Carey Jane Clark

It’s Genuine!

August 7, 2013 by Carey Jane Clark

Shopping here is almost always an adventure. Often when we shop, there’s some doubt about whether or not the item we’re buying is genuine.

However, sometimes the doubt is entirely removed for us. We were pretty sure the following items were NOT the real deal. But you be the judge.

We bought the baking soda pictured below at the local box store–a rough equivalent of Costco without all the fun stuff and samples:

And my son spotted this box in our local market. Something’s not quite right, here, methinks:

This summer has been really unusual for our city. While we usually see only two or three rainy days in a summer, this summer has been extraordinarily wet, with often four out of seven rainy days per week. When the sun has come out, it has done so in force, sucking up all that humidity and letting it hang in the air. Ugh!

It’s been a challenge keeping kids happy in this heat. They either can’t go outside because it’s raining, or don’t want to because it’s so hot!

When we decided to go vegan, we invested in a juicer. We’d love a Vitamix, but that may have to wait a little while. We’ve been using our juicer for wonderful combinations of vegetable and fruit juices, but in the heat and humidity of the summer, this has been our favorite by far:

Ingredients:

2-6 apples, depending on how many you are serving and how tart you like your lemonade. We like it with just two apples, but our apples here are big
2 lemons

Directions:

Juice lemons in a citrus juicer
Juice apples or process in a high-speed blender
Mix together
Enjoy!

After the Snow Falls in Audiobook

July 25, 2013 by Carey Jane Clark

Our family loves audiobooks. We have at least one going at all times. We love to listen to them over “listening lunches.” Right now, we’re listening to Mary Poppins and The Mysterious Benedict Society, Volume 2. Next up: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. For us, audiobooks pre-dated eReaders, and they’ve been a wonderful way for us to keep literature a part of our lives even when there are no English bookstores close by.

So for my children, when I announced the news I’m about to announce to you, it was the moment I truly became an author in their eyes.

Behind the scenes, the lovely Elinor Bell has been working on production of After the Snow Falls into audiobook format! I think you’ll agree she’s done a beautiful, masterful job of, as she said, “working with my words.” To hear an audio sample, visit Audible.com.

It was interesting to hear the characters come to life through her voice, and I know it’s silly, but in a few scenes, she brought me to tears!

What’s even more exciting is I’m offering two copies of the audiobook, absolutely FREE! Have a road trip scheduled? What a perfect way to enjoy the ride. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway, and if you had a chance to listen to the audio sample, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blueberry Cinnamon Biscuits

July 23, 2013 by Carey Jane Clark

My discovery of a flawless gluten-free flour blend a few weeks ago has given us a new lease on baked goods. Not that we’re eating them every day, mind you, but it gives us options we simply never had before.

So when this week, I experienced yet another unprepared morning, having forgotten to start anything overnight, I reached for the gluten-free blend once again and whipped up a new and improved version of our favorite biscuits. And then made a few tweaks of my own. Wow!

While I rolled out my old biscuit recipe and cut them into shapes, with the blueberries in this recipe, you don’t want to do that, so just drop them onto a cookie sheet instead. My old biscuit recipe didn’t call for eggs, so there’s no vegan conversion required there, but I substitute coconut milk for the regular milk, and it’s totally guilt-free, and tastes even that little hint sweeter.

I’m telling you, I’m becoming fearless in the kitchen. I’m innovating all over the place, and the results are yummy!

Blueberry Cinnamon Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
1 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp baking powder
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp. lemon rind (optional)
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Blend the baking powder together with the cinnamon, flour and lemon rind, if using. (We made these twice without the lemon rind and another time I decided to throw some in. Perfection!)
Work in the 3 Tbsp coconut oil with a whisk or pastry blender.
Add the blueberries next so they can be coated with the flour.
Add the honey, according to your preference (we only add 1 Tbsp, and the kids love them, but my husband likes them a little sweeter)
Add the coconut milk and work in until just blended, taking care not to “stab” your blueberries.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until the peaks are golden brown. Cool on a cooling rack.
Enjoy!

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