Quick and easy Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets -- just like McDonald's

I found a recipe for Batter Fried Chicken Nuggets over at the GFCF Recipes Yahoo site at Recipe Circus (so, no credit to me for t
he recipe).

At first glance, I didn't think it could possibly work, meaning I did not believe I'd end up with the tasty, fried fast food nuggets that you can buy in many drive thru's - at least not gluten free chicken nuggets with the same taste. 

Well, to my surprise, it does. I - of course - played with the recipe a little bit. It's hard to not tinker in the kitchen and make a recipe your own. The best part of this recipe is that you can use basic gluten-free flours and it turns out pretty much like the nuggets you'd buy at McDonald's. 

I made the recipe specifically using Bob's Red Mill products. Why? Reliability. I found Bob's to have the best selection of gluten free flours and other products, available in many stores - including the grocery down the street, and the quality was always high. So, that's why I endorse Bob's.

Specifically, I used these two flours to make the flour mix:

- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour

- Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

So, if this is the style of gluten free chicken nuggets that you're looking for - this is the recipe.

• Chicken: I cut up about 3 breasts.
• 1/3 cup gluten free flour (I used about 80 percent brown rice flour and 20 percent tapioca)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Heinz vinegar (or other gf brand)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup water

Wash your chicken and then cut it up into nugget sized pieces. 

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Then, combine the vinegar and soda in another small bowl, quickly dump it in the flour as it reacts. Then, quickly add the water. Whisk well. Let this sit for about 5 minutes. It thickens. 

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a frying pan. Mix your chicken pieces in the batter and let them sit in there while the oil heats. When hot, fry until golden brown and cooked through.

Trust me, this works. And it's quick. And it's very simple. Say hello to homemade drive through gluten free chicken nuggets!

Is this Gluten Free Mac and Cheese also Dairy Free Mac and Cheese?

I never thought I'd be able to make good old macaroni and cheese again for my kids, especially not a good gluten free mac and cheese! Of course, we're on the gluten-free dairy-free diet, but also no soy. 

So, years ago (mid-2000s), there was no good cheese substitute to try - and even those that were soy-based were truly gross.

And, the gluten free noodles on the market then weren't great. My biggest gripe was that they were really mushy, soggy, and even slimy. 

Unfortunately, that meant no gluten free mac and cheese for me!

Then, a couple of then-new products changed all of this, at least for me.

First, I found Tinkyada gluten free pasta. The reason I like Tinkyada gluten free pasta is the firmness of the noodles. This difference was huge for me. I had been avoiding GF noodles, but this brand brought them back into my pantry for good. This texture is important for this particular recipe, too. 

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote products specifically by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

And then came Daiya cheese. Similar to the Tinkaya experience for me, Daiya was the first cheese of its type that really had taste and melted in a manner similar to real cheese. And, it had no dairy, no gluten and no soy.

Combined, this meant making a gluten free mac and cheese that also was dairy free mac and cheese was possible.

So, here's the recipe - it's just adapted from a typical mac n cheese recipe.

I promise, this will work. Enjoy.

Gluten free mac and cheese

(... and dairy free mac and cheese)

• 1 cup cooked Tinkyada gluten free pasta
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon margarine (Try a vegan to avoid dairy and soy)
• 1 tablespoon tapioca or corn starch
• Dash black pepper
• 1 ¼ cup non-dairy milk
• 2 cups shredded American/cheddar Daiya dairy free cheese

Directions:

• Cook the gluten free pasta according to directions.
• In a saucepan, cook onion in margarine until tender. Stir in flour and pepper.
• Add milk.
• Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
• Add cheese. Stir until melted.
• Stir pasta into cheese.
• Transfer to a 1 quart casserole.
• Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes – until bubbly.

Now, enjoy your gluten free mac and cheese - and, yes, dairy free mac and cheese!

