Gluten Free Biscuits Supreme

Every once in a while I really get a hankering for biscuits. My mom used to make them for Sunday dinner and they always made me feel like all was right in the world. We'd slather our homemade raspberry jam on them and time would just stop. When I want to make gluten free biscuits I usually use a mix from 123 Gluten Free, but I was out, so I decided to attempt to make some from scratch. I turned, of course, to the Bible of cooking,
the Better Homes and Gardens Red and White Cookbook. I adapted one of their recipes that used, of all things, cream of tartar in the dough. I figured I'd give it a try because I've failed much worse in the kitchen, believe me.

I used my food processor to mix the dry ingredients together, cut in the cold butter, and add the milk. I pulsed it until it came to a ball, then kneaded and rolled it out just like regular biscuits. When they were finished baking I was amazed at how HIGH they got! Look at those layers! That cream of tartar must be a secret ingredient because I've never made any gluten free biscuits that look like this. I adapted the recipe to use more liquid, since gluten free flours have a slower rate of absorption and tend to get dry if they don't have extra liquid. Here's the super easy and fast recipe:

Gluten Free Biscuits Supreme
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

2 cups Grandpa's Kitchen gluten free flour
1 T baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup milk
extra gf flour for rolling out dough

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once. If mixture looks too crumbly and dry, add 1-2 more tablespoons of milk until it comes together into a ball. Remove dough from food processor and knead together a few times on a floured surface to make a ball. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin to 1/2 ". Cut with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Makes about 10 biscuits.

I served these with a new crock pot recipe I tried that was pure comfort food. I'll post on that one Wednesday. Of course I froze my leftovers individually in Ziploc sandwich bags to heat up later.

Happy eating!

I Still Have a Sore Throat...and I'm Still Not Cooking

Sick, sick, sick. Whatever type of plague decided to descend upon my house has apparently decided that this is a great environment to grow and prosper in. Subsequently, my appetite has gotten up and walked away with my good health. I'm realizing how essential a sense of taste is for creating a food blog, and sadly, I'm not too inspired in the kitchen right now because all I want is some Advil and a piece of toast.Recently I've been eating a lot of Udi's Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread and Udi's White Sandwich Bread with butter, cinnamon and sugar and a mug of Throat Coat tea to start my day. Obviously it's not a super-vitamin-packed meal, but it's all I can stomach for now. I'm just glad there's something I can eat that is gluten free that takes less than 10 minutes to make, eat, and clean up.

So, I thought it might be fun while I am semi-incapable of creating and photographing new recipes to hear from you about what your favorite recipes are. Do you have a simple, tasty, and most importantly, gluten free recipe you can share? You can leave a comment with a permalink to a post if you have your own blog or if it's simple enough, leave the recipe in the comments section. My family is dying for your ideas. They are getting tired of microwaveable dinners and Gatorade.

Here's to good health and the promise of a better day! Happy eating!

What Can You Do With Udi's?

I have been talking for a while about how much I love Udi's Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread. I've used it for sandwiches, crumb topping on casseroles, breakfast, and heavenly lunch breaks. Last time I checked, I've bought more Udi's than most people in Utah. (Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but I'm in the top 10 for sure.) I'm so excited to let you all know that Udi's contacted me a few weeks ago about being a community ambassador for them. I really love their products and I'm happy to be working with such a great gluten free company. What this means is that if there are gluten free events going on in our area, there's a chance I'll be there to help promote Udi's products in our community. They sent me a whole box of their gluten free foods to try and I have to admit, I was expecting two loaves of bread, but it turns out there's a whole slew of good stuff from Udi's. For example, did you know Udi's has a whole line of gluten free granolas? Cranberry, Vanilla, Banana Nut (Original), and Au Natural flavors are available. They also make delicious breakfast muffins. Check out the blueberry one with streusel topping at the top of the post. Pizza crusts? Is it true? I can't wait to try these on family pizza night. Bagels! Hello...I already had lunch with one of the whole grain beauties the other day: Tomato, Canadian Bacon, and Gruyere Cheese melted under the broiler. Mmm, mmm, good. With all of these products I've noticed the same thing: delicious gluten free foods in or out of the freezer. And they taste so much like the gluten versions it's amazing. Seriously, bakery fresh taste and gluten free, anytime you need it. Check out Udi's website and find out where you can buy their products and see what's available.

