Loving Gluten & Casein Free!!!

Collard Green Rolls w/creamy bacon sauce

2011-06-01T09:36:00.001-04:00

These were quite yummy! I made several and they froze nicely. You could also use cabbage instead of collard greens. I live in the South where collards are plentiful and grown in every home garden. So, getting fresh collards is easily done. Logan didn't care for the cilantro on top and said more bacon would have been better. I liked the cilantro. Suffice it to say that the cilantro is probably for the more discerning palate.

Collard green rolls w/ creamy bacon sauce (from Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008 with some modifications)

Ingredients:

1 pile of collard greens or 1 large head of cabbage

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup uncooked instant white rice

1/3 cup dairy free milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestshire sauce

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup beef broth

1/2 teaspoon carraway seed

1/2 cup dairy free milk again

1/2 cup dairy free sour cream ( I use Tofutti brand)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces

Directions

Cook cabbage or collards in large pot until slightly wilted.

In medium bowl, mix ground beef, uncooked rice, 1/3 c dairy free milk, the egg. worcestshire sauce, sea salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 of this mixture on thick end of collard leaves. Roll up, tucking sides in. Place filled leaves in 12 in skillet, seam side down. Add broth and carraway seed. Cover; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 25 to 30 minutes.

With slotted spoon, place rolls on serving platter. Cover to keep warm. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup dairy free milk, the dairy free sour cream, cornstarch, salt and pepper with wire whisk. Pour into skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Serve sauce over rolls . Sprinkle with cilantro or bacon, your choice.

Twice baked potatoes

2011-03-15T10:53:00.001-04:00

These are super easy to make and they freeze really well. Not to mention that they pop right in to the microwave to unthaw in less than 2 minutes. My kind of food!

I happened onto a sale on potatoes a while back where I got 10 lbs for 2.99. Even with the addition of bacon and mashing the potatoes, I made all 10 lbs for less than $5. You really have to love that!

Pour all the potatoes into the sink and scrub them clean. After they are all clean, poke holes in them with a knife or fork, your choice. Lightly salt them (makes the skin crispier).

Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil then throw in your slow cooker. Yup, your slow cooker. Since I had so many, I used my giant roaster. Pile them on top of each other. They won't mind.

After you forget them for a day, give them a little squeeze to see if they are done. Turn off the slow cooker and let them cool. When cool, unwrap all the potatoes.

This step is crucial to make them sit flat. Slice potatoes in half then slice a tiny sliver off the bottom. Not too much. Just enough to make them sit flat. You will get the hang of it after one or two potatoes.

Next, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the halves of the potato. Not all of it. Hollow out maybe 3/4ths of it. Put all the potato guts into a large bowl.

Mash as you normally would. I use chicken broth with a little season salt. I also add bacon to add a little flavor to it. Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese or Sour Cream is good to mash in to it too.

After mashing it to the consistency of mashed potatoes, scoop it back into the hollowed out potato shells. They should look like this.

Stuff all your shells then place on a large baking sheet or cutting board and flash freeze separately. As in , place individually on the plate or cutting board and freeze for an hour or so. Then you can add them into a large container or Ziploc. By freezing ahead, you can get out only what you need when you need to. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Black Bean, Corn and Rice Stuffed Peppers

2011-03-07T10:29:00.001-05:00

In January, we participated in the Daniel Fast as a family with our church family. It is perfectly suited for people on a gluten and dairy free diet as those are things that you are fasting from. I made these peppers one night. They were a smash it. Of course, you could add ground beef if you wanted but these were delish without the meat.

Black Bean, Corn, and Rice Stuffed Peppers
From The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory

Ingredients:

2 cans of black beans drained or 2 cups of cooked black beans
3 cups rice, divided (she recommends brown but any rice will do here)
1 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned , thaw if using frozen and drain if using canned)
2 scallions sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsps lime juice
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
2-3 large bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and cored
2 cups vegetable or tomato juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2.Using a large bowl, combine the beans, 1 cup of brown rice, corn, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Place the pepper halves in a baking dish ( glass or stoneware) and stuff with the bean mixture.

4. Carefully spoon some of the juice over the peppers being careful not to disrupt the filling. Pour the remainder of the juice in to the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45- 60 minutes.

5. To serve, place some of the remaining rice on the plate then place the stuffed pepper on top. Pour some o the juice from the pan over top.

Variation:
You can not read the directions and add all the rice in the first step. The peppers are filling all by themselves. This gives you extra filling that you can freeze later. I would recommend freezing the filling separate from the peppers then filling before baking.

Bacon & Potato Soup

2011-02-14T11:52:00.002-05:00

Now, when we have this on Meatless Mondays, I leave out the bacon on the top. The soup tastes just as good without the bacon. But the bacon really sends it over the top in my opinion. My husband and daughter add cheese to theirs as well . I eat mine without cheese so that Logan doesn't feel left out. Also, I usually add the bacon to each individual bowl then add the remaining bacon to it when I put the leftovers away. There won't be a lot of leftovers, trust me.

Potato Soup

2 cartons broth (chicken, beef, veggie, whatever)
8- 10 potatoes, peeled and cubed
several tablespoons minced garlic or 2 -3 garlic cloves
1 cup milk or milk substitute ( any sub will work here)

Add potatoes, broth, and garlic to crock pot. Set on low and let cook for 8 - 10 hours. When potatoes are tender, put a small amount of broth into a cup. Slowly add milk and mix. When thoroughly mixed together, add mixture into crockpot.. Put crock pot on high for an hour. Using immersion blender, blend just until soup starts to thicken. Be sure to leave some potatoes whole. Ladle into bowls and add bacon if desired. Yummy!

Winner of Gluten Free Bisquick Giveaway

2010-11-26T23:07:00.000-05:00

The winner of the gluten free Bisquick prize pack via Random.org is comment #12!!!

Tracy- you didn't leave any contact info so please either email me at progers39 @ tampabay . rr .com (with no spaces of course) or leave a comment with your email address so I can get your shipping info.
Please contact me before Monday or I will have to pick a new winner.

Stay tuned for Monday's giveaway from Living Gluten Free!

Gluten Free Bisquik and a Giveaway! Giveaway Closed*

2010-11-22T20:09:00.001-05:00

Betty Crocker was so generous to send me a box of gluten free Bisquick to try out. They were even more generous to my readers in that they are offering one to you too!