Gluten free pizza crust recipe

One of the most common questions I get is about finding a good gluten free pizza crust recipe.  For many years, the in-store and restaurant options for pizza lovers on a GFCF diet were limited-to-disappointing. That's changed in recent years. I see some GF frozen pizza options in my local supermarket's freezer section. I also see some gf options on the non-freezer shelves - pre-made, ready to make. And, there are gf pizza crust baking mixes on the market as well - and I'll always recommend Bob's Red Mill products simply due to reliability and availability. Bob's has a good mix that you can buy online. 

The other big factor for pizza recipes had been finding a good non-dairy cheese. Since Dayai came on the market, I've pretty much used that exclusively. I find it tastes OK and melts well in the oven. And, unless you're dealing with a tomato issue, there's plenty of store-bought and homemade sauce options (if tomato is an issue - try pierogi pizza or pizza without sauce).

Another issue worth mentioning here - and one reason I turned to a homemade gluten free pizza crust recipe - is the cost. I find the in-store options to be pretty expensive for what you get. Combined with the homemade version having a better taste (imho), I'd rather make it on my own.

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote products specifically by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

With this gluten free pizza crust recipe, I can make a simple, tasty crust that doesn't take very long. I'll admit, this has taken years of adapting, tweaking, changing, etc ... but, I like this version and want to share it here. It's also very adaptable to various allergies and sensitivities. For example, if you can't use brown rice flour, use sorghum flour. So, here it is:

Shell ingredients 

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2/3 cup chickpea flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tsp xanthan gum (I order lowest cost item via Amazon)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (buy in store or online via Amazon)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup water 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1/2 tbsp sugar (or any sweetener like agave or honey) 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients. Note: as an alternative, if you prefer to not buy the flours and xantham gum individually, replace the flours and xantham gum with a cup of pre-made gluten free mix, which you can also order online. Still add the baking powder. If you buy the pre-made, you can use the yeast packet if you want, but it's not necessary for this recipe.
• Add wet ingredients and mix well.
• Grease baking sheet with shortening (we use Spectrum) or line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I mostly use the parchment rather than shortening).
• Plop dough onto middle of parchment lined sheet - might need a spatula to get it all out.
• I do this next part at the sink since you'll need wet hands - the dough is sticky. Turn the tap on and wet one hand. Use your hand to push down on the dough and smooth it out into a pizza shell shape (circle, square or rectangle). You'll have to repeatedly wet that hand to keep from sticking. I do this until it's about 1/4" thick. I pinch the edges like you would for a pie crust.
• Bake 12 minutes, then, use a spatula or other utensil to gently loosen the crust from the sheet and slide onto an oven rack.
• Bake for another 5 minutes without the sheet underneath.
• After five minutes, again use a spatula or utensil to gently slide the crust back onto the baking sheet. Remove from oven.
• This is where you'll add sauce, cheese and other toppings as desired. Generally, I add these and then bake for five more minutes to heat. Then eat!

Here's some of my topping ideas for this gluten free pizza crust recipe:

Sauce: I make my own and the recipe I follow is on this page. I typically make this while the crust is baking - doesn't take more than five minutes.

Cheese: I use one bag of Dayai cheddar. You can just sprinkle the cheese and I see that Dayai now sells "liquid cheese" in containers too. I prefer to mix this and make my own melty cheese. So, dump it into a small pot. Add a quarter(ish) cup of rice milk (or any other milk alternative). Heat on medium until the milk heats and cheese starts to melt. Stir continuously to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Add milk as needed to gain the right cheesy consistency that you want. I make mine until it's sorta like a cheese dip so that I can ladle it over top of the pizza. My kids call it a "cheese blanket."

Veggies: My kids like any mix of chopped onions (small pieces), thin green pepper strips and mushrooms. Of course, add whatever you like.

Meat: I've used pepperoni (our store has a gluten free pepperoni), and I've also used ground meat to make "cheeseburger pizza." You could use any meat.

So, typically, I'll spoon the sauce, ladle the cheese, sprinkle the veggies and add the meat - then bake five minutes. I'll let the pizza rest for five minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting.

One final note - I've made a larger rectangular gluten free pizza when my kids had friends over simply by doubling the recipe. Worked just fine.

An Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions and GFCF Help

Finally, there is a book that covers the use of diet in treating our children with developmental disorders, such as PDD and ADHD, etc. It's called The Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions.

This is the kind of book that should answer a lot of those questions about what foods contain gluten and what foods are beneficial, and why? It's especially useful for any parent with children on the Autism Spectrum and looking at the positive and negative impacts of certain foods - the dietary interventions. 

We went this route with our children years ago as we realized that dietary interventions produced positive results with our family. We wish there had been a resource like this available to help guide us. 

You can grab a Kindle version online for a reasonable price. And yes, that is an affiliate link, but as I repeatedly note on this blog, I'll only promote products that I've tried, used and personally endorse. This is a good book and worth reading - whether you buy it or not.

Happy 2009 to all my gfcf recipes friends!

I just wanted to take a minute and say how much I enjoyed sharing with all of you in 2008 and how great it was to meet -- electronically -- so many people. This blog started as a simple way to share recipes with people who most likely were in the same boat as us. As many of you know, I have two daughters diagnosed with PDD and we embraced a gluten and casein free diet to help. 

And, it has helped. This blog has grown tremendously -- way beyond what I ever imagined. It's not really a source of income for us. I've not made a dime from it yet. But, that never was the point. The point was to try and help, just as so many people have helped us. 

I'd like to share a few facts about how many people this blog has reached in 2008: 

• 13,682 visitors, or roughly 38 visitors every day. 
• Those visiting the blog live in 84 countries. The countries with the most visitors were 1) U.S., 2) Canada, 3) Australia, 4) Philippines and 5) the U.K. 
• Some other countries that might surprise you: Malaysia, Iceland, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Panama, Portugal, Brazil, Pakistan, Israel, Norway, Turkey, China, Qatar, Estonia, Venezuela, Bahamas, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Anguilla, Iraq, Kenya, Faroe Islands, Malta, Chile, Iran and Latvia. 
• The city with the most visits in 2008 was Burnsville, Minnesota. 
• This blog holds the top Google ranking under the "gfcf recipes" search and the fifth spot under the "gluten casein free recipes" search. 

So, thanks to all of you for making this such a wonderful experience. I hope you've taken something worthwhile from this site and I hope to meet more of you in 2009. 

jim

Gluten free "Rice Krispies" treats - Glennys product review

I came across this treat in the store the other day. It's expensive -- I think about $5 a box. But, it was a nice surprise for my kids and will be an every-so-often treat for them. I'm going to try and replicate this recipe. If I do, I'll post it here.

 

The treat -- a gluten free marshmallow treat similar to Rice Krispies Treats -- is made by "glenny's." And, it's gluten-free and casein-free. 

Note that the box says there's the possibility of trace amounts of tree nuts.

These are very good and really provide a nice option to give kids their own gluten free rice krispies treat. And, the kids love the colorful wrappers.

I've noted the Glenny's website is not very thorough or up to date and the Facebook page is dated as well.

Allergy book for kids

As if there aren't enough challenges finding and making foods for your children on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Toss in a few added food allergies or intolerances and life can be difficult, at the least. And then, there's trying to explain to your child why he or she cannot eat the same foods that most of the other kids enjoy. Pizza. Ice cream. Grilled cheese. Oreos. Etc. I'm trying to explain this to my young daughters now. Through a friend, I've found a great book that helps young children understand and accept the food issues they face. It's called "One of the Gang" and it's authored by Gina Clowes. You can find this on Amazon by clicking here. If you're having difficulty explaining this to your kids or find they are having a difficult time accepting their issues, this book might help.

