Back to bran

Rice bran, that is.

I used to eat a lot of wheat bran, back in the old days. I loved me a bran muffin for breakfast and ate one nearly every day. And then we had the whole gluten issue.

I have had this recipe for years and years. I actually had forgotten about it because while it's a Vault recipe, it wasn't stored with the rest of them. I was flipping through my Joy of Cooking the other day and came across it, folded up and marking a page I can't recall at the moment.

I was totally excited because like I said, I had forgotten about it. I had picked up a box of rice bran the last time I was at the natural foods store, so I had everything on hand. I gave them a whirl yesterday morning and they turned out pretty well.

Just don't be greedy and eat more than one at a time. I learned that the hard way. Obviously I don't eat enough fiber.

Apple Cranberry Bran Muffins
Adapted from a Vault recipe

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup rice bran
1 egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1/3 cup spiced apple butter (I used my own homemade stuff)
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbsp molasses
1 cup finely diced peeled apple
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin liners.

Place the cranberries in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the rice bran.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, apple butter, agave syrup, oil and molasses until blended.

Drain the cranberries.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, but do not combine yet. Add the chopped apple, cranberries, and walnuts to the pile and then stir all together, just until combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan - fill those cups FULL.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 22 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move the muffins to a cooling rack.

Creating my own busywork

I keep a binder for all of my gluten-free recipes, as well as ones I want to try. It was a little disorganized, to say the least. I had been shoving the printed versions into the front binder pocket for months, so there were papers sticking out everywhere - and finally, yesterday morning, I dropped it. Imagine that.

I really needed something to organize all those pieces of paper. So I broke down and bought MasterCook 9.0 and started copying and pasting from Just Not Dinner, copying and pasting, copying and pasting. All day long. The really scary part of all this is that I now know what the nutritional content is for all of these recipes, and oh boy.

How did I stay at 108 pounds for 2 years?

Since I collapsed my dress orthotics with the extra 20 pounds I have put on since October or so, I guess I better pay attention to what I am putting in my mouth for a while and see how I do. I downloaded a nutrition program for my PDA and have been entering everything I shove in my mouth in there every day. Ladies and gentlemen, I have been eating far too much crap and not enough of the good stuff, like I used to.

I figure that a good part of not cooking healthy for myself is that whole cooking-for-other-people thing. On Sundays, I cook for a minimum of 7 hours. One other day of the week, it's about 4 hours. Both people I cook for are...particular...about the foods they eat. So while I love-love-love to cook, it's sometimes hard to have fun when it's the same stuff over and over again. But that's okay. I love that I am helping two people important in my life eat healthy and well.

I am trying to find the old me in the kitchen again. I need to stop taking the easy route of a pizza or sandwich for dinner instead of a wholesome meal. And I need to stay away from the damn Jelly Bellys and Doritos.

That being said, I am now closing the container of Jelly Bellys I was noshing on while typing the last few paragraphs. Someone take these away from me, please.

I made a truly delicious meal on Friday night, reminiscent of the dinners I used to make when I was in control of my snackiness. Saturday saw another Vault muffin recipe converted to gluten free (I will give the recipe in another post).

When I got home from work on Friday, I had no clue what to make for dinner. The Man wasn't home (a shocker, I know) so I knew I could putz and play and cook what I would like to eat, not what he would be willing to eat. Out came the savory Vault binder. I opened up the section for chicken and rapidly flipped through the page protectors in hopes that something simple would jump out at me.

I don't know if this qualifies as simple, but it has two bonuses - once I adapted it to what I wanted, I didn't have to go to the store to get additional ingredients (everything was in the pantry and fridge) and it was damn tasty.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas & Asparagus
Adapted from a recipe by Eating Well, found in The Vault

1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 healthy pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tsp + 2 tbsp white rice flour
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas
1 cup fresh asparagus spears cut into 2" pieces
3 tbsp minced fresh chives
2 tsp champagne vinegar

In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 tsp flour until smooth. Set aside.

Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken breasts until they are between 1/4" and 1/2" thick. Sprinkle both sides of each chicken piece with the remaining white rice flour.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (I actually used a large chef's pan for this, which worked well) over medium heat. Cook the chicken until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.

