Monday, December 10, 2012

Jello Cookies!

I did it!

I reinvented the Jello cookie! :D

So, before you ask, my mother used to make me Jello cookies every year for xmas. I love them. Like genuinely.

I hadn't had them in 20 years until last night. 

:D

before you start: these need a cookie press. I love mine. They're expensive, you can make cheese straws with them, and they're fun. :D This is the one I have: http://www.lnt.com/product/cookie-presses/171318-450/kuhn-rikon-kuhn-rikon-clear-barrel-cookie-press-with-storage-case-2461-cbl.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term={keyword}

Preheat your oven to 375.

Sift together in a bowl:

4 c. all-purpose gluten free flour

2 1/2  t. xantham gum

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

Then, using a mixer, blend

1 1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 3 oz package of regular Jello (I used cranberry)

Once that's light and fluffy add:

2 eggs, one at a time

then 

2 t. vanilla and

1/2 c. heavy cream

Add your flour mixture slowly. When this is done, the texture is very much like really well played with PlayDoh. No, really.

Now use your cookie press and make cookies.

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Now, let me tell you. Cookie presses take a little patience.

Patience, and a cold, ungreased cookie sheet.

If the cookies won't stick, wet your dough with a little more water. Try pressing harder. Try wiping off your cookie sheet with a paper towel. It's a process.

You cook these babies at 375 for 10 minutes. Take them off the pan immediately and onto a rack to cool.

They're yummy. Trust me.

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Here they are with my spritz cookies (that recipe is for tomorrow). 

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Friday, December 7, 2012

Flour Tortilla Recipe Coming/Mom's Enchiladas

Good news! 

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Of course, I need to measure and photograph, but it's coming. 

*bounces*

So, today?

Mom's Enchiladas.

My stepmother, Terrie, was an amazing cook and I loved her enchiladas (which really aren't enchiladas, but more like a burrito casserole, but she called them enchiladas, so we do too.

The recipe is super simple (and, Daddy, forgive me, I made some tweaks, which I'll note)

1/2 cut up onion

1 lb hamburger

1 can fat free refritos (she just used her own, but I didn't have any homemade here...)

cumino, garlic salt, chili powder, salt

gf flour tortillas

cheddar cheese

1 can of Wolf Brand Chili (I omit this, I admit it. It's too much grease for me and makes me queasy. Forgive me, Terrie.)

sour cream and salsa to top

So, you cook up your onion in a wee bit of olive oil, then you brown your meat. I use the super-di-duper low fat meat, so I don't have to drain. If you've got just a wee bit of grease, you're cool. If you've got more than that? Pour it off. Season your meat. No, there are no measurement. You have a mouth. Tasting is the fun part of being the one that's cooking (well, that and that you can con someone else into doing dishes...)

Now, tump in your beans. If you're using homemade, use 2-3 ladles. Cold is fine.

Stir until everything it hot and gooey.

mmmmm

Now, take your tortillas and plop a nice fat spoonful in the middle and roll them up, putting them seam side down in a casserole dish. (Now, two things -- 1. Terrie put cheese inside the tortilla here. I don't need it or the extra fat, so I don't. 2. if your casserole dish sticks, grease it. I have the Rachael Ray ones and those babies are magical. Nothing sticks. I have used them for 2 years and am stupid for them.)

Now, if you're Terrie you'd put the can of Wolf Brand Chili over the top. I like to use the remaining hamburger bean goo. You could also use enchilada sauce, if you wanted to, or chile con queso. Maybe a can of tomatillo sauce (although I don't like green sauce with hamburger). 

Then, cheese that baby!

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:D

Cook it in a 350 oven until it's hot and bubbly and the cheese is melty and wonderful.

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Then I like to top with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa.

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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Sourdough Starter

So, I decided to start making my own bread again. It's an on-again off-again thing with me. I love the smell and taste of fresh bread and I love the cost (versus $8 a loaf pre-made), but you have to, especially with sourdough. Still, it's the holidays and I love baking and I loved my old sourdough recipe.

So, how did I do it?

First I started it. 1 cup of water, 1 cup of rice flour, 2 1/2 t. of yeast and stir before covering with a tea towel. If you don't like using the yeast, you can wild start with a couple of purple cabbage leaves and a few strips of apple peel, but I didn't have any cabbage. :P

Stir every 12 hours or so for 3 days, then you feed her.

