Simple is Better

Lately, I've been feeling a bit inadequate.  Especially in the blogging world.  I've never been much of a blogger.  I'm not a photographer.  I just wanted to do this because I had people asking me for recipes all of the time, and it was an easy way to share them.  Lately, in my search for new and wonderful gluten free things I have been finding impressive blogs! Blogs that have beautiful pictures and delicious looking food.  Food that they have perfected after trying again and again; after adjusting this or that.  Expensive ingredients that would make me feel so decadent!

So I decided to share with you, again, my philosophy.  Simple is better.  I eat gluten free because if I don't I end up very sick and I cannot function.  I am on a limited grocery budget, and always have been.  I look for meals that are easy and cheap to prepare.  But I hope they are also fun to prepare.  But what I do put on this blog, I have tried myself, and I'm pretty picky.  And, what I really want is for someone that might not know where to start, to be able to have a place to start.

That said, I really do wish that I had the money and time to prepare those really amazing dishes that I see on other blogs and in some recipe books.  The ones that call for... watermelon radishes and vanilla pods.  :)  And maybe someday I can try it out. But for now, I'm happy where I am.

Since I feel like such a newbie myself still, I hope that in my searches through these really awesome blogs, I'll be able to grow too!

On that note, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies.
***originally from The Wheat Free Cook by Jacqueline Mallorca (One of my very first GF cookbooks. It has several treasured recipes in it)

Makes about 40

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup brown rice flour
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a stand mixer, paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth.  Beat in the peanut butter, then the egg.  Add the brown sugar, rice flour, salt, and baking powder, and stir to blend.

3. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts.  The dough will be soft and sticky.  (I stuck  half of mine into the freezer for later.) Drop by rounded tablespoon on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. (I used a cookie dough scoop) Bake until golden and just set, 12 to 15 minutes (mine took 12).  Let stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

A New Place and New Challenges

I am so sorry that I have not written in so long.  In the last 7 months we've moved twice, had a new baby, and Aaron started his first real job. :)  It has been very exciting.

And now I am excited to start blogging again.  That doesn't mean I've stopped baking.  I have lots of fun new recipes to show you all.  And today I'm trying a new bagel recipe so we'll see if it's good enough to make it up here.

The real thing that applies here is that my little girl, at almost 3 years old has been getting so sick!  It's been months of stomach problems, skin problems, and tummy aches.  Sound familiar?  We've been in between pediatricians so I didn't get her tested for Celiac Disease.  But I cut the gluten out of her diet (which wasn't a large amount) and she has started to feel better.  She has an appetite! Which she never before had.  But now that I am cooking for her...she has different demands.  I now want to learn how to make gluten free snacks of all sorts.  Including gluten free goldfish and pretzels.  And I need to make sure I travel with gluten free snacks for her.  Otherwise we end up at someone's house and there is nothing she can eat!  And with her being so young, I need to tell anyone she is around that she can't have gluten.  And on Sunday she was so fast and grabbed some sacrament bread with gluten and was sick for the rest of Sunday and Monday.  My poor little girl.  I am going to learn everything I can about gluten free cooking and baking and try to be the best I can.

So...it's nice to be back.  Wish me luck!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I just have to say that this recipe is a WINNER!!!!!  I love these muffins.  They never last more than a few days because everyone eats them up so quickly.  They are perfect for anytime of year, but especially the fall. Because I absolutely love stuffing myself with pumpkin in the fall.  By Christmas my husband is begging me not to put any more pumpkin dishes on the table (I just can't help it).  But, he can't resist these.  I have to hide them from him, just so that I can have some too.

Recently we moved down to Alabama to be with my family.  My dad (who is skeptical of anything gluten free) said "wow, these are good, you can eat these?"  See...this recipe is a winner.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

16 ounces pumpkin

1 1/2 cups oil (or 3/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup applesauce)

2 1/4 cups rice flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. xanthan gum

2 tsps. baking soda

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon (I always add more)

1 1/2 to 2 cups chocolate chips

***maybe try adding nuts, chocolate covered raisins, Craisins, etc.

Instructions: 

(super simple)

1. Mix wet ingredients.

2. Mix dry ingredients. Stir into wet ingredients until incorporated.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Bake in greased muffin cups at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Can you tell it's a pumpkin???

