The other night my kids were asking me to make a pie. For a typical family that to is no big deal, however for our family that is one of those questions that I dread. My oldest is gluten intolerant, probably Celiac but I haven't tested him for it. He is also allergic to Soy and a host of other things so I can't just go grab a gluten free pie crust and call it good. I have yet to find a gluten free pie crust recipe that we like and I was late on time. I stood in the middle of the grocery store and debated what to say to my kids as they stood there asking me for pie.
I don't want my kids to grow up with food issues because I won't let them eat "junk food" on occasion, I also don't want them only eating "junk food". I want them to have a healthy view of food and a healthy relationship with food. As a country we have become so enamored with diets, crazes, cleanses, purges, and fads that very few people have a normal relationship with food. I am vowing to not pass that off to my kids.
Therefore, I grabbed a box of gluten free cake mix and decided that I was going to make a "Dump It Cake" for dinner. I didn't despair over the amount of sugar in the mix, I didn't cringe at the cost of the mix, I didn't stress about the fact that my kids were not getting the most nutrient dense meal, I just decided to have a treat with my family.
A few years ago, back when I was yo-yo dieting every few months a cake for dinner would have been unheard of. Now that we eat real food most of the time, this is not a big deal. My kids have adapted and are healthier and better off for it. I quickly whisked up our Dump It Cake but dumping a huge jar of canned peaches out of the pantry into a bottom of a 9X13 pan and topped it with our gluten free cake mix. I topped that with a bunch of Kerrygold butter, cinnamon, and some sprinkles of water and baked it until the top was golden brown. We decided that it was most like a cobbler, which in Texas is basically a pie (right???) and we enjoyed it. It was a special treat that we got to enjoy a few times throughout the week.