Best freakin' gluten free cookies!

I just made the best gluten free, dairy free, egg free cookies. The texture is fluffy and moist and awesome!

Check it out:

• 1-1/4 cups Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 1/2 cup Softened goats butter or other stick butter substitute
• 1/2 cup Splenda
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Apple Sauce
• 1/2 smashed banana
• 4-6 oz. Chocolate Chips

Directions

Step 1

Combine softened butter, brown sugar, Splenda and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Step 2

Add apple sauce and banana into mixture and combine.

Step 3

Add in baking soda, xantham gum, and gluten free flour. Mix until you get a doughy texture.

Step 4

Stir in chocolate chips.

Step 5

Drop rounded spoon fulls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet.

Step 6

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes until edges turn golden.

Mid-east meets mid-west soup

Made this delicious soup that combined my favorite comfort foods all into one: mujadara, bacon, and split pea soup. And it was sooo easy, and gluten/yeast/dairy/wheat free! Here's the recipe:

1 cup dried split peas

1 cup red lentils (or any color you want)

6-7 cups chicken stock

1 vidalia or sweet yellow onion chopped

4-5 handfuls fresh spinach

1/2 tsp cumin

Salt to taste

Toppings:

Bacon crumbles

Feta cheese crumbles

Mix all the main ingredients in a pot and simmer for about 30 minutes or less if you like your lentils a little firmer.

Serve with bacon and feta crumbles! Soooooooo rich and savory and tastes so much more fattening than it really is. :) enjoy!

Easiest shepards pie!

I made a tasty shepards pie this evening from only 6 ingredients!
1lb ground beef
1 packet of onion soup mix
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
1 bag of Idaho instant potatoes, prepared
Shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown the beef in a pan, drain grease, mix in onion soup mix, 1/4 cup of water, thawed vegetables, and tomato. (I also tossed in a handful of fresh spinach leaves.) Pour mixture in square casserole dish, cover with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, top with desired amount of shredded cheese, bake for 5 more minutes. Take out and let cool 10 minutes, DIG IN!

*even my picky toddler ate it!*

Cooking attempt: Deena Paul Summer Corn

I call this my Deena Paul Summer Corn because I took some inspiration from one of my favorite southern chefs. I got some fresh corn from the local farmers' market and this is how I wanted to use it. Here's the recipe:

6 ears fresh corn (corn cut off the cob)
3 strips of bacon
1/2 can cream of onion soup
1 tbsp. butter

Fry the bacon in a deep skillet and drain on paper towel. Fry defrosted or fresh corn in bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, stirring to coat. Add butter and continue to fry corn until it begins to soften and brown very slightly. Add cream of onion soup and stir. Cook another few minutes until hot. Top with crumbled bacon! Yum!

Cooking attempt: Corn Salad!

OMG. I rock. I had some leftovers from yesterday's grill-out so I put them to use making this awesome chilled corn salad. Here's the super simple recipe.

Summer Corn Salad

3 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup celery diced small
1 sweet onion, sliced very thin
1 tablespoon butter
4 strips of bacon
3/4 cup of mayo
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp cilantro

Caramelize onions until slightly crispy in butter and drain on a paper towel. Chop when cool. Crisp bacon and crumble once cool; set aside. Toss corn, caramelized onions, and celery together. Mix mayo, lime juice, honey, dill and cilantro in a small bowl and slowly add to corn mixture, until desired dressing amount is achieved. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top before serving, refrigerate if needed. YUM!!!!!!!!

Cooking Attempt: Mexican Casserole

So here's a recipe I just threw together with what I had in my fridge, and it worked well! Thought I'd share.

Leftover Mexican Casserole

2 leftover grilled chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 beefsteak tomato, diced
1 cup of black beans, rinsed
1 cup mozzarella and cheddar cheese mixed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup crushed hard taco shells (or tortilla chips)

Mix it all together but leave out the taco shells and enough cheese to sprinkle on top. Spread in a casserole dish, sprinkle cheese then crushed chips on top. Cook in oven at 375 degrees until melty and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Boston Cream Cupcakes.... mmmmm!

I got me a shiny, new, cherry-red Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for Christmas and have put it to good use since! I decided to make "Boston Cream Cupcakes" from my new Taste of Home Baking cookbook and substituted the ganache frosting with the "Silky Creamy Frosting." I also didn't have vanilla pudding so I used chocolate. Um... all I can say is the cupcakes were AWESOME and the frosting was being eaten by the spoon post decoration. This really was the best freaking icing I've ever had. Not too sweet, not to thick or rich, just right! Also, the cupcakes were perfectly moist and again, not too sweet. I might have to brag that this was the most delicious item I've ever made in my entire life. Thank goodness I had to share them. Since my little girl's first birthday is coming up, I also decided to practice my icing skills with my new Betty Crocker Decorating Kitthat I also received for Christmas. Look how cute they turned out!

P.S. I had extra icing, even after cutting the recipe in half, so I used it to frost my extra pudding!

Need chocolate NOW!!!

