English Toffee

Making candy is a huge part of Christmas around here. My friend Mandi gave me a new recipe for English Toffee and I liked it a lot better than my old one. 1 Cup sugar
1 C butter or margarine
1/4 C water
1/2 package of semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts (optional- I leave them out)
Heat sugar, butter and water to boiling in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly; reduce heat to medium. cook about 13 minutes, stirring constantly, to 300 degrees on candy thermometer. Immediately pour toffee onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If necessary, quickly spread mixture to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand about 1 minute or until chips are completely softened.

This was so good I may make it again for Valentine's Day!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Bars

William had been craving the peanut butter bars we all remember from school lunch for awhile now. So I asked my friend Mandi, a known baker around here, if she had a good recipe. Of course she did and I converted it to be gluten-free. I keep losing it and having to ask her for it so I finally am putting it on here so it won't be lost!
Combine:
1 C softened butter
1C sugar
1C brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1t soda
2 t vanilla
Add
2C flour
2C Oats
When I make them gluten-free I use rice flour and gluten-free oats. I also make half this batch which fits in a 9X13 pan.If you make the whole batch it fits in a cookie sheet.
Press dough in pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. When it comes out of the oven spread with peanut butter. After it has cooled frost with chocolate frosting. I use Mandi's frosting recipe too.
1 stick butter softened
6T milk
4 T cocoa
3 1/2 C powdered sugar.

Pear Pie

Would you believe we actually do eat things besides desserts? You wouldn't really know it to read this blog. I guess it is just that the desserts are more fun. This is a favorite, my mom makes it for Thanksgiving. It is fun to make in the winter when the winter pears are available. So I adapted it to make it gluten-free. I guess it is really more of ta tart since it is missing a top crust.

First make the crust.

1 C rice flower

1 C powdered sugar

1/2 C melted butter

Press into a pie plate.

Cover it with sliced and peeled pears. Then mix the following together.

1/2 C sugar

2 T corn starch

1/2 C cream

2T of frozen orange juice concentrate

1 T lemon juice

Pour this over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes

Sweets

This is the yummy breakfast my nice husband made me for Valentine's Day. See the new measuring cups and spoons? Clever isn't he?

This is the treat I made him. Flourless Chocolate Torte. Or Death by Chocolate because I am pretty sure if you eat too much it could wipe you out. It is gluten-free. Here is the recipe.

Combine in a sauce pan:

1 pkg. Semi-sweet Chocolate chips

1 1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1/2 C light cream

Beat 6 large eggs until frothy. Slowly whisk chocolate mixture into the eggs. Pour the whole thing into a 9" spring-form pan which has been lined with foil. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until toothpick inserted 1" from edge comes out clean. Cool completely. I topped with whipped cream and fruit but you can also make a glaze:

Combine in sauce pan:

1 C semi sweet chocolate chips

2 T butter

Add:

3 T light cream

2 T karo syrup

Fall Food

We are so excited to have Fall here for real this weekend that Matthew and I made some of our favorite Fall foods last weekend while Miss Brittany was visiting her grandparents.First up were caramel apples. So easy. Basically we just followed the directions on the back of the Kraft caramels (which came with the sticks by the way). Unwrap all 50 caramels in the bag and microwave them with a tablespoon of water. Dip 'em and put them on wax paper to cool. So yummy!

And caramel popcorn. This is my favorite recipe. It makes the gooey kind but if you want the crunchy kind like Cracker Jack you just put it in the oven at about 250 for about 15 minutes.

4 quarts of popped popcorn

2/3 C maple syrup (I just use our pancake syrup)

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 C brown sugar

1/2 C Butter

Combine the syrup, brown sugar and butter. Bring to a rolling boil, then add soda. Pour over popcorn.

This is what Josh worked on while we cooked. He found that fabulous toy weed wacker at the thrift store the other day. He loves it and I love that there is a yard to play in!