Using the same skillet; stir the broth mixture and add it to the skillet along with the peas and asparagus. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and continue to cook until the peas and asparagus are just starting to get tender (5 minutes or so).

Return the chicken to the pan, squeezing it between the vegetables to get them into the sauce so that it can return to temperature. Continue to simmer for 3 to 5 minutes (until completely heated through).

Remove the chicken and place it on a serving plate. Add the chives and champagne vinegar to the skillet and stir. Serve the sauced vegetables with the chicken. I made sour cream, chive and cheddar mashed potatoes to go along with the meail.

Disappointing successes or successful disappointments

It all depends on how you look at it.

For Easter, I converted two Vault recipes to gluten free. The banana cupcakes turned out okay, but the frosting I used was *gag*.

The carrot cake was based on a recipe by Alton Brown. The cake was so moist that it was TOO MOIST, like I had loaded the batter up with pudding. But it sure looked pretty. If I try this again, I will cut back on the carrots - there were a lot of them and I think that's why the cake had the texture it did.

What DID work? Well, let me tell you!


Back before Bob's Red Mill began selling gluten-free oats, I attempted to adapt my absolute favorite blueberry "power" muffin recipe by using rice bran to replace most of the oats. Big mistake. These muffins are supposed to be heavy as they are meant to be used prior to or after a workout, but the rice bran turned these into bricks. Not good.

Now that I have oats, I attempted them again. The second try was a delicious success. Next time, to make them more "powerful," I think I am going to try splitting the amount of sweet rice flour with flax seed meal to see what happens.

Now remember, if you try these, that they are meant to be a bit heavy.

Blueberry Power Muffins
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp egg substitute
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (I used wild blueberries, so these are chock-full - if you use wild berries, cut back to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with muffin papers.

Combine the flours, xanthan gum, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.; stir together with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla and egg. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture; stir together until all of the flour is just moistened. Fold in the blueberries and almonds.

Spoon 2 rounded tablespoons of batter into each muffin paper.

Bake for 18 minutes or until a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and serve.

Two of my favorite things

Blueberries and cornbread. Yum. Put them together and you get a tasty treat. Keep in mind that these are not sweet at all. If you would like them sweeter, add another 1/4 cup sugar.

Blueberry Corn Muffins
From The Vault

1 cup skim milk (original calls for buttermilk, so if you'd like, use that)
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

Whisk together the milk, eggs and canola oil. Set aside. Combine the cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, amaranth flour, xanthan gum, and flaxseed meal. Add the blueberries and toss to coat. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined and all ingredients are moist.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

More breakfast

I can't believe I didn't post this!

I love granola. My teeth don't.

I used to make my own because the granola I liked to buy had clusters. My teeth are falling apart. Clusters weren't a good thing.

As I mentioned in my last post, I got my hands on some gluten-free oats. I had a few servings left in my last bag of Bakery on Main granola, so I decided to make some.

Happy, happy day.

I can't do the clusters - I am afraid I'll break another tooth. If you like clusters, add 6 tbsp of honey to the mix.

Nutty Fruity Granola

3 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried apples, crushed into small pieces
1/4 cup butter
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Combine the oats and seeds in a large bowl. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon and vanilla.

Pour the butter mixture over the oats and seeds; toss to coat. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Add the raisins, cherries and apples and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container.

I'm alive...really, I am!

I have been slacking here of late, for which I apologize. But I have really good excuses.

Excuse #1: With the wet and heavy snow we received a couple of weeks ago, The Gidge managed to get herself full of mats. I have been working on getting those out after work and on weekends. I have 2 more (right behind her ears, the poor thing) to get out and then we're finally done.

Excuse #2: My company's annual banquet is on February 2nd and I am in charge of planning it, as usual. Because of it, I am behind at work, so I am putting in time both in the morning and after work every day, just to keep my head above water.

Excuse #3: I have been falling back on my tried and true recipes for meals because quite frankly, I am brain-dead and exhausted because of Excuse #2.

Excuse #4: I am trying to learn Microsoft's Expression Web because I have another work project that involves this program.