Don't worry, I'm still reviewing and buying new gluten free products all the time. You can count on me to find new, accessible, and delicious gluten free foods from everywhere possible, including Udi's but not excluding others.

What's your favorite Udi's product? Do you have a recipe you use it with? Leave me a comment and let me know...maybe I'll make it and feature it on the blog!

Happy eating!

Easy Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls!

One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from "Bee Movie" with Jerry Seinfeld where he is telling Matthew Broderick all about his travels with humans and he says, "Do you know what a Cinnabon is? It's bread, and cinnamon, and frosting, and they heat it up, REALLY HOT!" I have a little thing for Jerry Seinfeld and I also have a secret thing for Matthew Broderick, so the movie fills all my needs at once. Ah, the days of Cinnabon are long gone for me, but I have nonetheless tried and failed several times to make gluten free cinnamon rolls just for a quick walk down memory lane. You dear readers have never known about it because I am way too embarrassed to even post my failures for a laugh on this particular experiment. Seriously. But the other day I got lucky and took out a box of 123 Gluten Free Biscuit dough to make for dinner and I noticed on the inside of the box is a recipe for Cinnamon Buns using the biscuit dough. I quickly scrapped my plans to make biscuits and made these instead. Wowee. It has been a really long time since I have had a cinnamon roll, and let me say it was a nice way to come back to that craving. Not only was the recipe easy, but it made delicious rolls that were not only good out of the oven but even yummy heated up in the microwave the next day. I think next time I make them I will do a cream cheese frosting instead of a milk and sugar glaze, just because I like the flavor of that better, but this was definitely good as is.

This is one of those things where I think: I wish I'd thought of that! The instructions are really straightforward and easy. After making the dough like usual, you brush it with butter, sprinkle with tons of cinnamon and sugar, roll the dough into a log, slice into rolls, brush with milk to make them brown in the oven, and let rise, then bake. Frost or glaze them when they come out of the oven. Mmm, the perfect winter activity: baking, then eating. Thank you 123 Gluten Free for figuring out how to do this for the rest of us who can't make gluten free yeast dough worth a dang!
Happy eating!

I'm in Print! The Salt Lake Tribune and Me...

image courtesy of Salt Lake Tribune

The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article in the food section today all about gluten free eating and where to find local gluten free products, including this delicious-looking cheese bread made by Cheese Bread Mania, which is available at Harmon's, Rico's, and Caputo's Market and Deli. Guess what the title was? "Off the Wheaten Path!" I wonder where they came up with that one... and who should be quoted as one of their incredibly knowledgeable, tasteful sources? Why, me, of course! AAaahhh! I'm freaking out. Check it out here if you're local to find out about the products they showcased and if you're not local check it out to read a witty, insightful, two lines said by me. Back to your regularly scheduled programming!

A Day I Never Thought Would Come: A Breadmaker Just For Me

I haven't ever used a breadmaker before. I don't have anything against them, I'm just too impatient to do the research and buy one and then learn how to use it. I'd just as soon do it the old fashioned way, because cooking from scratch seems so much more important when you do it without small appliances.

However, I have learned in the last few months that my life is pretty much completely out of control and sometimes I may not have time to babysit a loaf of bread just so I can eat a sandwich. Enter Grandma. My mom always gives great gifts, even to people she's not related to, and this year she wanted to get me something substantial as a gift that would also be practical. I told her I thought I needed a breadmaker, but I had no idea which one to get. I had been thinking of finding one secondhand from someone, because now I'm all about frugality, but then when I thought about cross-contamination, I didn't know if it was safe to buy one that had been used with regular flour. If you just wash the pan is it okay or do you have to do something special to the insides as well? Does anyone out there have an opinion on this? I decided to go with brand new just to be safe, and my mom found this West Bend model for only $79 from WalMart of all places. They shipped it to my door safe and sound...I also really am glad I waited to buy one because I've always hated how bread machines make square hunks of bread. (If you own a square-bread-maker, no offense. The bread tastes the same, it just looks like a block.) I really wanted to get one that made bread that looked like real bread. Ask and ye shall recieve...

