Life Tastes Good Again

Pop-Tarts

2012-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

My neighbor called me up a couple of days ago and said she had been watching a cooking show and they were making pop-tarts. My first thought was "who would want to make pop-tarts? They aren't even that good." My next thought was "I bet I could make pop-tarts." And then I found myself making pop-tarts. I filled them with raspberry jam simply because that is what I had on my shelf, and because strawberry jam with cream cheese frosting on top, sounded really yummy. The tarts were actually easier than I expected, and when I tasted them I thought to myself, "I love pop-tarts!"

pop-tart crust
This is just our basic pie crust, rolled thin and cut into rectangles.

2 c. GF all purpose flour mix
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. Cream cheese
1 c. real butter (or I used I can't Believe It's Not Butter)

Cream all ingredients together.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes- 1 hour.
The dough will be sticky.
On a clean surface sprinkle some flour down. Roll the dough out just like a normal pie crust. Cut into rectangles and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Place a scoop of thick jam or jelly onto the middle of the pastry square. Place a second square on top of the jam and press down around the edges to seal the jam inside the shell. Using a fork press down around the outside of the tart, and then using the same fork poke holes in the top of the pastry.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. margarine
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 3 cups, I think)
1 tsp. vanilla

Thoroughly blend cream cheese and margarine. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Store in the refrigerator.

Alternate fillings: chocolate chips, Nutella, cinnamon and sugar.

Pumpkin Bread

2011-12-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about what kind of treats I should make for neighborhood gifts this Christmas. I intended to give away English Toffee, but I started making it too early and ate it all. (The kids helped, of course.) Then, while walking around Costco, I sampled some pumpkin bread. My GF girls were offended that they couldn't have some, so I decided that I would make a gluten free version for them. It turned out so well that I've promoted it to "Chief Neighborhood Treat Plate Filler". Good name, huh?

I had initially intended to use my banana bread recipe and just use pumpkin instead of bananas (plus add some of the right kind of pumpkin appropriate spices). But when I started looking at pumpkin bread recipes online, I realized that they all had at least TWICE as much sugar as my banana bread and a lot more oil. I suppose that the reason for the extra sugar is because pumpkin is nowhere near as sweet as over-ripe bananas. I wasn't sure about the extra oil, but I decided it might have a good reason, too. So I took an online recipe, changed several things (used GF flours, changed the spices to match MY ideas of good pumpkin spices, etc), and baked away. The Costco version was covered with Cream Cheese Frosting. I haven't added frosting to mine because it's so darn good without it! (I must admit that my children have been having a heyday with the Nutella, though. Evidently they believe that chocolate hazelnut butter is the best accompaniment to pumpkin things ever invented. And I haven't really argued too much about it. Who could?)

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups canned pumpkin puree (practically a full 29 oz. can)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
5 cups EGF all-purpose flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. mace

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 9x5 loaf pans. (I actually did 3 9x5 pans and then 2 4x3 pans.)

Combine pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix well.

In another bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add to the pumpkin mixture and blend until well combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. (The top should spring back when lightly touched, and a cake tester inserted into the thickest part of the loaf should come out clean.)

Cool. Enjoy!

Is That What I Think It Is?!?!!!

2011-12-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not. This is the proof of our second cookbook. We found a few boo-boos, but once those are fixed, we are all ready to print lots and lots of them! Isn't it pretty? Well, it's prettier in person . . . but it's still pretty darn exciting!

Monster Cookies

2011-12-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

My neighbor's son came home from school with a recipe for Monster Cookies, begging his mom to make them. Being eight months pregnant, the last thing she wanted to do was sit in the kitchen and experiment with a new cookie recipe. She called me and together we slaved over these beasts. (We didn't really, but we tell the kids that so they love us more.) Since the title implies that they are extremely large cookies, that is how I made them. You should have seen kids' delight when I handed them their gigantic treat. And the best part is that they were delicious! Even though they were big, I still ate three!

Monster Cookies

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup m & m's
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 cups Quinoa or Gluten Free Oats
2 cups EGF all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pudding mix, and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, butter, baking soda, xanthan gum, flour, and quinoa (or oats). Stir in m & m's and chocolate chips. Roll 2 inch balls and flatten on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes.

Serve with a large glass of cold milk.

Red Velvet Cake

2011-12-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

My neighbor is six months pregnant and one day she had a really strong craving for red velvet cake. She told me that we either needed to make the cake, or she was going to go buy one and make herself sick. Needless to say, we made the cake. It turned out beautiful. The picture doesn't quite do it justice. The color was a deep red, and the cake itself tasted amazing. Happy Cooking!

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter flavored extract
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 ounce red food coloring
2 1/2 c EGF all-purpose flour
1 c sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Grease round pans or cupcake pans.

Cream together shortening, white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and butter flavored extract in a large bowl.

Mix cocoa powder and food coloring into a paste in a small bowl and then add to shortening mixture. Pour in flour alternately with the sour cream, mixing until just incorporated.

Mix salt, baking soda, and vinegar in a small bowl, and while it is fizzing fold into the batter; mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-11-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving.

Just the word makes you want take a big breath and brace yourself for the chaos that always comes before the holiday. This is the holiday that is all about food. For some that can be either really satisfying or vastly disappointing. Hopefully, with the help of our recipes on our blog and website (eatingglutenfree.com), we have made the holiday easier and more enjoyable for you.

And to add to those recipes, I just made the easiest lemon meringue pie ever! It was seriously, amazing. If you have time, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Eating Gluten Free,LLC

Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Filling

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Meringue Topping

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Bake pie crust

Lemon Filling: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large saucepan.

Add egg yolks, then gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking regularly, 8- 10 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and then the butter. Pour into baked pie crust.

Meringue topping: Mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat when translucent and thickened.

Preheat oven to 325.
In a large mixing bowl, mix cream of tartar and sugar together.

In mixing bowl whip egg whites until frothy. Add vanilla.
Add sugar mixture 1 Tbsp. at a time. Slowly at cornstarch mixture, 1 tbsp at a time. Whip until stiff peaks form.

Distribute meringue evenly over the top, starting with the edges, and then the middle. As you top the pie lift up the back of the spoon and create peaks in the meringue.
Bake about 20 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.

Cool completely before serving.

Cherry Cheese Cake

2011-11-10T13:15:00.001-08:00

I am so amazing!!!

My husband love cherry cheesecake, with oreo crust, so . . since it's his birthday soon, he gets one. It looked so pretty I just had to share. Try this recipe!!!
Happy Cooking!

Cheese Cake

Filling:
3 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese,softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 1/4 sour cream
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Choose and prepare a GF crust. (We recommend using the chocolate oreo cookies as a crust. Make it as directed, but instead of cutting it into circles, press it into a pie pan and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.)

In a large mixing bowl cream the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla.

Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Fold egg whites into cheese mixture and pour into crust. Bake 40 minutes at 375. Cool slightly.

Mix together and pour over slightly cooled cheesecake. Bake for 10 more minutes at 375. Refrigerate for several hours. When completely cook top with strawberry jam or cherry pie filling

Thumbprint Cookies

2011-11-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

These are one of my most favorite cookies. I always try to keep some frozen dough in the freezer for whenever I get the craving. – Kirsti
Thumbprint Cookies
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
¾ c. butter*, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ c. EGF All-Purpose Flour Mix ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp. baking soda
1 c. finely chopped pecans
Raspberry or Strawberry jam

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well blended. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

Gradually add the flour, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Mix well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (This makes the dough easier to work with).

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll dough into 1” balls. Place 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Indent centers with your thumb.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven. Fill each cookie with ½–1 teaspoon of jam. Bake 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan.

Variations:
Instead of using jam, try Hershey kisses, caramel, or peanut butter. You could also use the cookie dough as a base for turtle cookies (caramel, pecans, and chocolate drizzled on top), or as a base for a cream pie.

* Don’t substitute margarine in this recipe. The cookies will not turn out as good.

Bagels

2011-11-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

These are really good with vegetable garden cream cheese or plain cream cheese and jam. The trick is to not let them rise at all and to make sure that you add more water as it boils down; otherwise they taste like baking soda. This dough also works amazingly well for calzones or bagel pizzas. Yum!

Bagels

4 ½ c. EGF All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp. yeast
1 ½ c. warm water 1 tsp. rice vinegar
¾ c. Best Foods mayonnaise

10 c. boiling water
½ c. baking soda
2 large egg yolks, beaten

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum; mix well. Add yeast to the top of the dry ingredients, but don’t mix in.

Pour warm water on top of the yeast and let it sit for 30 seconds. Mix on low speed until blended. Add vinegar and mayonnaise. Beat for 2–3 minutes on high speed.

Roll dough into snake-like forms, connecting the ends to form a thick bagel-shaped circle.

In a large pan, boil water and baking soda. Immediately place shaped dough in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove it and place it on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg yolk.

Place bagels in preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes. Store in a Ziploc bag in your fridge or freezer. Reheat individually in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Variations: Add ½ c. blueberries or ¼ c. ground sundried tomatoes to the dough before baking, or try sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on the bagels once they are baked, or topping them with grated cheese.

Happy Cooking!

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-10-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

These are very simple gluten free and still extremely tasty! Kids love them.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. Peanut Butter
1 egg
1 c. sugar

Mix well. Roll balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press flat with a fork. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Salsa

2011-10-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

Salsa

My mother, Vickie Rowley, is the best ever. She came up with this recipe years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. We’ve taken it to several functions and always come home with an empty jar. The best thing about it is it’s not too difficult. – Kirsti

16 c. peeled, chopped, and drained tomatoes
5 c. chopped onions
2 c. chopped green bell peppers
2 c. chopped jalapeño peppers*
12 cloves garlic, minced** 1–2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. canning salt***
1 1/2 c. white or cider vinegar
4 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 lg. (12 oz.) cans tomato paste

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a slow boil. Boil for 10 minutes.

Pour salsa into clean jars. Wipe the top edges of the jars with a clean cloth to remove any spilled salsa.

In a small saucepan, bring 2” of water to a simmer. Turn heat to medium low. Place jar lids in the hot water and allow them to sit for a few minutes. (This softens the seal.)

