My New Baking Friend

I have put this fantastic pan to use over the past few weeks.  It makes the perfect size snack / treat for the kids.  It really works great with a lot of the cookie recipes because the cookies cannot run or puddle therefore making a very presentable cookie.  I purchased it at Hobby Lobby and  I would definitely recommend it!!  It costs about $15, but if you use their 40% off coupon it is closer to $8.  We have made cookie bars, twinkies, banana bars and zucchini bars with it.  Next up is some cornbread sticks for dippin' in some chili!!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Just in time for fall and the upcoming holidays. There is something about pumpkin, cream cheese and chocolate all together at the same time!  They freeze well (without the frosting) and they are super moist and yummy.  Even without frosting on top they are a very delicious cookie. I have to thank my friend Erin for sharing this recipe with us. 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup shortening, (butter flavored) (I used softened butter)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree,
2 cups GF Flour (Four bean flour) (I used Featherlite)
1tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Egg Replacer (did not use)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 vanilla pudding, instant, 3.4 oz. package (sugar free optional)

Icing
1 16 oz. cream cheese, container of frosting
maple flavoring to taste or make cream cheese frosting from scratch and add maple flavoring
I just used cream cheese flavored frosting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla then stir in the pumpkin puree.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla instant pudding mix; gradually mix into the pumpkin mixture. (The dough will be very tacky and you may want to add ⅓ to ½ cup flour to the mix to be able to roll the dough and to adjust for high altitude to keep the cookies from spreading out as much when they bake).
4. Roll into walnut sized balls and place them two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes in preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

**I ended up using about 2 ½ -2 ¾ c of flour.
I also like to add about a half a bag of chocolate chips

Three Beans and Bacon over Rice

The best way to describe this recipe is it  tastes just like Bush's Baked Beans or Pork n Beans.   

1/2 lb Bacon cut into small pieces ( I used turkey bacon)
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 C Onion
1/2 C Ketchup
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp-1/4 C Dijon Mustard
3 cans of different beans, rinsed and drained ( I used black, pinto and northern white beans)
1/2  C beef broth
4 C cooked rice

1. Fry bacon until crisp.
2. Brown hamburger and onion and drain.
3. Add next 7 ingredients and simmer on stove for 1 hour.

Serve over cooked rice.

Chicken Stir Fry

This recipe comes from The Dr. Oz Show.    It is very easy, quick and pretty tastey.

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ onion, chopped
4 tsp of fresh ginger, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup of cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 cups of multi grain rice, cooked
4 cup of fresh spinach
4 tsp of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions
Cook rice according to directions on box. Heat skillet, add onion, celery, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add cooked rice, spinach and chicken and toss. Season with salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Serve.

** Multi grain rice was rather expensive, so I bought a small box of wild rice, then with the brown and white rice I had at home I mixed them all together to make 2 C of multi grain.  I cooked mine in my rice cooker according to the directions in the manual for brown rice.

Cupcake Cones

Moist, yummy, and leaves you wanting more....

Cupcake Cones

1 Box Betty Crocker GF Yellow or Devils Food Cake mix

12 GF ice cream cones (I get mine at Sunflower Market...'Let's Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones' is the brand name)

Frosting of your choice

Mix cake per directions on package.  Fill each cone about 2/3 full.  I place mine in a muffin tray.  Very carefully move pan to oven and bake 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).  Let cool before frosting.  Store any leftovers (if any!!) in airtight container.

Gold Fish Crackers

Back to school means back to thinking about and making snacks...I came across this recipe for goldfish crackers.  It sounded so easy and simple and it was!!  I didn't have a fish cutter, so for today is was hearts of gold!!  I would definitely like to try these again but maybe add a little garlic powder and some parmesan cheese.

4 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4 Tbs. Butter (Softened just a tiny bit)
3/4 c. Cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Tbs. Milk
Topping: salt, dried herbs or spices if desired

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. (Parchment paper works well too)
Combine all the ingredients, except the milk, in a medium size-bowl. Mix until the mixture resembles a fine crumb. Add the milk and beat well.
On a lightly greased surface (I rolled mine between two pieces of wax paper), pat or roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 3/4 inch squares or another small shape that you like. You can also cut the dough into larger round or square shapes, just extend the cooking time.

Prick the tops of the crackers with a fork and sprinkle lightly with your desired topping (I just used salt).
Bake on the prepared baking sheet until golden brown and crisp, approximately 10 minutes. The crackers will be light and crispy, although barely browning at the edges. The bottom of the crackers will have a bit more color.