1/2 c water and 1/2 c rice flour.

If you're going to use your starter, feed it at least 4 hours before cooking. 

That's it. Feed it daily. If you cook with it, you don't have to discard. If you don't cook, discard as much as you feed. :D

Simple simple. :D

Today, I used my starter to make sandwich bread, using the recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring (which, if you don't have it? Totally worth the money).

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Helote tacos and homemade margaritas!

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Simple, quick, vegetarian and gf.

Corn tacos are a breeze to make and cost next to nothing. They had corn on the cob on sale at my  grocery store for a dime an ear, so I bought two. I cut the kernels off while half of the onion that was left over from tuna salad was cooking in a little olive oil on the stove. I added the corn, heated up the corn tortillas (I keep them in the freezer because we only ever use 4 at a time and they come in packs of 20.) When the corn was cooked, I added a 1/4 c. of cojita cheese (you can use any cheese, really. I like cojita because it keeps its shape a little), some garlic powder and a healthy dose of cayenne and a pinch of salt.

Lorna likes hers with avocado. I like mine with tomatoes. :D

The margarita? A jigger of good sipping tequila, a jigger of cointreau, a jigger of lime juice. Ice, shake, pour.

YUM!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Lemon Pound Cake

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Here's my quick, weekday, not diet friendly lemon poundcake.

1 vanilla gf cake mix (I like Pamela's)

4 eggs

12 T. cold butter, cut into chunks

1/3 c. water

2 t. oil of lemon (or 2 T. lemon juice)

Zest of one lemon

Put your ingredients in a mixing bowl and whir on low for 30 seconds (the butter will still be lumpy, but the cake mix should be all moist). Bake in a loaf pan at 350 for 60-65 minutes.

I like to glaze mine with a mixture of powdered sugar, lemon juice and rum, but that's just me. :D

 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Banana Almond Muffins

These are my go-to muffins. Easy, quick, tasty, not to sweet, and I love the texture.

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1 1/4 heaping c almond flour

2 T arrowroot powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/4 c. agave nectar

1 mashed banana

1/4 c. almond butter

2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix your dry ingredients in one bowl, mix your wet in another bowl. Add wet to dry and stir. ;-) Grease your muffin tins and fill evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Peanut Butter Cookies of Joy!

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So, I love peanut butter cookies.

Love them.

I have tested a dozen recipes, played and poked, cooked and tested and I finally figured it out.

My peanut butter cookies.

:D

Maybe they're not going to be your favorites, but they taste like my mom's, so I'm going with it.

Ingredients:

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/4 c. chopped peanuts (optional)

Plop everything in a bowl. Stir. Bake in 2T scoops on parchment paper at 350 for 25 minutes. Makes 15.

Ta.

Da.

Also? Yay!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Texas Sheet Cake

So, I wanted to make Texas Sheet Cake. So, I pulled out my old recipe and got to playing. This version was very very dense and fudgy -- I'm going to add my suggestions for a lighter, cakier cake in parentheses, just in case you want to try them out. Also, I'm going to experiment with putting the recipe first, then the photos. That way you can just print page one.

Ingredients:

2 c. AP gf flour

2 t. Xantham gum (I would add 1 more teaspoon for cakey-cake)

2 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

(1/2 t. baking powder for cakey-cake)

1/4 t. salt

1 c butter

1/3 c. cocoa

1 c. water

2 eggs

1/2 c. buttermilk (or sour milk or 1 T. vinegar and soy/almond/coconut milk to make 1/2 c)

1 1/2 t. vanilla

For frosting:

1/4 c. butter

3 T cocoa

3 T. buttermilk

2 1/4 c. sifted powdered sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. pecans

Directions:

Spray a 9x13 pan. Get your oven going to 350.

Mix your flour, xantham gum, sugar, baking soda (and powder), and salt in a big bowl.

Mix your butter, cocoa, and a cup of water in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat. Mix your wet into your dry with a mixer. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and beat for a minute.

Pour your batter into your pan and cook for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make your frosting: mix your butter, cocoa and buttermilk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat  and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add your pecans.