Place jar lids on jars, and screw on bands, finger tight. Process in a hot water bath canner for 40–45 minutes. Make sure that the jars are fully immersed in boiling water the whole time.

Cool. Store at room temperature.

*You may substitute another type of hot pepper for the jalapeño peppers.

** Approximately 4 Tbs. pre-minced garlic.

***This can be purchased in most grocery stores.

Russian Tea Cake Cookies /Mexican Wedding Cakes

2011-10-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

Russian Tea Cake Cookies /Mexican Wedding Cakes

I never knew what these cookies were called until Betsy told me. I just called them the "little white ball cookies," but they actually have more than one name, and both names (tea cake cookies and wedding cookies) fit them perfectly. They are easy to make but seem a lot more elegant than a chocolate chip cookie. – Kirsti

3/4 c. soft butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. Featherlight mix
1/4 c. sweet rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cream together butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Sift together flours, xanthan gum, and pecans. Stir into butter mixture. Chill dough for 20-30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1" balls, and place 1" apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar a second time if desired.

Glazed Baked Doughnuts

2011-09-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Glazed Baked Doughnuts

It was 5:00 p.m. and I realized that tomorrow was dad's and donuts at school. On top of that my son had been invited to a birthday party, the next day, where donuts were going to be the main desert. I thought about just shrugging my shoulders and saying "oh well." But, my overactive guilt complex kicked in last minute and I decided to try throwing the cursed desert together. I did not want to be up all night frying donuts so I looked up a couple easy baked donut recipes online and went for it. They turned out better than expected, and when they were done I was extremely grateful I did not have to make donuts and cupcakes, or donuts and some other random desert. Huzzah for the overlapping of desert and activities!!

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 c. Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. milk
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum

Glaze
4 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbs. hot water

Directions

Blend butter with sugar. Add the eggs and mix well.

Sift together flour,xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter and sugar mixture. Blend in the milk and mix together thoroughly.
Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until doughnuts are golden.
While they are still warm, dip them into the glaze mixture on both sides. Let dry completely on a wire rack.

Creamy Red Potato Salad

2011-09-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

To start off, I must just mention how thoroughly I hate potato salad. I do not like mustard. I do not like mayo or salad dressing. I despise pickles. I do not even like to be inside a house where potatoes and eggs are cooking at the same time.

So, that being said, I will add: I LOVE this potato salad recipe, probably because it is nothing like any other potato salad I've encountered. It was brought to a family get-together by my husband's cousin, and I have no idea who initially created it, but it's genius.

Creamy Red Potato Salad

5 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. diced green onions (just the green parts, though)
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix*
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. sour cream

Cut red potatoes into about 1/2 inch cubes. Place them in a big pot and cover them with hot water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer potatoes for 20 minutes or until a fork enters easily and the potatoes are soft all through. Remove from heat and drain.

In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, sour cream, and ranch dressing mix. Add green onions and crumbled bacon. Add drained potatoes and stir well, until potatoes are well coated. Serve warm, or place in the refrigerator and serve cold later.

*Make sure you check the ingredients in case of recipe changes.

Cinnamon Sugar Oat Crackers

2011-09-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Now that school is back in session, I'm working on making varied gluten free lunches. There are definite benefits to having my gluten free kids bring lunches from home; I know that they are getting food that tastes good, and I know that their food is truly gluten free and hasn't been cross contaminated by a poorly trained cafeteria worker. On the other hand, I do have to spend some time coming up with interesting lunch variations so they don't get bored to death with the same old same old.

When I was younger, my mother would put cream cheese frosting on graham crackers and pack them in our lunches. I decided that I would do the same for my kids . . . though it's really more of a "based on a true story" movie than a documentary. (Did that metaphor make sense? It did in my head, but now that it's out on the page it seems a little odd. Ah, well.)

So I decided to take my oat biscuit dough (which I usually have in my fridge), roll it out thin, make cinnamon-sugary crackers out of it, slap frosting on/between them, and send them off to school with them. And . . . it works! (Of course it does, don't be ridiculous.) So now I will share with you the very complex and tricky recipe for these delicious treats. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Oat Crackers

1/3 c. oat biscuit dough
3 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll biscuit dough out very thinly. (If the dough has been in the refrigerator, you may want to microwave it for 10 seconds or so in order to make it easy to roll it out.) Spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough.

In a small bowl (or ziplock bag), combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the butter. (You won't need to use all the cinnamon sugar. Save the rest for another day.)

Use a pizza cutter (or a knife, if you insist) to cut the dough into whatever size of crackers you'd like.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until cracker edges are browned and crackers are crispy. Remove from oven and cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or eat plain.

Party Cheese Spread

2011-09-08T16:05:00.001-07:00

Here is a recipe that is quick and easy. The kids will love it and its perfect for a party!

8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 cups Shredded Cheese
2 Tbs. Dry GF Ranch powder

Mix it all together in a heavy mixer. And spread on GF crackers and Enjoy!

Coconut Curry

2011-08-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from Jessica Harmon, one of my good friends. Feel free to adapt it according to your own personal taste. – Kirsti

4 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbs. garlic
1 Tbs. red curry paste
1 Tbs. sugar
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk salt and pepper, to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 (15 oz.) mini corn, chopped or whole
½ c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro (optional)

In a saucepan place 2 tablespoons of oil, onion, ginger, garlic, red curry paste, and sugar. Sauté for one minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut the chicken breasts into ½” cubes. In a large frying pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, then add chicken. Cook just until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Add zucchini and corn. Cook about 3 minutes more, then add curry sauce and cherry tomatoes. Heat through. Add cilantro just before serving.

Serve over brown or white rice.

Blender Pancakes with Berry Syrup

2011-07-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, again! Long time no see. I've been family reunioning and recuperating from family reunioning for the last several weeks. As you will no doubt have realized, I haven't been posting anything. I thought about going in and typing up several posts and fiddling with the posting dates so it would LOOK as though I had been posting things, but I decided that I just couldn't stoop to that kind of subterfuge. Besides, that would mean that I would have to type up lots of recipes, and I just wasn't feeling it. So instead I'm just going to say: "Vacation was fun!" and start working on being reliable again.

This is a recipe that my mother-in-law makes with whole wheat. When we got home I tried it with gluten free whole oats (also knows as oat groats), and they were just as yummy. Let me know what you think!

Blender Pancakes

2 c. milk
1 1/3 c. whole oats*
2 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

Place oats and milk in a blender. Blend on medium high speed for 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high speed until combined. Bake on a 350 degree griddle. Serve with Berry Syrup and whipped cream.**

*I have used gluten free rolled oats instead, but the texture wasn't quite the same. They baked differently. I'm going to keep experimenting, though, because the gf rolled oats are much easier to find than the whole oats.

**I actually use cool whip 'cause it's faster.

Berry Syrup

2 c. frozen berries (I used a Triple Berry Blend from Costco)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. sugar
1 dash cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Blend with a stick blender or regular blender.

Funnel Cake

2011-06-22T11:23:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Seven Layer Dip

2011-05-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

Ha ha! Two posts in one weekend! I feel very productive. This is a quick holiday side dish that is a perennial favorite at my house. In fact, my 2 year old was eating it out of the pan with a spoon today. Fabulous with corn chips, this is a great barbeque side dish.

Seven Layer Dip

2 cans refried beans
1 recipe guacamole
1 cup sour cream
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 can olives, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
2 green onions, diced

Layer ingredients (in order) in a 9x13 pan. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Guacamole

2011-05-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is not an in-depth recipe. It doesn't take a lot of time or a lot of ingredients. But it's WAY better (and much cheaper) than store bought guacamole, takes only a few minutes, and is a great holiday barbeque side dish. Oh, and P.S., on Monday I'll post my 7 layer dip recipe. Also not hard, but delicious.

Guacamole

2 medium avocados (ripe)*
2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 dashes hot sauce

Slice avocados in half. Use a spoon to remove the insides of the avocados.

Remove and discard the pits. Place the insides of the avocados in a medium bowl.

Add lime juice, salt, and hot sauce. Mash and stir until well mixed and mostly smooth.

Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.

*Ripe avocados are a dark green color and are slightly soft when gently pressed. If they are mooshy or starting to smell funny, they are too ripe. Buy a different one.

Black Bean Salmon

2011-05-17T16:34:00.001-07:00

Some people are not fish people. I am not one of those people. I used to be one of those people, but lately, I am really liking the fish. If you, however, are still one of those people, feel free to disregard the following recipe. If you are not one of those people, try this recipe, it is sooooooo yummy. (Notice how many o's I put in that "so"). - Kirsti

Salmon with Black Blean Salsa

Salmon

5–6 salmon fillets
2 Tbs. lemon pepper
¼ c. gluten-free soy sauce*
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. olive oil

Make sure salmon is completely defrosted.

Rub lemon pepper onto the salmon. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, and oil.

Place sauce and salmon into a Ziploc bag and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge. Place marinated salmon onto a shallow baking dish. Pour remaining marinade on top of the fish.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake salmon 15–18 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.

Salsa

2 c. BLACK BEANS (1 can)
1 red onion, chopped
1 Roma tomato
1/4 c. corn
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. lime juice
Salt
Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon generously on top of the salmon and serve.

Coconut Macaroons

2011-05-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Oh, glory. How did it get to be Friday? I have no idea where this week went. Between the peanut butter filled chocolate roses, the mounds-bar-type-filling filled roses, and the fabric partially-sewn-but-kind-of-held-together-with-hot-glue daisies (Teacher Appreciation Week . . .), the whole week has just disappeared. So, in keeping with the "I don't have enough time to do anything" theme, I am posting a quick, quick recipe.

I've tried other recipes for macaroons, but have always been rather underwhelmed. One was so sticky that they wouldn't come off the parchment paper, and the other was more like meringue. (Is that right? Meringue? Merengue? I'm too lazy to open a Word document and use the spell checker to check.) These, however, tasted just like I wanted them to. In fact, if I had more of them right now, I think that I would probably eat them for breakfast. (That is, I would eat them for breakfast if I weren't restricting my sugar intake. But I am, so I wouldn't. Eat them. Probably.) They spread out a little oddly at the bottom, which I'm thinking is because of the lack of gluten to help hold the egg whites together inside the cookie. I'll make them again one of these days and see if they need xanthan gum or if they'll be just fine if I smoosh the cookies down a bit before baking. Maybe one of you will try it and let me know what you find out . . . . In the meantime, this is how I made them.