Excuse #5: See Excuse #3. Replace #2 with #4.

Excuse #6: Migraines, ears plugged (ergo dizziness on and off) for weeks now.

I am such a whiner.

I haven't forgotten about any of you and think daily of posting something - anything - just so the world is aware that I haven't died.

I managed to pull 2 recipes out of the Vault this weekend and convert them - both breakfast-related.

When my parents were here visiting, I found the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats. I was afraid
to open the package because I knew that once I did, I would be oatmealing the hell out of everything. I really want to make my favorite meatloaf recipe (which calls for oats) but I wanted sweet breakfasty goodness before I did that.

So I bet there will be meatloaf this week, since I got the goodness out of the way.

This first recipe doesn't call for oatmeal. But oh, my. I ate half the cake by 2 PM today and it didn't come out of the oven until 9:30!

Sorry for the crappy picture.

The second recipe is going to have to wait for another day because.......zzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake
Adapted from The Vault

Filling:

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Cake:

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds (or other nut of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" round cake pan and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the cranberries and water. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes or until the berries are softened. Add the 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. stir well to dissolve. Continue to heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened to a pie filling consistency.

In a mixing bowl, sift together 3/4 cup brown rice flour, the tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

In another bowl, combine the milk, egg, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and mix until blended.

Spread half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Spread the cranberry filling over the dough (I sprinkled a thin layer of almonds here, too) and then spread the remaining batter over the cranberries.

In yet another bowl (and I don't have a dishwasher yet!), combine the remaining sugar and brown rice flour. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and cut in until the mixture is crumb-y. Stir in the almonds and then sprinkle the topping over the top of the batter.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes or so because that filling is HOT ON THE TONGUE. And the tender inner flesh of the mouth.

You get the idea.

Mysterious

How is it possible that I am thinking of things to post about every day while Just Not Dinner was not in existence, which drove me nuts, and then since the day it came back, I haven't posted squat!

Very mysterious.

It's not that I didn't have anything to say, or recipes to post. The hectic pace of getting ready for the holidays just got in the way.

But now we are really back.

I made a scrumptious gluten-free dessert for Christmas Eve dinner with The Man's family, but I neglected to take a picture. Even brought the camera with me.

Luckily, I have a parental invasion occuring as I type, and after telling my father about the dessert, he said that it sounded really good. So I have the first half cooling and will begin the second half shortly.

So that will be coming posthaste.

But I also have a delicious coffee cake to share. This is one of those Vault recipes that I dug out recently because I have an abundance of pears taking up space in the fridge. Gotta use them somehow, right?

Pear Coffeecake

Adapted from a recipe in The Vault

2 cups thinly sliced pears

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ginger

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Grease an 8" baking pan (I used a rectangular pan because it was handy, and it affected the thickness because the batter was more spread out. Keep that in mind). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan combing the brown sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and pears. Cook over medium heat until syrupy (5 minutes or so), stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.

Sift together the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch and xanthan gum. Add the almond meal and set aside.

Combine the milk and 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread out until it reaches the sides (dough is kind of sticky so be prepared). Spread the pear mixture over the top of the batter and then top with the almonds.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Another day to go back to bed & pull the covers over my head

Today started out as any other. The Gidge got me up about 5 AM because of the whole dependent-on-me-for-potty-access thing. I took my allergy pill, brewed up a cup of chai, and sat down to catch up on what’s happening on the web.

I decided about 8 AM to make myself a kick-ass frittata for breakfast. Smoked salmon, spinach, fontina…can’t go wrong there! I whipped everything up, got it into the oven and sat down to read.

Things went downhill quickly from here.

At about 8:45, I pulled the stainless steel pan containing the frittata out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove while I got a knife, fork and plate.

I grabbed the handle of the pan. Without a hot pad or towel.

Yes, people, I did. Did any of you catch the last post before the original Just Not Dinner went “poof?” I talked about needing to be wrapped up in bubble wrap. Tri-ply bubble wrap.

Well, in this case, it would have melted to the handle and to my skin (and I am not sure which would have been worse).

I can’t close my hand right now – I have first degree (thank god that’s all) burns running across my fingers between the top and middle knuckles and again between the middle and bottom knuckles. I also have a nice red stripe across the bottom of my palm.