Baked Alaska

Last night two of my favorite people came to dinner with my parents. They brought me these gorgeous flowers, not hard to see why they are some of my favorite people is it?

It was a really fun night, the first one we have gotten to enjoy in the new backyard. William grilled lots of yummy meat and I made Baked Alaska for dessert. It is probably my favorite, impressive dessert. So I thought I would share the recipe.

I made it gluten-free so the crust I used was:
1 Cup rice flour
1/2 Cup softened butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
Combine. Press into pie pan.Prick with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes

Comes out looking like this. You can cheat a little and use a store-bought pie crust.

Soften a quart of ice cream. We made two, mint chocolate chip and Heath bar. Load up the pie with the ice cream, wrap with saran wrap and freeze until hard again. Overnight is best.

Right before you are ready to serve heat your oven to 500. While it heats whip 5 egg whites until they are stiff. Add a pinch of salt. Then slowly add 2/3 sugar until stiff and glossy. Spread over the ice cream pie, making sure to seal all the edges. My mom is good at making pretty curls on top with a spoon.

It comes out looking pretty like this after you stick it in that hot oven for about 3-5 minutes.

This is what it looks like inside. Soooo yummy! And the leftovers the next day are just as good.

Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

In an effort to make this blog a more complete online cookbook for myself I am adding our favorite peanut butter cookies. These are perfect for people who don't need food to be gluten-free but might know someone who is. They are great because you don't need any special ingredients. No special flour. No flour at all. Really, it is like magic! All you do is throw the following in a bowl.
1 Cup Peanut Butter- can be creamy or chunky but make sure it hasn't been contaminated by crumbs.
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Cup of chocolate chips.
Mix them together and drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. They will be fragile when they come out, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and they will be less fragile when they are cooled. Do make sure to use a clean cooling rack so you don't contaminate them or place them on a clean towel to cool. That is it! I really don't know why they work but they are yummy.

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken and Chicken Fingers

It was a big day a couple of weeks ago when I read this post from Ree and thought I could modify it to be gluten-free. I have tried for years to replicate the kind of chicken you get from Kentucky-Fried Chicken. Granted it is not the most healthy choice possible but sometimes a person (read Husband) has a craving. Turns out the magic ingredient is buttermilk and the method Ree uses of mixing a little buttermilk into the flour mixture to make it a little crumbly. Seriously, like magic! I did however dredge mine in the flour mixture, them beaten egg, then back in the flour mix. I used rice flour instead of wheat flour.

Her recipe is for chicken fingers and I have made those too. The whole family really loved them. Thank you so much Ree! You have changed our Chicken-eating World!

Gluten-Free Spudnuts!!

This is big news at our house. Last night we attempted making gluten-free spud nuts and it worked! Even I, who can spot the taste of rice flour a mile away thought they were really good. So here is the recipe. If you should feel inclined to try them but don't need them gluten-free just substitute regular flour for the rice.

Ingredients:3 Eggs

3/4 C Sugar

3 Tbsp Shortening, softened

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 C Water, hot

1 1/2 C Instant mashed potato (or 1 1/4 C potato of your choice cooked and mashed up)

2 C Rice flour

4 Tsp Baking powder

1tsp Cinnamon
Prep:1. Chill dough for recommended time.2. Heat oil to 375 degrees.3. Set up paper towels on plates or cooling racks.4. Melt fondants and assemble toppings station.
Directions:1. Beat eggs well. Gradually add sugar until mixture is thick and light in colour.

2. Blend in Shortening and vanilla.

3. Sift the rest of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl; set aside.

4. Blend hot water with instant mashed potato mix and let stand 3 minutes, or boil and mash potatoes.

5. Blend egg mixture into the potato mixture. Add sifted dry ingredients, mix well to form dough ball.

6. Chill dough at least 2 hours.

7. Roll dough out to 1/3″ thick on lightly floured workspace.

8. Heat deep fryer or oil in a pot on the stove to at least 375 degrees.

9. Cut dough up into small chunks you can roll in your hands before dunking into the hot oil to fry.

10. Fry each doughnut roughly 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown - whichever comes before the doughnuts rise to the surface of the oil.