Coconut Macaroons

1 small bag (7 oz.) coconut
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. potato starch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (in a pinch you could grease your cookie sheet, but I don't know how well they'll release).

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Drop 1" balls of the mixture on the cookie sheet, 1.5 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (edges will be light brown). Cool on a wire rack.

Family Dessert Night

2011-04-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

So, on Easter I invited a lot of my extended family over for dessert. It seemed like a good idea. I still maintain that it was a good idea. But, oh, the temporary insanity it caused. Oh, my.

For the following story to be as funny to you as it was to me, I must make several things clear from the outset. First of all, I have a very large extended family. I knew people in high school who complained about how much they disliked attending family reunions because "I have like 10 cousins and I don't know any of them." I marvelled at such statements, partly because I love family reunions, but mostly because I know and love most of my approximately 100 first cousins (about 50 on each side of my family). Not very many of them live here in Utah, but since we are all getting older and having our own children, family gatherings can get pretty large very quickly. I knew that I would be feeding about 30 people - give or take a few. The second thing that made my adventure so adventurous is that I don't go shopping on Sundays unless someone becomes suddenly ill and needs medicine. I just don't. It is part of my personal committment to keep the Sabbath Day holy. The final crazy-maker may sound like a nonsensical thing, but it is almost the crux of the whole story: I went on vacation to Washington for spring break and spent a week at my mother's house. We returned from this trip just one week before our story opens . . .

So, on Easter Sunday I invited a lot of my extended family over for dessert. I told everyone that I would be making strawberry pizza (mmmmmm) and something else. Most people volunteered to bring something to share as well, but I was going to be the main dessert maker. This was not going to be a big deal. I like baking and making desserts, and I always have all sorts of dessert-type ingredients on hand. I am one of the few people I know who generally has 5 or 6 boxes of cream cheese in the fridge just in case I get an uncontrollable urge to make cheesecake or something equally as yummy. To make a 13 x 18 pan of Strawberry Pizza, for example, I knew that I would need 3 boxes of cream cheese - one for the crust and 2 for the sweet cream cheese layer betweeen the crust and the berries. This was not a big deal. I knew that I had purchased 3 boxes of cream cheese on a recent shopping trip, had used a couple and had then gone back and purchased 3 more. I was set. In fact I knew that I had enough cream cheese in my fridge to make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting as well, so that became our "other dessert."

Well, I got my children working on the parts of the desserts that they were capable of helping me with. Three of them began cutting up strawberries and the oldest began putting together the carrot cake. (It's a wonderful carrot cake. My father's sister (who doesn't eat gluten free) says it is the best carrot cake she has ever had.) I helped my 12 year old grind up the carrots, then let her go to town mixing together the rest of the ingredients. Meanwhile, I went to the fridge to pull out the cream cheese.

This is where our troubles began. You remember how I told you that I knew I had purchased lots of cream cheese? You also remember how I told you that I had been visiting my mother in Washington state? Yeah. All the cream cheese that I distinctly remembered purchasing was (and still is, for all I know) in my mother's refrigerator. I had 2 boxes of cream cheese in the fridge, but this was not enough to make the strawberry pizza, let alone the frosting for a 13 x 18 carrot cake. Aaaaand this was Sunday (when I don't go shopping), and Easter (when most of my baking neighbors were gone visiting their own families). *Sigh*

So I got on the phone and managed to find one friend who had one package of cream cheese that I could borrow. (If she had wanted, I would now be obligated to give her my next born child. Fortunately she has several of her own and is uninterested in obtaining more at this time.) Now I had 3 packages of cream cheese . . . but I needed 5. So I decided to improvise. If I just frosted the cake very lightly, I could get away with only using one package of cream cheese in the frosting, so then I would only need 4 boxes total. I decided that I would try to make the crust for the pizza just using butter (omitting the cream cheese). Okay. We would be fine. Except that I got the proportions wrong somehow, and the crust (containing a full pound of butter) turned into a bubbling mess that was nothing like a crust. *Sigh*

Okay. I'd have to make another crust and just do a really thin cream cheese layer. First though (as it was getting rather late) I'd have to make the glaze for the strawberries. This was when I discovered that I had less than one cup of sugar left in the house. Don't ask me how this happened, because I really don't know. I buy sugar 25 lbs. at a time. I keep extra bags in my basement. Just one day earlier I had asked Troy to double check on the amount of sugar we had left. And I was still out of sugar. With 30 people coming over for dessert. *Sigh*

Do you know how hard it is to make a dessert when you have no sugar?!? I did a frantic mental search of my recipes, trying to come up with something sweet that didn't require sugar or too much cream cheese. The only thing I could come up with was Cocoa Pebbles treats. That was okay, though. I like Cocoa Pebbles treats, and I had recently purchased 2 boxes of Pebbles, too. So I got started on them (using my gigantic Campfire marshmallows because I didn't have any smaller ones), only to find (when I sent children downstairs to fetch the cereal) that my Cocoa Pebbles were chillin' with my cream cheese. At my mother's house. In Washington. *Sigh*

So I added some peanut butter to my melted marshmallow goop, hoping to make something similar to Chocolate Scotcharoos. FYI: That doesn't work very well. *Sigh*

So I made the frosting for the carrot cake (which turned out beautifully), and frosted the cake. Then, with about 15 minutes left before everyone was supposed to be showing up, I remembered that my microwave caramel corn recipe only needs brown sugar, which I had in abundance. Okay. Here we go! Microwave caramel corn! Yeah. Scorched it. Not irreparably, but STILL! Like the first 18 disasters weren't enough! *Sigh*

So I took the remaining cream cheese and combined it with some marshmallow creme that I had sitting in the pantry (past its "Best By" date, but still as fluffy and fresh as that stuff ever is) and made fruit dip for the 2 lbs. of sliced strawberries that were sitting on the table. And then my daughter asked if the microwave popcorn were done and I said "Yes, get it out," and she got it out, and the heavy glass carousel tray came out, too, and fortunately missed her foot on its way to shattering. *Sigh*

And just about then my family arrived, and a good time was had by all, probably due to the fabulousness of the carrot cake. The end.

So here's the recipe for the carrot cake. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

2 c. EGF all-purpose flour mix
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. finely shredded carrots*
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 recipe cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.

Combine dry ingredients. Add carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat on low until well combined. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until the edges of the cake start to pull away from the pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

*You'll need 5 or 6 large carrots. Peel them first. Then either shred them finely or chop them to tiny bits in a food processor. I always use the food processor, as I am always in a hurry.

Banana Muffins

2011-04-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me last week? I am currently recovering from the aftereffects of a Spring Break jaunt to Washington State. It was a lovely trip, but bookended by 12 hour drives with 5 young girls (which inevitably means a bajillion potty breaks). There are still a couple of unpacked suitcases scattered around the house because the older girls are supposed to unpack their own clothes and I haven't yet begun to breathe down their necks about it. Tonight, my pretties! The end of suitcase procrastination is nigh!

Speaking of procrastination . . . I didn't post a recipe during Spring Break (which I feel was practically justifiable), and here it is Wednesday and I still haven't posted one for this week either. I feel (almost) guilty, and will repair the omission at once. This recipe was modified by my brother-in-law, then my mother-in-law, then myself. (I love hand-me-down recipes!) They are my absolute favorite banana muffins, and (thanks to Spring Break) I have some overripe bananas sitting on the counter just waiting to be muffinized. (Also some not-quite-bad milk that needs to be used in frozen waffles.) Baking time today!

Banana Muffins

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. mashed bananas
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
4 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour Mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease (or line with paper liners) 2 muffin pans.

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and blend well. Mix in mashed bananas.

In another bowl combine the dry ingredients, then add them to the banana mixture. Mix until well blended.

Fill muffin cups ½ - ⅔ full. Bake for 25 -30 minutes.*

*Mini-muffins will only need to bake for about 15 minutes.

Chocolate Scotcharoos

2011-04-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

When I was in the second grade (Mrs. Hanratty's class, and she was the best teacher ever!), we made a class cookbook. One of the boys (I think his name was Jimmy) submitted a recipe called "Chocolate Scotcharoos." I never tried it because 1.) it was submitted by a boy (ewwww), and 2.) I didn't think it sounded very good. It wasn't until I had been married for several years that I learned my mistake.

I'm not positive where or when I acquired this recipe. It's on an 8.5 by 1.5" piece of paper. It's folded and oil/water/mystery ingredient spattered, and has been written on with blue ball point. It has been well used, 'cause it's delicious. I made some about a week ago, and my sister (as she reached for more) said: "This was a bad idea." My 6th grader took one to school in her lunch and shared it with her friends. Now I have been requested to supply 8 or 9 copies of the recipe! I've had people tell me: "I've been looking for this recipe for years!" And if you weren't looking for this recipe . . . well, maybe you should have been!

Chocolate Scotcharoos

1 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
8 c. corn or rice chex
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips*

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Let it boil for about 20 seconds, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter.

Place the cereal in a large bowl. Pour the peanut butter syrup mixture over the cereal and stir well. Press lightly onto a buttered (or parchment paper lined) pan. (I generally spread mine in a 13x18" cookie sheet.)

Combine chocolate and butterscotch chips in a microwaveable bowl. Heat the chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring gently after each time, just until melted. (This usually takes about 1.5 minutes.) Spread chocolate mixture over the cereal. Cool until chocolate is set. Cut into bars and serve.

*Hershey's are currently gluten free. Nestle's, however, contain barley, so don't use them!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

2011-03-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of the recipes I taught at our class last night. As anyone who really loves me (and was therefore at my class) will tell you, it was FABULOUS. The strawberry pie was also really good . . . but you'll have to wait for another week or so before I post that one. Don't you wish you'd been at Macey's with me last night?

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

1 c. gluten free oreo cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ - ¾ c. sugar*
1 - 1 ½ c. heavy cream
1 Tbs. Mrs. Richardson's Fudge sauce**
peanut butter cups (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Press cookie dough evenly into a 9" pie plate, covering the bottom and the sides. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the cookie dough doesn't smoosh under your fingers when lightly touched. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly.