I know the Zojirushi is the gold standard of breadmakers, but I just can't justify spending $200 on a bread machine to lazily make bread just for myself when an $80 one works just as well. There are some things to be aware of when making gluten free bread in a bread machine. The first thing I learned is that when you add the ingredients and it starts kneading in the first cycle, it's a good idea to take a rubber spatula and mix the dough a little bit, and even add a few tablespoons of water, as the dough can get a little bit dry and crusty on top. Gluten Free Goddess has a list of tips for using gluten free bread mixes in a bread machine here. I tried the Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix and used milk instead of water and it turned out to be delicious right out of the machine, but got dry fast. (Just like when I make it in the oven, may I add.) The one thing all bread machine users must be aware of? Don't forget to take the little paddles out of the bottom after you bake the bread! No one wants to crunch a piece of metal through their crust of bread.

So my paradigm is shifting and I've decided to give in to convenience...when it suits me.

Happy eating!

The World is Coming to an End...I'm Blogging about Bananas

Anyone who knows me well knows of my aversion to bananas. It's not that I hate them, it's just that I can think of 400,000 other foods I'd rather eat before I have to eat them. So when one of my daughters begged me for banana bread and I saw the gross overripe bananas on my counter, I decided to revisit the concept of a banana recipe. This is what I do when I cook with bananas: I add other tasty ingredients to mask the taste and then it's edible! Some of you may be banana nut fans and are so excited to finally see a banana nut recipe, but as for me, eh. I used a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook *the Bible* and used Grandpa's Kitchen gluten free baking flour. Then I added 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips just to make extra sure I could eat some. It turned out pretty well. Here's the recipe:

Gluten Free Banana Bread
from Better Homes and Gardens

1 1/2 cups Grandpa's Kitchen gluten free flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil or applesauce
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Grease a loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Make a well in the center and set aside.
2. In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar, cooking oil, and lemon peel. Blend well and add all at once to the dry ingredients. Blend until just moistened and lumpy. Add nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

I gave a few slices of this bread to my friend whose two children were recently diagnosed with celiac disease, and they apparently said it was delicious. I'd love to hear comments from any banana nut lovers to see if you like this recipe, too!
Happy eating!

Gluten Free Lemon Zucchini Bread

I remember the first time I ate zucchini bread. I was 6 years old playing at my friend Michelle's house and her mom offered me some. I expected it would taste savory and salty, since zucchini is a vegetable. But heavens to Murgatroid, it was sweet and cinnamony and I couldn't even taste the zucchini! Ever since that summer I have looked forward to harvesting zucchini just for making some zucchini bread. Most summers I'll make zucchini bread at least once because I have so much shredded zucchini in my house. Usually I'll take the big zucchini that aren't great for frying and grate them and put 1-cup amounts into a Ziploc bag and just freeze them so that in winter when I want Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins I can thaw them out and not have to run to the store for zucchini.

This last time I made zucchini bread I decided to try something a little different with the flavors. Most zucchini bread recipes call for some lemon zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I decided as I was zesting my lemon that I loved the lemon so much I was going to make Lemon Zucchini Bread. So here's what I did:

Gluten Free Lemon Zucchini Bread

1 cup sugar

1 cup shredded zucchini

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup crushed pineapple

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups Grandpa's Kitchen Gluten Free Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, soda, powder, and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer, combine sugar, zucchini, lemon zest and juice, pineapple, oil, and egg. Mix well and then add flour mixture a little at a time. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

You know how you have those moments at the store where you walk past something that you used to be able to eat and then you sigh and say, "That used to be one of my favorites. Dang." That was me and lemon poppy seed muffins. They didn't even have to be the huge planet-sized Costco ones, I could do myself up right with the mix from a box when it came to those. And whenever I have those moments at the store when I am missing one of my old favorites, I can usually guarantee that I'm in the kitchen by the next day whipping up some gluten free substitute that sometimes tastes even better than the original. These muffins are the perfect complement to any brunch or breakfast meal. Light and fresh, they round out your taste buds and give you a full tummy, too. Of course I'm using my favorite flour for these muffins, the Grandpa's Kitchen gluten free baking flour. I've made a few batches of these, so I know that if you use a little more lemon zest you may love it but your husband may not. So use zest accordingly. If you want an extra lemony zing, add a bit of lemon extract and see if you like it. I like this recipe because the muffins have a lemony flavor without totally zinging you. The same goes for the poppyseeds. I love the crunch of using 2 tablespoons, but some of you may only want to use 1 tablespoon if you like less of them. All I know is that goofing off in the kitchen can often yield tasty results...and I don't sigh when I walk by the Costco muffins anymore!