If this doesn’t prove that I am accident-prone, I don’t know what does.

But I had a damn good breakfast, anyway. I just whimpered in pain between bites.

Smoked Salmon Frittata with Spinach and Fontina

1 tbsp butter
½ cup onion, diced
6 eggs
½ cup milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp horseradish
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
4 oz smoked salmon, chopped
½ cup grated fontina cheese
¼ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In an ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and allow to sweat until the onion is soft but not browned. Remove from the heat and add the chopped spinach and salmon.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, horseradish, salt and pepper. Pour over the mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and then gently stir to combine all ingredients.

Gently place the skillet into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and slice into wedges for serving.

Beware the hot handle, people. Beware.

A pain in the rear becomes something good

The Gidge had to go. At 4:30 this morning. I took her out and because we don't allow her outside alone when it's dark, I stood outside and froze while she debated if she was going to step paws on the frosted grass to actually GO. The answer on the first round was "hell no." So we came inside, put on a little pink and brown coat and her pink booties and tried again. And again, "hell no."



So we came in to take off the booties, hooked up the retractable leash, and went for a walk. Still nothing.



It had been 45 minutes of mostly being outside by this point. I was starting to get seriously ticked with The Gidge. My ears were frozen, my nose was running, and my toes were cold. When we got back from the walk, I hooked her back up to the lead and prayed.



Still nothing. Good God.



Out of desperation, I fed her an hour early, which I am probably going to regret later. But by golly, SHE POOPED.



While all of this was going on, I came up with an adaptation of a Vault recipe and once I had feeling back in my fingers, started making a delicious breakfast.






Baked Banana Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
from The Vault



2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/8 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup slightly warm milk
1/6 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 tapioca starch
1/2 cup teff flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum



Pour the water into a mixer bowl and add the yeast. Allow to bloom for 2 minutes. Add the milk and shortening; mix for 2 minutes.



In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, teff flour, sweet rice flour, and xanthan gum. Set aside.



In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana and egg. Pour into the yeast mixture and mix for 2 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be somewhat loose and sticky.



Line your working area with plastic wrap; spray it with cooking spray. Place the dough on the prepared plastic wrap and then cover with another large piece of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray (spray side down). Use your hands to pat the dough down to 1/2" thick.


Spray your doughnut cutter/2 different size biscuit cutters/drinking glass and shot glass with cooking spray. Cut the doughnuts, removing the centers. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.



Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the doughnuts for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Glaze with chocolate glaze.



Chocolate Glaze



3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla



Put the chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds, until all is melted together. Add the vanilla and stir. Dip the doughnut tops into the glaze while it (and they) are still warm.

I got 16 doughnuts out of this batch. You may get more or less depending on how large you make them.

Tropical (un)Wholesome Goodness

I am in a mood.

Imagine that.

I have been a good girl all week with the non-smoking thing. I have not had a drag. Not that I haven't thought about it. But I know that if I take one drag, it's all over.

And it's Labor Day weekend! Three days of busting butt at the barn (nice alliteration, huh?). We are one month from opening weekend and I am starting to get nervous.

Now, if the pictures I post below aren't there, I will fix it. Someone (-cough-TheMan-cough, cough-) neglected to pay the phone bill so I can't get at my Flickr account. Should be rectified shortly, and I will replace the pictures when I can get at them.

Let's see. What else is new, since my mind is on what's cooling on the counter right now. Oh yes. A new puppy shot for you...

And here's what's on my countertop, calling my name...

Banana Coconut Muffins

Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious

2/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup butter, melted (I seem to be on a roll for high-fat recipes lately)

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a regular muffin tin or mini-muffin tin and set aside.

Sift together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg, bananas, sugar, vanilla, and coconut. Fold in the flour mixture until the flour is just moistened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake until lightly browned, about 17 minutes for mini-muffins and 25 minutes for regular-sized muffins.

I see a weight gain coming on

I quit smoking yesterday at noon. Since then, I have been wearing a nioctine replacement patch and trying to keep busy. One of the things I do when stressed is cook. I hope I don't eat everything in sight while gaining control over my nicotine cravings. Just in case, I bought some baby carrots to chomp on.