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream together cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Add cream and whisk on high speed until the mixture thickens and gets kind of fluffy. (This only takes about a minute with my mixer, but it's a really good one.)

Spread filling into cooled crust. Drizzle with warmed fudge sauce (I put it in a sandwich bag and microwave it for 5 seconds, then poke a hole in the bag with a toothpick and squeeze lines of fudge sauce over the pie). Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups.

Serve.

*If you’ve got a big sweet tooth, use the larger amount of sugar.

**I have this in my fridge all the time, which is why I used it in this recipe. You can use Hershey's syrup if you want, but I won't guarantee that it will taste as good!

Lemon Cake

2011-03-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

I was going to post a picture of this cake and after it was all baked and beautifully glazed. I went and grabbed my camera only to discover that it's batteries were dead. No problem, I'd use the camera feature on my video camera . . also dead. I still wasn't worried cause I had my old digital camera. Dead as well.

I tried to persuade my children not to touch the cake until the batteries on one of the cameras had charged, but the next time I turned around a huge piece was missing. So, I threw my hands up into the air and we all ate cake. I guess if you want to see a picture of the cake, you have to make it and take it with your camera . . unless it's battery is dead as well? Enjoy! –Kirsti

Lemon Cake

¾ c. butter
3 eggs
2 c. Featherlight mix
½ c. GF mix
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ c. sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 ¼ c. milk

Icing:
4 c. confectioners’ sugar
½ c. butter
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. milk

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9x13 sheet cake pan.

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 minutes. Combine flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Using a mixer, cream butter, sugar, and pudding mix for 2 to 3 minutes on high speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mix and milk, ending with flour. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, combine all the icing ingredients and mix well. As soon as you pull the cake out from the oven, take a fork and poke holes all over the top of the cake. Immediately ice the cake while it is still warm, so that the icing melts and turns into a glaze.

Cool and serve with whipped cream.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

2011-03-14T10:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, I admit it. I don't blog as frequently as I should. And the only reason we've been posting a recipe a week so far this year is because Kirsti is really good at making me feel motivated. So I will readily admit to cheating a little bit and posting two recipes (which actually belong together) as separate posts. I excuse myself to myself on the grounds that someone else might be looking for this frosting recipe for use on a different cake than the one that I used it on, so it really is justifiable to pretend that I've written two distinct posts this week. Right? Right??

Hey! Is anyone even listening to me? *sigh*

Coconut Pecan Frosting

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Heat butter and evaporated milk over medium high heat until butter melts. Turn off heat. Add brown sugar and stir until the sugar crystals are mostly all dissolved. (The mixture shouldn't feel gritty when you you stick a finger into it.) (Not that I am suggesting that you should stick a finger into it . . . at least, not while it's still really hot, and definitely not while anyone else is looking.)

Add coconut and chopped pecans. Mix well. Stick it in the fridge to cool completely. Stir again before covering your cake with it.

Oh, and you might want to double the recipe. One recipe is just enough to cover a 9x13" cake. But who doesn't need leftovers of this, huh?

Coconut Cream Cake

2011-03-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to celebrate the (tentative) arrival of spring weather by having some neighborhood friends over for a Dessert Night. There were 19 kids around the swingset having a good time, and the party didn't break up until my barefoot toes began to freeze and the several of the kids began (literally) howling at an imaginary moon. (It only took an hour and 15 minutes to get to that point, but it was fun while it lasted, anyway!)

I made a Peanut Butter Cup Pie and this Coconut Cream cake, neither of which survived the evening. I guess they must have been as good as I thought they were!

Coconut Cream Cake

¾ c. butter, softened
1 ¼ c. sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant coconut cream pudding mix*
2 c. Featherlight mix
½ c. GF mix
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ c. milk

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.

Cream together butter, sugar, and dry pudding mix. Add all dry ingredients and mix together with a stand mixer until it resembles small crumbs. (This might work with a hand mixer . . . I just don't know because I haven't tried it.) Add eggs, vanilla, and milk. Beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed for about 3 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Top with Coconut Pecan Frosting (which I have posted in a separate post, so as to make myself feel more productive).

Cornbread

2011-03-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those weeks, so this post is coming out on Tuesday instead of Monday. But it's still yummy! - Betsy

Cornbread

1 c. corn meal
1 c. Featherlight flour mix
½ tsp. xanthan gum
2 - 4 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. milk
¼ c. oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425º.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, oil, and eggs. Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Beat on high speed approximately 1 minute (until it’s well blended). Pour batter into a well greased 8x8 or 9x13 pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes for an 8x8 pan or 12-15 minutes for a 9x13 pan.

Biscuit Coffee Cakes

2011-02-28T12:44:00.001-08:00

When I was in 6th grade, I took a couple of cooking classes. Those classes taught me a number of important things. First of all, never never never cook with expired clams. Secondly, seaweed is a comestible (I refuse to call it food) that I do not want to eat again. Finally, refrigerator biscuits dipped in butter and brown sugar taste really good.

While gluten free refrigerator biscuits do not, to my knowledge, exist, the good news is that I have found a gluten free biscuit recipe that I love and which works just as well. My sister and her husband created this recipe after she discovered that she is allergic to rice. Until I tasted these, I had resigned myself to the fact that I was always going to hate gluten free biscuits. They never had the right texture or flavor, and I had mostly given up trying. Since my sister shared these with me, though, I've begun to make biscuits about once a week. They're not only quick and easy, but they taste wonderful!

Mette's Oat Biscuits (and Betsy's Biscuit Coffee Cakes)

1 1/2 c. GF Oat Flour*
1 c. cornstarch
3/4 c. tapioca starch
1/4 c. potato starch
2 Tbs. potato flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
6 Tbs. butter flavored shortening
6 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 1/4 c. milk (or dairy free substitute)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter. Mix on medium speed until shortening is blended in. (Mixture will look like small crumbs.) Add milk. Mix until well combined. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Gather dough into a ball.**

Press some of the biscuit dough out on a flat piece of parchment paper (or a lightly floured*** surface) about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until doubled in size and lightly browned.

To make Biscuit Coffee Cakes, cut out biscuits as directed above. Dip both sides of each biscuit in melted butter. Place each biscuit face down in brown sugar, then place the biscuits brown-sugar-side up on a baking sheet or pie plate. (The biscuits may be placed touching each other or with space between them.) Bake for about 15 minutes.

*I make this at home by taking my gluten free oats (which cost $3.00 a pound, unfortunately) and grinding them finely in a blender. I really like them to be ground very finely, but you can leave some slightly larger bits if you'd like.

**These biscuits taste best fresh, but the unused dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. So place leftover dough in a Ziploc bag, seal it tightly, throw it in your fridge, and make biscuits in moments any day of the week. Refrigerator biscuits ahoy!

***I'd use featherlight mix or cornstarch. Well, actually, I'd use parchment paper cause it's really easy to clean up, but I think that featherlight or cornstarch would work the best if you want to choose the "lightly floured surface" route.

Lettuce Wraps

2011-02-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

After trying these at PF Chang’s, I knew I had to be able to make this particular dish at home.– Kirsti

4 Tbs. soy sauce
4 Tbs. brown sugar
½ tsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbs. oil
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 c. water chestnuts (optional)
1 ½ c. diced mushrooms
1–2 celery stalks, minced
6 Tbs. diced sweet onions
2 tsp. minced garlic
5–10 iceberg lettuce leaves

Sauce
¼ c. sugar
½ c. water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
¾ Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. sriracha sauce*

Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil on medium high. Sauté chicken breasts 4–5 minutes per side or until done. Remove pan from the heat and allow chicken to cool. As the chicken cools, mince water chestnuts, mushrooms, celery, and onion to the size of small peas. When cooled, mince chicken to the same size.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, if needed. Return pan to medium-high heat and stir-fry the chicken and vegetables, adding the soy sauce mixture after about 1 minute.

In a small saucepan, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. Heat the sauce just until it boils. Turn off heat. Add ½ the sauce to the chicken mixture.** Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve the chicken mixture wrapped in lettuce leaves with the remaining sauce on the side.

*This is a hot sauce that I buy from Gifts of Nature (online). You can use another type of hot sauce if you like.

** If desired, you can mix all of the sauce directly into the chicken mixture.

Oreo Pie

2011-02-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

My neighbor Cyndi invented a recipe for Oreo Pie that is to die for. It is so good that I can't even think of appropriate descriptions. She was kind enough to tell me her secrets so I could make a gluten free one. (Her only stipulation was: "If you get to be a millionaire off of this, I want royalties!") I changed things a little, but this is essentially her creation. Thanks for sharing, Cyndi!

Oreo Pie

about 1 c. gluten free oreo cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar (depending on how big your sweet tooth is)
a bunch* of gluten free oreos
1 - 1 1/2 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375.

Press cookie dough evenly into a 9" pie plate, covering the bottom and the sides. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the cookie dough doesn't smoosh under your fingers when lightly touched. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly.

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Add oreos and mix well, leaving some larger pieces of cookie. Add cream and whisk on high speed until the mixture thickens and gets kind of fluffy. (This only takes about a minute with my mixer, but it's a really good one. It might take a little longer with a kitchen-aid.)

Spread filling into cooled crust. Garnish with additional oreos. Serve. Try not to eat the whole thing by yourself.

*This is a technical term that means "as many as you want." Cyndi says she uses a full pound of regular oreos. I probably used about half that much. I rolled about 2 cups of cookie dough out flat in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, baked it until it was firm in the middle, cut it into big rectangles with a cookie cutter, let it cool, filled them with lots of oreo filling, then threw them into the mixer.

Flour Mixes

2011-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

Okay. It has come to my attention that I have made it rather difficult to find the recipes that I posted for the flour mixes that we are constantly referring to. I'm not really sure how I came to do that. I'm sure that I didn't MEAN to do that. But, however that may be, I am going to remedy the problem right now. So sorry!

The first two mixes listed below were created by Bette Hagman, one of the pioneering writers of gluten free cookbooks. (She wrote the Gluten Free Gourmet cookbooks.) The third is the combination of flours that Kirsti and I use most often. We find that it replicates the taste and texture of "regular" flours better than any other combinations we've tried.

