Peanut Butter Cookies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!