But still, I baked this morning. Here's another family recipe converted to gluten free.

Cherry Almond Coffeecake

For the cake:

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

8 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

For the filling:

1 can cherry pie filling

1/4 tsp almond extract

For the topping:

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a bowl, combine these cake ingredients: brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, salt, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the vanilla, egg and milk; mix well with a spoon. Add the melted butter and beat well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and set aside.

Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl (I use my fingers for this). Sprinkle half of the topping over the cake batter and set the rest aside. Sprinkle the almonds on top of the topping.

In yet another bowl, combine the cherry pie filling and almond extract. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the topping. Finally, sprinkle the remaining topping over the top of the cherries.

Bake for about 60 minutes - the top will be golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes befure cutting.

Worth waiting for

A hellish week for cooking. Storms every evening, downpours. Hot as Hades. I just didn't have the motivation to cook anything, even in the microwave! Even with my new cookware! The most I made to break it in was a patty melt last night. For the most part, I have been existing on sandwiches made with my new favorite bread (see previous post).

Until this evening.

I found the original recipe online this morning at http://www.epicurious.com/. I spend a lot of time on this site and Food Network's, but rarely make any recipes as written. However, on a side note, if you like sweet barbecue sauce, you gotta try this one (I put it on country pork ribs last Sunday and Oh. My. God.).





Now, back to my original thoughts. I stewed and salivated over my imagined dinner all through work. I got sidetracked by a trip to PetCo (20 minutes one way), so including some grocery shopping, I didn't get home until nearly 7 PM. Kind of late to start dinner, especially when you have a puppy and two annoyed cats all looking for attention from their momma.





But I decided I would just attempt to stay up later than normal (I hate going to bed with a full tummy because I sleep miserably) and stick with the plan. And my heavens, was it worth not cooking all week to be able to eat this tonight.







Poached Eggs on Salmon Hash


Based on a recipe from Bon Appetit on Epicurious





4 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped


1/2 cup red onion, diced


1/2 cup green pepper, diced


1 clove garlic, minced


2 tbsp sour cream


1 tbsp prepared horseradish


1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard


2 tbsp butter


2 tbsp olive oil


3 cups frozen hash browns


2 eggs


Salt


Pepper





Melt the butter and the oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hash browns, onion, green pepper, and garlic; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (a pinch will do unless you're a salt fiend, which I am not). Cook the potato mixture until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.





Poach the 2 eggs. If you want a fool-proof method, use this. It has never failed me.





In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, horseradish, and dijon mustard. Add this mixture and the salmon to the skillet. Toss with the potatoes and cook until just heated through, about 2 minutes.





Split the potato mixture between 2 plates. Top each mound with a poached egg and a grind or two of fresh cracked pepper.

GF Kolache

Growing up, when I figured out that my mother was cranking out kolache, I got really excited. I love these things! I assume the original glutenous recipe came down through her side of the family.

I was flipping through cookbooks early this morning, in the mood to bake but not sure what I wanted. I looked at doughnuts, cakes, cookies....and then I saw a recipe for danish. Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I tried to convert the family kolache recipe to gluten free?

After a little research as I haven't really tried to convert a recipe like with this much flour before, I started out by pulling a bunch of flour containers out of the fridge (the top shelf is devoted to GF flours now).

Flour dusting the countertop is a call for Baby, who loves flour. He would have licked the area clean if I hadn't come running to nicely chuck him to the floor.

While these don't taste quite like what I remember, nor are they as pretty, they are still tasty.

This recipe is considerably easier with a stand mixer as the dough gets pretty stiff.

Gluten Free Kolache
Adapted from the family recipe

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
2 tbsp shortening
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
4 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 can cherry pie filling (Wilderness brand is GF) or other favorite filling

Combine milk, shortening, yeast and sugar in the mixer bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly beat 2 eggs with the salt and vanilla; add to the mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, give it a whirr for a minute to mix together. In a separate bowl, mix the flours and xanthan gum together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl until the dough starts to get stiff (stop adding flour at this point). Switch to the dough hook attachment and start adding flour again. Once you have all the flour mixed in, cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for an hour.