I simply love this stuff. It made my life so much easier in preparing a quick meal for Logan. Biscuits were sooooo easy to whip up in mere minutes. Logan had potpie for the first time since there was a fabulous recipe right on the box. Yay! This stuff is going to make my gluten free holiday cooking rock this year.

Who wants to win a prize pack like the one shown above? You get the coveted Bisquick, a pancake pen which is awesome for filling cupcake liners, and a cast iron pancake pan with flipper. How fantastic is that?
I'm even gonna make it easy for you. Leave for a comment with your favorite use for Bisquick. I'll draw a number on Friday! Good luck!

I received the above prize pack from Betty Crocker in order to review. All the opinions are mine.

NU Life Foods

2010-08-17T15:07:00.001-04:00

Carolyn over at NuLife Foods was so sweet to contact me recently. She asked if we would like a sample box of their food to try for FREE! I did mention that she was so sweet. I , of course, said yes . Logan was one happy boy when the box arrived via UPS.

Before we get to the review part, go over to my other blog, Our Crazy Adventures in Autismland, to see what we did with the dry ice that came in the cooler. We got free food and a built in science lesson too. Does it get any better than that?

The box came with several items in it like cinnamon raisin bread, cookies, meatballs , chicken nuggets, chicken burgers and Logan's favorite, pizza. All the items were individually packaged but the directions came on one big sheet in the box. Hmmmm, I am not an organized individual so these were lost quickly. With that said , the items were still really easy to make even directionless.

All the items were tasty. Logan gobbled up the pizza and declared it the best he had ever eaten. I guess he highly recommends the pizza . I tried the cookies , the chicken nuggets and the meatballs. The meatballs were huge. Simply huge. That's why I got to try them as Dad made too many for Logan's spaghetti to handle. They were delicious and would make an excellent meatball sub. The cookies were good as well. They were a tasty treat right out of the oven. I loved how they were individually frozen so I could make as many or as little as I wanted.

Everything in the box was fantastic with the exception of the chicken nuggets. Logan thought they were good but not as good as the Angelfood ones that we get. I have to agree here. They had some weird aftertaste to them. If you haven't tasted chicken nuggets in a long time then these will pass for you. They weren't the tastiest though to me and Logan.

With that said, I will definietly be ordering from them again. The quality of the food was excellent, the shipping was fast and the prices seem reasonable. Hop on over to their website and check them out. They have graciously provided my readers with a discount code for 10% off. Just type in Chefpenny10 at the promo box. They offer a sample box just like we received . It would be a great investment to try out before you commit to a big order. Let me know what you got and how you liked it!

This review was written by me after I received a FREE box of food to sample from NULIFE. I would not have written this post wihtout their generosity. I do not get anything from your orders and the opinions in this post are entirely mine.

Homemade French Fries

2010-05-18T18:22:00.001-04:00

In anticipation of our upcoming potato harvest, I wanted to try to make homemade french fries and freeze them. Now I have made homemade french fries before but never froze them . So , off to Google university I went. lol

I cut the potatoes into french fries with our commercial french fry cutter. Why do we have a commercial french fry cutter you ask? Because I sent my husband to the restaurant supply store. Enough said.

I heated some corn oil in a large pot. I then dropped the fries in batched. Just cook until they are tender but not brown.

Take out and drain on a paper towel. Lay flat on a baking sheet or cutting board and flash freeze. Flash freeze means to lay flat with no covering until frozen. Then place in to Ziplocs or some other freezer container. You flash freeze so that they don't stick together in one big blob. Then you take out what you need.

To cook:

Take out of freezer and place on baking sheet.
Place in 350 degree oven until brown.
Salt to taste.

Now you have cheap french fries with no yucky stuff added. Did I mention cheap? It doesn't get any better than that!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-17T06:11:00.002-04:00

ok, so I always forget to give the recipe but at least I remembered this week to do the menu plan. I am not making any promises this week. Maybe then my plan to give you the recipe will actually work! lol Thanks for sticking with me!

Monday - Blueberry pancakes
Tuesday - Hot dogs and homemade french fries
Wednesday - BBQ Teriyaki chicken w/ rice & green beans
Thursday - pork loin w/mashed potatoes & squash
Friday - chicken spaghetti & bread making day!
Saturday - eating out at a birthday party at the movies!!
Sunday - Corned beef and potatoes

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-12T21:30:00.002-04:00

Monday- we are at the zoo so we are eating out
Tuesday- Asian Noodle Skillet
Wednesday- grits and eggs ( we will get home late from church so we do something light)
Thursday - Mexican Pizza
Friday - tater tot casserole
Saturday - thai chicken stir fry salad
Sunday - Greek Chicken pasta

Head over to www.orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Coconut Pineapple Potatoes

2010-03-15T22:23:00.004-04:00

***** No picture until tomorrow when my techno geek husband can tell me what's wrong*****

Tonight's dinner was interesting to say the least. I thought that the potatoes were good. Not slap your mama great but good. Neither child really cared for them. Logan hasn't really had pineapple in years since he tested intolerant to them. The Dr. seemed to think we could add them into his rotation diet. Apparently , there is no need to do that as he doesn't like them.

Our meal was lemon pepper catfish with coconut pineapple potatoes. The lemon pepper catfish I got already seasoned at my local Publix.

COCONUT PINEAPPLE POTATOES adapted from Taste of Home

1 Can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks

2 cups diced peeled potatoes (about 4 - 6 potatoes)

1 cup flaked coconut, divided

1 medium onion , (I diced real fine as my kids don't like onion)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup vinegar ( I used rice but cider was recommended)

1 Tbsp GF soy sauce or beef broth

Directions:

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple , potatoes, 3/4 cup coconut and onion. Transfer to a greased 1 qt baking dish and set aside.

In a small saucepan. whisk the brown sugar, cornstarch, alt, ginger, vinegar, GF soy sauce, and reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Bring to a boil: cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over potato mixture and toss to coat.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 65- 70 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Our plan for the week!

2010-03-15T03:04:00.001-04:00

I didn't do such a fabulous job in keeping up with the recipes last time I posted our menu plan. I have most of the posts for this week already typed up so I just need to add pictures. No excuse for not posting it this time. lol Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Monday - Lemon Pepper catfish with pineapple coconut potatoes

Tuesday - Spring rolls with veggies and chicken

Wednesday - corned beef and cabbage

Thursday - Broccoli tuna noodles

Friday - potato sausage casserole

Saturday - corn dog casserole

Sunday - chicken with sweet potatoes and cauliflower

The way I am hoping to make it work is that I will post the recipe the evening after we have it for lunch. Because Michael aka Dad works nights, we eat our big meal as a family for lunch then have a smaller meal just me and the kids for actual dinner.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-22T18:47:00.002-05:00

Bet you thought I fell off the earth! Nope, just super busy. I have lots of yummy recipes to share with all my faithful followers. Thanks for sticking with me!