GF Mix

6 c. rice flour
2 c. potato STARCH*
1 c. tapioca starch

Featherlight Mix

1 c. rice flour
1 c. tapioca starch
1 c. cornstarch
1 Tbs. potato FLOUR*

EGF All Purpose Flour Mix

3 c. Featherlight mix
1 c. GF mix

I mix up large batches of flour mixes at one time and keep them in my cabinet.

*Potato flour is not the same as potato starch. Make sure you use the right one!

French Bread

2011-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

We taught this recipe at our last class and it was a huge success! I thought I'd post it here, just in case you weren't able to come to our last class.

I came up with this recipe one night when I was in a hurry. We were eating lasagna, and I wanted bread, but I didn't want to go to the trouble of making breadsticks; I just wanted something I could slap on a pan, let rise, and cook. That night I fed my family plus four other adult guests and five extra children. The bread was the first thing gone! – Kirsti

French Bread

3 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbs. xanthan gum
1 packet Knox gelatin (unflavored)
1 Tbs. egg replacer
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. powdered milk*
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ Tbs. yeast
1 ⅓ c. warm water
3 egg whites (from large eggs)
1 tsp. rice vinegar
¼ c. canola oil

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Sprinkle yeast on top of dry ingredients but don’t mix it in. Pour warm water on top of yeast and let it sit for 1–2 minutes. Add rice vinegar and oil; beat for about 30 seconds. With your mixer on low speed, add egg whites one at a time. Turn mixer on high speed and beat for 4–5 minutes. The dough should be thick but not dry and crumbly. If it is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms a ball.

On a greased cookie sheet, form the dough in a long oval. (Wet your fingers with water to smooth out the top.) Let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake 25–30 minutes, or until the loaf is nicely browned and makes a hollow sound when tapped.

Cool for 10 minutes. Cut open and cover with garlic spread.

* Vance’s Foods nondairy milk works really well in this recipe.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

2011-01-31T07:57:00.001-08:00

My neighbor and good friend called me in a panic one night. Her 15-year-old sister really wanted a spicy chicken sandwich that tasted just like Wendy’s for her birthday dinner, and she didn’t know where to start. I looked up some recipes, and we went from there. They turned out fabulous! Her sister loved them. So, if you are missing that spicy chicken sandwich, give this recipe a try! – Kirsti

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

7 chicken breasts
⅓ c. chipotle hot sauce
⅔ c. water
6 c. oil
1 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour
2 ½ tsp. garlic salt
4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. paprika
7 GF hamburger buns
Shredded lettuce
Mayonnaise

Mix the chipotle sauce and water in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, garlic salt, cayenne, pepper, and paprika.

Cut the chicken breasts so they are half as thick. Then cut them in half width-wise so each piece will fit easily on a bun. Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to pound each piece of chicken until flat.

Dip each piece of chicken first into the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, and then the dry again to completely coat them in batter.

Deep-fry each piece of chicken until cooked all the way through, approximately 4–5 minutes.

Serve on top of a gluten-free bun with mayonnaise and lettuce.

Makes 21 sandwiches (Freeze leftovers and reheat them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees).

Churros

2011-01-24T14:56:00.001-08:00

I wanted to make these gluten free from the first time I tasted them. I went online and looked at recipes, and this is what I came up with. They were surprisingly easy, and I’m now kicking myself for waiting so long. My only advice is to make sure you don’t add too much cinnamon, because sometimes more is not better. – Kirsti

Churros

1 c. water
2 Tbs. brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
⅓ c. butter
¼ tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
4 c. Vegetable oil

Preheat 4 cups of vegetable oil in a 10–12” frying pan or a deep-fryer. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add the flour and xanthan gum. Mix by hand until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill a decorating tool (I used one from Pampered Chef), or a Ziploc bag with a hole cut in the end, with the dough. Attach the largest star tip you have to the decorating tool, Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, or pastry bag. Fill the bag with the dough.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. If the oil is hot enough, the dough will bubble up to the surface right away. Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze 4” long lines of dough into the oil. Use a butter knife to release the dough from the decorator tip.

Cook about 1 minute and then turn with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two until golden brown. Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and allow them to drain on paper towels.

While still warm, roll each churro the cinnamon sugar until coated.

These are great hot or cold! For a fabulous cold-weather treat, serve with hot chocolate and whipped cream.

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

I needed something to make with the extra pumpkin I had in the fridge, and since it was close to Halloween I decided on pumpkin muffins. It took several tries to get these right, but I eventually did and they are yummy. – Kirsti

Pumpkin Muffins

½ c. butter or margarine
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ c. canned pumpkin
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. xanthan gum
½ c. sour cream
2 c. EGF All-Purpose Flour*
1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
Chocolate chips (optional)
½ c. milk

Preheat oven to 375°.

Grease muffin pans (12–18 regular or 24 mini muffins).

Using an electric mixer, whip the butter until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in pumpkin, vanilla, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, sour cream, and spices. Alternately add flour and milk, mixing well after each addition.

Bake 15–20 minutes for mini muffins and 25–30 minutes for regular muffins.

* Make this by combining 1 1/2 c. featherlight mix and 1/2 c. GF mix.

French Toast . . . 'cause I made bread yesterday!

2010-10-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

While french toast isn't a terribly difficult thing to make gluten free, a recipe can't hurt, right? So, here goes:

French Toast

1 egg
2 tsp. oil
2 dashes cinnamon
2 tsp. milk
2 - 3 pieces gluten free bread

Combine egg, oil, and cinnamon. Mix well. (I once had a college roommate who just swirled her eggs a bit with a fork, which I think is just sick and wrong. So, too, did she, and she consequently hated french toast . . . until I made it for her and beat the eggs until they were well incorporated. Suddenly french toast was much more appealing!) Mix milk into the egg mixture. (You don't need a lot of milk - too much will prevent the egg mixture from browning well - but a little splash of milk prevents a fried-egg-on-toast flavor.)

Dip each piece of bread briefly in the egg mixture, turning once to coat both sides. Place on a hot griddle (about 375 degrees, if you have an electric one). Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.

Serve with powdered sugar, jam, or syrup.

Gluten Free Oreos!

2010-09-15T09:13:00.001-07:00

Anybody miss me? You know, as the end of the school year approaches, I always think to myself: "At last I'll be able to get some stuff done!" But, somehow, summer has escaped from me, and I haven't accomplished ANY of the things I thought I would. Well, that's not strictly true. I:

1. Did an awful lot of laundry and worked to teach my children how to do the same.

2. Did even more cooking and worked to decrease my "Kitchen Control Freak" vibes so that my children could learn to do the same. (They made cookies all by themselves a couple of times, and I didn't have even one little heart attack!)

3. Took my children to swim lessons almost twice a week for two months. They all had a fabulous time, and one of them actually developed a beautiful forward crawl. It was good enough to earn her a "Ducky Pass" so that she could go down the water slides even though she's too short.

4. Had 20 - 25 family members living in my house for the 2 weeks surrounding my mom's family's reunion here in Utah. We made the kids sleep outside, but with only one shower available, we had to do a lot of creative scheduling to keep everyone clean!

You know, when it's written down like that, it doesn't look like much. But I swear I was running all summer long! Oh, and Kirsti and I also taught a couple of GF cooking classes at the Provo Macey's grocery store. We taught fair foods in August (funnel cake, mmmmmmm . . . ) and then last night we taught a "How to pack GF lunches" class that entailed an awful lot of desserts. (That's the most important part of a school lunch, right? The dessert? My children seem to think so, anyway!) I intended to post all the recipes . . . oh, ages ago. Better late than never, though, eh? So here they come, one post at a time!

Gluten Free Oreos

1 ¾ c. margarine
1 large pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. featherlight mix
1 c. GF mix
¾ c. dutch processed cocoa powder*
1 ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
¾ tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

Cream margarine, pudding mix, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Chill about 1 hour.

Dust a clean surface with potato starch. Roll dough out about 1/8 inch thick, adding enough potato starch to make the dough less sticky. Cut with a small round cookie cutter (1 ¾ inch in diameter). Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

*Dutch processed cocoa is cocoa that has been processed with alkalai. It is much darker and has a deeper chocolate flavor than natural cocoa. If you can't find straight dutched cocoa, Hershey's sells a "Special Dark" variety of cocoa that is a blend of natural and dutched cocoas. These cookies just don't taste right without the dutched cocoa.

Filling

3 ¾ c. powdered sugar
1 ½ Tbs. granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
½ c. vegetable shortening
2 Tbs. hot water

Combine all filling ingredients and beat until smooth. Roll 1 – 2 teaspoons of filling into a ball. Gently squish the ball of filling between 2 cookies. Store in a closed container.

Enjoy!

A tale of two conversations . . .

2010-08-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in the middle of a family reunion. It's a lot of fun, but a little chaotic. My immediate family (along with their children) are almost all staying in my home. (Altogether, there are 19 people staying here.) This has created some confusion - mostly in my mind. The other day I asked my sister to get out the ranch dressing and sour cream. When I turned around, she was washing lettuce.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She looked at me as though I had lost my mind. "Washing the lettuce, like you asked me to."

Everyone agreed that I had asked Kate to get out the lettuce. I just sighed and admitted that I've partially lost it. So, when THIS conversation took place, I wondered (for a while) if I'd finally gone completely round the bend:

Me: "Where are the rest of the eggs?" (I'd purchased 3 dozen, but many of them had broken when they'd been shoved off the table!)

11 year old: "You told Maggie to put them in the freezer."
Me: "What?!? No I didn't!"
11 year old: "Yes, you did!"
Me (to my oldest sister, who was coming up the stairs): "Where are the eggs?"
Big Sis: "You told Maggie to put them in the freezer."
Me: "AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"

We eventually determined that THIS is what happened: My mom called to ask if she could bring home a bunch of meat and put it in my fridge. I said: "There's no room in the fridge. You'll have to put it in the freezer." I was a little hassled at the time, and didn't realize that the following conversation was going on around me:

Maggie: "Where should I put the rest of these unbroken eggs?"
Me: (on the phone, TO MY MOM) "There's no room in the fridge. You'll have to put it in the freezer."
Maggie: "I'm not going to do that."
Big Sis: "You'd better do what she says. If she tells you to put them in the freezer, she means it."