Pita Bread Pockets

These pita bread pockets turned out really well.  The first few I rolled out were a little on the small side, but I made the last two much bigger and they held a lot more of the yummy sandwich stuffing.  We tried it with chopped up turkey lunch meat as well grilled barbequed chicken.  My husbands last words were: "we can definitely have these again!"

Pita Bread

1 pkg yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/2 C warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 C brown rice flour
1/2 C tapioca flour
1 C sorgum flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 C warm water
1 egg or 1 TBS ground flaxseed mixed with 3 TBS warm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 C warm water.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes unitl water is frothy.

Combine flours, xanthan gum and salt in large bowl using a heavy duty mixer (Bosch or Kitchen Aid).  Pour in yeast mixture and egg and mix on meduim for 2 minutes.  Add enough water so that dough is soft and tacky, not liquid.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl.  Turn upside down so all dough is oiled.  Allow to sit in a warm place for about 2-3 hours or until it has increased in size.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Using bottom rack of oven, place baking sheet in oven as it preheats.

Pinch of 12 small  pieces of dough and place them on a floured surface.  Roll each ball into a circle about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.  Place several circles on preheated baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes (until bread puffs up).  Turn over and bake for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove pitas from baking sheet with spatula.  Serve immediately.

Fill pitas with favorite sandwich condiments...lettuce, meat, cheese, olives, pickles, mayo and mustard.

FYI:
I use SAF instant yeast which does not need to be proofed.  So I added the dry yeast and sugar to the dry ingredients.  Then when the recipe calls for the liquids, that is when I added the 1/2 C warm water, egg and remaining 1/2-1 C warm water.

Sweet Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes

This has been an awesome summer addition to our dinners.  There is just something great about tomatoes and sausage together!  Even my three year old had multiple servings.

6 links Whole Ranch Sweet Italian Sausage (I just used the horseshoe shaped ones I get from Sam's or Costco)

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-6 large garlic cloves finely chopped

3 TBS fresh oregano finely chopped (or 1 TBS dried oregano)

1 pound of zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 pound mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half (I only had red)

1/2 C chopped fresh basil (I used about 1 1/2 tsp dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare sausages according to package directions, either in a sauté pan or on the grill. While they are cooking, heat olive oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds, then add zucchini and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

When sausages are cooked, cut into large bite-sized pieces and add to pan along with tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a large platter and serve.

**The first time I made this I followed the directions as outlined above.  I felt like between the olive oil and the grease from the sausage in was a bit to much.  So the second time I did not use the olive oil.  I just cooked the sliced sausage pieces until heated through and then add the remaining ingredients and followed the remainder of the recipe as above.

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

2/3 C dry potato flakes
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 TB Italian seasoning
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
3 lbs of chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
1/3 C olive oil

Heat oven to 375°. Grease or line with foil a baking sheet or a 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and oil. Stir until well mixed. Dip
chicken into oil and then roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in prepared pan.
Bake 45-60 or until chicken is golden brown.

Black Bean Brownies

These brownies are flour less and are made out of black beans.  This recipe came from the Whole Foods Application on our iPod.  I would say they have much more of a fudge texture than a  brownie texture, but not bad at all, just VERY rich. They were easy to make...just put everything in the blender and pour into the pan.

1 15 oz. can of black beans rinsed and drained (no salt added)

3 large eggs

1/3 C melted butter

1/4 C cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 C + 2 TB sugar

1/2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place first 6 ingredients into blender.  Process until blended smooth.  Stir in chips and nuts.  Pour into greased or sprayed 8x8 pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes (until cooked in the center).

Remove and cool.

*I did not have unsalted beans, so I just omitted the 1/8 tsp salt.

Crepes

My brother's wedding is coming up and the gal in charge of making the desserts called and asked me for a GF crepe recipe.  I had made some in the past by just switching out the flour for a GF flour blend.  Knowing that it would be a hassle for her to go and find all the flours she would need, I thought there has to be other versions out there.  Sure enough...thank goodness for Google Search!  This recipe was the most common one I kept finding.  It calls for very few ingredients and tasted awesome!  The great thing about crepes is that they are very versitile.  You can make them with fruit and cream, cheeses, thinly sliced meats or meats and cheeses together.  Since I had some fresh raspberries in the fridge, that is what we used.