GFCF pumpernickel bread

For some reason, my kids don't like light-colored bread. They'll go for dark-colored breads every time. There's a GFCF bread on the market that's made from a red rice that they like, but it has yeast in it and my youngest can't tolerate yeast very well. So, I set out to make my own yeast-free GFCF pumpernickel bread. I did it. Here's the recipe. This makes two loaves. I froze one and I'm using the other. I'm gonna tinker with this recipe more, so I'll update the blog if I can improve it. Ingredients 2 flax eggs ( see my recipe) 1/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup GF molasses 1.5 cups water 1 tbsp baking powder 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice 2 cups corn starch 1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch 1/4 cup corn meal 1.5 cups sorghum flour 1/2 cup flax seed meal (ground flax) 1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder 4 tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp salt Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get out two larger mixing bowls. Make the flax eggs in the microwave and let those sit for 5 mins. Meanwhile, in one bowl, add the water, oil, vinegar, molasses and juice. Stir. In another bowl, add all of the dry

ingredients. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the flax egg. Mix on a low speed until combined. Note -- this will be thicker than pancake or cake batter. If it really seems too dry, add a little water. I greased two bread pans with Spectrum organic shortening and I split the dough between them. I flattened the dough using a wet spatula. I baked in the oven for about 50 mins. After 45 mins, I checked every 5 mins. until a toothpick came out of the center clean. That's it. Let cool after baked, put on a rack to cool. I might tinker with the flour mixtures. Sorghum works well, but I'm sure you could use buckwheat flour, for example, or brown rice too. I might try brown rice mixed with sorghum next time. I might add some potato starch instead of all corn starch to moisten the bread. I'll let you know. Also, there's golden and dark flax. I just used ground golden flax because that's what I had in the house. The dark flax obviously would go better with the dark color of the bread. I grind it up in a coffee grinder. I use the carob powder because one of my girls cannot handle the cocoa. So, I hope you enjoy this bread. My youngest loves it with GF salami and mustard.

GFCF Rice Chex

So, hello everyone. I've been lax in posting for a while, but I'm still here. I realize I'm likely very behind on this one, but I didn't find out that General Mills made its Rice Chex cereal gluten-free. I popped in the supermarket today to check. They did. So, if your kids like cereal, this is a great option that you can grab in a bind. However, I noticed it's priced higher than the Health Valley Rice Crunch Ems I normally buy for my kids. So, which should I buy? With health value in mind, I'm sure the Health Valley is better, with no preservatives, etc. Pricewise, the Health Valley is less expensive and thru my food co-op, I can buy it in cases at a 20% discount. But, there's also some value in supporting a mainstream company -- General Mills -- that's willing to offer a gluten-free product on my supermarket shelf. Hmmm. Maybe, I'll buy one of each.

Bad GFCF pizza crust

I love to talk and write about the GFCF foods I love. Here's one I really didn't care for -- and I'll tell you why. This is the Nature's Hilights Brown Rice Pizza Crust. This looked great in the freezer section at Whole Foods and I thought I'd give it a try for ~$5/2 crusts. 

I usually make my own, but this was worth a shot. Here's the problem, the crusts are very chewy after they're cooked and they only become tougher and chewier -- like jerky -- upon cooling. It's actually just bad. I would not recommend this to anyone. For now, I'll keep baking my own crusts.

GF/CF/SF Rice Cheese

OK -- so I've had a few comment about the kind of rice cheese I'm using. This is gluten free, casein free and soy free. I understand it might be tricky finding this stuff, but I assure you it exists. To prove it, I'm including a photo of the packaging. It clearly states gf, cf and sf. And, the ingredients indicate the same.

I buy this at a local Whole Foods and also at a local food co-op. I notice two things about this particular item that might help you find it.

First, it's not the brick of cheese, it's just the slices.

Second, this packaging also has a lot of Spanish on it. I've seen other sliced Galaxy cheeses that contain either soy or casein. This one is different.

I hope that helps and I hope you can find it.