This whole situation inspired quite a lot of (slightly hysterical) laughter. Fortunately (as I was in the middle of making 3 different cakes) I had two dozen more eggs.

Ah, family life!

Strawberry Limeade

2010-07-02T16:02:00.001-07:00

I lived in the Bay Area of California for several years while I was growing up, and we had a lemon tree in our backyard. Ever since then, one of my favorite summertime drinks has been fresh squeezed lemonade. More recently, I've added fresh limeade to my list of favorites. I bought an electric citrus juicer at Wal-Mart for about $10, which makes juicing limes and lemons so easy that making either drink takes just minutes. The other day we made strawberry limeade for dinner, and boy, was it good!

Strawberry Limeade

1 1/2 c. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 c. water
2 - 3 c. fresh strawberries, rinsed and with caps and stems removed

Combine lime juice, 1 c. sugar, and water in a 1/2 gallon pitcher. Stir. Combine strawberries and 1/2 c. sugar in a blender. Puree well. Pour berry puree into limeade. Stir well. Serve.

*If you don't want to add the strawberries, just add all the sugar to the lime juice and water. Or, to make lemonade, substitute lemon juice for the lime juice.

Summertime, and the living is easy . . .

2010-06-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

School's out, it hasn't snowed for almost a month, and sprinkler-running children are beginning to make a regular appearance in the neighborhood. All of which means that my cooking is drifting towards summer-related foods. In our last class, we demonstrated a tres leches cake recipe. There were lots of "oooooohs" and "aaaaaahs". Just this last Monday, I took the same cake to a family barbeque, and my in-laws' in-laws requested the recipe. It's a cool kind of a cake, needing to be refrigerated for long-term storage, but there is seldom any need to store it long term. :) It's taken me a while to post a picture, because I have seldome been able to find the camera before the cake is gone!

Tres Leches Cake

2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. featherlight mix
1/2 c. GF mix
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
6 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. milk (or cream)

Place all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix together on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure all the flour gets mixed it. Using the whisk attachment, beat the cake batter on high speed for about 5 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. My cakes have always had a slight dip towards the center . . . but it'll be covered with cool whip later, so don't worry about it.

While the cake is baking, blend together the topping ingredients. Store the topping in the fridge until the cake is done. Pour half of the topping over the warm cake, using a spoon to spread it across the surface of the cake until it has all soaked in. (Most of it will probably soak into the middle, but you want to do your best to help it soak in evenly over the whole cake. You may poke small holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick to aid in absorption if you want, but it's not necessary.) Return the remainder of the topping to the fridge. (Stick the cake in there, too, if you've got room.)

As you can see, the topping soaks into the cake quite well. So don't worry that it won't all fit in . . . it will!

Once the cake is cool, slowly pour the rest of the topping over the cake. (I pour topping on one side of the cake at a time, tilting the pan to ensure that the topping doesn't just all slip right back to the middle of the cake. The goal is to ensure that the whole cake is moistened with the milk topping.) Once all the topping has been absorbed by the cake, cover the cake with Cool Whip (or real whipped cream if you have it). Garnish it with fresh sliced fruit such as strawberries and kiwi, if you like. Then return it to the fridge until ready to serve. (It's really good after it's been in the fridge for 2 hours or so.)

How to Play Snow Football

2010-05-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

1. Wake up. (Your spouse should do this by mentioning that it has started to snow.)

2. Tell your 11 year old that it will stop snowing in 20 minutes.This will (falsely) reassure her that the 6th grader/teacher kickball game will occur as scheduled.

3. An hour and a half later, realize that it has not stopped snowing. Look at the children's picnic table. See 2 inches of heavy,wet snow.

4. Look at your fruit trees. Think about how sad you were when a late storm snapped the branches on your (then) new apricot tree 2 years ago. (Don't bother thinking about how the same storm snapped a branch on the front yard maple, causing it to fall on your sister's car. All that is no more than water under the bridge.)

5. Decide to go shake the fruit trees off.

6. Put on a coat. (This is important. Snow will fall on you.) Put on your gloves. (This is not so important. Snow will melt all over them and into them, and they will soon be very, very wet. And so will your hands.)

7. Shake off the fruit trees.

8. Decide to shake off the front yard maple.

9. Realize that the front yard maple is very old and very, very big.There is no way you can shake the trunk and, even burdened with snow as they are, all but 1 of the branches are out of your reach.

10. Go downstairs. Get a football. (Also a small, light-weight basketball that is about 5 inches in diameter, if you have one.)

11. Take the ball(s) outside. Throw them at the tree. Knock down very little snow.

12. Look at the neighbor's maple. It is smaller than yours, but it's leaves are a lot bigger (it's a Norway maple, and yours is a Silver maple). Go shake the snow off your neighbor's tree. Consider this half-time.

13. Start throwing the football at the tree again. You will feel silliest if you throw it up underhanded, closing your eyes and hoping for the best. It will usually miss the tree completely. But if you look up while throwing, you will invariably get a bunch of snow in your face.

14. Decide that you have done your best. Go into the house and start writing about how to play snow football.

15. Hear the fireworks celebrating the other team's win. Realize immediately that the cracking noises you hear are not fireworks, but the sound of maple branches falling onto YOUR car.

16. *Sigh* Remember why you don't like this game very much.

17. Go outside 30 minutes later and do it all again. Time for some cocoa. And some Russian Tea Cake cookies wouldn't come amiss, either.

Black and White Cookies . . . almost

2010-04-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

My little sister spent last summer in New York City. She brought back a Black and White cookie for me. It was very good - a soft, cakey cookie with vanilla and dark chocolate fondant covering it. I decided that I ought to make a gluten free version.

Tonight, I tried it. While they weren't "Gag me with a spoon" awful, they were certainly nothing to write home about. They were just kind of - there. Certainly nothing worth breaking a diet for . . . in the end, no more than super-empty carbs. I won't post the recipe. But I'll try again someday and see if I can make them post-worthy.

Cowboy Monster Cookies

2010-04-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's raining in my backyard today. The new shoots on the raspberry bushes are dripping, there are occasional flashes of lightning, and it's about 10 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. Obviously, today was the day to try a new cookie recipe.

My neighbor has a recipe called "Monster Cookies" that called for no flour, and I thought I would try them. They did, however call for 18 cups of oats . . . . and WHOA! that's a lot of expensive gluten free oats to put into cookies. So I decided to combine my "Cowboy Cookie" recipe with her "Monster Cookie" recipe . . . yummy deliciousness resulted. Peanut butter, oats, and chocolate chips make a lovely rainy day treat . . . or any day, really.

Cowboy Monster Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 c. featherlight mix
1/2 c. GF mix
2 c. GF rolled oats
1 c. chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then peanut butter. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, and flour mixes, and mix well. Mix in oats, then chocolate chips. (The chocolate chips don't mix into the cookie dough as well when there is peanut butter in the recipe . . . the oil from the peanut butter makes them want to slip out of the dough. Just mix them in as well as you can so that you don't end up with half of your cookies lacking chocolate chips.)

Roll in 1 inch balls, and place on a 13x18 cookie sheet. Press down slightly . . . don't use a fork, just smoosh 'em a bit with your fingers. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Chili

2010-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

All right. I hated that last picture so much that I decided I had better replace it with a new post. These pictures strike me as marginally better, but I think that afternoon is just not the best time for picture taking in my kitchen. I guess I'll have to start making dinner earlier!

Tonight we are having Frito Banditos for dinner. At least, that's what my family calls them. Some of my relatives call it Frito Pie, I've heard it called Walking Tacos . . . well, I'm sure that there are dozens of things it has been called. What it means is: We're eating chili on top of Frito-type corn chips, topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and cheese. And, before you complain that cucumbers have no business on anything resembling tacos, let me inform you that I LOVE cucumbers on tacos, and you really ought to try it.

And now . . . the chili recipe!

Chili

1 - 1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1/2 diced onion (or use a TBS or two of dehydrated onions)
salt and pepper
3 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes (I love the petite diced tomatoes . . . not sure why)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilis
1 1/2 tsp. cumin*
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed**
1 can refried beans (optional)
1 16 oz. bag frozen corn

Sautee burger, onion, and salt and pepper until browned. Drain grease. (I usually cook 5 or 6 lbs. of burger at a time, add enough tomato sauce to make it all red but not liquidy (about 1 sm. can per lb of burger), then freeze it in ziplock bags containing 1 or 1 1/2 lbs of burger apiece. That way I only have to defrost it and dump it in to my recipes, instead of spending the time to cook 1 lb. of burger at a time.) Place burger in a large pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Heat through.

Great on it's own, as Frito Banditos, over home baked oven fries (or even store bought fries), or over hot dogs.

*Add more cumin if you like. I'm having a hard time judging the correct amount of spices tonight because of clogged sinuses . . . nothing smells or even tastes like anything!
**This recipe is also really good with home cooked black beans, too.

Ham and Lentil Soup

2010-04-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had to remove the picture. It grossed me out every time I looked at it, and I actually know how good the soup tasted! It was dinnertime when I pulled out the camera, and the evening light wasn't really good enough to get the picture I wanted. The soup, however, was definitely good enough . . . I was lucky to have enough available for picture taking!

I've never cooked with lentils before, but I've been wanting to for quite some time. They make a good food storage item because, like beans, they are a good source of protein. Not only that, they are naturally gluten free, which is always a bonus. This soup really doesn't require any strange ingredients to make it gluten free. I really enjoyed it, and it appears that the rest of the family did, too, because there are no leftovers!

Ham and Lentil Soup

1 meaty ham bone (mine is usually left over from a spiral cut ham hock or butt)
6 c. water
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1 pinch tarragon (optional)
1 c. lentils, rinsed and drained
1 c. carrots, cut into disks (peel 'em first)
1 c. peas (optional)
1 c. cauliflower florets (cut them pretty small)
1 c. corn

Cut most of the meat off the ham bone and dice it into small pieces. Place ham pieces and ham bone in a medium-large pot, then add water, salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and tarragon (if desired). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and boil for about 15 minutes. Add vegetables and lentils, and return to a simmering boil. Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until lentils and veggies are soft. Add enough water, if necessary, to make the soup soup-like again. (Lentils absorb a lot of water. I think I added 1 or 1 1/2 c. of water.) Enjoy!

