Delicious Gluten Free Baking

Gluten Free Cornbread

2011-04-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

We like a sweeter cornbread, so this is doused in warm butter and honey. Tonight we had chili and cornbread because it is my husband's favorite. If you haven't seen Rachel Ray's beer chili recipe, check it out- it's amazing. I only had Bud Light and not a stout beer, but it was still great. Back to the cornbread...SO good. It is VERY difficult to tell this is gluten free. Our kids

fight over this, which means you definitely need to try it!

Gluten Free Cornbread

1 cup Jules or other all purpose gf flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

3 T. sugar

2 1/2 t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

1 T. butter

2 beaten eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter-melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix dry ingredients and whisk

3. Mix eggs, milk and 3/4 c. melted butter

4. Mix dry ingredients slowly into wet ingredients until just mixed-do not over stir

5. Place the 1 T. butter in your round baking dish and place in hot oven until butter is melted (about 1 minute)

6. Pour batter into buttered round pan

7. Bake 15-20 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean!

***I don't recommend using any type of electric mixers...Wooden spoons and spatulas work great and prevent over-mixing which just gets you heavy brick-like baked goods.

This delicious recipe comes from http://glutenfreemommy.com/

GF Cinnamon Rolls

2011-03-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

I think it's the same for all of us. We walk past Cinnabon in the mall and immediately start salivating. What is it with the smell wafting out? Butter, cinnamon, frosting, puffy, soft bread...Take your pick. Last week we passed by Cinnabon and my GF husband almost wept. So I was determined to make a gluten free cinnamon roll that was at least par with Cinnabon. No small feat. This is my very first attempt at GF cinnamon rolls. I think they turned out perfectly! The ONLY thing I would have done differently is to bake them in a smaller pan so they are all touching and kind of bake together. Mine turned out great for making individual servings all perfectly rounded. This is a great recipe and definitely worth the different steps.

I like to use saran wrap to roll out gf dough so it doesn't get sticky.

Then you can also use the saran wrap on the bottom to roll the dough.

Here the rolls have doubled in size and are ready to bake. I let them sit for about an hour and a half. Again, next time I'll use a smaller pan so they grow together more.

This is why you flip the pan out onto your serving platter...The gooey stuff stays on top and dribbles down over the rolls.

They smell this good while baking.

Recipe for GF Cinnamon Rolls

ROLLS:

1/4 c. water (warm for proofing yeast)

1 T sugar

1 pkt. yeast

1 t. vanilla

1 t. salt

2 eggs

4 T. melted butter

3/4 c. milk

3 c. GF flour ( I prefer Jules)

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

***All items should be at room temp.

FILLING:

4 T. melted butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

2 1/2 T. cinnamon

FROSTING:

3 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. butter

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

1/8 t. salt

THE HOW TO:

1. Proof the yeast in warm water with 1 T. sugar about 5 minutes or until good and frothy

2. In small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and baking powder

3. In large mixing bowl, beat vanilla, salt, eggs, melted butter and milk

4. Add yeast mixture, scraping down sides

5. Add flour mix little by little until all incorporated

6. Line counter top with layer of saran wrap and spray with PAM

7. Dough in center and use hands to flatten out, then place second sheet of saran wrap on top and roll into a 10"x 18"-ish rectangle

8. Remove top layer of saran wrap (you may not even need it if the dough isn't sticky) and spread with the 4 T. melted butter for the filling.

9. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough

10. Begin rolling on one end of the dough by pulling up the saran wrap under the dough and helping it along.

11. Slice in 8-10 equal pieces and place in a greased baking dish.

12. Cover with saran wrap and place in a warm place to allow the dough to rise. It should double in size.

***Can also put pan into fridge at this point to bake the next day.

13. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top and bottom are golden

14. Flip out the entire pan onto a serving platter to allow the cinnamon sugar that has run out to coat the top.

15. Mix up the frosting by blending all together and spread on rolls. You can let them cool first or just glop it on the hot rolls. Either way it's Heaven!

Hope you Enjoy!

GF Orange Chocolate Cake

2011-03-01T18:59:00.001-08:00

Hello again! I promise this blog is still alive. Life has been crazy

for the last couple of months. I really haven't tried any new GF

recipes up until tonight-I've just been resurrecting oldies. But

thanks to one of my bests, Stacy, (see photo at bottom) for sharing

this fabulous recipe with me, I have gotten back on the bloggin' wagon.

This orange chocolate cake is in one word Fabulous. It also calls for a

crazy amount of orange that will have you going "Whaaaaat?", but

trust the recipe-it tastes delish! If you are a fan of orange and

chocolate together, then this recipe is for you. Try it out for

a dinner party because you can sure fancy it up. Unfortunately I had

to frost it (read glue it) with chocolate after I accidentally dropped the thing and

it split in two. Still delicious. My very discerning crew gobbled it up! Thanks Stace!

The first thing you do (like 2 or 3 hours before you plan on baking) is

boil 2 large oranges or 3 cute clementines in water for 2 hours. That is

a WEIRD thing to do with oranges!!! Stay with me.

Aaaaand, then you pulverize those softened oranges in your food

processor. Peel, pith, juice, everything. (But the seeds). We are

talking serious orange flavor here.

The bulk of the batter is made up of almond flour. It adds a smooth,

nutty flavor to the chocolate. We have a lot of nutty around here.

Moist, firm, smooth orangy-chocolatey goodness. Enjoy!

Stacy and I with our crew in Portland, Christmas 2010. Love ya Stace! (I told you

I was kidding about posting a picture of you 8 months pregnant!)

Recipe for GF Orange Chocolate Cake

2 oranges

6 eggs

1 heaped tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups ground almonds

1 1/4 c. superfine sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

Put whole oranges in a pan and fill with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until soft. Drain and once cool, slice and remove any big seeds/ends. Once completely cooled, place in food processor (the whole orange...peel, pith and all) and pulse. Add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa and process until smooth. Pour into greased 8" spring form pan and bake in 350 degree oven for an hour. Check after 45 minutes, as the top tends to be done but center needs a bit more time. Put piece of tin foil over cake and continue to bake until tester comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar or orange peel, if desired.

***Stacy recommends drinking red wine with this dessert. I concur.

Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pancake

2010-10-18T12:31:00.001-07:00

Recipe for Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pancake

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2/3 cup flour (Use Jules or other GF all purpose flour for gluten free)

6 tblsp. butter, divided

3 tblsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 apple or pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 lemon

2 tblsp. confectioner’s sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the eggs, milk, flour, 4 tablespoons melted butter, sugar and vanilla to a blender. Blend until well mixed.

Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a heavy, cast iron skillet over medium- high heat. Add the apple slices and stir to coat with the butter. Pour in the batter and transfer immediately to preheated oven.

Cook for approximately 35 minutes or until edges have puffed up and are golden brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Thanks to: Never Enough Thyme http://www.lanascooking.com

Mini cherry crumbles-Gluten Free of course!

2010-10-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Aren't these mini crumbles cute? These are for dessert tonight and I think they might need

a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. They were super-easy to make, and if you have Jules

Gluten Free Flour or another all-purpose flour you are set!

The filling goes in the shells after they have cooked 10 minutes and then the remainder

of the crumble goes on top of the cherries. They cook another 15 minutes. Be sure to spray

cupcake tins first with PAM and they will scoop right out after they have cooled.

RECIPE FOR GLUTEN FREE MINI CHERRY CRUMBLES

Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tins

1 can cherry pie filling or other fruit filling

Mix:

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup GF or regular flour

1 cup oats

Add:

6 T. melted butter and stir

Press enough crumble into the bottom and sides of about 9 muffin cups

and leave a little crumble to sprinkle on the top of the cherries

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes then spoon your filling into each shell and

sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of each cherry mound

Bake again for 15 minutes or until the top is golden

Let cool for 20 minutes in tins, then cut around outside with a knife and

carefully remove to a cooling rack.

GF Banana coconut crumble muffins

2010-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

These "muffins" turned out really good. They are "muffins" because they are almost cupcakes. What is the difference anyway? These are made with butter and sugar, but I feel like the bananas and coconut add a little fiber and nutrition-so that's why they are "muffins". Once again, I'm amazed at how awesome Jules GF flour is. I was expecting flat-tops and I got puffy little mounded muffins! So cute! Jules has yet to disappoint.

By leaving some of the banana diced instead of mashed, you get little chunks of yummy banana in every bite.

Recipe for GF Banana coconut crumble muffins

Preheat to 350-Makes 12 muffins

Crumble-Mix with a fork until crumbly-set aside

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. Jules or other all purpose GF flour

1/4 c. coconut

1 T. melted butter

Whisk in small bowl

1 1/2 c. Jules or any All purpose GF flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Mix in large bowl

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2/3 c. sugar

1 lg. egg

Add (whisk-in) to wet

6 T. Slightly cooled melted butter (not too hot or it will cook the egg)

Add gently to wet

1 c. or 2 mashed ripe bananas

1 diced banana (in chunks)

Optional add-ins

1/4 c. coconut

1/4 c. chopped walnuts or other

Mix dry into wet with a spatula, do not over mix

Fill muffin liners about 3/4 full

Drop crumble mix on top of each uncooked muffin

Bake 20-25 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Summer Dessert: BBQ Brandied Peaches 'n Cream (GF of course!)

2010-08-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

I know! Peaches on the BBQ! What a delicious and easy way to use those tasty summer peaches. I was trying to come up with a gluten free dessert to make for Matt's parents who are in town. I thought about a cobbler, a pie or even a crisp. Then I thought about how much work I would have to do to make batter or dough. But since it took me so long to look up recipes, I had basically timed myself out of being able to make anything. Then I saw this recipe on Food Gawker. Of course I made a few changes, because I'm lazy and forget what I'm supposed to do. The peaches were really good and better topped with Haagen Dazs. (Isn't everything?)

First you slice the peaches in half and remove the pit. Then you dip them face down in a mixture of brandy and honey, then dip them into a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. This is the peaches ready for the grill.

Here are the peaches post-grilling ready for ice cream. Aren't they pretty?

BBQ Peaches: How To

There really isn't a recipe per se, just ingredients thrown together. Here's what I did:

Drizzle on a plate: Honey and Brandy- enough to coat the face of all your peaches

On another plate: 1/4 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 t cinnamon.

Dip halved and pitted peaches into honey mix then brown sugar.

Make sure grill is REALLY clean. You don't want old charred chicken bits sticking to the peaches! Then spray PAM so they don't stick.

Grill peaches face down first for 3-4 minutes (depending on how ripe your peaches are)

Flip over and grill face up for another 3-4 minutes or until a knife easily drops through. You want it soft enough to eat with a spoon. We had our grill at about 350-375.

Sooo good with vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

Jules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour

2010-08-31T08:44:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I haven't done my Jules post yet! I meant to do this a month ago. I've been using this miraculous flour without giving credit where it is due. Here it goes!

I used to be a Better Batter disciple. It was the first all purpose baking powder I tried after being really disappointed by Bob's Red Mill. And I tried Bob's after baking from scratch with 5 different flours with less than inspiring results. So, I'm using Better Batter and it is great. But it is still missing the texture of wheat flour. So baked goods are just slightly off. Then one day I'm searching my GF sites and I was drawn to the fun, whimsical packaging of Jules. I decided to order some and give it a whirl. I did my shake test before opening it to test the grittiness. It didn't sound like sand being shaken in a bag! This flour is soft and fluffy! Seriously, it's hard to tell it is gluten free. It truly can be substituted 1:1 in most any recipe. There is NO after taste, NO grittiness, NO brick-like heaviness. Just light, fluffy baked goods. You do need to practice GF baking tips like not over-mixing and always whisking or sifting, but beyond that it is pretty awesome!

I am a fan of not having to purchase 5 different flours/starches/xantham gum to create usable GF flour. Jules makes it so easy and it honestly tastes delicious. Ok, that is my Jules post. Please buy this product for your GF baking because you owe it to yourself or whomever you bake GF for, to EAT GOOD FOOD. Happy baking!

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread/Parmesan Grilled Cheese

2010-08-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

We have been craving really good grilled cheese for awhile so I thought I would try making sandwich bread. It was really easy and tasted soo good. Much better than the loaves I have been buying at the store. When you buy GF bread at the store it is heavy, brick-like and crumbly. Not very inspiring. This bread came out light and chewy and tasted delicious when brushed with butter (obviously) and sprinkled with parmesan before grilling. We also had it toasted with jam this morning. No need to miss good bread anymore. I will be making this a lot!

Recipe for GF Sandwich Bread

Prepare 8"x 4" bread pan with Pam spray or line with parchment paper (I prefer to line with paper for ease of removal)

Proof

1 pkg. yeast

2 T. Sugar

1 cup warm water

Sift in small bowl

2 1/2 cups Jules or any all purpose flour

1/4 cup buttermilk or skim milk powder

1 1/4 t. Salt

Mix in lg. bowl (blend well)

2 t. cider vinegar

2 T. Olive Oil

2 eggs

2 egg whites

Add yeast mixture to wet ingredients

By Hand

Mix dry into wet gently, not over mixing

Lumps are okay

Rise

In a warm location for up to 45 minutes or until dough reaches top of bread pan; it won't rise much more in the oven so be sure it at least doubles before baking.