Here's our menu for the week. I will be posting recipes as I make them everyday so you can see all the yummy pictures too!

Monday: Potato Soup (our meatless day)

Tuesday: honey chicken w/rice

Wednesday: french toast casserole (we love breakfast for dinner)

Thursday: teriyaki stir fry

Friday: Mushroom chicken and rice

Saturday: cilantrro pesto & noodles

Sunday: Roast and potatoes

Must Follow Recipes: SunButter GIVEAWAY!

2010-02-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

Must Follow Recipes: SunButter GIVEAWAY!

Becky over at Must Follow Recipes is hosting a great giveaway for free Sunbutter. This is a great peanut butter alternative. It spreads well and is similar in texture to peanut butter. We love it! Hop on over and enter!

Fun Potato Tip

2010-01-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

This is a fun idea to peel a potato. It would be especially great if you had a lot of them to peel!

Thanks for visiting me today!

Rich Seafood Casserole

2010-01-04T01:24:00.001-05:00

RICH SEAFOOD CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 lbs large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 &1/2 C veggie stock

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c fresh parsley sprigs

4 T butter substitute

1 t salt

1 lb scallops

2 t xanthum gum

1 C buttermilk substitute ( 1 cup almond milk with 1 tsp lemon juice. let sit for 20 minutes to sour)

1/2 c finely chopped pine nuts

3/4 t lemon pepper seasoning

hot cooked rice

Directions:

Combine veggie stock, chopped onion, fresh parsley, 1 T butter substitute, and salt in a large skillet. Bring to a boil.
Add shrimp and scallops to mixture and cook until shrimp turns pink.
Take out shrimp mixture leaving broth.
Add 3 T butter substitute and xanthum gum to broth mixture.
Gradually add buttermilk substitute, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened.
Add pine nuts and lemon pepper seasoning. Mix.
Stir in shrimp and scallops.
Spoon over rice. Enjoy!

Ham It Up Spaghetti

2009-12-29T12:32:00.005-05:00

This is a great recipe to use up that leftover ham. It is one of my family's favorite meals so I make several at a time then freeze for later use. This is one of those recipes that taste better the next day when the flavors have time to marry. Of course, that is if you can keep out of it until then. It smells phenomenal!

HAM IT UP SPAGHETTI

Ingredients

1 pkg gluten free spaghetti ( I use rice vermicelli)

1 recipe cream of mushroom soup ( Click here)

cubed ham

1/2 cup almond milk

fresh thyme

fresh basil

4 cloves garlic (crushed or pressed)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Set aside

Combine remaining ingredients together.

Add spaghetti and toss to coat.

Pour into 9 x 13 baker and into 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until bubbly on the side.

Eat immediately although it is better the next day. Enjoy! It's great served with a salad.

If you aren't dairy free then you can add cheese to the top. Yummy!

Free gluten free Thanksgiving e- book

2009-10-09T22:25:00.001-04:00

If anyone is interested, Jules Gluten-free is giving away her thanksgiving e-cookbook.
Go to this link:
http://www.julesglutenfree.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BOOK-TG&Click=9253

and at checkout, enter the code thanksagain to receive the cookbookfree. You do have to enter your mailing address, but you will havethe option to choose newsletters or not.Offer is good until October 12, 2009

Thanks to BL on GFCF Recipes yahoo group for the link!

Green GF Garden: Fabulous Pesto

2009-10-01T01:50:00.000-04:00

Green GF Garden: Fabulous Pesto

This is a great pesto recipe. You can use the same recipe but substituting cilantro instead for a different flavor. You can also make a lot of this and freeze it in portions. Then you have pesto whenever you want!

And the winner is..........

2009-09-22T12:39:00.002-04:00

BRIDGET!!!! Yea!!! Woohooo! Congratulations! Contact me with your info and I will send it to Betty Crocker and get your goodies out to you! Enjoy!

I used the random number generator (www.random.org ) to pick the winner. Thanks to everyone for participating. This week's giveaway will happen on Friday!

Betty Crocker Gluten free Giveaway!

2009-09-14T22:37:00.004-04:00

Who wants to try out the new Betty Crocker gluten free mixes? They are made in a dedicated gluten free processing facility and are becoming readily available here in the US. In fact, I found them at my local Publix recently for a great price.

I have tried the chocolate chip cookie mix already. See my review here and here. We totally loved them! Plus, they were affordable which is something that can't always be said for gluten free foods. They were also easily made casein free even though the directions call for a stick of butter.

While I have not tried any of the other mixes, I have heard some great reviews on the Yahoo boards about them. Hmmm, maybe I should enter the contest! hahaha, just kidding!

Here's your chance to try the yellow cake mix, the chocolate chip cookie mix and the brownie mix for FREE! General Mills has generously agreed to mail them to the winner! Woohoo! Just in time to try them out and see if you like them before holiday baking! What more can you ask for?

There are three ways to enter this wonderful contest. It will stay open until next Monday, Sept. 21st and I will post the winner on Sept. 22nd.

1. Leave a comment telling me what an awesome cook I am. Seriously, click here to go to the website and tell me which gluten free recipe looks the best to you. There are some great recipes using the mixes!

2. Become a follower and leave a separate comment telling me that you joined

3. Blog about it, facebook, tweet it or anything else that you can think of. Link my post to it then leave a comment with your link. Please, if you do all 3 then leave 3 separate comments with your links. Thanks!

Good luck!

Broccoli Potato Latkes

2009-09-04T20:56:00.002-04:00

Broccoli Latkes*
-1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
- 2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into small pieces
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- salt and pepper to taste

Cook all the ingredients (except the oil) in a large covered pot over medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain mixture.
Mash ingredients together.
Heat oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Form 10 pancakes.Fry 8 minutes on one side.
Flip and fry for another 5 minutes on the other side.
Serve warm.

Now with the official recipe out of the way, I will tell you that Logan loves broccoli so I add a lot to these. These freeze really well.