GF/CF/SF Toasted cheese sandwiches

Here's another great classic you now can make, thanks to Galaxy cheese slices, which are gluten-free, casein-free and soy-free. Note again, as in previous posts, that the Galaxy cheese chunks are not casein free, just the slices. So, head out to a Whole Foods or your local food co-op and find the following: -- Galaxy cheese slices, either American, Cheddar or Pepper Jack flavors. -- Ener-G gluten free bread (I buy the brown rice, yeast-free bread. There's others.) -- Whatever type of margarine or oil you use that's dairy-free. Some use Fleischmann's Light spreadable margarine, or ghee, or oil. I use canola oil. -- Sea salt. You know how to make this. It's easy. I'll note a couple of tricks that I found helpful. And, of course, you can use any type of gluten-free bread. I just happen to be using the Ener-G bread right now. Other times, I'll make my own. OK, get a frying pan out and pre-heat on medium-high. Let it get hot. This is crucial to get the nice toasted bread markings. While it's heating, get out two bread slices and put a slice of cheese in the middle. I add a small pinch of sea salt. The cheese is low-salt and this adds a bit of flavor. When the pan's hot, add the oil or margarine. If oil, just a tsp will do. Not too much. Now, place the sandwich in the pan. You should hear a slight sizzle. Brown on one side. This only takes a minute or so. Then turn over and brown the other side. You'll probably notice the cheese really isn't melted. So, turn off the pan. Put the toasted sandwich on a plate. Microwave this for 15 secs (try 10 secs in yours first -- in mine, it's 15 secs). This will melt the cheese AND keep the toasty bread. There you go. Toasted cheese. And now that you know how to make this, you obviously can make a nice ham and cheese sandwich or even a turkey and cheese sandwich. Buy your gluten-free lunch-meat and add a slice to the cheese sandwich before toasting. Very tasty. The cheese is a bit pricy, but to me, it's well worth it. I can't stand the soy cheeses. They're aweful. And most other cheeses have some form of casein in there. This is the best I've found. I plan to make a pizza using this cheese sometime next week -- also with a new GF crust I found. I'll let you know how that goes.

GF/CF/SF chili-cheese fries

Bet you didn't think this was possible on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Well, it is possible, and even without soy too. For my money, the soy-based cheeses are really bad. So, how do you do this? You can grab everything in one trip to Whole Foods. -- French fries: either Whole Foods' 365 brand or Cascadian Farms brand. -- Chili: Amy's brand chili is OK. -- Cheese: Galaxy brand rice cheese (yes, the slices are casein-free, not just lactose free -- be careful because the bricks are not casein-free). 

They sell sliced pepper-jack, american and cheddar. The pepper jack adds some zip to this. So, toss the fries in the oven for 10 mins, then turn them over. Bake another 5 mins. Spread the chili over top and bake another 3 mins. Add the cheese with about 1 minute left. I cut this up into smaller pieces and toss over top. There you go. You could also add some salsa to this if your kids like it -- plain Tostitos brand salsas are OK and so is Muir Glen brand, among others.

Sending Michael Savage email

Ahhh, the email link I posted below to send Talk Radio Network your opinion on Michael Savage's remarks about autism doesn't really work. 

You have to go to an online contact form, which you can find here: http://www.talkradionetwork.com/contactus

Savage's autism comments

If you haven't read or heard Michael Savage's comments about autism. Here they are. Remember, he's a talk show host and is looking for ratings. Attacks like this are mostly attention-getters intended to draw listeners. Still, we must respond.


Savage Defends Remarks Questioning Autism
NEW YORK, July 22, 2008
(CBS/ AP) Right-wing radio talk show host Michael Savage, who described 99 percent of children with autism as brats, said Monday he was trying to "boldly awaken" parents to his view that many people are being wrongly diagnosed. Some parents of autistic children have called for Savage's firing after he described autism as a racket last week. "In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out," Savage said on his radio program last Wednesday.
Savage said: "What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, `Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, you idiot."' Savage offered no apology in a message posted Monday on his Web site.

Read the rest at the site.

Oh, by the way, here's the email to Talk Radio Network, which is where he works.

info@talkradionetwork.com

Gluten-free sandwiches

Note: Although the recipe below is still very valid, full disclaimer that I've ultimately turned to store-bought bread for my girls. My oldest prefers the Kinnikinnick Tapioca Rice bread and my youngest likes the Ener-G Yeast Free Brown Rice Bread. I buy bulk to cut down the cost. **Even more updated - try some store brand GF breads now on the market, such as Aldi's Live G Free gluten free bread.