Bake

350 for 35-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.

Slice while still warm. Can be sealed up and saved in fridge or frozen.

Gluten Free Raspberry Lemon Bars

2010-08-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe these are gluten free. Seriously. Jules GF Flour is so good it might as well be wheat flour. I didn't even add an egg to the shortbread and it holds together perfectly. This is my Grandma's recipe for lemon butter snow bars that I decided to throw a little raspberry in, just to switch it up a bit. I made these for a tennis team party because they are so pretty! Nobody there is even gluten free, but this flour just tastes better than regular flour to me. And it is so much better for you! Try these, you won't be sorry!

Grandma's Recipe for Lemon Butter Snow Bars

CRUST:

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/3 c. All purpose GF or regular flour

Mix by hand or in blender on low until crumbly, press into ungreased 8" sq. pan ( I line with parchment paper so it is easier to remove). Bake at 350 for 18-20 min. or brown on edges.

Filling:

2 Eggs

2 T. GF Flour

3 T. Freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. baking powder

**3-4 T. seedless raspberry preserves-swirled around. (optional)

Mix with blender until smooth and pour over crust...Bake at 350 18-20 min. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after it has reached room temp. and cut. It is easier to cut when at room temp. before chilling.

Yummy!

Gluten Free Focaccia Bread

2010-08-11T08:13:00.001-07:00

Thought I would try another GF bread adventure last night and it actually turned out fabulous. I had this idea of eating lightly broiled focaccia, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt, cracked pepper and herbs. Sometimes I'm disappointed but this time I wasn't. The texture was spot-on, the crust crispy and the flavor was huge. I adapted this recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess but of course switched out her flours for Jules All Purpose GF Flour.

I sliced the baked wedges in half and brushed them with EVOO, and broiled them a minute or so until the top was crispy. We dipped them in oil and vinegar, and ate some topped with tomatoes and parmesan. Lots of options for the easy easy easy bread!!!

*** PS...This is another recipe that does NOT taste GF. Nobody will know.

Turn on the oven briefly- to warm it- then turn it off.

Whisk together these dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

2 1/2 cups All Purpose GF Flour (recommend Jules or Better Batter)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum (Not needed if using Jules or BB)
1/ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil

Proof the yeast in a large glass measuring cup:
Add 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast- or rapid yeast to:
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cup warm water (at 110 degrees F)
A pinch of raw sugar

When the yeast is poofy, pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and add:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar (this helps bind and keep texture moist)
1/2 teaspoon mild rice vinegar or lemon juice
1 egg whisked

Stir to combine. The dough should be sticky- it doesn't really feel like typical wheat bread dough-

more like a thick muffin batter. Scoop the dough into a 9-inch, greased cake pan dusted with

cornmeal. Using wet hands pat and shape the dough into a rounded loaf. Sprinkle with extra herbs and a little sea salt.

Place the pan into the warm oven and allow it to rest and rise for 20 minutes or until doubled.

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees F. Set the timer for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to

350 degrees F for another 12-15 minutes. Bake until golden and firm. If you thump it it should sound hollow.

Remove from the pan as soons you can and cool it on a wire rack. Slice with a sharp bread knife.

Makes 8 wedges. If you bake at a lower altitude, or you use eggs, the loaf might be done sooner- closer to 22 to 25

minutes. Keep an eye on it.

Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

Gluten Free Hostess Cupcakes!

2010-08-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Beware: These are extremely rich, sweet, chocolatey, creamy, fattening...

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

(adapted from Food Network magazine, modified for gluten free by me)

For the Cupcakes
1 & 1/4 cups GF All Purpose Flour ( I used Jules)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla exrtact
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme (I didn't have any so I melted marshmallows instead)

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used milk chocolate instead)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing ( I used store-bought icing tube)

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in muffin tin for about 20 cupcakes.

Prepare the cupcakes: Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

(They will sink in the middle...they'll puff up when filled later)

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium star tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). (It's OK if some of the filling peeks out, it will be covered by the ganache.)

Spoon a little ganache on each cupcake and lightly spread with an offset spatula or a knife. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip;pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

(I copy n pasted these directions from www.bakeat350.blogspot.com)

Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Cake

2010-07-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

I needed cake today. That's all. I LOVE cherries and always keep a can of my favorite Oregon Tart Cherries in the pantry. When I found this recipe, I loved the combination of the streusel crumble topping with the moist cherry cake. Of course it is not written for Gluten Free, but it called for 2 eggs and sour cream which means it will translate very well to GF. Moist=good. I need a separate post to introduce MY NEW GLUTEN FREE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR DISCOVERY, but I'll tell you now, her name is Jules and she is my hero. This flour is ridiculously good. I might even have to say good bye to Better Batter. It looks different, feels different and bakes LIKE THE REAL DEAL, people. More on Jules later, I promise.

Here we are cooling off, and don't think those crumble bits dripping over the edge stayed there long. MMmmmmmm, or so Maddie told me. This cake could also be a tasty coffee cake for a brunch with the streusel topping. Maybe a different fruit? Peaches? I'm rambling. Enjoy!

Recipe for GF Cherry Crumble Cake

CAKE:

6 T. Butter-softened

3/4 Cups Sugar

2 Lg. Eggs

1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract

1/2 t. Almond Extract

3/4 Cups Sour Cream

1 1/2 Cups [All purpose GF flour of choice, or regular flour)

1 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

1 Cup Cherries tossed with 2 T. flour

Topping

6 T. Butter-softened

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup GF Flour

1 t. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Nutmeg

1/8 t. Salt

Directions: (Preheat to 350)

Cream

Butter and Sugar for cake and mix in eggs one at a time until smooth.

Mix vanilla and almond extracts and sour cream into butter mixture.

Whisk

In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients

Mix dry into wet until JUST blended.

Fold in cherries coated in flour with a spoon.

Spread into a greased 9" cake pan. (I like to put parchment paper in the bottom for a clean slice)

For Topping: Mix all ingredients with a pastry blender and using fingers, crumble the mixture on top of the cake.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

2010-07-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you feel like having apple pie, but you are just too lazy to make the pie dough. That's when I love apple crisp...So quick (after peeling and slicing apples) and tastes as fulfilling as a big slice of apple pie. Plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and it's pretty much as good as it gets! This is my favorite "crisp" recipe and works for any kind of fruit crisp. (See blueberry crisp recipe). Substitute the flour for regular or any general baking GF flour. Happy summer!