Sweet Potato Waffles

2009-08-15T19:32:00.004-04:00

These have to be the best waffles that I ever made. They were so delicious! Plus, they reminded me of fall which is a good thing in 500 degree Florida right now. Pumpkin could be substituted in this and with sweet potato and pumpkin season coming, I know what I will be making monster batches of and freezing. :)

Sweet Potato Waffles

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes ( pumpkin could be substituted here easily)

1 1/4 cup soured milk ( the recipe called for buttermilk but we are dairy free. See bottom of recipe for instructions on how to do this)

1 egg

1 tbsp. coconut oil

2 cups gluten free pancake mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron.
In medium bow, combine sweet potatoes, soured milk, egg and oil.
In another bowl, combine pancake mix. sugar and cinnamon.
Stir sweet potato mixture into dry mixture. Batter is thick!
Coat waffle iron with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter to waffle iron and cook until crisp.
Num! Num!

Equivalent:

1 cup of Buttermilk

Ingredients:

2 to 3 teaspoons Lemon juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, or Cream of Tartar

Plain or Unsweetened Milk Alternative (soy, rice, oat, etc.)

Directions:

Add enough of the milk alternative to the juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar to make one cup. Let the solution stand for ten minutes before adding to your recipe.

Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate chip mix with coconut oil

2009-08-09T23:05:00.004-04:00

I made these again a few days ago with coconut oil. I followed the directions on the box with the exception of using coconut oil in place of the butter. The mix calls for 1 stick of butter but we are casein free.

Instead, I used 1/2 cup of coconut oil. It was in liquid form as I live in Florida. This time of year, there is no keeping the coconut oil in its solid state unless it's refrigerated.

I used my hands to mix again as that is easier than using a spoon or scraper. I formed these into balls and placed on my Pampered Chef baking stone. These baked up like real cookies. Better than the last time using a butter substitute. They were chewy and did not crumble at all.

After hiding some in the fridge for a few days, I took them out, let them come to room temperature then let my gfcf son eat them. He said they were chewy like before. I noticed that they did not crumble still.

The mix is definitely a winner in my book. The price is in line with other gluten free mixes. I will make them this way in any future baking. These will come in handy for the upcoming holidays.

New Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

2009-08-01T19:24:00.002-04:00

Betty Crocker has come out with a new line of gluten free mixes. This is exciting because they are the first major company to do so and they are reasonably affordable. I bought a case of 6 boxes of the chocolate chip cookie dough on Amazon for $20 with free shipping. Scroll to the bottom for info on how to get a coupon for a FREE box.

All you need to mix the dough together is a stick of butter and 2 eggs. We are casein free so I used a stick of Fleischman's Unsalted margarine. The box says to mix just until incorporated. I found this easier to do with my hands and it took several minutes. You definitely want to get it all mixed together. At this point, it really looks like regular cookie dough. Here's where I deviated from the box. Gluten free cookie mixes tend to do better if you chill them before forming into cookies. This allows everything to absorb better and it helps it to lose any grittiness from the alternative flours. So, I chilled for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Then, using my hands again, I formed small balls and placed on my Pampered Chef baking stone to cook. The box said about 7 - 9 minutes and I went more for the 9 minute mark. Two reasons for this, the stone was not preheated and the dough was cold.

I made one batch until it was golden brown and one cooked a little longer. Both sets of cookies were very good. They tasted as close to real cookies as I have ever got. In fact, the whole family ate all these cookies up in one day. They did not get crumbly or taste different the next morning as gluten free cookies usually do. I would highly recommend getting this mix in your cupboards for the upcoming holidays.

… Try them for FREE!General Mills is offering a FREE coupon for any one of their new Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mixes!

To redeem your free box, call General Mill's customer service number at: 1-800-446-1898, which is the same number listed on the Betty Crocker boxes. Then, at the main menu press "4".

The representative will then ask for your zip code, and if you / your household is gluten-free or limiting gluten, where you normally shop for gluten-free foods, and your address.

General Mills promises not to sell or share this info.According to General Mills, this offer is good until further notice. The coupon will be sent to your home from General Mills within 2-3 weeks. It is good for one (1) box of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes (There are four types: Yellow or devil food cake mixes, Chocolate Chip Cookies or Brownie Mix) Enjoy!

Tip Tuesday- How to make buttermilk

2009-07-07T16:25:00.001-04:00

Equivalent:
1 cup of Buttermilk

Ingredients:
2 to 3 teaspoons Lemon juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, or Cream of Tartar
Plain or Unsweetened Milk Alternative (soy, rice, oat, etc.)

Directions:

Add enough of the milk alternative to the juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar to make one cup. Let the solution stand for ten minutes before adding to your recipe.

Meatless Monday Recipe- Cilantro Pesto with Tilapia fillets

2009-06-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

I totally got this idea from another blog that I follow, Caveman Food (www.cavemanfood.blogspot.com ). She has a lot of great recipes on there that are naturally gluten free although you have to substitute dairy . Sometimes, you find gems like this blog when you research other diets that aren't necessarily aimed at the gluten free crowd. Anyway here's my adaptation. Enjoy!

CILANTRO PESTO

handful of cilantro
about 1/4 of an onion
probably around 1/2 cup walnuts
1 TBSP. lemon juice
a pinch of kosher salt

Throw it all in a food processor and whirl until it's all mixed together. I like cilantro so I add alot to mine but only a tad to the children's as they aren't as big a fan as I am. There's is below.

First. wash and blot dry tilapia fillets (or whatever fish you choose). Lay one piece at a time over a small cup or bowl (upside down) and pick out any bones that pop up. Place fillets on baking sheet and cover with pesto. Cook for 10 - 15 mins @ 350 degrees or until fish flakes easily with fork. I served mine with roasted veggies (cut up veggies into same size chunks, add a dash of oil and whatever seasoning you choose then toss to coat. Cook for about 20 - 25 mins or until tender in same degree oven as the fish) and spanish rice ( rice combined with salsa). This recipe got two thumbs up from my resident food critics aka my children.

Pork Chops w/ Summer Vegetables

2009-06-05T18:48:00.001-04:00

We have a plethora of vegetables here at our house thanks to our garden and my in laws garden. Ok, really my in laws garden but we have harvested some potatoes and 4 tomatoes. Yes, that's 4 tomatoes. To top it off, I used them all in this recipe! The original recipe came from about.com. I adapted it to make it fit our dietary needs. Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Summer Vegetables

6 pork chops

seasoning of your choice ( I used Pampered Chef Greek Rub)

1 cup raw rice

4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped.