Pour your hot frosting over the warm cake. :D :D

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Best GF Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

No, really. These are exactly what chocolate chip cookies used to be. :D

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Ingredients:

2/3 c. melted butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. cane sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

2 1/4 c. all purpose gf flour

1 t. salt

1 t. xantham gum

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1 bag chocolate chips

1 c. pecans (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375

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Put your dry ingredients in one bowl.

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Cream your butter and sugars.

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Add eggs and vanilla.

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Dry stuff into the wet stuff.

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Now, the chips and nuts!

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Tada!

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I use a 2 tablespoon scoop on baking sheets with parchment paper. This makes a lot of cookies. :D (Like 24). You bake them for 14-18 minutes, depending on humidity, etc.

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Pretty cookies!

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Here's the best part. We cook up a few, then freeze the rest in an ice cube tray. Once they're frozen, we pop them out and store in a freezer bag. You cook them in the toaster oven just like any freezer cookie. (Or chop it up and add to ice cream for cookie dough ice cream)

:D

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Hey, y'all!

I know that in general there's not a lot of gluten in ranch. What there is, however, is a ton of sugar, salt and fat in the bottled kind.

I found out how easy it is to do homemade, and never looked back.



You need:

2 cups buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp dried chives
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dillweed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper



Mix together Mayo and buttermilk




Add in all your spices and whisk well.

This is important. Taste! I always end up adding more salt or pepper or dill, depending very much on the fat content of the buttermilk or the brand of mayo. Homemade mayo requires way more dill, chives and parsley, and organic mayo needs more salt and pepper than say, Helmann's

We store ours in a glass bottle in the fridge, but you can also store it in a covered bowl. This dressing will last almost two weeks depending on the freshness of your buttermilk.

Allergens: milk, egg

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Penuche Frosting

As promised! Almost impossible to screw up penuche frosting. I have done everything wrong to this recipe that you can do and it comes out. Yay!

Penuche Frosting

1/2 c. butter (or Earth Balance)

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. cream (or coconut milk)

pinch of salt

2 t. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

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Melt your butter, then stir in brown sugars and bring to a boil over med. heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring all the while.

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Stir in cream and salt and bring back to a boil, still stirring. Then remove the pan from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Now add vanilla.

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Pop your goo in the mixer and slowly add your confectioners sugar. Try not to overbeat. If you get too thick, thin with hot water. If it's too thin, more sugar.

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Ta Da. :D

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Quick, Easy Salted Caramel Sauce

This is our go-to caramel sauce that we keep in the fridge. Simple, easy, and it keeps for 2+ weeks.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. water

3/4 c. cream

3 1/2 T. butter

1 t. salt

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Put your sugars and water together over low heat and bring to a boil, whisking every now and again.

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When the boiling starts, stop stirring and let it boil for 6 minutes. Don't touch it.

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When your 6 minutes is up, take off the heat, and stir in the cream.

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Then add your butter.

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And salt.

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Put in a container and cool, then pop in the fridge. Ta da! Caramel sauce!

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Weekday Nummy Turtle Cupcakes, Part 1

Okay, so today we were cleaning out the pantry and found a gf chocolate cake mix.

Now, let me be upfront, I'm trying to use let 'packaged' products in my life and I love exploring and doing from scratch recipes, but let's be honest. I have a life, hormones, and the periodic need for a quick cupcake that tastes like sin. My go-to almond flour chocolate espresso cake is grand, but doesn't lend itself to cupcakes.

So we looked in the fridge.

We had cream, pecans, some salted caramel sauce (part 2 will be how to make salted caramel sauce to keep in the fridge because OMG, you never know when in the month you might need caramel on hand.

So, make your cake batter according to the recipe. Mine took 3 eggs, a stick of melted butter, and a cup of water.

Then, if you're me, eject your beaters into your batter. *sigh*

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Cook as per instructions. (this one is easy to type out)

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Now, let them cool for just a few minutes and poke nice sized holes in the top with a chopstick.

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Pour in slightly warmed up salted caramel in the holes. (And by slightly, say, 10 seconds in the microwave?)

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This is what they look like filled.

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Then, make penuche frosting and sprinkle with pecans  (penuche frosting will be part 3)

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TA DA!

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Look at the numniness...

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These are absolutely delicious. I mean, like I Bought Them At A Bakery delicious.

:D