The Elf on the Shelf is a very serious business
Early this morning, Chloé jumped on the end of our bed yelling “Chippy DIDN’T MOVE!!” This was an emergency that required some super-fast thinking — a lot to ask given that the sun was barely up. Bleary-eyed, I rolled over and tried to conjure up a convincing white lie about the nocturnal habits of our Elf on the Shelf.Any parents who haven’t discovered this particular gem need to Google it immediately. The Elf on the Shelf is a little Christmas Elf that arrives on the first of December. He can’t be touched (he will lose his magic) and he sits out of harms way observing your children. Every night he nips back to the North Pole to tell Santa whether they have been naughty or nice. When the Elf flies back, he takes up a new position as proof of his activity. It works perfectly …. until you forget to move him.Chloé takes this Elf business Very Seriously. She has had a Christmas list pinned to the board in our kitchen since the first week of January. So, in my desperation I told her that as she had been a bit naughty yesterday (true), Chippy was probably giving her an extra chance to be good before he had to fly back and tell Santa. She bought it. Crisis averted, she started playing a game on the floor — only to discover some stocking presents hidden under my bed. Seriously, how much can go wrong in one morning? It wasn’t even 7am!Later, to get myself out of my Christmas funk, I started prepping this cake as a gift for one of my gluten free friends. We print this recipe every year here because it’s so popular. It follows all my gluten free rules too. It takes a wholefood approach so contains none of the chemical or processed nasties that are so prolific in commercial gluten-free goodies.This recipe is a labour of love. It takes a while to make and ages to cook but it is totally delicious and super moist! If you have anyone gluten-free in your life — and even if you don’t — try this out as a healthier option.The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the Managing Director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda
Ingredients: 175g Earth Balance vegan margarine (Down to Earth, Lindos); 110g molasses; 75g Sucanet or soft, dark brown sugar; 150ml soy, hemp or almond milk; 110g dates, pitted and chopped; 300g raisins; 200g dried plums, chopped; 110g dried or glace cherries, chopped; 225g brown rice flour (Down to Earth, Harrington Hundreds, Lindos DV, ABC store); 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder (widely available); 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp nutmeg; 110g ground almonds; 2 lemons, the grated rind of; 3 eggs.
Method: 1. Place the margarine, molasses, sugar and “milk” in a large pan along with all the dried fruit. Heat gently and stir until all the margarine has melted. 2. Simmer for 1 minute and then take off the heat and cover. Leave the fruit to “swell” for at least 2 hours even overnight if you have time. 3. Line the base and sides of a round (8”) or square cake tin (7”) with baking paper. Make sure that the paper rises at least 5 cm above the rim of the tin. 4. Put all the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix roughly. 5. Add the fruit mixture and mix by hand or using an electric mixer (not a blender!) on low speed. Mix well. 6. Pour the cake mix into the tin and smooth the surface with a wet knife. 7. Bake for 2 hours and 40 minutes at 250F. 8. Leave to cool in the tin until cold. 9. Ice as you would an ordinary Christmas cake, or make a “butter” icing using Earth Balance margarine, icing sugar and a little Goslings rum.