5. Eat them up, but don't give yourself a tummy ache. 

Peach Orange Spice Cake

Well it's official!  We're moving away from Maryland and down to Alabama.  At least that's the plan right now.  I'm sure our lives are full of upcoming twists and turns.  It would be nice to say that my husband has found an awesome job, but for now we're still searching.  The real challenge that's on my mind right now is that when we move to Alabama I'll be 7 months pregnant and have no insurance or doctor/midwife to deliver the baby that is coming!  So that's a little stressful.  So to relieve stress...I bake!

This is a new recipe that I just found, it comes from Living Without (a super awesome magazine that has recipes and articles on living with allergies and they cater mainly to people who cannot have gluten!).  I made this for a few friends of ours when they came over to play music and games with us.  They LOVED it!  So of course I needed to share it with you!  And, it looks so pretty. :)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup gluten free flour blend of your choice (I used 3/4 of a cup of this blend: 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch)

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. xanthan or guar gum

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons sugar, divided

8 Tablespoons butter, room temp

1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon orange juice

4 ripe peaches, sliced (about 8 slices each...my peaches were HUGE so I used less)

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

whipped cream, for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly oil a 9" springform pan. 

2. Combine flour blend, sorghum flour, baking powder, xanthan/guar gum, and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.

3. Beat 3/4 cup sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add dry ingredients and orange zest and beat until crumbly.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add orange juice and beat to incorporate.  

4.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.  Arrange peach slices on top, form concentric circles that cover the batter.  Press lightly.

5. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon.  Sprinkle over top.

6.  Bake 55-60 minutes until golden and tester comes out clean.

7. Serve with whipped cream. 

Apple Pie, Babies, and Job Hunting

I apologize for my hiatus from writing.  I have some good reasons though!  We're expecting baby number two in November right around Thanksgiving.  Another girl, and we are so excited.  So you can probably guess that the last time I wrote was the last time for quite a while that I felt like creating anything in the kitchen!  But now, I'm back to baking and cooking all the time.

My husband has been job hunting all summer long.  I don't think I've ever been so anxious about something (even having a baby) as I have been about waiting to hear back from job interviews.  It should be any day now that we hear either something AWESOME or totally lame.  I feel like I haven't been able to plan anything more than a few days in advance.  Are we moving?  Are we staying?  Do we have enough money for this month?  Should we move in with our parents for a little while?  How do you stay motivated?!  And on top of it, I'm pregnant and I want to paint the girls room, buy a big girl bed, know where I'll deliver the baby, and just stay sane in the process.  So baking has been quite a release for me these last few weeks.  And that said...I have several blog posts for you!

Apple Pie

I love this Apple Pie recipe.  When I first went gluten free there were lots of things that I missed.  And one thing in particular was my mom's apple pie.  I've tried about a dozen different pie crust recipes and this one works the best!  It tastes delicious, is flaky, is easy to use (which I haven't been able to say about ANY OTHER GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST!), and is everyone's favorite.  This pie crust complements apple pie very well and I haven't tried it with any other pie.  The other amazing thing about this pie crust is that I've made this in 3 different locations.  Low altitude, average humidity; high altitude, dry as a bone; and low altitude, very very humid.  And in every location, it has performed beautifully!  The recipe for the crust comes from the book "The Wheat-Free Cook" by Jacqueline Mallorca.  

The filling for this pie is my mom's original recipe (with a tweak).  

Ingredients: 

Crust:

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup sweet white rice flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. xanthan/guar gum

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut in small cubes

1 large egg

Filling:

6 cups (2 lbs.) thinly sliced, peeled, Granny Smith apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup sugar

dash of ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tablespoon butter

1 egg yolk

cinnamon-sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

Step 1: Process the cornmeal in a food processor for 2 minutes until more finely ground.  Add the rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, xanthan or guar gum, and salt, and process to combine.

Step 2: Add the butter, and pulse until it forms pea-sized lumps.  Add the egg, and process briefly to mix.  Add 1 tablespoon ice water, and process briefly to make a ball of dough that barely clings together, adding another teaspoon of water if necessary to make a damp dough. 

Step 3: Turn the dough out, crumbs and all, onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and form into a log with your cupped hands.  Cut in half.  The dough is now ready to use or can be enclosed in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.  

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Have ready a 9" pie pan.  Combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Toss to mix.  Set aside.

Step 5: Working with half the dough at a time, roll out between sheets of plastic wrap (I usually use a couple sheets on the bottom overlapping, and a couple sheets on top...but if you buy the HUGE rolls of plastic wrap you may be able to just use one on bottom and one on top.)  Lift the top sheet and tuck in the rough edges (this really helps!), into 11 inch circles.  Set one aside for the top crust.  Use the other circle to line the pie pan. Peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap and flop the dough into place, then carefully peel off the remaining sheet.  