Gluten free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

1 3/4 cup Grandpa's Kitchen baking flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1-2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 beaten egg

zest of 3 lemons

juice of 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soday, salt and poppy seeds together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix milk, oil, egg, and lemon zest and juice together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients all at once. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop batter into muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Happy eating!

Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread

My good friend Teresa stopped by my house the other day bearing gifts. Lovely gifts. See, Teresa recently had her 2 year old son diagnosed with celiac sprue and has been learning the ropes of gluten free eating. The other thing about Teresa is that she's unfailingly generous. She's new enough at this kind of eating not to be hoarding her products, yet. Yet. She happened upon these loaves of Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread at a discount warehouse and graciously shared some of her bounty with me. For those of you who don't know, Udi's is a Denver-based company that makes both gluten free and regular artisan bakery items. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical to try this bread at first. Traditionally gluten free pre-made breads are terrible. (Sorry, gf bread makers.) I much prefer to take my chances and make it fresh at home. But I have to say, I was completely taken off guard by this bread. It's more than four inches high (a feat for gf breads), is soft but hearty, and takes to a toasting like a champ. Udi's where have I been? There are probably fifty of you out there shaking your heads going, duh, Udi's rocks! So, sorry I haven't been in the loop lately, but now I have a new best friend.No crumbly bread falling apart in the toaster, here. So of course I had to get some of that bread out and smear it with my favorites, which I only do for breakfast occasionally:aah, the lovely and talented Adams Natural No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter and Red Plum Jam. Heavenly. Eating a piece of toast with peanut butter and jam used to be my go-to breakfast for crazy days, and it looks like those days may be on the horizon again. Another bonus to this bread is that I don't have to keep it in the freezer. I can just keep the thawed loaf out on my counter and grab it whenever I see the need for a whole-grain textured gluten free bread. I also made these with three pieces of bread last night: Bread crumbs to top a batch of homemade macaroni and cheese. I love it! Just when you've spent seven years thinking you will never taste anything like what you used to eat ever again, something comes up that shines the light on your appetite. Bread. You've gotta love it. You can pick up a loaf of Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread at places like Whole Foods, Sunflower Market, and Good Earth, but you can also pop on over to Udi's website where they have a helpful zip code store finder to help you find their products near you.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Portuguese Bean Stew and Corny Cornbread

It's snowing here in Utah, and you know what that means. Well, maybe you don't. It means I start making soup and stew almost every night of the week. There's something about pulling out the LeCreuset and simmering something in it all day that makes me happy. It seems like every event I go to in the winter is a dinner where soups are served. We have a neighborhood Christmas party on Saturday. The menu? Chili and Cheesy Broccoli Soup. When my parents come over for Christmas Eve? Minestrone and Potato Soups. When my inlaws come to town, we all bring a crock pot of soup and some unlucky soul has to buy the drinks and soup bowls. They are definitely a holiday menu staple. And recipes for soups and stews seem to abound, but GOOD recipes are hard to come by. The first time I saw this recipe was on the show, "Ask Aida" on the Food Network. She did this whole show on stews and soups. I was keeping a running tally in my head, looking for things that were inevitably needing substitutions to make the dish gluten free. Guess what? The tally was a big fat zero. A fully gluten free dish, Merry Christmas to me. I love naturally occurring gluten free recipes. It's like a smiley face on the cable bill, isn't it? So, I think that Aida should get the credit and the internet traffic for this beautiful stew that she created, so check it out here. And by check it out, I mean get all the ingredients at the store and make it tonight. I used tomato sauce instead of tomato paste because I was out of it, and it still turns out beautifully. You won't be sorry.