Recipe for Apple Crisp (GF)

4 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Toss together in separate dish and pour into greased pie or 8x8 pan

3/4 Cups Better Batter

3/4 Cups packed Brown Sugar

6 T Butter

Combine with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbles result and dry fully incorporated

1/2 Cups Oats

1/2 t Cinnamon

Blend oats and cinnamon into crumble mixture. Pour on top of apples and pat down. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Crisp will be golden and crispy on the edges.

This tastes amazing with ice cream!

Gluten Free Smores Brownies

2010-07-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago many food bloggers were posting recipes for these scrumptious summer treats, so I had to try a gluten free version. The result was amazing. I'm a Better Batter fan and thankfully they have a brownie mix that tastes so good you can't tell it is GF. Any brownie recipe will work with this dessert. And once again, my bulk purchase of GF graham crackers from Kinnikinnick Foods has come in handy! So easy and so yum.

It's a summer campout minus the mosquitos.

The How To:

Using your favorite brownie recipe (GF or regular), after mixing batter fold in about 4 broken graham crackers.

Toss about 12 large marshmallows on top about halfway through baking. They will turn golden and gooey.

Let them cool about 20 minutes before attempting to cut.

'Y' to the 'Ummmmm'!!

Cheerful Summer Treat (contains gluten)

2010-06-25T11:44:00.001-07:00

I made these white-chocolate dipped pretzels for an end-of-school party for my daughter and they were a huge hit with the parents and the kids! Super easy to make...Just melt the candy melts in the microwave, dip your pretzels and lay on wax paper while sprinkling decorations. That's it! They harden in a couple of hours and are good to go! The hardest part was actually finding bags of pretzel rods at the store that hadn't been mashed. These would be fun for all of the holidays as well with different colors and sprinkles...Endless possibilities! (I am still on the hunt for gluten free pretzel rods!)

UPDATE: I made these for the 4th of July and they were very festive!

Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons

2010-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Ina Garten, whom I love! Even though most of her recipes contain gluten, there are a few gluten free gems in her cookbook. These macaroons are so easy to make and are chewy and gooey. Delish.

Ina Garten's recipe for Coconut Macaroons

14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 extra large egg whites, at room temp.

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Combine

Coconut, condensed milk and vanilla in large bowl

Whip

Egg whites and salt on high speed in separate bowl until med. peaks form

Fold

Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture

Drop

Batter onto parchment lined baking sheets in about 2 tsp. scoops

Bake

25-30 minutes at 325 degrees until golden brown

Cool and Serve!

Also can be dipped in chocolate...

Gluten Free Coconut Key Lime Pie

2010-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Key lime pie has always been a favorite of ours, but once we became a gluten free household, it was something we had to say goodbye to. I always knew I could probably whip up some graham crackers from scratch...Yeah right. So when I finally found GF graham crackers online I ordered 4 boxes right away. Kinickkinick foods...You are my hero. These graham crackers are pretty good as a cracker. But crumbled up and combined with coconut, butter, sugar and almond flour for a crust...Divine.

Recipe for GF Key Lime Pie

Crust:

Crumble or mash one box of GF graham crackers, or about 1 cup

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup chopped coconut

1/4 cup sugar

6T melted butter

Stir all together and pat into tart pan or pie dish

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes-allow to cool several min. before pouring filling in

Filling: (From the Nellie and Joe's lime juice bottle)

1/2 cup key lime juice

3 egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix well with beaters and pour into baked crust

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

Chill several hours or overnight before serving

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

2010-04-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so when I realized that you could literally melt a candy bar to ice a cake, I ran to the store to buy some. This cake is iced with 3 melted Milky Way's! Yu-umm. The banana cake is light and moist, with a crispy sugary crust. Alone, the cake would be amazing. But this recipe calls for 3 Milky Way's and I'm not one to deviate from a recipe. Unfortunately Milky Way bars do have barley malt in them which contains gluten, but as this is only a small amount, I went ahead and made them for my gluten-sensitive husband anyway. Mars does make Milky Way chocolate covered caramels that are gluten free which would also be delicious as icing.

Here is the recipe!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

SIFT: In a small bowl

1 3/4 Cups Better Batter (or any gluten free all purpose flour mix)

1 1/2 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

MIX: I used the whisk attachment instead of the paddle for a lighter texture

1 Stick of butter

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 Cup sugar

ADD to wet mixture:

2 Eggs, one at a time and mix

1 t. Vanilla

2 Bananas-ripe, mashed

MIX into wet mixture:

3/4 Cup Milk, alternating with dry mixture, until smooth

POUR:

Batter into greased 8 or 9" cake pan.

Tips...I LOVE the PAM spray with flour for baking. Nothing sticks. I also cut out a circle from parchment paper to put in the bottom of the cake pan to help it come out clean.

BAKE:

350 degrees for 45 min-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Milky Way Icing

MELT: Whisking until smooth

3 Milky Way Bars (chopped)

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

3 T. Brown sugar

1 T. Butter

When it is all melted, remove from heat and continue whisking to bring the temp. down and allow it to thicken. When it isn't too runny, pour over the cooled cake and you're done!

Recipe courtesy of: http://lesgourmandisesdisa.blogspot.com/2010/04/gateau-aux-bananes-glacage-aux-barres.html. I made it gluten free by substituting Better Batter for flour.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

2010-04-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so cut-out sugar cookies have been on my list of items to learn how to bake Gluten Free for a looooong time. I have kind of avoided it because sugar cookies have always been a favorite with my family and we have amazing recipes that have been passed down through generations. I guess I haven't wanted to tarnish the memories of these delicious treats by making a less-great gluten free version. It finally took my GF husband BEGGING for sugar cookies, for me to finally take the plunge. And OH MY, OH MY...

These cookies have an amazing moist, crumbly inside just the way a sugar cookie should. They don't fall apart like a lot of GF baked goods...Actually, there isn't anything about this cookie that screams "GF". It is buttery, sweet and smooth.

I used better batter for my universal GF baking flour and as usual, I was not disappointed. As you can see from this photo, this looks like a typical sugar cookie batter.

I like to use parchment paper when rolling out dough...It keeps it from sticking and the clean-up is a breeze.

After rolling to the desired thickness, just peel the top layer of paper away and you are ready to cut-out!

Cutting, cutting, cutting...This dough is really easy to work with.

These babies are done after only 8 minutes.