11. Scoop the doughnuts out using a metal slotted spoon

12. Lay each doughnut on paper towel lined plates or cooling racks.

13. While cool enough to touch but still warm enough to slightly melt toppings to the surface, sprinkle with either powdered sugar, sprinkles or melted fondant of your choice - or cool completely for plain old fashioned doughnuts.
Yields 1.5 to 2 dozen doughnuts.

We found we liked the doughnut holes as much or better than than the regular doughnut shaped ones. However they were much better last night than they were this morning. I just might try this dough for cinnamon rolls.

Mac and Cheese

Okay, when I started blogging my reasons were pretty simple. To keep in touch with friends and family and to have a place to share my crazy-craftiness. It still serves these purposes but oh so much more. I have found it a very handy place to keep track of things I don't want to forget. During this move I have discovered that the only recipes that I have from my trusty cookbook, you know the good one that you add to yourself and that is all splattered in all kinds of batter, are here on this blog. Unless of course they originated with my mother, thank heaven's I still have her! So I am going to keep adding recipes, gluten-free and otherwise if for no one's benefit but my own.

William had a real craving for macaroni and cheese after he found some decent pasta. This is really his recipe, modified from a few others. Again the good cookbook is in storage so here it is going to live before I lose the scrap of paper it is written on. Oh, and it really looked better than this when it came out of the oven. I forgot to take it's picture so this is the reheated version.

Sauce:

12 oz evaporated milk

3 T butter

2 T cornstarch

This goes into a saucepan, the cornstarch mixed in while things are still cold.

Add:

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

After it has heated enough to thicken add

1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 C medium cheddar

Combine that with 8 oz prepared pasta and put in casserole pan to bake for 30 min at 375

Yummy!

Yummy Lemon Chicken!

This is one of my new favorite recipes! It started with a recipe my friend Tif's Sister-in-law's recipe for lemon chicken. I think she got it from Rachael Ray. It called for lemon curd which makes it really easy. The problem is lemon curd can be kind of hard to find. And sort of expensive in these parts. So I figured out how to make my own lemon curd. It wasn't hard because lemon curd is basically the lemony part of lemon bars. We love this recipe because I think of the crispy chicken and the yummy sauce which basically make it okay to eat dessert for dinner!

2-3 Chicken breast cut into small chunks. Salt and pepper chicken. Dip in egg, then in cornstarch. You can dip in flour but we use cornstarch because it is gluten-free and it doesn't seem to soak up the oil as much. Heat enough oil in a small sauce pan to cover the bottom about a half inch. Brown chicken chunks in the oil and then remove. I sometimes do this part in advance. Of course the last time I tried doing this Mr. Mathew snuck into my fridge and nippled his way a quarter of the way through my chicken!



If you don't want to buy the lemon curd this is how I make it. In a saucepan I combine 1 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 eggs. I cook it about 8-10 minutes over a pretty low heat, it will scorch easily, until it thickens a bit. Then I add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to about a tablespoon of cold water and stir that in until it thickens more. This part can be done ahead also.



Then just before we are ready to eat I heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan, add the chicken to reheat if I made it ahead. Remove that to a plate for just a minute while I add about a tablespoon of vinegar to the pan and then the lemon curd. Add the chicken back in and heat it all together, but really lower the heat because that sauce will scorch so easily. Serve over rice. A little green onion garnish on top looks nice but my kids won't eat it! This make really good leftovers except there usually aren't any!

Another yummy treat!

Has anyone noticed I post a lot more treats and desserts than I ever do dinner items? Can you see where my priorities are? So here is another one. I made this a long time ago, just after William was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I think it was the first normal recipe I found that just happened to lack poisonous flour. That was when I learned those are usually the best gluten-free recipes. For some reason I hadn't made it in ages and when a craving for a treat hit while our visitors were here I decided to try it again. It is sooooo yummy! Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture until it was mostly consumed but you get the idea. Don't be fooled by the poor photo though, it really is a torte and not at all brownie like. We at it with a dollop of whipped cream on top. So if you are craving rich chocolaty treat and are willing to through caution to the wind regarding calories(and those New Years resolutions!), give this one a try.