I do, however have a little variation on the classic cornbread recipe for you to try. I love the sweet cornbread flavor with this stew, which is slightly spicy-sweet itself. The honey in the stew complements the flavor of the cornbread nicely. And the whole corn kernels give it a little more texture and gusto than regular cornbread. So yummy. We've had it five times this month since I tried these variations. I hope you like it, too.

Gluten Free Corny Cornbread

1 1/4 cups Grandpa's Kitchen flour

3/4 cup Quaker Cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

2 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup drained whole kernel sweet corn

Mix dry ingredients together. Make a well. Mix wet ingredients together. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fold in corn. Pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Freezes well.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Blueberry Scones

When you saw the title to this post, I hope you were thinking to yourself that these were traditional English tea scones, not the puffy yeast bread scones that you dip into boiling oil and eat with honey. Those have never really appealed to me. But if you love those kind of scones and have made your own gluten free version, please feel free to add the link in the comments section. I'm sure someone out there is looking for a recipe for those.

The reason I wanted to make the English tea scone recipe was because I think gluten free flours lend themselves well to shortbread recipes. The breads don't have to rise and they don't need the structure of the gluten to make them tall and fluffy. And, they are yummy and quick to make. I based my recipe off of a basic scone recipe in the Bible, better known as the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The original recipe calls for half and half, instead of whole milk. I think they turn out just fine with milk and you cut out a little fat also.

Gluten Free Blueberry Scones

2 cups Grandpa's Kitchen baking mix flour

3 T sugar

1 T baking powder

6 T chilled butter

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup whole milk

zest of 1 lemon

1 package blueberries

1 T whole milk

2 t sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Mix egg and 3/4 cup milk together. Add to flour mixture. Add lemon zest. Fold in blueberries. Form dough into a ball and knead 13-15 times on a floured surface. Press into a circle shape about 1/2 inch thick and cut with a sharp bread knife into 8-10 wedges, depending on how many you want. Arrange triangles on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Gluten free hamburger bun recipes are about as plentiful as used cars these days. It seems everyone has their own version that works well and does the job without fanfare. Such is the plight of the gluten free eater. We are just holding on to a thread of hope that we will find an approximation of a baked good that we can use in our traditional meals that reminds us of the good old days. I've decided that being content with something is better than nothing. I was looking for something, anything that resembled a hamburger bun for my sloppy joe recipe. Looking through my pantry I found a package of the Blue Chip Baker Group's French Bread mix. I thought I'd give it a try and see what I came up with.

First of all, this mix is so simple to use. You only add vinegar, yeast, warm water, and a little oil to it and beat it in your mixer for two minutes. Let it rise for 45 minutes and bake for 30. Pretty straightforward and uncomplicated, if you ask me. So I mixed up some dough and, using a large spoon, scooped out some balls of dough and smoothed them out with the back of the spoon. After rising and right before baking, I brushed them with a little melted butter and added sesame seeds to the top for that traditional hamburger bun crunch. They turned out pretty good! I got six buns out of one loaf recipe, however I suggest using them up pretty quickly. Fresh out of the oven is definitely better. These get crumbly and dry after a couple of days, even in a ziploc bag. But they worked for my recipe and the added benefit is I don't feel so left out of the world of sloppy joes and hamburgers. If I really feel like I need a hamburger bun, these aren't too difficult to make and give a fair representation of a good old roll. I'd also like to try buns with the Grandpa's Kitchen Bread Mix, since that one is so yummy, too. I'll let you know how those turn out!
Happy eating!

Black and Blue Muffins...Gluten Free Heaven

I was saving this recipe for the monthly recipe poll on the sidebar over there, but I love it so much I am making an executive decision to post it now. First of all, let me reiterate that I have had so much failure in the kitchen when making up recipes it's enough to make me want to throw away all the pots and pans and just eat Carl's Jr. for the rest of my life. Someday I'll write a post about all the dishes that never made it into the blog and all the terrible incarnations of my favorite dishes that were too awful to eat more than three bites of. But for today, after much experimentation and trial and error, I bring you Black and Blue Muffins.