Citrus Pound Cake

2010-04-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Strawberries have been available for about a dollar a pound for a few weeks now. They always smell so sweet and summery when I walk by them . . . so I buy some. And then, of course, I have to make angel food cake or pound cake to go with them! This particular recipe has been passed from one friend, through another friend, to me. The friend before me changed it a bit, and I changed it again, then I made it gluten free. It's really good . . . especially with strawberries!

Citrus Pound Cake

1 1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
zest from one lime and zest from half an orange*
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
juice of half an orange
juice of one lime
2 1/4 c. featherlight mix
3/4 c. GF mix
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 or 3 loaf pans with parchment paper. (I really like parchment paper. It allows me to remove things from the pans so easily. If you don't have any, however, a non-stick cooking spray should do the trick. Or you can lightly grease the pan with either butter or shortening, then dust it with featherlight mix.)

Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and zest, then beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, "until light and airy" my original recipe said. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. (Adding the eggs slowly like this allows them to mix evenly into the butter mixture, without leaving clumps of butter that are didn't mix in well.) Add the vanilla and citrus juices, and mix well. Then add the flours, xanthan gum, and salt all at once. Mix until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. (I left mine in the pans for hours . . . until I went to bed that night.) Allow to cool completely before serving. Cover leftovers tightly. (I kept mine in a ziplock bag overnight.)

This cake is good on the first day, but it is REALLY good after it's been allowed to sit for a while. I'd suggest making it 8 - 24 hours before you want to serve it. If you forget to make it early, though, it's not the end of the world. It tastes good, just an hour out of the oven - it's mostly the texture that improves with time.

*I used a fine cheese grater to "zest" the lime and orange, because I don't own a zester. The thing to remember is that you want the colored part of the peel, but not the white part underneath it. Once you are done zesting them, the fruit peels will look like pale copies of their former selves. Then you can juice the fruits for later in the recipe!

Quiche

2010-04-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Quiche has a bad name. I've heard all sorts of things about it, like "Real men don't eat quiche," and "Real moms don't make quiche." Well, that's hooey. Quiche is very easy to make, and it's delicious. I usually make my quiche without a crust because it's faster, but I do have a gluten free pie crust that I love. When I want to be fancy, that's what I use. Most of the time, though, I throw some parchment paper in the pan, pour the quiche in, and bake it. It's easy.

I took this to a Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck Breakfast this last weekend, and received LOTS of compliments. One mom told me: "I'm so impressed. I couldn't make this." Well, I'm sure she could. Quiche is very forgiving. You can add a little less or more of any of the ingredients and still come out with a great quiche. You can add spinach or shredded carrots or leave out the onions or use ham or even chicken instead of bacon, and you'll still come out with a great quiche. Try it!

Quiche - Gluten Free, Easy, and Delicious!

1/2 c. diced bell peppers
1/4 c. diced onions
1/4 - 1/2 lb. bacon
6 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheese (I use a 4 cheese blend from Costco)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sautee peppers. (Don't they look yummy? And if we had Wonka-vision, they would smell yummy, too.)

Cut bacon into 1/4 inch pieces (I do this with my kitchen shears), then cook it until it's crispy. (No picture . . . but it also smells yummy!) Allow bacon to cool on paper towels, to absorb most of the bacon grease.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Add sour cream and mix well - enough to eliminate any big lumps of sour cream. Stir in cottage cheese, shredded cheese, some salt and pepper, and the cooked bacon and peppers.

Line 2 pie plates with parchment paper. Pour the egg mixture into the two pans, trying to split the solid bits (like peppers and bacon) evenly between the 2 pans. (When I double the recipe, I split the egg mixture between a pie plate and a 9x13 pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut, and enjoy!

Puffy Oven Pancake

2010-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

This morning's Special Request was Puffy Oven Pancake. This is one of my family's favorite special breakfasts. I especially like the higher protein content provided by the eggs and nuts, which means that I feel full for longer than half an hour. This recipe really works best with Featherlight mix. I've tried it with other flour mixes and just haven't liked it as well. I almost always make a double batch, because my family of 6 easily polishes off two 9x13 pans.

Puffy Oven Pancake

1 c. featherlight mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. milk
4 eggs beaten
2 Tbs. margarine or butter
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 (16 oz) can sliced peaches, diced
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Heat over to 425 degrees.

Mix together featherlight mix, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt. Combine milk and eggs, and slowly whisk into dry ingredients. (I usually add enough milk/egg mix to form a thick batter, beat it well, then add more milk/egg. This gives me a smooth batter without any lumps.) Place margarine in a 9x13 pan. Melt in hot oven until margarine is sizzling (about 3 minutes). Remove pan from oven. Tilt to spread margarine over the entire bottom of the pan. Immediately pour batter into the hot pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then top with diced peaches and pecans.

Return pan to oven. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until golden brown. Pancake puffs up a lot while cooking, but almost always falls once it's out of the oven. Serve with syrup or cream.

This is the pan just before removal from the oven.

This is the same pan, after being removed from the oven. You can see that the edges of the pancake are 1/2 - 1 inch shorter after removal from the oven. It's shorter, but no less yummy!

"Cinnamon Roll" Bread

2010-04-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was making Sunday Morning Breakfast Cake, one of my mother-in-law's recipes (modified to be gluten free, of course). The topping is a combination of butter, brown sugar, and nuts, and as I was spreading it on the cake, I started to think about cinnamon rolls again. The pull-aparts, while yummy, do require a bit of prep work . . . too much to do on a daily basis. I decided to see if I could create a spreadable "cinnamon roll" topping that could be enjoyed anytime. It doesn't taste exactly like cinnamon rolls (my husband says it's not quite gooey enough), but it is very good. In fact, one of my 5 year olds just came up to me, saw the photo, and said: "Mom, will you make some of that for me again this morning?" Of course I will!

"Cinnamon Roll" Bread

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 1/3 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

slices of White Sandwich Bread

cream cheese frosting, optional

Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well. (I just used my hands to mix it together, but you could use a mixer.) Spread on slices of bread*. Place topped bread on a cookie sheet, then broil until bubbly. (When using the broiler, don't walk away from the oven. You only need to broil it for 1 - 3 minutes, and you will be happiest if you stay and watch your food the whole time. I'm always immensely irritated with myself when I burn something that would have been delicious if only I'd watched it!)

You can top the bread with cream cheese frosting, if you want, or eat it straight out of the oven. Either way, it's yummy! Keep extra spread in the refrigerator. Microwave cold spread for 10 - 15 seconds to make it spreadable again.

*I always keep my gluten free bread in the fridge or freezer. Then, before using it, I reheat it in the microwave until it's soft and warm. This takes about 10 seconds. Once the bread is reheated, it's as pliable as newly made bread.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2010-04-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Pancakes and waffles are one of the first foods I recommend to new gluten free cooks. The batter is easy to make, and they freeze and reheat well. They're great for peanut butter sandwiches, too. Besides which, it's easy to vary the recipe. This particular variation is one that my neighbor shared with me. The ones she brought me were full of wheat, but I was easily able to modify my own pancake recipe to re-create the delicious flavor.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/2 c. Featherlight mix
1/2 c. GF mix
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbs. baking powder
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon
3 dashes mace
3 eggs
1 ¾ c. milk
½ c. oil
1 c. pumpkin
¼ - ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, and pumpkin. Add to dry ingredients and mix well (there should be few, if any, lumps). Stir in chocolate chips. Cook on a hot griddle until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes. Flip and cook on the other side. Leftover pancakes may be refrigerated (or frozen) and reheated in the microwave.

Cinnamon Pull Aparts

2010-04-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

First of all . . . you will note the return of pictures! I will not re-tell the camera story now, because I do not have the time to calm myself back down. I will simply say: "Panasonic has NO customer service skills. But I fixed the camera despite them." Sheesh.

So. Spring Break, for me, means time to make fun gluten free breakfast things. I'm going to try to post a fun breakfast recipe every day this week. Considering my track record, though, I make NO guarantees!

About a month ago, I bought a small loaf of cinnamon pull-aparts from a local bakery. I've tried making them gluten free in the past, but the bread batter is so sticky that it was more hassle than it was worth. Well, as I stared at this little loaf of bread, I started thinking about the prepurchased frozen bread dough balls that are sold in grocery stores, and wondered: "Why can't I do that?" Coming up with no good arguments against, I decided to try it. And . . . it worked! One of my 5 year olds helped me make the pull aparts, and there was very little mess to clean up. Definitely a repeater!

Cinnamon Pull Aparts

1/2 a recipe of Gluten Free Bread batter, balled and frozen *

1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl. Line one large bread pan or several small bread pans with parchment paper. (This keeps the cinnamon sugar from burning onto the pan.) Roll each ball of frozen dough in butter, then in cinnamon sugar. Place into the pan(s). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Allow pull-aparts to rise while the oven heats. Bake pull-aparts at 350 for about 40 minutes. Top with cream cheese frosting.

*Each recipe of my White Sandwich Bread makes 2 loaves of bread. To make pull-aparts, make a batch of bread, but just bake one loaf. Scoop the remaining bread batter onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet using a small cookie scooper or 2 spoons. Stick the cookie sheet in the freezer. You can keep the frozen balls of dough in the freezer for quite a while, though if you want to put off using them for a long time, you might want to transfer them to a re-sealable bag so they don’t freezer burn.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-04-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite frosting recipe. I use it for cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, graham cracker cookies . . . just about everything that calls for frosting, actually.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together butter and cream cheese. When well blended, mix in powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Keep leftover frosting in the refrigerator.

Black Beans

2010-02-03T20:28:00.001-08:00

Oh, my. Life is busy. But, more importantly, my camera broke. So I don't have any beautiful pictures to post. But I feel guilty for neglecting the blog . . . so I'm posting picture-less.

Last summer I decided that it was time to add more beans to our diet . . . because groceries just keep getting more and more expensive, darn it! And my kids are just going to keep growing, which will make the grocery bill grow, too, and so I informed my children (on the way home from our family reunion) that we would be eating beans every evening from then on. My 10 year old was rather leery of the whole plan (everyone else just kind of ignored me), but I've trained them to believe that complaining about my cooking makes me (and, by extension, them) unhappy, so all I got was a semi-reluctant "Okay." After the first bite, though, she told me: "I don't think I'm going to mind eating beans every night!"