I was craving chocolate and cookies, so I found this easy recipe and made these, except I used semisweet mini chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips. DELICIOUS! And it made way more than 27 cookies. Just thought I'd share:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/favorite-chocolate-cookies/detail.aspx

Venison potato quiche

Not only do I have ground venison sitting in my freezer and I have no idea what to do with it, but I've been craving quiche lately but don't feel like going out shopping for it. So I decided to make quiche with the ingredients I had in my fridge and the venison. But I had no pie crust, so I decided to use potatoes as my crust! I always make things in 2 so I can freeze them, so here's my recipe for 2 venison quiches.

I sliced 2 idaho potatoes thin with my mandolin and fanned them out in a greased pie pan. Then I seasoned with salt and pepper. I precooked this "crust" for about 10 minutes on 400 degrees and pulled it out to cool.

Then I poured in these ingredients as the filling:
9 eggs mixed with a splash of milk
1 lb. cooked ground vension (cooked with sage, garlic and thyme)
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (all I had were grape so I sliced them)
3/4 cup crumbled white cheddar cheese (again, all I had, feel free to use regular cheddar)
season with thyme and basil
sprinkle a little romano/parmesan cheese on top

Then I baked it at 350 degrees until egg was no longer jiggly (about 45 minutes.) Cut and serve with a little more parmesan, delicious!

This ended up being a great way to use ground venison, but next time around I will probably add a little bacon (cause its awesome in everything) and more tomatoes.

White Chocolate Bread... hmmm.

I had this bag of white chocolate chips in my pantry and my mother's Kitchenaid Mixer screaming at me from the countertop, so I decided to make something that sounded tasty. I followed this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/white-chocolate-bread/detail.aspx
Except I don't have a breadmaker and didn't have bread flour so I used the mixer and all-purpose flour. I stuck all the ingredients plus 3 extra tablespoons of flour and the chips in the mixer on low for 15 minutes. Then I used the dough hook and mixed it on medium for another 7 minutes. Then I added another 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips, mixed it with a hand spatula and let it rise for an hour. I punched it down (but it hadn't risen much and was very sticky) and stuck it in my greased, glass, bread pan. Then I let it rise while the oven preheated to 375, and cooked it for 45 minutes. It ended up being delicious, but took a long time to cook because I put too much dough in one pan. My advice would be to split the batter into 2 bread pans or cut the recipe in half. Otherwise, it was deliciously sweet and a perfect, moist breakfast or dessert bread! Even my husband loved it and took some to work, which he never does with anything I bake except cookies.

(If I had a picture I'd post, but I ended up cutting in to it to taste as soon as it came out of the oven. I was too excited!)

Italian Cornetto attempt #2 - halfway there?

Alright, so this time I kept it simple. I bought frozen puff pastry dough from the grocery store, defrosted it, unrolled it, cut the 2 pieces in to 8 triangles, put a small handful of chocolate chips inside and rolled them up, forming them into crescents as I put them on the baking tray lined with parchment. Then I egg-washed them and I baked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then ended up baking them for another 4 minutes (they were raw inside still.) To be honest, they were still a little raw inside (normally I like things doughy but not when I'm trying to match the cornettos.) What I ended up with was delicious, but not close to the Italian Cornettos. We were closer in texture, but the real ones are crispier and lighter. The flavor was almost there, but the Italian version is sweeter (maybe drizzle honey on top?) I'm just not sure how to make a puff pastry crispier and lighter. I think maybe I will try the puff pastry again and roll it out as thin as possible and not wrap the crescents as tightly next time. Or maybe I will try to find a puff pastry recipe to make myself? Not sure... Give me the weekend to think about it!

Authentic cornetto recipe, FAIL

Last year my husband and I took a trip to Rome, Italy. One of my favorite memories is waking up in our hotel over the square, walking down to the little cafe on the corner and having a fresh cornetto (the Italian version of a croissant) with tiny cups of espresso at a table overlooking the fountain. I've not yet found a recipe or restaurant to match, or even come close, to that of the Italian cornetto. The outside was crispy and flaky and the inside was light and fluffy, often filled with chocolate, marmalade or cinnamon. So I decided to attempt making them myself. I "Googled" and found this recipe from an Italian who claimed to travel there all the time. This proved to be rather difficult and ultimately not worth my time or effort.

3 cups flour (can use whole wheat flour  for a whole wheat version)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
4 tblsps sunflower seed oil
1 cake yeast or 1 packet powdered yeast
1 cup tepid milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp real vanilla


Brush on topping:
2 egg yolks
2 tsps sugar
pinch of milk


Melt yeast in tepid ( warm not hot) milk. Place flour in center of large bowl or wooden board, make a well, place in center the dissolved yeast/milk mixture, and all ingredients. Mix for approximately 20 minutes till you have a smooth dough, then cover dough and let rise in a warm (not hot place) for approximately one hour.
Cut the dough into triangles and place a spoonful of honey or marmalade in the center. an easy way to do this would be to first form dough into a circle by using a large plate to cut a large circle of dough,.The cut circle into triangles, place a spoonful of marmalade or honey on center and let triangles rise this way for approximately 40 minutes.
To top cornetti before baking:
In a bowl., mix another 2 egg yolks, 2 tsps of sugar and a drop of milk.
roll up the triangles into the shape of a cornetti. Place parchment paper on baking sheet, place cornetti on top, brush this mixture on top of each cornetti and bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.