Chocolate Torte
Combine the following in a medium saucepan:
2 pkgs semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup butter
1 C sugar
1/2 c light cream
Heat until it is melted and combined.
Beat 6 eggs until frothy. Slowly whisk chocolate mixture into eggs. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with aluminum foil. Pour mixture into pan and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Cool. Remove from the pan and chill. Yummy!

Oh, and I am making it again tonight.

Here is today's picture, it really is big!

Apple Tart!

Are you getting the feeling I am baking a lot lately? I think it is the cool mornings here, I like baking more when it isn't heating the whole house. Anyway, we found apples on sale yesterday so I thought I would make hubby an apple tart. It turned out pretty yummy for gluten-free and the best part was that I came up with a crust that will be handy for other cheesecake-type desserts. Here is the recipe, you can make it gluten-free or for normal people!

Crust: 1 1/3 C rice flour for gluten-free or wheat flour for standard recipe

3/4 C melted butter

2/3 C sugar Stir that together and press into springform pan. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. In mixer combine 8 oz cream cheese, 1 egg, 2 t. vanilla 2/3 c sugar. Mix until smooth and pour over crust when it comes out. Carefully arrange peeled and sliced apples on top and bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. The recipe says to drizzle a marmalade heated with a bit of water to thin it on top but we didn't do that as it seems plenty sweet. It also called for 2 packages of cream cheese but I only had one, you could add it if you wanted more cheesecake in that layer. I forgot to take the picture before we sliced into it, but you can see we liked it that way! I am going to make this more in the autumn I think.

Yummy Brownie Cupcakes!!!
Today we have the best of two worlds, brownies and cupcakes! And I made them gluten-free! You can make them with gluten if you like though. Here is the recipe:
In a bowl combine the following:
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C flour or rice flour if you are making gluten free
1/3 C cocoa
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
Mix that all together and them pour into about 12 cupcake lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 min. When they look done take them out and sprinkle marshmallows on top. Then put them back in under the broiler for just a couple of minutes until they are just a little brown, as shown in the picture. Let them cool completely and then frost with chocolate frosting. Yummy! The gluten-free version really has to be totally cool or they don't come out of the wrappers nicely. Other than that they are easy-peasy and super yummy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is for my gluten-intolerant friends and family. If you have this condition you understand how exciting it is when you find something good. Well we tried a new cookie recipe today from Liz's blog killthegluten.blogspot.com and it was sooooo good! It is her recipe for white chocolate chip macademia nut cookies only I just used good old chocolate chips and they were so good. They look and taste like real cookies! Hubby is so happy and for those of you who can eat gluten here someone really enjoying one!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (I use half margarine and half butter)
1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 & 1/2 tsp GF vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups white rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups (11oz bag) GF white chocolate chips
1 & 1/2 cups Macadamia nuts, chopped (I only use 1/2 cup, but would still be great with none!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in white chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes

Cafe Rio Chicken

Something yummy!

Okay, this recipe has several things going for it. First you make it in a crock-pot, that is always a perk with me as I always seem to have more time to make dinner before noon. Second it makes a ton of chicken so I like to eat it all week long. And third because I do like to eat it all week it is nice that you can make it into different things. I like it best as a taco salad, but it is also yummy as nachos or tacos. I got this recipe from my friend Jen and she called it Cafe Rio chicken, not sure how accurate or not that is, but it is yummy. So here it is.

In a crock pot add about four chicken breasts,they can be boneless or not. Mix together: one bottle of zesty italian dressing 1T cumin

1Tchili powder 3cloves chopped garlic

Pour this over the chicken and cook on low about 4 hours. Then shred meat with a fork and stir. Roast another hour. You are ready to make,tacos, salad or nachos.