Most of the credit for this recipe goes to my neighbor, but I did change some of the spices to suit my own tastes. Feel free to re-adjust them to suit your own likes and dislikes!

Black Beans

4 c. black beans
lots of water
salt
onion powder
chili powder
cumin
5 or 6 quart crock pot *

Rinse the beans and pick out any rocks or things that may have escaped the manufacturer's sorting process. (I've never yet found a rock in my beans, but Wal-Mart felt impelled to warn me about the possibility of rocks, and so I'm passing the warning on!) Place the beans in the crock pot, then fill it up to the top with hot water - about 16 - 20 cups. Add about a teaspoon of salt, put the lid on, and turn it on Low. Let it go all night long. (LOTS of hard work, I know, but it's worth it!)

The next morning, drain and rinse the beans. (DON'T put cold water in your hot crock, though, as it will probably break, and then where will you be? Use hot water instead.) Return the beans to the crock pot, and add enough water to just cover the beans. Sprinkle spices on top (I use about 1 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. onion powder, 2 - 3 tsp. chili powder, and 1/2 tsp. cumin), then turn it on high. Let it go all day long. (You can stir it occasionally if you are home, but don't worry about it if you're not.)

Serve with corn tortillas and rice. Also yummy in black bean salsa, chef's salad, and chili (recipes forthcoming).

By the way, you may not want to start off with eating them every single night. Beans can cause some . . . hmmmmm . . . intestinal distress (if you aren't used to eating them). Rinsing the beans in the morning helps alleviate some of that, but it won't stop all of it.

* My mother has a crock pot that apparently thinks it's true calling in life was to be a real oven. If your crock pot cooks as quickly as hers does, adjust your cooking times . . . perhaps cutting them in half.

Stuffing!

2009-11-24T10:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, I don't have a picture of the finished product because I'm leaving for CA in about 1 hour and I'm going to be making the stuffing there . . . but I made the bread cubes at home, so that's what you get a picture of! I'll try to edit with a finished photo later.

To make fabulous stuffing for Thanksgiving (or any other time), first make a single batch of my bread recipe. Spread the bread batter in a well-greased 13x18 pan, let it rise for 20 minutes, then bake it at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Once it's cooled, use a pizza cutter to cut it into 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch cubes. Break the cubes apart, then return them to the oven for 15 or 20 minutes to toast/dry the cubes. (Or you can just let them sit out overnight.) Then just use the cubes in your favorite stuffing recipe, or use this one:

Stuffing

½ c. finely chopped celery
¼ c. chopped red onion
¼ c. shredded carrots
¼ c. margarine or butter
½ tsp. poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
3-4 dashes of salt
4-6 c. dried bread cubes*
½ to ¾ c. chicken broth or water

Sautee celery, onion, and carrot in butter until soft (but not browned). Remove from heat and add poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place bread cubes in a bowl. Add onion mixture. Pour on enough broth to moisten the bread. Bake in a covered casserole dish at 375° for 20 – 30 minutes. (Or use to stuff an 8-10 lb. Turkey).

White Sandwich Bread . . . really!

2009-11-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

Bread is one of the foods that people with Celiac Disease miss the most. Rolls, stuffing, sandwiches made from leftover turkey . . . all of these things require a bread recipe. If you want a GF bread that works well for all of these, try the following. People always say: "Wow! This tastes like bread!" Success!

Betsy's Favorite White Sandwich Bread Recipe

2 c. GF mix
1 c. Featherlight mix
1/4 c. sugar
2 ½ tsp. Xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp. Salt
3 ½ tsp. yeast
1/4 c. oil
1 3/4 c. warm water
1 tsp. Rice vinegar
3 eggs

Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Place yeast on top. (Don't mix it in yet!) Combine water, oil, and vinegar. Pour the water mixture on top of the yeast and let it sit for about 3-5 mintues. Mix well, then add eggs. Beat on high for 5 minutes.

Turn oven to 375. Grease 2 loaf pans or 12 english muffin rings on a 13x18 pan. Spoon into pans (or English Muffin rings), and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake loaf pans for about 35 minutes. Bake muffin rings for 20 minutes.

Thanksgiving! Aaaaggghhh!

2009-11-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

So, I started this blog with the intention of posting a new recipe every week or so. And I did really well at first . . . but then life hit. There have been broken feet and thumbs, snapped achilles tendons, 5 different cases of strep throat, and a chronic sinus infection at my house. Not to mention the Halloween costumes I made for my kids (Belle, Indiana Jones, an Army guy, and a Poison Dart Frog). Well, let's just say I got a little busy.

But it's Thanksgiving in just 2 days! And I really NEED to post some holiday recipes! So my husband is packing the car for the 12 hour drive, and I'm typing away!

Peach Raspberry Cobbler

2009-09-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sometime last winter (November? December?) I found myself half-kneeling in my backyard, trying to pick up the remains of the peaches that had fallen off the tree in autumn. It was so sad! I'd been in the exhausted stage of pregnancy when the peaches ripened, and I don't think that we ate more than half a dozen of them! Well, this year is different already. I've got boxes of peaches waiting to be bottled, and last night I cut up some of the more bruised ones and made Peach Raspberry Cobbler. I like to make and freeze extra batches of filling so that I can serve it all year long. One and a half batches will just fill a 9x13 pan. Use a double batch if you want more filling (or if you can't imagine trying to use half an egg in the topping).

Peach Raspberry Cobbler

Topping:

1 c. featherlight mix
1/3 tsp. xanthan gum
2 Tbs. sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ c. butter or margarine
1 egg
¼ c. milk

Filling:

2/3 c. sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
½ - 1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. water
4 cups unsweetened peach slices
¼ - ½ c. fresh or frozen raspberries

Combine all topping ingredients (except for egg and milk) in a small bowl. Mix together until it looks like coarse crumbs. Set it aside.

Peel and slice the peaches. (I used the peaches that had fallen from the tree . . . just make sure you cut off all the bruised parts!)

For the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Whisk them together to remove any clumps of cornstarch. Add the 1/4 c. of water and whisk it again. (No one wants to find a clump of cornstarch in their cobbler. Blech!) Stir in the peach slices.

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, then add the raspberries.

When the filling starts bubbling again, remove it from the heat and pour it into a 9x9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. Add them to the dry topping ingredients, and stir until just moistened.

You can see that it's rather sticky. Drop spoonfuls of topping on top of the filling, trying to cover most of it.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until topping is a golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Mmmmm . . . I think I'll go eat some more!

Dehydrated Pears

2009-09-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

This topic isn't really thrillingly gluten free, but yummy nonetheless. At the end of the summer, I usually break out my food dehydrator and start drying things. Yesterday there was a sale on pears at a local store - they were 20 cents per pound. When I got to the store, there was only an empty 4x4x3 foot box where the pears had been. The produce stockers promised more, so I waited for 30 minutes or so. Eventually the employees brought out 3 more of those huge boxes of pears, and the stampede began. Those boxes were empty within 20 minutes, and the produce stockers got a lot of good, clean fun out of the spectacle.
So, what does one do with several bushels of pears? If one is an adept bottler, one bottles them. I (unfortunately) am not. So I bribed my neighbor into helping me bottle them once they ripen. In the meantime I am drying a half bushel that I bought last week. Drying pears doesn't require a lot of knowledge, just some time. But in case the thought of drying fruit scares you, here are the necessary (highly technical) directions.

Peel the pears. Don't cut off your thumb.

Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Core the pears, starting at the fat end. Make sure you pull out most of the stringy things that run from the seeds up to the stem. (I told you these directions were highly technical!)

Place the pear halves, flat side down, on a cutting board. Cut 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick slices.

Spread the pears out on the tray of a food dehydrator. Don't worry about crowding them in; they'll shrink as they dry, and you'll be able to pull apart any pears that get stuck together. Stack the trays on the base of your food dehydrator, and plug it in. Dry them at 135 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. (If your dehydrator isn't adjustable, just keep an eye on them after 4 hours or so.)

Once they are dry, unplug the dehydrator and store the pears in closed containers. You can freeze them if you plan on keeping them for a long time. If your family is going to eat them before you can fully empty all the trays, however, just go ahead and keep them on the counter.

Dried pears are very sweet and incredibly addictive . . . be careful that you don't eat too many at once!

GF Mix and Featherlight Mix

2009-09-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

We use two basic gluten free flour mixes for most of our cooking. Both mixes were developed by Bette Hagman, the author of the Gluten Free Gourmet cookbooks. The recipes for these mixes are:

GF Mix

6 c. rice flour
2 c. potato STARCH*
1 c. tapioca starch

Featherlight Mix

1 c. rice flour
1 c. tapioca starch
1 c. cornstarch
1 Tbs. potato FLOUR*

I mix up large batches of flour mixes at one time and keep them in my cabinet.

*Potato flour is not the same as potato starch. Make sure you use the right one!

Doughnuts

2009-09-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've never been fully satisfied with the doughnut recipe from our cookbook, so the other day I decided to do some experimenting. I pulled about 6 gluten-filled recipes off the net, combined them, and then made them with gluten free flours. They were really good! The texture was just like "normal" cake doughnuts, and the flavor was great. My husband wanted to throw away the oil, but I wouldn't let him. Something this yummy deserved an encore!

Gluten Free Cake Doughnuts

1 c. GF Mix
3 c. Featherlight Mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. mace (or use 1/2 tsp. nutmeg)
1 c. milk
3 eggs
4 Tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Mix well. Let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

You can see that the dough is a little sticky, but the refrigeration helps. Now, to shape the doughnuts there are two possible methods. The first is to roll the dough out on parchment paper that has been dusted with potato starch. Using one large and one small cookie cutter, cut out doughnut shapes. The second (which I prefer) is to scoop out balls of dough with a cookie scooper, pat them out with a little potato starch to keep them from sticking, then swirl them around on a sheet of parchment paper until they are shaped like doughnuts. I'm not explaining this so well. Better watch the video.

Fry shaped doughnuts in hot oil; one recipe said 370 degrees, but I must admit that I didn't actually check the temperature - I just turned it down a bit when it started to burn my doughnuts.

Cook until golden brown on the first side, then turn and cook until golden brown on the second side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Enjoy!