3 garlic cloves pinch of kosher salt

a handful of fresh basil

1/2 vidalia onion

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 TBSP raw sugar

5 or 6 medium summer squash, thinly sliced

1 cup water

Trim fat from pork chops. Season one side with Greek Rub. Brown seasoned side and season other side while in pan. Brown other side. Repeat with all pork chops. Drain fat. Place pork chops in pan trying to get all in single layer or as close as you can. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil. Add salt and mix together. Placing pan with pork chops back on medium heat, add rice, tomato mixture, green pepper and sugar. Slice summer squash and lay on top. Pour water over all. Cover with lid and let cook for 45- 55 mins, or until pork is cooked.

Chicken with Cream of Mushroom Soup and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2009-05-26T18:07:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had chicken cooked with cream of mushroom soup with garlic mashed potatoes. This is a delicious dinner that can be quick if you have the soup already prepared. I like to make enough soup to have for two or three recipes that week. The chicken can be cooked then frozen for a fast meal. Since it is made in the microwave, it doesn't heat up the house which is a good thing when you live in Florida in the summer.

Ingredients:

6-7 chicken pieces with bone in

1 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup ( of course the store version is not gfcf so I use Crissy's from Spectrum Hope)

Put the chicken pieces in the Deep Covered Baker. Cover with soup and place in microwave with cover on. Microwave for about 25 mins depending on how thick the chicken pieces are. Don't worry, you can't overcook it! Let the chicken sit for several minutes to rest.

While the chicken is cooking, make your favorite mashed potato recipe. I like to use red potatoes. Boil them until soft. Then mash them with some roasted garlic ( just place several garlic bulbs (cut the tops off) in your toaster oven and cook until brown. Scoop out the soft cloves. Voila! Roasted garlic!) and chicken broth. Add salt to your liking.

Place chicken and mashed potatoes on plate. Ladle with soup broth mixture remaining in Deep Covered Baker. I serve with a salad or green beans. Enjoy!

FRUGAL FRIDAY TIP!

2009-05-15T23:28:00.003-04:00

Need a quick marinade recipe??? Take 3 or 4 tablespoons of your favorite spice. Mix with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar.

Save the vinegar from your pickles. It works wonderfully and adds more flavor. Plus, it's free!!!

What's your tip?

A Great Resource for Gluten Free Blogs!

2009-03-13T20:18:00.003-04:00

Rachel over on The Crispy Cook posted a blog entry about 101 Gluten Free Blogs! It is awesome! There is an alphabetized list and a brief synopsis on each blog. I look forward to perusing all the blogs and learning new things. Come join me and tell me in a comment your favorite tip that you learned. Have fun!

Turkey and Veggie Broth

2009-01-05T21:32:00.003-05:00

I like to make my own broth. Saves money and I know exactly what is in it. Plus, it is super easy and uses every little bit of a chicken or turkey. I always save the chicken or turkey carcass after it is finished. Gotta be a good steward of all that God has blessed us with, right?

I have a fairly large crockpot. You could do this with one carcass and a stockpot.

INGREDIENTS:

various veggies ( here I have carrots,celery and onions. anything that you have in the fridge will work)

2 TBSP oil

1 or 2 turkey carcasses

several rosemary sprigs

fennel

1 TBSP kosher or sea salt

couple of cloves of garlic (depends on whether you like garlic or not.)

Directions:

1.Heat oil in pot or crockpot until HOT!.

2.Add veggies that have been coarsely chopped with salt.

3.Add garlic as well. For an intense garlic flavor, roast 1 garlic head in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then add the roasted garlic to the veggie mix.

4.Saute veggies for several minutes. You want them to still be crisp but a little tender too.

5.Add turkey carcasses & brown slightly.

6.Stuff rosemary and fennel inside turkey carcass.

You can also stuff inside cheesecloth so you don't have to fish them out later.

7.Cover with water and cook 10- 12 hours or until meat completely falls off bone.

A great tip that someone shared with me many years ago was to save the water that comes out of veggie cans . Add that to your stock water and it will pack quite a flavorful punch! I keep a jar in the freezer to pour the water into as needed. When full, I know I need to make stock.

8.Strain out veggies, meat and bones. Some meat and veg will stay in and that's ok. Make certain that you have all the bones out!

I pick the bones out of the meat and save the meat for potpies later. Then I freeze the broth in 2 cup portions in freezer bags in my freezer. When I need broth, I pop one out, cut away the bag and unthaw in a glass bowl in the microwave. Easy as pie!

Finished Gingerbread Houses!

2008-12-23T21:23:00.005-05:00

Here are the pics of our decorated gingerbread houses. I used chocolate royal icing to keep it together. I used a basic frosting recipe too that I normally whip up and keep up in the freezer.

Frosting

1 cup of shortening (Crisco if you are not soy free or solid coconut oil if you are)

4 cups of powdered sugar

2 TB milk substitute

1 tsp vanilla ( I make my own from potato vodka)

I dump all of it into the stand mixer and put it on medium until it is a thick consistency.

Even GFCF kids deserve Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-16T15:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight we attempt Gingerbread Houses. I got a recipe from Only Sometimes Clever. I did need to tweak it a bit for us so the recipe that I officially used is below. The directions are mostly hers with my thoughts added in. Be forewarned that this recipe makes a lot but it freezes well. I made three houses out of it with extra for people and freezing.

I highly recommend making this a multi day project. We will bake the pieces tonight then decorate either tomorrow (if I can fit it in) or Thursday. I will do a seperate post about the construction and decorating part!

GFCF Gingerbread Cookies tweaked from Only Sometimes Clever with my adaptations

Makes about 8 dozen medium-sized cutout cookies

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
2 cups potato starch
2 cups sweet rice flour
4 cups pecan meal
2 Tbsp xanthan gum
3 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp ground ginger (or more, if you like ‘em really gingery)
2 Tbsp Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbsp Pampered Chef Sweet Mocha Hazelnut Sprinkles
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups shortening
1 cup eggs (depending on size, 4-5 eggs. Measure into a glass measuring cup.)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Dark Karo Syrup or molasses
1 Tbsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, with a whisk, mix together the flours, starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, and spices until well-combined. Set aside.

In another large bowl, cream together the powdered and brown sugars, shortening, eggs, molasses and salt.