My friend also gave me this dressing for a yummy dressing. In a blender you add:

2 tomatillos half a handful of cilantro 1clove garlic

1lime juiced 1jalepenio(I do it without the seeds because I am wimpy)

1sm package of buttermilk ranch dressing prepared as directed. Hit the blender and it is ready! I really love this dressing when Imake mine into salad or nachos. It really is more yummy than my picture looks! Oh, and when I made it last week I didn't have the ingredients for the dressing, this is just good old ranch with a handful of corn chips thrown in. The real dressing is a lovely shade of green.

Yummy lettuce wraps!

This is one of our favorite gluten-free items, especially because it is hard to find restaurants that will prepare chinese food with a gluten-free soy sauce. PF Changs in Salt Lake does and so does their relative Pei Wei in Bountiful. But the one in Bountiful doesn't serve our favorite lettuce wraps so when my friend Jen told me she had a recipe that was really close we were very excited. Like most Chinese food it does involve some chopping but if you have anything like one of these little choppers then it is a snap.
Special sauce:
1/4 c sugar 1/2 C water 2Tb. Soy sauce (gluten free if it is an issue for you)
2Tb Rice vinegar 2 Tb Ketchup 1 Tb Lemon Juice
1/8ts sesame oil 1/2Tb Chinese hot mustard or garlic chili sauce(youcan find these in the chinese food section) and 2 ts water
Filling:
3Tb Veg oil 2 Chicken breasts skinless boneless
1 C Water Chestnuts 2/3C Staw mushrooms(canned)
3Tb Green onion 1 clove garlic minced
Stir Fry Sauce:
2Tb Soy sauce 2Tb Brown sugar 1/2 ts Rice vinegar
1. Make sauce by dissolving the sugar and 1/2C water in small bowl. Add the soy, rice vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice,and sesame oil. Mix well and refridgerate this sauce while you prepare the remaining food. Combine theh 2ts water and Chinese hot musard and set this aside as well.
2. Prepare the filling by first dicing the mushrooms, green onion, and water chestnuts. Next in 2 tsp oil saute chicken until done. I also use left over chicken for this and it is great. While chicken cools mix the stir fry sauce items. Dice chicken when cool. Add remaining oil to hot pan. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, onion, garlic and water chestnuts. Pour stir fry sauce over the mix and saute for a couple of minutes. Place in a dish or on a bed o f maifun rice noodles.
3. Serve with a side of lettuce cups which are made by slicing the top off the head and cutting through the middle. Lay one half down and lift off cups.
4. Mix special sauce with a small amount of hot mustard and chili paste(according to your taste). Place filling in cups. Pour sauce over filling inside wrap and fold like a taco.

Gluten-free chocolate cake!!

Yes, I have posted this cake before, it is the famous garbanzo bean cake, but this time I added German chocolate frosting. Even if you don't have a problem with gluten I think of this cake as almost a freebie, I mean it has no oil, no butter and is based on beans which are healthy for you. Or is that just my justification? All I know is it is yummy and I don't feel guilty eating it, well at least not until I add the super-yummy frosting! So once again here is the cake recipe and I have added the frosting after. Cake: Add the following to your blender 2 cans of chickpeas(garbanzo beans), 1 1/2 c melted chocolate chips, 6 eggs,1 1/2 c sugar 1 1/2 t baking powder. Blend them all together until smooth. If your blender isn't quite big enough you can add the chocolate after it is all blended together. I did this one in layers so I poured it into greased 9 inch pans and baked about 25 min at 350.

Frosting: In a large saucepan combine the following 1 can evaporated milk, 1 1/2 c sugar, 3/4 c butter, 4 egg yolks. Cook and stir on med heat about 12-15 minutes or until thickened and golden brown. Remove from heat. Add 1 t vanilla. Stir in 2 2/3 c coconut and pecans if desired. I don't add the nuts. Beat until cool and spreadable. Enjoy!