2 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cornstarch

In a blender, combine eggs, milk, corn oil, salt and cornstarch; blend 30 seconds or until smooth.

I have a crepe maker which works really nice.  If you do not have one you can use the following method.

Spray small nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat well over med-high heat. Pour about 2 T batter into center of skillet, rotating quickly to evenly coat pan. Cook about 30 seconds until the edges begin to brown and pull away from pan. Carefully turn crepe; cook 30 seconds longer. Slide out of skillet onto holding dish. Repeat with remaining batter. Makes about 10 six-inch crepes.  Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Fill crepe with your choice of fruit and cream, meat and or cheese and roll up.

Crockpot Peanut Clusters

2 lbs salted dry roasted peanuts
4oz Bakers German Sweet Choc
1 12 oz pkg semisweet choc chips
2 ½ lbs of white almond bark ( I used white baking chips)
Cupcake or candy liners

Put the peanuts in bottom of a 4 quart crock pot. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts starting with the
German sweet choc, choc chips, and then the almond bark. Cook on low for 3 hours.

DO NOT STIR MIXTURE

After 3 hours stir mixture with wooden spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake liners (I  used
candy liners)  Allow candy to cool completely before removing liners.
Makes 30 to 40 pieces with cupcake liners.
( I made half a batch and filled small candy liners with 1 TBS of peanuts.  I didn't count, but it was enough to line an entire cookie sheet.)

Marshmallow Popcorn

There is only one problem with this fabulous treat....it is really quite addicting!!  This is a family favorite, especially on a movie night.  I can't believe I haven't posted this until now.  We have two versions of this ooey gooey delight.  Marshmallow (which is a lot like a rice crispy treat) or Caramel Popcorn.

Marshmallow Popcorn

1 bag of mini marshmallows

1 stick of butter

2 bags of microwave popcorn (or 3/4 C of kernels air popped)

I like to sift out all the unpopped kernels so we don't have any broken teeth!  Melt butter and then add marshmallows.  When all is melted together, pour over popped popcorn.  Spread out on a greased cookie pan and let cool.  Try not to eat it all at once!!

For Caramel version, follow as above, just add 3/4 C brown sugar to butter and marshmallows.  Place in oven at 350 degrees and bake for just a few minutes to give it a crispy crunch!

Angel Food Cake

Happy Mother's Day!  This recipe was SOOO yummy!  Let's just say that there are no leftovers.  This recipe comes from Eating Gluten Free.

Angle Food Cake

1 1/2 c. egg whites (10 - 12 large)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. potato starch
1/2 c. corn starch
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest or almond flavoring (optional)

Let egg whites sit in a large mixing bowl until room temperature. Thoroughly sift together the powdered sugar and starches, sifting 2 or 3 times.

Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat until soft peaks form, then slowly add sugar (2 - 3 Tbs. at a time) and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold dry ingredients into the egg whites, 1/2 cup at a time. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Use a knife to gently cut through the batter to release any large air pockets.

Bake on the lowest rack of a 350° oven for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. Remove cake from oven and turn upside down, in pan, to cool. Cool completely, then loosen cake from the sides of the pan. Remove from pan and serve with Fresh strawberries and whip cream.

Dirty Rice

I can't take credit for this recipe.  My sister Michelle passed this one on to me and it was delicious!

 Thanks Sis.

Dirty Rice

1/4 cup Oil

1/4 cup Flour (rice or sweet rice flour)

2 oz Butter

1 Onion finely chopped

2 Garlic cloves crushed

1 Green Pepper

1 Celery Stalk

6 oz of Chicken breast cubed

8 oz of  Sausage Sliced (I used Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa Sausage)

2 tsp Chicken Stock Powder

1 tsp Tabasco Sauce

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1/2 tsp White Pepper...I just use Black

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

2 Cups Long Grain Rice

3 Cups Chicken Stock.

Heat oil in pan, when hot, sprinkle with flour, mix together and whisk for 3 or four minutes, (whisking continuously) until the mixture is nut brown in color, but not burnt. Remove the roux from the pan to stop further cooking.

Heat the butter in a pan and add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery. Cook stirring often for five minutes, or until the the veggies are soft, but not browned. Transfer to a plate.

Add the chicken and pork to the pan and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Return veggies to the pan and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in the Roux, Stock Powder, Tabasco, the garlic and onion powder and the herbs and spices. Stir well for a minute or two.

Then stir in the rice and chicken stock. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring often for thirty minutes, or until the rice is tender. Serve immediately.