To the sugar mixture, add flour mixture, about 2 cups at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon or I used my Kitchenaid.

Once the flour mixture is mostly incorporated, knead the dough in the bowl, slowly punching the dough down in the middle and folding the sides of the dough into the middle. Or, put the dough on a non-stick surface (like a silicone mat or a marble slab), and knead it on there.

Incorporate all the flour mixture until you have a stiff dough.

If the dough is too dry, and will not hold all of the flour, add a Tbsp of water at a time until it will gather into a ball. Resist adding water if at all possible. The dough works best if it is not very moist.

If you refrigerate or freeze the dough, bring to room temp before rolling.

For the most uniform cookies, and definitely for the large sections required for gingerbread houses, roll the dough right onto a large piece of foil or parchment, then pick up the sheet and transfer to the cookie sheet.

Working with about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll the dough 1/4″ thick. (Bob Vila’s gingerbread site had a great suggestion: Use 1/4″ round dowels as a guide for uniform thickness, as illustrated on the right.) From this dough, either cut sections for your gingerbread house from a template, or use cookie cutters. I use powdered sugar on the pieces of parchment to keep it from sticking.

Put it on your Pampered Chef stone (round, rectangle or bar pan).

If you roll your cookies to 1/4″ thickness check on baking time after about 9 minutes. If your cookies are thinner, and/or you’re using thinner pans, bake time will be shorter. When done, the corners of your cookies will just start to brown, and the middles will no longer feel spongy. You want them to be hardened a bit. I cooked the cookies less than the house pieces so that they would be chewier.

Meatless Monday

2008-12-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

We have started a new tradition here at the Rogers, Meatless Monday. When you are on a GFCF diet, you can overcompensate for no wheat or dairy with meat at every meal. This is not healthy for anyone. There is a great website, Meatless Monday. Here's what we ate today.

Breakfast

cereal with milk ( we are not big breakfast eaters)

Lunch

salmon patties with Thai Coconut Curry rice

chocolate coins

Kool aid

Dinner

Thai Kitchen Garlic Vegetable Noodles

Piece of GFCF chocolate cake

Diet Coke

So, it is not the healthiest menu . We will work on making it healthier as we do it more. I remembered at the last minute that it was Meatless Monday. I promise to do better next time.

Stuffing just like Stovetop!

2008-11-26T13:28:00.004-05:00

So, I managed to make stuffing that tastes just like Stovetop! Now, I was way more excited about it than Logan but remember he has been gfcf since he was 4 (almost 7 yrs). He does not remember what Stovetop stuffing tastes like. I guarantee if you put this on your Thanksgiving table that no one would know it was gluten free!

Potato bread crumbs

Two cups hot mashed potatoes (four cups of sliced potatoes make about two cups of mashed potatoes),

one scant cup coconut oil

two tablespoonfuls of sugar

teaspoonfuls salt

three well-beaten eggs

1 pkg of yeast

Mix all well together and have it lukewarm, then add pkg of yeast, which has been soaked in a cup of lukewarm water for twenty minutes. Let rise two hours in a warm place; work up (not too stiff) with flour; rise again. It will be really watery. Pour into a loaf pan and bake @ 350 for about 20 minutes or brown on top.

After it cools, slice the bread into cubes. Place onto cookie sheet ( I used my Pampered Chef large bar pan). Toast in a 150 degree oven until brown and a little crunchy. Now you have bread crumbs.

Stuffing:

celery

carrots

garlic

small onion

basil oil

Rosemary Herb Spice

chicken broth

Potato bread crumbs

Put basil oil in skillet and heat up. Slice other ingredients into small pieces and put into hot skillet. Cook until veggies are softened and onions are clear. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat with Rosemary Herb Seasoning. Add a splash of chicken broth and toss to coat again. Remove from heat. Put mixture into loaf pan. Add 1/4 can of chicken broth and toss to coat. Sprinkle Rosemary Herb Seasoning. Add 1 egg and using hands to mix together. Put into 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Gravy! Just in time for Thanksgiving!

2008-11-24T18:46:00.002-05:00

I made a huge batch of gravy yesterday. Logan ate some with his mashed potatoes and declared it a success. Even the non gluten people liked it. That makes it a success to me.

Ingredients

neck and gizzards from the turkey
1 egg
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
pinch of salt
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 piece of gfcf bread toasted
cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

Directions

Put neck, gizzards, egg, peeled garlic cloves, & rosemary into pan of water. I use a medium saucepan. I fill the pan with water too. Cover and let simmer all day or overnight. The meat on the neck bone should fall off the bone. Add water as needed to keep the pan full.

Using hand strainer, pull out all the items from the broth. Pull the meat off the neck bone . Throw away the rosemary sprigs. Chop the gizzards, neck meat, peeled eggs and the garlic together. Remove 1 cup of broth then add the chopped items into the pan. Using the cup of reserved broth, add 1/2 cup cornstarch & mix thoroughly. Be sure to get all the lumps out of the cornstarch. Cut piece of toasted gfcf bread into cubes and add to pan. Add cornstarch mixture slowly back to the pan while bringing it to a slow boil. After it begins to slow boil , reduce heat to low. Keep adding the cornstarch mixture until the gravy in the pan starts to thicken. You may need more cornstarch . Just keep adding until the mixture is slightly thick like gravy is supposed to look. You may eat it now. It tastes great and stores well. It will thicken more as it sits so don't get it too thick.

You can do the same thing with chicken. Whenever I make a whole chicken, I save the neck and gizzards in the freezer. When I have several, I make a big batch of gravy to freeze for Logan. Enjoy!

Chicken Nuggets

2008-09-29T15:12:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, the kids and I made chicken nuggets for Logan. We had some leftover chicken breast so at the last minute we decided on chicken nuggets. Logan ate the whole batch for dinner so I guess that makes them a success!!

Ingredients:
2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
3/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1 cup almond meal

First, start the oil to heat. I fill my stainless steel skillet to about 1/2 way with either veggie or canola oil. Any oil will do just fill the skillet and have it start heating. Then using a meat tenderizer, I flatten the chicken breasts and cut into cubes.

Second, dredge the nuggets in the mayo. Be sure the nugget is completely covered.

Third, dredge the nugget in the almond meal. Again,be sure that it is completely covered.

Place the nugget in the hot oil. BE CAREFUL!!! Don't drop the nugget! Place it in the oil.

