Nothing to See Here and Sweet Potato Cookies

I pride myself on being in control of the blathering I do about my children.  We all know those women who talk of their perfect kids, perfect husband, perfect home in the perfect neighborhood.  Yuck.  The fact is that these are perfect lies.  Nobody lives inside  a Christmas card, for god's sake.  I once knew a woman who talked about her "doctor" husband and blond-headed children just above an audible whisper.   I secretly suspected she kept this impossible  volume because to raise it might break the spell she had  created for herself.  The fact is he wasn't a "doctor" in the traditional sense.  He was a "chiropractor".  I know they are called Dr.Whatever, but it was all just so...gimme a break, ya know?  Anyway, she was the queen of one-up-manship.  If my first born, Oscar, had spoken  sentences at an early age (he did, full sentences by his 1st birthday!), then her first born daughter spoke even earlier.  You get the picture.  This is the type of behavior that has always driven me nuts.  If you're married you know at some point the proverbial honeymoon is over. Things start to get sloppy.  Which  is a good thing in my estimation. After all, that's when the tender meat of marriage begins to marinate and the flavor really begins to  develop.
A sign of the marriage developing into a true partnership would, of course, be different for everyone.  Like, the  little things that may have elicited hours of discussion in the  past, don't even come up on the radar anymore.   Or  maybe your ass spreads a bit  temporarily and your husband doesn't even mention it.  Perhaps you'll  start having a full conversation with your man without the safety net of your makeup.   Or, if  you haven't already, you may begin to pee in front of each other, or at least try to restrict that level of  intimacy to "number 1"   (Sorry, babe!).  The point is, if we're friends, we should be honest with each other about these sorts of things instead of acting as if your kids don't burp in church or...your husband wears water shoes year-round because he says they keep him close to the earth. (Love you, sweetie! You and those horrible water shoes! P.S. thanks for wearing the new sneakers I bought you sometimes!)  It doesn't make your marriage look fragile if things aren't picture perfect.  It makes it seem honest.

All of that being said, I have to love up about my kids for a moment... I do have amazing children.  Very amazing!  Oscar is 14 and trying very hard to convince us he is grown.   Elliot is 12 years old, very sweet, and constantly pushing our parental boundaries.  It's gotten intense occasionally,  but that's for another discussion.  Isaiah is 6 years old  very cuddly and hates  to lose.  He is very passionate about the win and doesn't tolerate losing.  Andy and I are very confused about this because he's the one playing video games or basketball with Isaiah and he (Andy) is not competitive in the slightest.  But, Isaiah?  The guy will melt down!  And finally,  Baby Quinn.  She's 3 years old and we still call her "Baby Quinn".  Like me, she is the only girl in her family and uses that to her full advantage.  She wants to hang with the boys, but be treated like the princess.  Those are my kids.  The essence of my heartbeat.

In the  next couple of posts I will be featuring treats I've created for my kids.  Specifically for my kids immune systems.  The very best way to help your kids stay healthy is by feeding them immunity boosting foods.  Of course this is not a new concept, but what better way to get your kids to eat the good stuff than to  hide it inside of a treat?  This first recipe, Sweet Potato Cookies w/Pecans,  has the immunity boosting vitamins A and C. It also has niacin, potassium and lots of fiber.  I cooked 3 smallish sweet potatoes in boiling water on the stove to get the 1 cup that's needed for the recipe.  I just used the remaining for Sweet Potato Pancakes which the kids love.  My kids absolutely love these cookies.  Isaiah, my 6-year-old, is a cookie connoisseur.  You can trust his cookie expertise!  Enjoy...
                       

Sweet Potato Cookies with Pecans 

3/4 cups white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch                                                      
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp citric acid
1 tsp Egg Replacer
3/4 cup Palm Sugar, pulverized in a blender
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 egg
1 tsp GF vanilla
1 tsp GF orange extract
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, citric acid, Egg Replacer, palm sugar,  and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, egg, vanilla, and orange extract and sweet potato. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined.  Fold in the chopped pecans.

Using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, drop about a tablespoon of batter onto the lined cookie sheet.  Leave about an  inch and a half between each cookie.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until cookies are firm to the touch.  Transfer cookies onto cookie rack until completely cooled.  The finished product is firm on the bottom and soft and melt-in-your-mouth on top.  You can feel good about letting your kids have cookies for breakfast with these around!