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!