Funnel Cake

A week or so ago, the city of Orem threw their "Summerfest" party. It's several days of baby contests, carnival rides, fireworks, and (of course) carnival foods. I managed to keep my kids out of the food areas this year, but those fair-time food smells (mostly of things frying!) sort of lingered over the whole park. I would almost never buy carnival food at a carnival even if we didn't have our gluten issues, because I am too thrifty; I just can't imagine paying $4 for something that I KNOW costs no more than 20 cents to make! But the smells are certainly enticing.

So . . . I come home and make gluten free versions! It's much cheaper and tastes just as good. (In fact, last year I shared our gluten free funnel cakes with my neighbor's family. She'd never had funnel cakes before, but after eating mine she said: "Oh, great. Now I'm going to have to buy these the next time I go to a carnival.")

Let us know what you think!

Funnel Cake

3 C. EGF all-purpose flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
¼ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 c. milk


Mix together dry ingredients. Whisk eggs and milk into dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into a drink bottle with a squeeze top. (A clean, empty syrup bottle or dish soap bottle would also work. Or you can use a funnel, covering the bottom of the funnel with your finger when you don’t want the batter dripping into the oil, but it’s messier and irritating, and I’d suggest NOT using a funnel if you can avoid it.)

Squeeze batter into hot oil, using a spiral motion, and overlapping the lines of batter. (If you just do concentric circles, you won’t be able to turn it over; it will just fall apart.) Fry to a golden brown (about 2 minutes per side.)

Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot or let them cool a bit first.

New Bread Recipe

We have never been completely satisfied with our current bread recipe so over the past couple of months we have been doing what we do best . . . experimenting. This is Betsy's latest test, and we think it may be the winner, but we want your feedback, so please let us know what worked and what did not.

Betsy's New Bread Recipe

3 c. flour mix (I do 2 GF & 1 Featherlight, but other combos should work)
¼ c. sugar
1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 Tbs. yeast
1 ¼ c. warm water
¼ c. oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
2 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, xanthan, and salt. Pour yeast on top. Don’t mix it in.

Combine water, oil, vinegar, and eggs. Pour on top of yeast. Let sit for 3 – 5 minutes. Mix on low until combined. Scrape edges. Mix on high for 3 minutes.

Spoon into greased pans (makes 1 ½ loaves about). Cover. Let rise in warmish place for 40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Crepes

It's summer!!!

What better way to celebrate than making, and especially eating, crepes! My children love to fill them with whipping cream and strawberries. My husband likes them with bananas and chocolate. With this recipe, how you serve them is up to you. Happy Cooking!

Crepes

3 c. milk
6 eggs
1 Tbs. melted butter or oil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. Featherlight mix
½ c. GF mix

In a large bowl, beat milk, eggs, and melted butter until smooth. Slowly add salt, xanthan gum and flours. Mix until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat a 6-inch crepe pan or a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. (If your pan is older, it sometimes helps to spray it with non-stick cooking spray.) Spoon 2 to 4 tablespoons of batter into the bottom of the pan. Move pan from side to side to coat bottom.

Brown the crepe on one side and then flip with a spatula and brown the other side. Keep warm in the oven. Serve with your favorite toppings.

These can be frozen to use later. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Makes approximately 15 crepes.

Topping Ideas: whipped cream, any fresh fruit, cinnamon and sugar, syrup, butter, chicken, sausage and eggs, tomatoes and bacon, powdered sugar, hard boiled eggs, cream cheese and jam.