Time to decorate and try not to eat more than 2 in a sitting, because we are saving these for Dear Hubby when he gets home from work. I did eat a few of the burned ones...My kids each had a couple. I promise there were some left for DH when he got home! He seriously enjoyed them (we all did) and couldn't even tell they were GF...The best compliment for a GF baker!

Have fun with these, and get out this recipe for holidays or just on a sunny, Spring morning, when you want to surprise your fam!

Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sift 2 1/2 cups Better Batter (Already contains xantham gum)

2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

Cream 3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs (Mix well between each addition)

2 t. Vanilla

Pinch of Nutmeg

Add dry mixture to butter mixture and mix well

Chill dough ball in fridge until firm (30 min)

Roll dough between parchment paper and cut out into shapes

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies JUST start to brown

Cool on rack and frost.

Enjoy! This recipe was adapted from Shauna's cookie recipe on http://www.glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com, with a little of my mom's famous shortbread cookie recipe thrown in.

Maddie's newly painted room

2010-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of Maddie's room, finally done. Wow, stripes are a lot of work, but really cute in the end. These pics are of the room before the art work on the walls went up, the chandelier and the new curtains went in. Our Aunt Ann helped paint all of these stripes while she was visiting...Thank you again Ann!

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

2010-04-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I discovered this gooey concoction on Food Gawker yesterday, and decided to try a GF version. One of the things I love best about Better Batter is how easy it is to substitute it into regular recipes. It is a one for one exchange. These yummy chocolate chip cookies are so good we barely let them cool before digging in. They are a bar cookie and are not over-baked...You want them gooey and chewy. It is a great base for whatever you want to throw on. I threw chocolate chips on the whole thing, and then a row of nuts and a row of Reeces Peanut Butter chips. You wouldn't know these were gluten free, they are smooth and chewy with a great texture.

A piece of parchment paper on your cookie sheet makes it easy to remove. Once the batter is spread onto the sheet you can throw on whatever you want...Chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, nuts sprinkles...Endless possibilities. And I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to throw a scoop of ice cream on the side. I also wanted to add that if you don't need to cook gluten free, just substitute the Better Batter for flour. It is 1:1.

Here it is straight out of the oven...Just cut into bars and dig in. Due to the amount of brown sugar and butter, it tastes like soft and chewy toffee. I think I'm going to eat another one right now.

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

Sift together 1 cup Better Batter,

1/2 tsp. baking powder,

1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl

Cream one stick butter,

2 cups brown sugar

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time (mix well)

Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in flour mixture until well mixed

Spread onto parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet

Sprinkle on any toppings you would like...Chocolate, coconut, nuts...

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, and *promptly remove.

Cool and Cut!

*These cookies are meant to be chewy-gooey, do not overcook.

Recipe courtesy of:

http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2010/04/texas-cookies.html

Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp

2010-03-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was gawking at food on foodgawker.com today and saw this lovely blueberry crisp that I just had to try. Number one, I have all these ingredients. Number two, it is very easy to adapt to gluten free. If you haven't purchased Better Batter yet, get to you nearest Whole Foods or shop online. So, thank you kitchen-worthy.com for this delish addition to my GF recipe book! This is a delicious general crisp that you could use with many fruits. Happy berry picking!

Toss blueberries with GF flour and sugar and pour into a greased pie dish or 8"x8" baking dish.

Using your pastry blender, hand-mix the butter, flour and brown sugar into pea-sized crumbles.

This is the perfect consistency...You want to keep blending until there are no longer dry ingredients in the bottom-It is all incorporated into the butter.

Once you have your crumbles, mix in the oats and cinnamon. This recipe is actually ridiculously easy, with crowd-pleasing results.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 or until it is golden and bubbly. The cinnamon will make your house smell fabulous while baking.

Ta-Daaa! Serve this warm with ice cream!

Recipe for Blueberry Crisp (GF)

2 pints fresh or frozen blueberries

1 T Sugar

1-2 T Better Batter

Toss together in separate dish and pour into greased pie or 8x8 pan

3/4 Cups Better Batter

3/4 Cups packed Brown Sugar

6 T Butter

Combine with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbles result and dry fully incorporated

1/2 Cups Oats

1/2 t Cinnamon

Blend oats and cinnamon into crumble mixture. Pour on top of berries and pat down. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Crisp will be golden and crispy on the edges.

This tastes amazing with ice cream!

Eye Candy

2010-03-23T11:27:00.001-07:00

Ok, so not exactly Gluten Free, but I thought it was too cute not to post! This is for a "guess how many" game for Easter, and it is also the prize. My daughter helped me put this together, and let me tell you, it was a tasty project. Thought I'd share!

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake (Scones)

2010-03-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sift together dry ingredients.

Cut butter into pieces and add to dry mixture.

Using a pastry blender, mix cold butter with dry ingredients.

Whisk wet ingredients in medium bowl.

Blend wet into dry ingredients.

Press dough into a 1" tall disk and cut into 8 pieces.

Baste with cream.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together in a large bowl:

2 cups Better Batter
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch

Cut into pieces and drop in:

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, coating the pieces with flour as you go, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the refrigerator if the butter starts to soften.

Stir in:

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

3/4 cup cream (substitute unsweetened coconut cream if you are lactose intolerant)
1 egg
1-2 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture starts to hold together, then gently knead the dough a few times with your hands. Depending on your flour mix, the dough may be very sticky. While this makes it difficult to handle, it is okay. If the dough seems dry and won't hold together easily, add 1-2 Tbsp more cream and knead it in.

Put the dough on a large baking sheet. Gently push the dough into a flat disk about one inch high. Cut into eight equal pieces and arrange them on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Brush some cream onto the tops of the scones. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.

This Recipe is courtesy of Gina E. Kelley of Portland, Oregon. (I changed to better batter)

Gluten Free Pizza on the GRILL!

2010-03-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me will tell you my favorite food is pizza. No if's, and's or but's. I am a self-proclaimed connoisseur. And there is no pizza better than pizza from a wood-fired oven. So last night I decided to try a gluten-free pizza on my BBQ. And let me tell you, it turned out better than I could have imagined. (And if I didn't have a piece-of-junk grill that heats unevenly you wouldn't be looking at blackened crust on one side).

Before starting this dish, I knew I would have to do a few extra steps to make the gluten free dough tough enough to be put on the grill. If you have ever made GF pizza, you know that the dough is more of a batter that must be spread onto a pizza stone. More on this later! So, here I am adding the yeast-sugar-water mixture to the Better Batter, salt and oil.

Mix on high in your electric mixer for 3 minutes until a nice, smooth, cake-like batter is reached.