After 3 or 4 mins, flip the nugget over. I use my bamboo tongs for this. Cook another 3 or 4 mins then place on a plate with a paper towel to drain. Let cool a bit and Enjoy!

Avocado Fudge

2008-09-06T20:50:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I promised this recipe but it didn't turn out. What didn't work is that it didn't set up like fudge. There was no way that you could cut it into cubes. What it would be is a great icing recipe. Anyway, I am going to keep tweaking it and see what happens. In the meantime, Logan is enjoying eating my mistake!

I'll post it as soon as I get it tweaked!

Avocado Pudding w/ Whipped Cream

2008-09-01T14:57:00.006-04:00

Avocadoes are in season right now so you can find them everywhere. They are a good source of fat that autism kiddos usually need. You can use them as a binder to replace eggs if you need to in a recipe. I have been fortunate enough to stumble across not 1, not 2 but 3 friends that have trees in their yard that are more than willing to share some with us. Logan thinks he has died and gone to heaven. Here is one of many recipes coming that use avocadoes.

Ingredients

2 avocado, peeled and pit removed

1 banana, very ripe (when you're bananas are too ripe, peel them and put them in the freezer. They would be great for this recipe or in smoothies. You could use it as a egg replacer too just like the avocadoes)

1/2 cup milk substitute, whatever you normally use

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (even if you use vanilla flavored milk please use this as all you will taste is banana if you don't)

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder (regular Hershey's Cocoa is good but their new Special Dark Cocoa is better)

Directions

1In blender combine avocado and banana. Blend until smooth. You will need to stop and stir frequently to get this to smooth. Take your time here. You want smooth so that others don't know there are avocadoes in it.

2Add milk, sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder. Blend again. Stir. Blend again. Taste pudding to be sure that it tastes like chocolate as you may need to add more cocoa powder to mask the banana taste.

3Pour into small dessert bowls and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Then you can make whipped cream to put on top by refrigerating a can of coconut milk. Open both ends with your can opener and drain the liquid. Save the liquid for another recipe or to add to bread. Put the solid coconut milk into a mixing bowl and add sugar. Put stand mixer on medium and keep adding sugar until it starts to peak. Use immediately. I like to freeze the mixing bowl too so that it stays like Cool Whip for longer. This does not store well so you will have to eat all of it with your pudding. Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Noodle Skillet

2008-08-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

This was proclaimed to be Logan's favorite tonight at dinner. It is my favorite because it only takes one pot and it is really fast.

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper (I add these when I have some on hand)
5-6 green onions with tops (about 1¼ cups sliced), divided
1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons Asian Seasoning Mix ( I also use a blend of sesame, wheat free soy sauce and garlic if I have no spice blend)
1 large package of rice noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cups water

Cut carrots into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler.

Cut bell pepper lengthwise into ¼-inch strips using Chef’s Knife.
Slice green onions; set aside tops for garnish.

Using Boning Knife, trim fat from boneless chicken breasts.

Slice chicken lengthwise into four strips. Thinly slice
strips crosswise.

Combine chicken, sesame oil, seasoning mix in Classic Batter
Bowl; mix well with Classic Scraper.

Add vegetable oil to (12-in.) Skillet; (you have to use either a stainless steel skillet or a cast iron so that you get the nice brown bits stuck to the bottom;) heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering.

Add half of the chicken.

Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until browned; remove chicken from Skillet and keep warm.

Repeat with remaining chicken.

Add carrots and bell pepper to Skillet.

Cook 1-2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Add water ; stir to loosen browned bits from bottom of Skillet using Bamboo Spatula. You want the pan to look like this when you are done cooking the chicken.

Add rice noodles and white parts of green onions to Skillet.

Cover; bring to a boil and cook 4-5 minutes or until noodles are softened.

Add chicken; stir to break apart noodles.

Remove Skillet from heat; let stand, covered, 3-4 minutes or until chicken is heated
through.

Garnish with reserved green onion tops.
Yield: 6 servings

Upcoming Recipes for this week!

2008-08-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

This week I am posting several new recipes. You will be so excited! One is a fast and easy meal! One is a breakfast idea! And the final one is a suprise! Just kidding! My thought is that I would post my upcoming recipes then you would know what to look forward too! It helps to keep me accountable too! Look for Menu Plan Monday as well! Thanks!

Drumroll, please!!!!

1. Asian Pork Noodle Skillet
2. Pop Tarts
3. Avocado fudge (really awesome and healthy!)

Gluten Free Pantry Mixes

2008-08-02T10:09:00.000-04:00

We have recently discovered the Gluten Free Pantry mix for French Bread and pizza. It is pricey (about $6 per box) but it's convenience makes it worth it. I have some handy for quick situations where we need a pizza crust for Logan.

The box makes 2 small pizza crusts or 1 large. I swear that it is so tasty that you can't even tell that it is gluten free. The directions are on the back of the box. We use water instead of milk and oil instead of butter. Be sure that all of your ingredients are room temp (including your eggs just take them out about 15 mins before you start) so the yeast will activate. It is simple and fast to put together although the dough will stick all over you so oil your hands first. Also, when you squish it on the pan (it''s too sticky to roll) add a little water to your hands to smooth it out making the middle thinner than the sides. I like to add some veggie puree or some avocado in there to bump up the nutritional value!

We have also made the French Bread oven version. It was simply delicious! Unfortunately, it only makes one good size loaf so it is not very economical for everyday use. I would suggest it if you have company coming or if you only want bread occasionally. Visit www.glutenfreepantry.com for more info about their products.

Blueberry Muffins

2008-06-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

These came from Ginger Lemon Girl. Can you tell that I love her site? She has some amazing recipes that are gluten free. They are not always casein free so you have to be careful. Substitutions are usually pretty easy with her recipes though.

Streusel Topped Fresh Blueberry Muffins(Gluten Free, Casein Free)

My adaptations are in bold

Dry Ingredients:

2/3 cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup brown rice flour (didn't have any so I used sweet rice flour)

2/3 cup sorghum flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (it's overpriced if you ask me so I use clear gelatin for anything that calls for this)

2 teaspoons baking powder (Rumford makes an aluminum free version that is readily available at any grocery store)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher)

Wet Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (we use beet sugar)

1 cup fresh blueberries ( Madison poured in the whole pint)

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup rice or soy milk (any milk substitute would probably work)

1/4 cup heart healthy oil, coconut oil, butter, or vegan margarine (I used coconut oil)

Streusel Topping: (I am lazy. I used 1/4 cup of yellow cake mix and 2 Tbsp of melted butter to make a crumbly mix. Then I sprinkled this on top of the muffins instead of this topping).