 Ahh, the most difficult food item to re-create in my children's diet -- and arguably on the Autism Diet

in general -- lunchmeat sandwiches. This is difficult for a number of reasons. What lunchmeat is OK? Even if it's OK, what about harmful preservatives? And, finding a gluten-free, casein-free bread that your picky child will eat is nearly impossible. In my house, it's been a struggle for years.

I've finally found a solution to all of this that works. It's a compromise, for me. I'm using gluten-free lunchmeats but give on the preservatives. I buy meat that's prepackaged to prevent the cross-contact issues. If you're not satisfied with that, buy some of the preservative-free deli meats out there, like Applegate Farms.

Like all of my recipes, this is simple and easy to make. It's versatile, too, and the bread also can become a mini-pizza shell, which also is very popular at my house.

The bread is a variation of the Noah's Bread recipe. Here's my variation.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 1/2 cup of sorghum or brown rice flour, 2/3 cup tapioca flour, 2 tsp xanthan gum, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp oregano (or other spice), 1 tbsp sugar.

Then, add, 1/3 cup of oil, 1/3 cup of a dairy sub (like Darifree), and 1/2 cup of water.

Beat until well combined.

Now, use a ladle or 1/4 cup measure to dump into circular bun-sized pieces. Keep them apart as much as possible. You can make regular bun shapes or like mini-hoagie or hot dog bun shapes. They aren't perfect and I'm sure you could buy forms to make them better. Anyway, then, I take a wet spatula and press down lightly on each and with one or two swoops, flatten each one out some.

Then, bake for 20 minutes.

These will be flatter than regular buns, but that's OK. They taste pretty good.

My kids like a slice or two of GF ham with some mustard and ketchup. This is a big hit at breakfast or lunch.

For the mini-pizzas, I add garlic powder to the dough, and then after baking, top with sauce and toppings, and bake a little longer.

Yes! Advertising ...

Yes, that banner you see above this post is a real advertisement. It's a first for my blog. I don't intend to diminish the content here by offering advertising. However, I've had some interest in putting ads here since so many of you visit each day and so many more of you are finding this blog too. So, what I've decided to do is to control the ads that appear. I don't want to give ad space to a company that can rotate anything in the ad space that they want. If I'm going to have ads, I want them to be for businesses and products that we will use. You know, like gluten-free products or dairy-free items or allergy-specific foods, etc. You get the idea. That way, there's some benefit in this for everyone. Some people come to this site looking for help with the autism diet. They don't know what to do or where to turn. The ads also will serve as starting points for people who don't know where to find products on the web. However, the help offered on this blog will remain free. That's the point. So, here's my plug, check out my advertisers. They really do offer good stuff. If they're on this site, chances are that I use them, or have used them, to buy goods for my family. Thanks.

Corn bread - revised and GFCF

I love when I have leftover stuff in the kitchen. That's when I try to try out variations of some existing recipes. This past weekend, my corn bread recipe was the victim. 

This was a very simple corn bread that my daughter loves. But, she also gets bored with it after a few days. So, I changed this by swapping the syrup called for in the original recipe with applesauce. You can use any kind, even homemade. It gives the corn bread a great hint of apple but not too much. Very tasty, and still easy. I added two tablespoons of applesauce in place of the 1 tbsp of syrup. Try it out. Experiment with other flavors.

Autism Web site seeks justice

Thanks to those who have faxed or e-mailed petitions regarding the Anyah Glossinger situation. The family is gathering a lot of support. If you have not signed a petition, please do so -- see the post below for simple instructions.

Also, the family has created a Web site, Justice for Anyah. You can read more about this crucial case there and leave your thoughts.

This case is vitally important to all of us. We trust our children for hours virtually daily to therapists, teachers and other instructors. We need to be able to trust that they'd care for our kids the way we care for our children. If they don't, they need to be held accountable. That's the only way the rest of the world will know that we'll stand up for ourselves when something goes wrong.