This is where I started to get creative. While mixing the dough, I heated my oven to 450 degrees with my baking stone inside. When I was done mixing the dough, I took out the baking stone and greased it and sprinkled cornmeal on it. I then turned off the oven. I spread the dough onto the stone, making it nice and thin. I could have made this much dough into two pizzas by making it thinner. (The part of the pizza with the thinner crust tasted the best). I was hoping that the hot stone alone would set the dough enough to make it moveable, but it still needed to go into the hot (but off) oven for about 5-7 minutes. Not long enough to cook it, just to set it.

When the dough was done in the oven I used a spatula to loosen it, then flipped it onto a new tray. It was basically like regular pizza dough now and could be slipped onto the grill without worries of breaking apart. I basted it with basil-infused olive oil.

From here on out, I would suggest having a helper, because it goes quickly and you don't have time to waste looking for tools or toppings! (As I found out as we went). Here we are slipping the dough onto a clean, greased BBQ grill. The temp was about 400, but I turned the burners down on the side the pizza was on. In the meantime, make sure all toppings and sauces are ready nearby. For flipping, I had a flat baking sheet, but you should definitely have something larger like that...A spatula might cause the dough to break.

Here is the crust after about 8-10 minutes, but watch closely. Our grill burns hotter in the back, so we had to slip some foil under the section that was done quicker. So, we see the bubbles, I check underneath and it is perfect! I made my husband flip it for me because I was scared. But it held together perfectly and was starting to take on the texture of an amazing crust.

Here is the crust after an amazingly executed flip by my husband. As you can see, back burned front not so much. Rrrr. My old BBQ tried to sabotage my pizza, but didn't succeed I'm happy to say. But notice the grill lines and great color. The texture was perfect.

Right after that flip is where you have to work quickly. Get the oil or sauce basted on quickly and throw on those toppings so you can close the grill and let the heat melt the top as the bottom of the crust is crisping-up. It goes fast if your grill is hot. I had to use foil again to keep the back from burning.

Ok, now we are carnivores, so you probably won't see a lot of veggie or vegan pizzas in our house. We went all out with browned Italian sausage and pepperoni and fresh cut grape tomatoes. No sauce, just basil-infused olive oil. I also used fresh sliced mozzarella instead of the shredded kind. What a difference.

This pizza was amazing. My GF husband even went as far as to say it was "the best pizza" he's ever had. It was probably the Italian sausage and pepperoni talking, but I'll take the compliment. I thought it was excellent pizza and worth all of the work! It was actually kind of fun cooking outside. Let me just say that I would gladly pay money for this pizza in a restaurant...So you should definitely give it a try!

Gluten Free Pizza on the Grill!

2 Cups warm water

1 Pkg. yeast

1 T. Sugar

2 1/2 Cup

2 1/2 Cups Better Batter

1/2 t. Salt

2 T. Olive Oil

1-2 T. cornmeal for pan

**Preheat oven to 450

1. Proof yeast in sugar and water for 5 minutes. Make sure it is well dissolved.

2. Sift flour and salt, and add olive oil

3. Add yeast mixture to flour mix. and beat on high for 3 minutes. Dough should be like cake batter.

4. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on a hot baking sheet. Turn off oven after it has reached temp.

5. Spread batter onto baking sheet in a thin layer. (You may need to make this into two crusts depending on how thin you want your crust).

6. Set pizza dough in the hot but off oven to let it set for 5-7 minutes.

**Start heating your outdoor grill to about 400.

7. Flip crust out onto a different tray to carry out to the grill. Brush it with olive oil.

8. Have all toppings ready to go right next to the grill.

9. Grease grill and turn down heat on the side where the pizza will go. Slide dough onto grill.

10. When dough is bubbly and you can see by peeking underneath that it is ready, then using a large, flat tray or spatula, flip the crust over.

11. Brush with olive oil or sauce and place all toppings on the pizza. Close the lid to the grill so the heat can melt the toppings.

12. When the bottom is done, remove the pizza and serve!

French Bread-Gluten Free

2010-03-09T08:07:00.001-08:00

This is not normally a spread you would see in a gluten free household. It is one we have missed dearly. I've said many times I could probably live on bread alone. And cheese. That's all I need. After the gluten free verdict, I tried to stay brave for my husband's sake. But inside I was dying a little. Needless to say, when I stumbled upon this recipe on a GF recipe site from the UK, I was skeptical. But, somehow this recipe actually tastes like French bread. The crust is crisp and brown and crackles when you tear it. The inside is chewy and moist. There is no grit and no aftertaste. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Sooooo Good!

By the way, how cute is that olive oil plate? My Mother and Father in-law brought those back for us from a trip to Italy. They have been hidden away, but are now back in use!

Below is the first step...Proofing the yeast. You should use a fast rise yeast. Warm water, sugar and yeast...Wait until it foams.

Beat the egg whites before adding.

To the dry, sifted ingredients, add the yeast mixture and then the whites, butter and vinegar.

Since this is GF bread, there is no kneading. Just set that mixer to high and let it roll for about 3 minutes. It will look like cake batter.

Here is the consistency when you are ready to put the dough in the baking pans.

I am so excited about this purchase! French bread pans! It gives the loaf a chance to rise and not just spread, like on a baking sheet. You actually get a loaf shape, which makes you feel good...Like you actually know what you are doing or something.

Spoon your dough into the loaf pans you are using, or onto a baking sheet, and shape them like a loaf. I sprayed my fingers with Pam and tried to smooth the dough as much as possible. I then brushed the top of the dough with melted butter and cut little slits down the length. The recipe recommends letting your dough rest, covered until it has doubled. Mine never did...Grrr. So, I had really low expectations for this bread. (It ended up rising in the oven and tasted perfect, so there you go).

Here is a little tip I found somewhere along the way. I can't believe I actually posted a picture of the inside of my oven. Wow, that needs a pass with Easy Off. Anyway, to get that crackly, golden crust here is the trick... Put the bread in at 450 for 15 minutes and throw about 4 ice cubes into the bottom of your oven. Then turn the temp. down to 375 for 15 minutes and throw 4 more ice cubes in. The steam keeps the crust from setting too early, thus keeping the loaf from expanding. Then when the inside is done expanding, the crust can get brown and toasty. For a more rustic look, sprinkle a little four on the bread before going in the oven.

