Chick-Flick therapy!

February, this is the month of hearts and flowers, chocolate and all things pink and red.  The season when as a little girl I would anxiously anticipate the class party when my makeshift “mailbox” covered in heart-shaped doilies would be filled with colorful cartoon inspired messages of friendship and even, dare I say . . . love.  As I grew older my anticipation of Valentine’s Day remained yet it morphed into both a positive/negative affair.  I loved the idea of catching someone’s eye and receiving some small token of affection, however those moments were usually fleeting or non-existent and so by the time February 15^th rolled around I was usually left somewhat disappointed and empty feeling.  This sentiment was typically shared with my friends and though it was rarely, if ever, expressed we usually found ways to comfort ourselves with junk food, slumber parties and our favorite chick flicks.  Now, as adults, we pour our energies into making the day special for family and friends, we go a little lighter on the junk food, and slumber parties are a thing of the past, but the appeal of the chick flick remedy is still alive and well.    

There is something about a chick flick that speaks to the deepest desires of our feminine hearts, our desire to be valued, appreciated and loved, our longing to be noticed, protected & even fought for, our craving to know and be known, our yearning for a better reality.    It is also the reason why I love to stroll through the pages of the book of Isaiah.  I have never admitted that to anyone before, but yes, the Biblical book of Isaiah speaks to the same longings of my heart as . . . a girly movie.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say that its’ beautiful words are in fact MUCH better than the best lines uttered from the lips of any burly hero in a chick flick.  Here are some of my favorites:

“Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16a (AMP) “Out of sight and out of mind” is not an issue here ladies, our Savior actually tattooed a photo of us on his palm so we are always before him. 

“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.  Do not be afraid, for I am with you .” Isaiah 43:4-5a (NIV)   The very God of the universe values me, loves me, will rescue me even at great cost and has promised to always be with me.

And my very favorite, “You whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.  Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:3b-4   For my whole life, no matter the crisis he will sustain me, no matter the mess he will rescue me.  Ladies, to me that is even better than the hero that rides up on the white horse to save my day, for this warrior has already saved my life.

Jewish Apple Cake: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Low Fat & AMAZING!

For the month of January our family has sworn off "white" . . . white sugar, white flour, white potatoes, white rice . . . you get the picture.  We, like so many other families out there, are watching what we eat.  Truth be told, since I already eat GF and watch my sugar intake this isn't much of an adjustment for me personally, but for my hubby and kids this has been a sacrifice.  However, it has inspired me to seek out some new healthier recipes and dig out some old ones that I have not yet adapted since going GF three years ago.

Last night my women's group at church had a Bunco/healthy recipe exchange night.  We were each to bring a healthy appetizer or dessert, along with copies of the recipe to share.  I instantly knew what I wanted to bring, a Jewish Apple Cake that a friend of mine introduced me to many years ago when she invited our family over to celebrate Hanukkah.

Let me tell you, I LOVE this cake (even though I am not normally a fan of apple desserts) & as an added bonus it is full of healthy ingredients!  I have always made it with sugar substitutes: fructose, stevia, juice etc, but I have not made it since maintaining a GF diet.  This event was just the inspiration that I needed to make the adaptation.  Unfortunately, when I went in search of the recipe . . . I couldn't find it!  Thanks to Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/ I found a similar recipe and was able to adapt it.

Hope you enjoy my GF & SF version!  I promise, it is AMAZINGLY good!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 9x13 rectangle or a spring form tube pan.

3. Peel, core and chop apples into thin slices or use an apple-peeler-corer-slicer (I LOVE my Pampered Chef version.  Evenly sliced apples makes a BIG difference in the final result.)

4. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with cinnamon, nutmeg and Splenda.  Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl stir together GF baking mix, baking powder and salt.

6. In a third bowl, whisk together apple sauce, orange juice, Splenda (or sweetener of choice), apple juice concentrate and vanilla.  Add eggs and beat well.

7. Finally, combine wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well.

8. Layer batter and apple mixture by thirds into your prepared pan. (1/3rd batter, 1/3rd apples, batter, apples etc)  Notice the ding in the side of my pan . . . don't ya just love hand-me-downs from grandma?  Vintage kitchen items are a personal favorite of mine :-)

9. Bake for about an hour, or until a tester comes out clean.  (Note, if baking with regular flour & sugar the baking time may be longer - up to an hour and a half.)

10. Remove pan & run a knife around the outer edges to release the cake.

Serve warm or cold, but my personal favorite it warm topped with cool whip or vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Jewish Apple Cake
Laura Schaaf’s Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free & Low Fat version
4 to 6 apples
3 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
5 Tablespoons Splenda (may use Stevia, fructose or sugar)

2 3/4 cups GF baking mix or flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple sauce (or vegetable oil)
1 cup Splenda (may also use Stevia, fructose or sugar)
½ can frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup orange juice (depending upon your GF baking mix you may need to increase liquid so batter is not too thick)
3 Tablespoons vanilla (yes, I did say TABLEspoons - this is the secret ingredient!)
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a spring form tube pan or a 9x13 rectangle.

Peel, core and chop apples into thin slices.

In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with cinnamon, nutmeg and Splenda.  Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl stir together GF baking mix, baking powder and salt.

In a third bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, Splenda (or sweetener of choice), apple juice concentrate and vanilla.  Add eggs and beat well.
Finally, combine wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well.

Layer batter and apple mixture by thirds into your prepared pan. (1/3rd batter, 1/3rd apples, batter, apples etc)

Bake for about an hour, or until a tester comes out clean.  (Note, if baking with regular flour & sugar the baking time may be longer - up to an hour and a half.)

Remove pan & run a knife around the outer edges to release the cake. 

Serve warm or cold, but my personal favorite it warm topped with cool whip or vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.