden found an extra bonus in the form of a free Lego man that someone had forgotten in the pocket of his new shorts. 

A challenge to the reader: what kind of bug is that?

I don't know why but they absolutely love gutting melons.

One dirty baby!

Don't Buy Flowers, Pick Them!

 For a truly unique bouquet, go out side and pick flowers.  This floral gift will be on that reflects the seasons  and the unique beauty of your area. 

Use a very sharp blade and cut diagonally, (absorbs water better).  Be sure to cut enough stem.  Trim off most of the leaves, but leave a few to make the bouquet look full.  Be sure to get a good variety of colours!

Free Digital Art Creativity For Kids

 Here is a creative activity I setup for the kids.  What they are doing is designing their own 2d video game.  I start by downloading a set of free game tiles, and use a program called a tilemap level editor, a good free one is Tiled.  The kids click on different tiles and draw out their gameworld, adding in monsters, heroes and magic items.  This is a great activity for them because they feel like they are playing a video game, but instead of passively reacting to a game, they are pouring in all of their imagination and creativity into design their own (would be) game.  For them its not just a picture, its an entire saga unfolding.  The stories and ideas that come out of these sessions are incredible, and this keeps them busy for hours.  Here are their game world creations:

Planet B Concept Image

Here is a concept image for new game project, Planet B.  I drew the characters, based off pixel art from Legend of Zelda from NES.  The scenery tiles are a modified version of Lanea Zimmerman's Basic 16bit tile set from opengameart.org.

All I can say about the game at this point is that its an action game for Android devices based around 1 touch play.