The reason this was so difficult for me is that I wanted to do my own mixture of different flours and not use a prepackaged baking mix. By the way, there's a reason they have those pre-made mixes at the store. Flour proportioning is tough to do!I was going for a whole-grain texture with these muffins, and I knew I wanted to use buckwheat so people would know that buckwheat is, in fact, gluten free. However, buckwheat and I are not best friends. I rarely use it and I have found out that it is very absorbent. But if you use it in the right proportion, you can have a great product. Too much buckwheat makes your muffins taste like sticks. I also wanted to use teff flour because teff is such a great grain. It has a lot more protein and bran per ounce than regular flour because the grains are so small they just use the entire grain to mill the flour and you get more of the good stuff. (I'm not so great with the technicalities of alternative grains, I just know it's a little healthier to use.) I must say, the finished product is so good, they should start making it at Starbucks to replace that gluten free one that they took off the market a little bit ago. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, here. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think about it. I hope you like it.

Gluten Free Black and Blue Muffins

1/2 cup blended oats (I use Blue Chip Group GF oats)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup teff flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 of a 6 ounce package of blueberries

1/2 of a 6 ounce package of blackberries, halved

1/2 cup Grandpa's Kitchen baking flour blend

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 T soft butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, blend flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix milk, egg, sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice until egg is beaten. Make a well in dry ingredients, add wet ingredients all at once. Fold in berries. In another bowl, mix Grandpa's Kitchen flour and brown sugar and butter with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal. Fill muffin cups almost to the top and sprinkle sugar mixture over batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from muffin tin immediately after coming out of the oven and cool on wire racks to prevent sticking to paper liners. Freezes well.

Happy eating!

Success!

I finally figured it out! I made the perfect loaf of Grandpa's Kitchen Bread. The secret? Make sure your wet ingredients are room temperature before you mix them. Very important! Don't worry, it says it right there on the package, I just never noticed it before. Duh. Lesson to all: Read the instructions. Carefully. Double check your work. And I made some super yummy garlic bread with it. Here's the instructions:

Cut 1/2 to 3/4" thick slices of Grandpa's Kitchen bread. Place on a baking sheet. Mix 1/2 stick of softened butter with 1 clove minced garlic and 1 T chopped parsley. Spread onto one side of bread with a knife. Place pan in oven heated to 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Then place on top rack on broil for 2-3 minutes, checking often, until edges are crusty and middle is soft.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins

I remember back in the day when I thought I could eat wheat I would go to Mimi's Restaurant and eat all of the moist and yummy carrot cake they brought out with the bread plate for an appetizer. It is such a great combination of flavors; the walnuts, the raisins, the carrots, the spices. Then the tables turned and I thought sweet, moist carrot cake and I would never meet again. One day (years later, I must admit), I thought, I'm smarter than that! I can make my own gluten free version of that bread. It proved to be easier than I thought. First I turned to trusty Google Search and found several versions of the Mimi's recipe. (Mimi's, if you don't want your stuff copied, don't let the recipe get out on the web. I'm just saying. But I'm glad it was there.)

Gluten free baking is so tricky. You have to use several flours to replace wheat flour,because each flour has only one or two of the components of regular flour. Measurements and ratios can be hard on the middle-aged mom's brain, so I like to take the easy way out and use a mix whenever possible. That doesn't mean, however, that you have to just use the mix as is. I always feel free to jazz it up a bit and add whatever flavors or textures I like to my sweet baked goods. This dish was no exception. I used the Namaste Spice Cake Mix and then added some of Mimi's secret ingredients like crushed pineapple and walnuts. I used applesauce instead of oil to cut down on the fat intake. I added shredded zucchini and coconut because I wanted more veggie power. And what I came up with was a muffin that my five-year-old has eaten more of than I have.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

based on Mimi's Restaurant recipe, tweaked and made gluten free by Margo Andersen

3 eggs

1 cup applesauce

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup molasses (optional)

1 Namaste spice cake mix

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a stand mixer, beat eggs, applesauce, water, and molasses, if desired, until combined. Add cake mix, blend. Stop mixer and add carrots, coconut, zucchini, raisins, walnuts, and pineapple. Mix until just blended, not too long or the goodies will sink to the bottom. Batter is runny, so use a 1/4 measuring cup to fill muffin tins. If goodies start to fall to the bottom while you are fillng muffin tins, simply stir the batter for a second to re-incorporate. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 24 muffins with enough left over for one mini loaf pan. Cook loaf for 40-45 minutes at 350. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Frost with frosting if using as a dessert. If not, use for a breakfast muffin. Freezes well.