After the dough rises, roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to rise again for another 30 minutes.

After the second rising, use a spoon to push down the centers, leaving a 1/2" rim around the outside. Fill with a spoonful of pie filling.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating the dough rises a final time.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Because it's never too early for chocolate

Good morning!

I had a batch of these gluten-free breakfast goodies fired up at 5:00 this morning!

Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
based on a recipe on the Pamela's website

3 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp butter
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
4 extremely ripe bananas
1/2 of a 10-oz package of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the baking mix, 1/3 cup sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs. Beat the egg and milk together, then mash the bananas and add them to the egg and milk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry. Mix together and then add the chocolate chips.

Drop by 1/2 cupfuls on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar. Bake for 16 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a scone comes out clean.

Makes 10 scones.

Just not hungry tonight

I'm not hungry, but since I haven't eaten much of anything healthy all day, I knew I better put something in my stomach or I was going to regret it.

The reason for the absence of hunger? I did a taste testing this afternoon - Pamela's Irresistable Chocolate Brownie Mix. And I added chocolate chips to the batter. I ate too many.

Pretty good, but I felt that there was a chalky aftertaste. Maybe it was just me. It didn't stop me from eating 3 big pieces, though.

Anyway, I needed something light. And I had a new-to-me product in the fridge - Greek yogurt.

Greek Yogurt with Fig and Honey Swirl
Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange, juiced
12 dried figs, chopped into quarters
1 small container Greek yogurt
A small handful of almonds

In a saucepan, combine the honey, water, orange juice, cinnamon stick, and figs over medium heat. Simmer until figs are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, take out the cinnamon stick, and let cool.

In a dry frying pan, toast the almonds until golden.

Take the container of yogurt and divide between 2 serving dishes. Pour the cooled fig and honey sauce over the yogurt, top with almonds, and serve.

Mondays don't always suck

Granted, it's been my experience that Mondays do indeed suck. At least as far as hauling my ass out of bed and going to work for 9 hours is concerned. Mondays don't suck when I am on vacation or when some pretty good grub comes out of the kitchen.

So today, this Monday, it doesn't suck. I made apple cinnamon scones for my week's breakfasts and when I got home tonight, I cranked out some chicken quesadillas - purchased flour tortillas for The Man and fresh homemade corn ones for me.

Play it safe - make your own tortillas. Less worry that way. Besides, it's damn easy. Right now, I make them using a rolling pin, but a wonderful co-worker is giving me her cast iron tortilla press this weekend! She said it's never been used.

At 7:00 this morning, I was cranking out the scones. Not bad.



Apple Cinnamon Scones
Adapted from the Pamela's website

2 1/3 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup apple, chopped
4 tbsps butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter; cut in using a fork or a pastry blender. Peel, core and chop 2 medium-sized apples. Add the apples, egg and milk; stir until just combined.

I used an ice cream scoop to portion these, so I came up with 7 big even scones. Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes (or until browned).

Chicken Quesadillas

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp mexican seasoning
Shredded cheese of your choice
Corn tortillas
Salsa
Sour cream

Pour the olive oil into a skillet and then start preheating it. When it's hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until done. While the chicken is cooking, make your tortillas according to the directions on your package of masa harina. Note: I cook them in a dry skillet then cook them again in the oven when the quesadilla is put together.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside to cool for a bit. Then shred it with 2 forks. Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and then add the Mexican seasoning; toss to coat.

Shred your cheese. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 1 tortilla on a baking sheet; spread a helping of chicken over the tortilla, then top with cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are browned.

Top with salsa and sour cream or whatever you like. This probably sounds gross, but try it - you might like it - I mix together about 1/4 cup of salsa and about a tablespoon of sour cream and then dip into it.

GF Cinnamon Rolls

The TV got me again last night. I don't know what the heck I was "watching" as I was dozing off (removing the glasses will cause that when you're as blind as I am), but it put the thought of cinnamon rolls in my head. Mom makes awesome ones, but I sure can't eat those anymore. So as I headed toward sleep, I thought about how I could make them. Here's what I came up with.