So, the tragedy may have occurred in California, but it impacts your lives too -- it doesn't matter if you're in Florida, Maine, Texas or Canada. And for my international visitors, it's the same for you, too.

We need to stand up as a community and help in cases like this. One day, it might be our child, or our family, who needs support.

Here's the latest news article on this case:

By Natalie Brand
KPSP Local 2 News

Family and friends of Anyah Glossinger are taking her story to the streets, collecting signatures of support. Last week, we reported the District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against the two United Cerebral Palsy employees involved in the drowning of Anyah, who was five-years-old and autistic.

A spokesman for the District Attorney's office says while it appears caregivers may have made mistakes in judgement, they don't rise to the level of recklessness required to support criminal negligence.

But, Anyah's mother, Emily Wereschagin wants a meeting with DA Rod Pacheco saying of the decision, "My first reaction was that it showed a lack of knowledge and a lack of education of the special requirements needed for autistic children."

Family and friends of Anyah say they're fighting for justice. Laura Ballegeer helped start the petition, which has already gathered hundreds of names. Ballegeer says, "I have a child with special needs. It could have been me."

Friends say they will continue to collect signatures through the weekend. They plan to be at the COD street fair on Saturday.

Autism petition - 5 year old girl drowned

I need your help today. Don't worry, it doesn't require that much effort and I'm not asking for money. I work with a relative of a 5-year-old autistic girl who drowned in January in California. She drowned while in the care of others during a hydrotherapy session. The DA won't file charges.

Her name is Anyah Raven Glossinger.

So, the family is seeking help. They want to talk with the DA and turn in petitions signed by people like us, who believe our autistic children deserve better care while under the watch of others.

I'm asking you to take 5 minutes today to print out the petition below, sign it and either fax it to 760-778-6541, Attn: Emily or scan it and email it back to me at jlr500@yahoo.com. The sooner the better. I'll get your petition into the family's hands.

I'll thank you now. And I'll also include a link here to a news article about this case if you're interested.

Here's the petition. Printing tip -- the best way is to copy the petition below, paste it to a Word file, and print.

Justice for Anyah

On January 23, 2008 Anyah Glossinger a five year old Autistic and legally blind child was placed in a therapy pool while attending an after school program for disabled children. She was placed in the pool without a life jacket and left unattended for a period of time that resulted in her being found at the bottom of that pool. She died the following day. She had been in the care of The United Cerebral Palsy’s Little Bridges program, specifically 2 coaches that were in charge of her.

At the time of the drowning the ratio of adults to children was 1 to 1, (3 adult coaches, and 3 children). At the time of the drowning Anyah was the only person in the pool and the only child who had not been given a life vest. She had the developmental level and cognitive ability of someone approximately 18 – 24 months of age. She could not speak or ask for help nor could she swim. These facts were well understood by the attending staff caring for her. One coach left her in the water and the second coach in question turned her back on the pool leaving Anyah completely unattended, she was found at the bottom of the pool some time latter and died as a result of their actions. Her parents and many people in the community believe this was reckless negligence. In April Anyah’s death prompted an internal investigation by the state of California that uncovered severe violations, citing unqualified staff, and lack of background checks among dozens of other serious health, safety, and administrational issues. The state’s Department of Social Services and Licensing closed the facility’s program stating that they “failed to meet the basic needs of Anyah, which resulted in her death.”

On May 29th 2008 the Police Department concluded their investigation and presented it to the Riverside County District Attorneys’ office, suggesting criminal charges of negligent manslaughter and child endangerment. The District Attorney’s office declined to file charges. Anyah’s parents made a formal request to meet with Mr. Rod Pacheco; Riverside County’s head District Attorney. Mr. Pacheco has the ability to over turn this preliminary decision recently made by his staff.

The signatures herein will help give supporting documentation highlighting the need to have criminal charges filed, as well as a show of community support.

Please show your support in this petition with your signature below, it is important not only for quality of standards in this valley, but to the rights of Autistic Children and the disabled community.

Thank you for your show of support.

Print Name

Signature

Phone number

Comment