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg cream cheese

3-4 cups powdered sugar

Beat together softened cream cheese and sugar, adding one cup at a time until desired consistency. Place in a large ziploc bag and cut the end off one of the tips to make a pastry bag. Frost carrot cake muffins this way so the moist crumbs do not get into the frosting.

Happy eating!

Life After Gluten: A Guest Post!

http://lifeaftergluten.blogspot.com

My friend Tiffany from Life After Gluten is in a remarkable postition as a gluten-free person: Her former occupation? Baker. No one knows more about the properties of flour and how to bake than Tiffany. So I cajoled her into writing a guest post about baking gluten-free for me. Dear readers, get ready to learn about baking from a pro. And I am guest posting today over at Tiffany's blog, Life After Gluten, so be sure to head over there and check out what I have to say about lunch. Now on to the Wisdom of Tiffany:

Gluten is a beautiful thing. Who doesn't love a good, tough bagel, or a firm, chewy, foldable pizza crust? Gluten provides elasticity to a baked product. It holds the structure of a muffin together, it helps a croissant to flake. How can someone bake without it? That's what I set out to discover.

Being a professional baker did not prepare me for the struggle of baking without gluten. Everything I knew about food science flew out the window when I was diagnosed with celiac. How could I possible bake anything? First thing I tried was a chocolate chip cookie mix. I lovingly mixed the ingredients together, and popped a big ball of cookie dough in my mouth. Big mistake! This dough had bean flour in it, which is bitter! I admit that I began to cry. What a horrible first experience! The devestation tempered a bit when I tried the cookies after they were baked. They still weren't great, but at least the bitterness cooked out. That was my first lesson in baking gluten free. Bean flour is bitter when raw, but the bitterness bakes out in the oven.
I am here to explain what I know about baking flours, ratios, flour combinations, etc. I don't claim to be an expert, but I have learned a couple things in the past 2 years.

1. If at first you don't succeed, cry, and then try again! You will never find that perfect recipe unless you keep at it. There are endless combinations to a good pizza crust, and it's going to take some time before you find the one you like.

2.Take ideas from recipes you already have. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. If you have a pie crust you really like, try it with a gluten free flour mix. See how it turns out. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't...find out!

3. Take recipes from the internet. Try something that someone else made up! Change it a bit, take out what you don't like, add what you do like. It's all up to you! I based my favorite pizza dough recipe off of Emeril's recipe!
You are welcome to try out gluten free flour mixes from the store. I have had success with Sylvan Border Farms flour mix, as well as Pamela's mixes. They are quite expensive, however, and I enjoy trying my own. I also try to make my mixes a litle healthier than mostly just starch mixes. I usually will try to add in some ground flax seed into a bread to get some fiber in there. Just add a little so as to not change the texture of your finished product too much. One thing to remember is that celiacs generally don't get enough fiber, so it is super important to replace it in other ways.

Each flour you come across has different properties to it. One will strengthen, another will act as a tenderizer, another will add moisture. This is where things get hairy. Wheat has all of these properties, so it is difficult to wrap your head around needing multiple flours to substitute for just one. I have spent a while trying to develop the perfect flour, and for me, I have found one I really like. To get a good idea of what flours do what, I would suggest taking a look at a book called You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free by Roben Ryberg. The information inside is invaluable to creating your own mix. Starting on page 14, you can find an analysis of gluten free flours, and their properties. I don't necessarily agree with her opinion on whether to use a certain flour or not. For example, she says not to use quinoa flour, because it's flavor doesn't merit use. I happen to like quinoa flour, so I take those opinions lightly. Her book also uses one or two starches or flours to create multiple recipes, so it is nice for a beginner, or someone who would rather just have a few flours, instead of multiple. In the past couple of years, I have decided that I prefer to have a selection of flours available, because I tend to get better results that way. Again, it is all about what you do, and do not like.