Boo. The cornetto ended up being like sweet crescent shaped rolls with a nugget of Nutella inside (what I chose to stuff them with.) They were more bread-like than pastry and utterly disappointing. Still tasty, but not at all what I was hoping for.
I've decided to try buying pre-made puff pastry and winging it. I will try that either today or tomorrow, depending on my daughter's mood.

Bagel Recipe, SUCCESS!

So I attempted this recipe from www.allrecipes.com yesterday and it turned out fantastic. It made 12, and only one was left by 5:00 PM! I made 2 plain, 2 salt, 4 with sesame seeds, and 4 cinnamon and sugar. I do not have a countertop mixer, so I did it all with the hand mixer and hand kneading, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. Just make sure you let it rise for a full 45 minutes at least the first time.
So easy and so good! Yum!
Bagels I

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 2/3 cups warm water 2 tablespoons margarine 1 tablespoon white sugar 2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix together the unsifted flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast, water, and butter in the bread machine on the manual setting.
2.	OR, mix 1-1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and yeast. Heat water and butter to 120-130 degrees F. Add water to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed on mixer. Add 1/2 cup flour, beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in more flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rise. Punch down. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.
3.	Remove from bread machine.
4.	Divide dough into 12 pieces; shape 3 pieces into smooth balls. Poke a 1 inch hole in each. Drop bagels into a large skillet with 1 inch water (simmering) with 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons salt in the water. Cook on medium low heat for 3 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes; turn again, cook 1 minute more. Drain on towels. Repeat for rest of dough. Place on greased cookie sheet.
5.	Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Remove from sheets and cool. If desired, before baking, mix 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water, brush on bagels, and sprinkle with sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds.

Braided Egg Bread... win!

So I've been wanting to make bread, don't know why, for awhile now and never purchased yeast so it wasn't really an option (except for banana bread.) Yesterday I stopped and FINALLY picked up some yeast and decided to try the following recipe. It ended up being delicious and beautiful!!! (Stolen from allrecipes.com and halved because the original recipe was for 60 servings!)

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 cup hot milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 2-1/2 eggs
• 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 egg
• sesame seeds
• 1. Proof yeast and 1/2 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Combine hot milk, sugar, butter, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. Cool to 110 degrees.
  3. In small bowl, slightly beat 5 eggs, then add to cooled milk mixture. Add milk mixture to yeast mixture. Add 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Slowly add remaining flour until it forms a stiff dough. Knead on a floured board for 10 minutes (5 minutes with a bread hook). Place in a large glass or plastic bowl lightly greased. Turn dough over to grease both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, dark place until doubled in volume, approximately 60 minutes.
  4. Punch down, cover, and let rise again until double, approximately 30 minutes.
  5. Punch again, and form into three parts. Form each part into a 20-inch roll. Braid rolls on a large, greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled.
  6. Lightly beat remaining egg and brush loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 55 minutes until nicely browned. May be made into two regular sized loaves. Reduce baking time slightly.

  
  

  It was pretty easy, and I didn't knead it as long as required since I don't have a stand mixer and my baby girl screamed every time I turned on the hand mixer. I will probably add just a little more sugar next time. Here's a photo of how it turned out, after we tried the end of course:

  

  
  

Meatloaf attempt... fail.

So as a pregnant woman (or a woman in general,) I want what I want when I want it. I've been craving meatloaf, which is not something I eat ever, and I decided to attempt making it last night. I did what I usually do and read a few recipes, then winged it, and it didn't turn out great. I want you to learn from my mistakes PLEASE! This is what I did:

Combined these in a bowl:
1 egg (used egg-beaters substitute)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup panko crumbs (I didn't have breadcrumbs)

Added to the bowl:
1/4 cup of sauteed chopped apples
1/2 cup of sauteed chopped onions
3/4 cup of crushed drained tomatoes
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 lb. of ground beef

Then I mixed everything together well and stuck it in a greased bread loaf pan.
I mixed 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes (I had reserved earlier) with 1 tablespoon of sun dried tomato paste and spread that on top.

I then cooked the loaf in a preheated oven at 350 for about an hour (until the inside temp of the loaf was 160) and occasionally drained the liquid from the load with a turkey baster.

To be honest, it kind of fell apart and didn't have enough flavor for my taste. I think I did too many panko crumbs, and I should have used italian breadcrumbs anyway for the texture and flavor. Also, I would have added a little more seasoning by way of basil and garlic (my favorites) and salt. Maybe a little more egg would have held it together better and a little more meat (1/4-1/2 cup) would have given it a better texture. Other than all that I think it probably would have turned out okay. Anyway, don't make the mistakes I did and compensate panko/breadcrumbs for a lack of meat. Its not really meatloaf then... its mushy breadmeat crumble. Good luck in your endeavors, and if you have a great fail-proof meatloaf recipe you'd like to share please post below in the comments!