Aaaaah. Freshly baked bread. Is there anything quite so wonderful in this whole wide world? To keep the bread crusty, let it cool on the counter, don't wrap it up. My kids and I dug into one of these loaves before it had even cooled. We had put a whole loaf down before I realized we had better save some for Daddy! (The reason I bake GF :). He was blown away with how good this bread was. Just the other day he was reminiscing about bread dipped in olive oil. I always aim to please. Give this recipe a try. It has a few steps, but is SOOO worth it!

Recipe for GF French Bread

3 Cups Better Batter

1 1/2 t. Salt

2 T. Sugar

1 1/2 C. Luke Warm Water

2 T. Fast Rise Yeast

2 T. Butter, melted

3 Egg whites, beaten slightly

1 t. Vinegar

Melted butter for brushing

1. Proof yeast in small bowl with water and sugar

2. Sift flour and salt

3. Blend yeast mix. into dry

4. Add butter, whites and vinegar; beat on high for 3 minutes

5. Spoon dough into greased/cornmealed (optional) loaf pans (makes 2 loaves)

6. Slash diagonally and brush with melted butter

7. Cover and let double in size (20-40 minutes)

8. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes and don't forget those ice cubes in the bottom of the oven, then at 375 for another 12-15 minutes with 4 more ice cubes.

9. Remove bread and allow to cool, if you can before digging in!

**Keep uncovered or the crust will get soft

Enjoy!

**Ok, post script, this bread does not keep well overnight. Like many gluten free baked goods, it is best the day you make it. So plan on using it all up that day!

"Crazy Good" Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes

2010-03-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is my middle baby, Sam wanting to get in on the action. That was a hot plate, hence the "I'm going to drop this thing in 2 seconds flat" look. It was a quick shoot, blurry pancakes and all, but my little helper was very excited to get that dinner rolling. I have to tell you that this was the first attempt at pancakes in a LONG time. Last time I tried, they were buckwheat bricks and tasted like I threw in some sawdust for good measure. Needless to say, everybody was VERY wary for my latest attempt. These were good. Better than good. They were "crazy good" according to my GF husband. I have to agree...They had a buttery, chewy/crispy outside and caky, soft inside. And they were thick and light. What more can I say? Whether you are GF or not, these tasted so good I won't ever go back to regular pancakes. Make them.

Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla on high for 3 minutes. This gets the frothy, airy texture going.

In the meantime, melt 3 T butter and add to the egg mixture with a spoon until just blended. From this point on, it's wooden spoon only. The key to the light consistency is not over beating. Lumps are good.

Add the sifted, dry ingredients to the wet by stirring for maybe 10 seconds. Repeat...We don't care about lumps. The batter will be sitting now for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or even overnight. It gets thick, bubbly and those lumps get absorbed.

Right before you are ready to grill the pancakes, add your frozen or fresh fruit or chocolate. This is where you can test the consistency. You want thicker batter, not too runny, but runny enough so that when you drop the batter onto the griddle it doesn't stand up in the same shape. You want it to flatten out a bit, maybe with a little help from your spoon. I had to end up adding almost a third of a cup of milk right before I grilled and it didn't change the taste at all. They were perfect!

Here is Madeline, my oldest getting in the shot. I have such great helpers. If the camera could pan down here, there is a one year old literally sitting on my feet making it impossible to move. She too, loves to be wherever her mom is. Here are the pancakes on the griddle. Notice how thick they are? My husband was worried they wouldn't taste right... (Read-the look on his face said what else can I start preparing for dinner when this idea tanks?) But, oh, vindication is nice. He was groveling. Pancakes used to be his lifeblood, and the hardest thing to go without being gluten free. After my earlier attempts, we thought pancakes just weren't going to be a part of our lives anymore. Until now. Try. These. Pancakes. Do it, they rock.

Here is the Recipe for "Crazy Good" Gluten Free Pancakes

2 Lg. Eggs

1 1/2 Cup Milk (plus extra for thinning later if necessary)

2 t. Vanilla

3 T. Melted Butter

1 1/2 Cup Better Batter (Of course)

1/2 t. Salt

2 t. Baking Powder

2 T. (heaping) of sugar

1. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla on high for 3 minutes

2. Stir in melted butter

3. Sift dry ingredients and quickly stir into wet ingredients for about 10 seconds

**Lumps are okay!! Do not over mix! When the griddle or frying pan is greased and ready to go, check the consistency of the batter to make sure it is just thick enough to need to be spread with the back of a spoon, and won't run on it's own.

5. Let batter sit for at least 10 minutes and up to a few hours covered in the fridge.

6. Throw the batter on a greased griddle in the desired size and flip when bubbly on the top. I fed a family of 5 with these amounts. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Cherry Empanadas

2010-03-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe for cherry empanadas, something I learned to make in Home-Ec in middle school. My sister and I made them all the time growing up with cherry or apple filling. Since I have a fabulous gluten free pie crust recipe, I thought I would try it on empanadas and see if the dough held together enough to do a little manipulating. With a few little tricks it worked perfectly! Look how golden and flaky they look! And the taste is delish. I couldn't believe how flaky and buttery the crust was! There is no evidence of "Gluten Free" at this party.

So, here are the ingredients for this very basic pie dough. The recipe makes enough for 2 crusts. I usually make 2 single crust pies and freeze one shell for another time. Today, I made the empanadas with one and froze a pie shell with the other batch. I'll post pics later on making a pie.

Again, I highly recommend sifting your GF flour. Add the sugar.

Beat the egg before adding. There really isn't a particular order in which to add the ingredients. It will all be mashed together with a pastry blender (by hand).

Next comes the apple cider vinegar. I've noticed that a lot of GF recipes call for this ingredient so I would recommend buying a good-sized bottle. (Another of these commonly called for is buttermilk powder).

Then you will add a stick of cold butter. I like to chop it to small squares first so it is easier on my hands to work it into the dough.

Lastly you will add the cold water, tablespoon by tablespoon until the desired dough consistency is achieved. (Kind of crumbly, not smooth).

Here I am blending the dough with my trusty pastry blender. It keeps you from over mixing, like an electric blender would do.

It is now time to tip some of the dough onto the wax paper. This is the correct consistency. Very crumbly. It will easily roll into a smooth ball at this point. TIP: I have found that the easiest way to work with GF dough is to roll it between 2 pieces of wax paper so that you can lift it in the paper, move it to where you need it and remove the wax. No breakage that way.

Ok, so here is a small ball of dough ready to be rolled between 2 pieces of wax paper.

After removing the top sheet, put a spoonful of filling (I'm obsessed with cherry) onto the center of the dough. Don't get too carried away otherwise it will squirt out the sides.

Then you just fold it in half and seal the edges with a fork.