Step 6:  Fill the pastry lined pie plate with the apple mixture; dot with butter.  Cover with the top crust and flute the rim (which actually works with this pie crust, if it's not working seal it with the tines of a fork).  

Step 7: Combine the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water, and brush over the top, but not the rim.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.  Cut small slits or prick with tines of fork to let steam escape.  Place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips.  

Step 8: Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking until the filling is tender and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.  I usually have to cover my crust for the last 10-15 minutes with aluminum foil so that it doesn't get too brown.  

Step 9: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.  :)

Boston Cream Pie

Drumroll please...I know this is the one that you have been waiting for, and it is finally here! Boston Cream Pie. Oh so scrumptious and delicious, and beautiful as well. I went above and beyond with this recipe and used agave nectar as well. But you don't have to, if you don't want to. So I will write the original recipe down and then note the changes for using agave nectar.

Ingredients:

"Butter Cake"

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 potato starch

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

2 tsp. gluten free egg replacer (I used flax seed meal or you can use 2tsp. mashed banana)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. xanthan/guar gum

1/4 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup sugar (3/4 cup agave nectar)

4 eggs, room temp--very important that it's room temp (or 3 eggs if you use agave nectar)

1 tsp. vanilla

4 tsp. milk of choice

Vanilla Pudding:

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/3 cup light cream or milk of choice, divided (I used whole milk)

1 egg yolk, beaten

1/2 cup sugar (or 3/8 cup agave)

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup heavy cream or coconut milk (not lite) (I used coconut milk, yummy)

8 ounces dark/bittersweet chocolate chopped

What to do:

"Butter" Cake

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-9" round cake pans. Dust w/ flour (I used 2 tablespoons of my first 5 ingredients to dust.) Set aside.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, cream butter until it's white. Add sugar (or agave) and continue creaming until fluffy (about 5 minutes.) Add eggs to butter, one at a time, beating until smooth.

Step 3: Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. (If the eggs are cold or not well incorporated, the batter may appear curdled. To rectify this add an additional tablespoon of the flour blend.) Add vanilla and milk.

Step 4: Pour batter into pans. Bake on middle rack 15-20 minutes (toothpick coming out clean indicates that it's done). Let sit 5 minutes in pans before removing. Allow to cool completely on rack. To assemble, spread vanilla pudding on one cake layer (all the way to the edges...I didn't quite get this right). Gently place 2nd layer on top. Brush off any crumbs and top with chocolate ganache.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Vanilla Pudding:

Step 1: Dissolve cornstarch in 1/3 cup cream. Whisk in egg yolk. Set aside.

Step 2: In saucepan, mix together sugar (or agave), salt, and remaining 1 cup cream. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Slowly whisk 1/4 cup hot mixture into yolk mixture. Then slowly whisk back into pan. Over medium heat, stir until thickened. Remove from heat, add vanilla.

Step 4: Strain pudding into a clean bowl (I didn't strain, because I'm lazy...but you can!) and cool slightly. Cover pudding. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Ganache:

Step 1: Bring cream to a boil.

Step 2: Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Step 3: Set mixture aside until it begins to thicken. (let it cool a little while, mine was too runny when I put it on my cake, but later it thickened nicely)

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps and Egg Drop Soup

This meal was so scrumptious. It has so many fun flavors and it's super easy to make. The egg drop soup is the best I've ever had.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps: (Serves 5 people, two lettuce wraps each)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 pkg. (16 ounces) frozen stir fry vegetable blend, thawed

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (make sure it's gluten free)

14 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, chopped

10 lettuce leaves (Boston, Green Leaf, Romaine, etc.)

What to do:

Step 1: Cook turkey in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until no longer pink.

Step 2: Chop stir-fry vegetables and add to the pan. Stir in the teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, ginger, vinegar, and oil. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Step 3: Remove from the heat; stir in green onions. Place about 1/2 cup turkey mixture on each lettuce leaf. Fold the lettuce over filling.

Egg Drop Soup (Serves 5 people)

Ingredients:

5 cups chicken broth (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sliced fresh spinach

2 green onions, sliced

What to do:

Step 1: Boil Broth and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Step 2: Reduce heat to low. Drizzle beaten egg into hot broth. Remove from the heat, stir in spinach and green onions.