GF Cinnamon Rolls

For the dough:

3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp yeast
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup water

(Yes, another bastardization of the no-knead recipe)

Combine all ingredients. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 3 hours. Then add about a cup of white rice flour to thicken it up so it resembles a gluten dough more closely. Put in the fridge for an hour.

Very carefully, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick between 2 pieces of wax paper. Time for the filling!

For the filling:

Softened butter
Cinnamon (to your taste)
Sugar (to your taste)
Raisins, dried currants, or whatever floats your boat

Slather a layer of butter on the rolled-out dough, leaving about 1/2 inch free around the perimeter of the dough. Sprinkle with sugar, then cinnamon, then with the dried fruit. Pat the fruit down so it sticks.

Very, VERY carefully, begin to roll the dough, starting at a long side. I used an offset spatula to gently loosen the dough from the wax paper about 2 inches in all the way down, rolled to that point, then loosened again, then rolled....Until I had this.

Slice the roll into 1/2 inch slices.

Grease a baking dish. Tuck the slices in the dish like this:

Cover and allow to rise again for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees until browned (about ____) minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before icing the rolls.

For the icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp water or milk

Whisk together. How simple is that?

Once the rolls have cooled down and you have iced them, dig in!

For a first effort, they aren't bad. The dough isn't sweet enough, so I will have to add more sugar next time. Otherwise, not bad.

A breakfast worthy of this holiday

Teff porridge. Looks like Coco Wheats. Smells like Coco Wheats. Tastes nothing like Coco Wheats. But that's okay. It's really good...if not better than Coco Wheats.

The texture is amazing - it's crunchy and smooth, all at the same time. I will be rotating this into my weekend breakfast plans.

Teff Porridge

off the Bob's Red Mill package

2 cups water

A pinch of salt

1/2 cup whole grain teff

Honey

Dried fruit of choice (I used cranberries, because...well, it's the season)

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the teff - stir, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer the teff for 15 to 20 minutes or until the water has been soaked up by the grain. Stir occasionally. Once it's done, stir in honey to taste and a handful of dried fruit.

Eat. Smile. Give thanks.

GF doughnuts...or how I burned my finger

I was feeling pretty sassy this morning and decided to make those cinnamon rings I mentioned earlier this week. I based these off of the recipe in Complete Comfort Foods.

GF Cinnamon Doughnuts

2 cups + of Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 +1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 cup butter

Oil for frying (I used safflower oil)

First of all, the real recipe for cinnamon rings calls for ground anise in the batter. I don't have any and didn't feel like going to the store, so I used cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Combine 2 cups of baking mix and 2 tbsps of the sugar in a mixer (I have a 6 qt Kitchenaid - every cook's best friend). Add the 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; whirl away until mixed together.

Measure the milk into a larger measuring cup; crack the egg into the milk and whisk with a fork. Pour into the dry ingredients and whirl some more. Melt the butter; pour that in and beat yet again. The batter will be a little sticky.

Dump the batter/dough/cat magnet onto a surface that's been prepared with some sprinkled Pamela's baking mix. Knead the dough, adding a little more baking mix until the dough is less sticky and feels smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap and throw it into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to chill out.

While the dough is chilling, pour 2-3 cups of oil into a pot that is relatively wide with high sides. Get it heating; it's ready when a pinch of the dough floats and turns golden in 30 to 60 seconds.

Remove the dough from the freezer. Divide into 12 equal balls. Slightly flatten a ball, poke a hole through the middle with the end of a wooden spoon, ream the hole a little bit, and drop it into the hot oil. Swear in your outside voice, cry a few tears, and run across the room to run cold water over the fingertip you accidently dipped into the oil when you deposited the first doughnut.

Repeat 11 times (preferably without the swearing, crying, and future blisters).

Fry the doughnuts in small batches (I did 3 at a time so the pan didn't crowd and the doughnuts stick together). The doughnuts are ready to flip when the top puffs up and the bottom is golden brown.

Drain the doughnuts on a stack of paper towels sitting on a plate. While they're still warm, coat the doughnuts in a mixture of what's left of the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Pour yourself a glass of juice and eat while still warm.