Before baking I will brush the dough with an egg yolk/cream mixture to get that golden and crispy color. I then sprinkle a little sugar on each one for no real reason, but that I think you should. Ok, it is to make it sparkly.

Ok, here is the recipe for these little gems, and any other pie you could think of. I use it for quiches, 2-crust fruit pies, pumpkin pie, and now empanadas!

350 for 12-15 minutes

2 cups Better Batter

1 egg, beaten

1 t. salt

2 T. sugar

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

4-5 T. cold water

Egg yolk/milk or cream for brushing on before baking

sprinkle of sugar and or cinnamon sugar

1. Blend together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Adding only enough water to moisten.

2. Turn out golf ball sized amounts of dough onto wax paper. Flatten into disks with your hands and then roll between 2 pieces of wax paper.

3. Spoon filling into middle of each circle and fold in half, sealing edges with a fork.

4. Place on ungreased baking sheet and poke a tiny hole in each one for breathing.

5. Brush on egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

These are great little desserts to bring to a Mexican food potluck. Add a little cinnamon to the top for a different kick. You will seriously enjoy this recipe for basic pie dough because it is so versatile! Happy baking!

"Any Pie" Crust

2010-03-07T15:56:00.001-08:00

Here is the leftover dough from the empanadas, made into a single-crust pie. I will freeze this until I need it for a quiche or a pumpkin pie.

Flatten the dough into a flat disk and then place between two pieces of wax paper to roll out. The wax paper is crucial because this dough will break apart if it isn't stuck to something.

Once the dough is rolled out to the desired dimensions, simply remove the top layer of wax paper and set the dough paper side up in the pie dish.

Then you slowly remove the top layer of wax and voila, the GF pie dough is in the dish, waiting to be shaped and filled!

Enjoy this incredibly versatile recipe for it's flavorful and flaky, golden crust that tastes amazing with both sweet and savory fillings.

For double crust pies, use the same method for moving the top layer onto the pie and removing the wax paper.

Where to find Better Batter

2010-03-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

They make baking gluten-free so easy and delicious.

www.betterbatter.org

Gluten Free Ginger and Molasses Cupcakes

2010-03-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

I will give lots of little tips and insights into gluten free baking in my descriptions, so you can learn from my mistakes!

Here are the ingredients for delicious Gluten Free Ginger cupcakes. My baking powder was so excited he hopped in the picture, even though he is not actually in the recipe. Woops. One tip I have is go get real ginger root. It makes all the difference! Also, one guy who didn't make it into the picture, but played an integral role is.......Pepper! That's right, freshly ground black pepper. Don't ask why, just do it. Put it in. Trust me.

SIFT. Don't think you can get away without sifting. This is gluten free baking we are talking about. We don't take shortcuts here if we want to eat baked goods that don't taste like a brick. Please notice my box of Better Batter. Note: THIS IS THE ONLY GLUTEN FREE FLOUR YOU WILL EVER NEED TO BUY. That is all. I now have an entire pantry full of bags of Bob's Red Mill products that I may never use again. Since discovering Better Batter, I have never gone back to the whole xantham gum, gritty rice flour, nasty aftertaste nightmare. More about Better Batter later. I worship it.

Here is the minced ginger and sugar mixture getting nice and flavorful. By the time it is ready to add, it is almost a syrup. But let it sit awhile just like this until you are ready for it.

Cream the butter and brown and white sugar. Nice and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

I have already added the 3 eggs, one at a time at this point. It is time to add the ginger sugar. Mmmmm, the aroma is already delicious!

The molasses comes next. Slowly add while mixing. This gives the cupcakes that rich, dark color.
Then, in 3rds, mix in the dry ingredients.

Milk comes next, slowly.
Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese into the batter. I don't like over-mixing. (Back to the brick thing). The batter will be a little lumpy with cream cheese. It leaves delicious little cream cheese pockets in the baked cupcakes that are scrumptious.

Fill those cupcake liners about 3/4ths full and pop in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean!
For the "drizzle", mix cream and powdered sugar to get a good consistency for drizzling.

Ta Daaaaaaa! I am telling you, these do not taste gluten free. No, they don't puff up like their gluten-filled cousins, but those days are gone-get over it. You won't miss it. Whoever said you had to give up comfort food when you go gluten free? The secret is BETTER BATTER. That's all you need to whip up your favorite family recipes. It is a one for one exchange in any recipe. More recipes to come....Enjoy!

***By the way, the best place to look for Better Batter is online. Amazon.com, just google it, there are a ton of retailers.

Ginger Molasses Cupcakes

2 T fresh ginger-diced

1 T sugar

2 cups Better Batter (Or GF all purpose baking flour)

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

2 t. ground ginger

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

3 lg. eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup milk

3 oz. cream cheese

Drizzle

powdered sugar

whipping cream

Directions: 350 for 15-20 min.

1. Combine Tablespoon of sugar and minced ginger and set aside.

2 Sift together dry ingredients

3. In electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars

4. Add eggs one at a time

5. Add molasses

6. Add sugared ginger

7. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients

8. Add milk slowly while mixing

9. Add rest of dry ingredients

10. Add cream cheese in small drops

11. Mix until just combined

Drop into cupcake liners and fill to 3/4 full. Bake.

While baking, mix up your "drizzle" by adding enough cream and sugar to get a nice consistency for swirling on the tops of the cupcakes. I try to wait for them to cool a little before hitting them with the drizzle so it doesn't run off. Try. What I usually end up with is a lot of frosting on the counter, not much on the cupcakes. This time I waited. And look how pretty.

Enjoy! And thank you Gluten Girl and Chef for the basis of this recipe. I changed the flour to Better Batter, since I am a disciple.

Old Pics I'm playing with

2010-03-03T11:33:00.001-08:00

Pics I'm playing with on Photoshop

2010-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

Friend's wedding

Sam chasing the chicks

Taken from moving vehicle, but I love playing with grass and sky.

Maddie and her kite, 2 ways.

Sam and Libby playing with their "blocks" in the pantry

2010-02-26T09:47:00.001-08:00

I tried out all kinds of Photoshop actions with this one!

Old Picture of Libby

2010-02-25T19:55:00.001-08:00

Arizona Trip Feb. 2010

2010-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

Reid Park Zoo

Crissie and Sam checking out the elephants

Our family's favorite Italian Restaurant, Mama Louisa's

Boot Hill Graveyard in Tombstone, AZ

Bisbee, Az Coppertown

San Xavier del Bac Mission, South Tucson. Thank you

Crissie for the

use of your wide-angle lens!

SAmple post hollan

2010-02-24T13:39:00.001-08:00

see???