You can check out my flour mix recipe here, just remember that it has buckwhaet flour, which makes your final product a little darker in color. It is also meant for more hearty recipes, such as cookies with nuts, or whole grain style bread. I love it in cornbread, also! Please note that the garbanzo flour can add a hint of bitterness if not cooked thouroughly. It is a bean flour :)

My pizza dough recipe, like I previously said, is based off of Emeril's. Give it a try, and see what you think!! So far, it is the best we have tried, and my gluten eating husband says it is just like regular pizza! Score!

Yield: 2 16 to 18-inch pizza crusts
Ingredients:1 cup water (105 – 115 degrees F) 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons active dry yeast 1 1/2cups white rice flour 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour 1/2 cup flour mix 2 cups tapioca starch 2/3 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder 3 teaspoons xanthan gum 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup hot water 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 egg whites at room temperature Vegetable oil spray Corn meal
Method:Preheat the oven to 400º F. Combine 1 cup of water (105 – 115 degrees F), 2 tablespoons active dry yeast and sugar. Let the yeast "bloom" in the water. Combine the white rice flour, garbanzo flour, flour mix, milk powder, tapioca flour, xanthan gum and salt in a bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle and set on low. Mix the flour well and then add the olive oil with the remaining 1/2 cup of water, slowly pouring into the bowl. Add the egg whites slowly until the mixture is well incorporated. Add the yeast mixture and increase the speed to high and continue to mix for 4 minutes.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and evenly divide into two balls. Dust 2 half sheet pans (jelly roll pans) with corn meal to prevent sticking, and to add crunch to the bottom. You can spray it with cooking spray if you would rather do without the crunch. Place one of the dough balls onto each pan. Place a plastic glove or a plastic sandwich bag onto one of your hands and spray some vegetable oil onto the gloved hand. Using that hand, gently press each dough ball into a 13-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick, leaving the edges a bit thicker to prevent sauce from dripping onto the pan. You can also just use a wet hand to 'smear' the dough out into shape. Set aside for 10 minutes to rise.
Place the dough into the oven and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with your favorite sauce and ingredients. Place back into the oven and continue to cook until the crust is golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes longer. (Note: if the baking pan is not liberally greased or corn meal-ed, the dough will stick. If this happens, use a flat metal spatula to separate the dough from the baking pan.)
Hopefully this gives you some ideas to create your perfect pastry, loaf, bun, whatever! Please, ask questions, get dirty, make mistakes and try again! That's what makes this an adventure, and it makes the success more of a reason to celebrate!

-- Tiffany

Life After Gluten

http://lifeaftergluten.blogspot.com/

Best Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Growing up, I used to make baking powder biscuits with my mom for Sunday dinners. I used to love rolling them out with a floury rolling pin and sneakily eating the dough scraps. When I found out I couldn't eat them anymore, I was a really big brat about it. We're talking full-on pouting. One day I found the Biscuit Mix from 123 Gluten Free at the Shirlyn's Natural Foods Store in Sandy. When I tasted them it was like being a kid in my mom's kitchen again. It has the exact same taste as those homemade biscuits you remember from the good old days of eating wheat. The dough is a tad sticky, but I use a little extra Grandpa's Kitchen flour to flour the ball of dough and the rolling pin to keep it workable. You could also use cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca flour or white rice flour if you wanted to. Sometimes I would reserve a few tablespoons of the mix to flour the board and rolling pin. Use whatever you have that you feel comfortable with. There are pretty clear instructions on the box, but here is what I have learned when baking these biscuits: a)Cut them a little thicker. Nobody likes skimpy biscuits. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch and cut with a glass for a nice round biscuit. b) You can use milk instead of half and half and heavy cream. I used 2/3 cup of buttermilk and 1 cup 2% milk. c) Never skip brushing the biscuits with milk on top and sprinkling with sugar. It just makes the biscuit so yummy and gives it a little oomph on the top. d) I put mine in the freezer and use them for quick dinner fillers. They go great with soups, roasts, gravy, homemade raspberry jam, and Boeuf Bourguignonne.

Happy eating!