3 tablespoons brown rice flour

2 tablespoons GF oats

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vegan margarine

Glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1-3 teaspoons orange juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, applesauce, rice milk, heart healthy oil or melted butter and sugar.

Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and fold just until combined.

Fold in blueberries.

In another bowl whip egg whites until stiff.

SLOWLY fold the whipped egg whites into the muffin batter. (If you still see streaks or clumps of egg white that is OKAY, it does NOT have to be completely incorporated!)

Spoon batter into a greased or paper-lined muffin tins (makes 10-11 large/ bakery-sized muffins or 24 mini-muffins). We used the stoneware muffin pan from Pampered Chef with no liners since we forgot to grab some!

In a small bowl, mix together streusel topping ingredients.

Sprinkle over unbaked muffins.

Bake for 18-25 minutes.

Depending on the temperature of your oven, you may have to bake muffins longer. They are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you hit a blueberry while testing it will stain your toothpick purple! As long as additional crumbs are not sticking to the toothpick the muffins are done!!

Cool muffins on a wire rack.

Mix glaze ingredients together.

Only add enough orange juice to give the glaze the consistency you desire.

Drizzled on completely cooled muffins. Enjoy!

This would be great with any fruit added. It is a great muffin recipe that has lots of options. This week , we will try chocolate chips and mango versions. They should freeze well and be a quick option on hectic mornings.

Raw Chocolate Brownie Bites

2008-06-26T15:49:00.000-04:00

This recipe actually came from Ginger Lemon Girl. Her site is awesome and these are to die for. We changed the recipe a little by substituting honey for the agave. You can put these into bars or put into a silicone pan for shapes. We used the Silicone Floral Cupcake Pan from Pampered Chef. Be sure to flatten the bottoms. They are a great sugar free treat!!! Enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Brownie Bites by Ginger Lemon Girl w/adaptations by Penny Rogers

1/2 cup raw pecans or almonds

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup chopped and/or pitted dates (Publix carries these organically)

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (Don't use kosher salt as the salt grains are too big. It has to be a small grain salt)

Optional Ingredients:

2 teaspoons agave nectar (we use honey always)

1 teaspoon vanilla (not really necessary, I believe it is sweet enough with just the dates & honey)

1 teaspoon raw coconut butter

1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes, finely chopped

Directions:

Soak dates in a small bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. Rinse (save the water to use as a sweetener later) and pat dry. Set aside. In your food processor , grind almonds and walnuts until very fine. Add dates and grind into a paste. Pour into a bowl and add cocoa powder, sea salt, and any additional ingredients you desire. Stir ingredients together thoroughly. You should have a thick, shiny, chocolate dough.

For Bars: Spread dough into a small rectangular container. Flatten with spatula. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Cut into 8 bars.

For Mini Brownie Bites: Add roughly 1 tablespoon of dough into a candy mold or mini cupcake tin. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Makes around 16 mini brownie bites.For a printer friendly version, click here.

One Pot Ham and Potatoes

2008-06-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, so call me frugal. I can not stand to through out any bones. With the cost of regular food rising and gfcf food already through the roof, I try to use every last bit. This is a ham and potatoes recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 ham bone

garlic cloves (depends on your taste)

1 onion

12- 15 potatoes

seasoning of your choice ( I use leftover packets from Thai Kitchen noodles)

2 cans of corn

Put the ham bone in a stock pot with the garlic and onion. Fill the pot with water and cover. Simmer overnight or until the ham falls off the bone. Pull out the bones, garlic and onion and discard. Wash the potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to the ham stock and boil until done. Add canned veggies with water if you like. I usually add 2 cans of corn. Get your hand mixer and mash the potatoes. Keep everything together when you mash.. Salt to taste.

If there is too much liquid before you mash then take some out and save for stock. If you forget, put some potatoes in the microwave (of course you poke holes in them first) until they are soft. Cut them up and add them to the potato mixture and keep mashing.

Turkey and rice

2008-06-17T09:26:00.001-04:00

Lunch today was turkey and rice. It is super easy to make and uses the leftover turkey bone. It's a great use for that turkey carcass after Thanksgiving. If I can't make it immediately then I throw the carcass in the freezer for later. You can use the carcass to make stock too but that is another post.

Turkey and Rice

1 turkey carcass
1 onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
salt
rice ( enough to use up the water)

First, place the carcass in a stock pot. Cover with water and add the onion cut into pieces and the peeled garlic. Simmer overnight or until the meat falls off the bone. Strain out all the pieces of bone, turkey meat,onions and garlic leaving only the broth in the pan. Cut the meat into pieces and all back to the pot. Slowly add rice letting it cook and adding more as needed. Salt to taste. Keep going until there is only a little liquid left with the rice. Salt to tast. Serve immediately.

Hints:
1. Save the liquid from canned or jarred veggies to add to this or when you make broth. It adds flavor.
2. You can add any veggies to this that you would like.
3. You can substitute chicken for the turkey.

GFCFSFEF and all the other Free Marshmallows

2008-06-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

So, I got this great recipe from GFCFRECIPES yahoo group that I belong to for sugar free marshmallows. It looked pretty easy (most of the work was done by the stand mixer). I thought it would be fun ans a great RDI cooking activity with Logan. So, while Madison was running wild at Leslie's apartment, Logan and I made marshmallows. We are going to turn them into moon pies. But first, we need marshmallows.

Homemade marshmallows are great in that you can use whatever sweetener you like (we used honey as it doesn't feed yeast and we are always fighting the yeastie beasties in Logan). Besides, store bought have Blue Dye #1 in them (I don't know why you need blue dye in white marshmallows, anyone????). Also, Logan is allergic to cane sugar which translates into regular sugar. I know, nothing is easy with him. :)

Makes 24 large marshmallows.

Ingredients:
4 pkg gelatin
1 cup water
1 cup agave (we used honey as I can get that locally by the gallon)
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (I make my own from Potato vodka & Vanilla beans to guarantee gluten free )
1 x pinch salt

Directions:
In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin powder over ½ cup of the water.
Place the honey or agave and the remaining half-cup of the water in a pot and heat until warm to the touch.
Add the gelatin mixture to the warm syrup and stir until fully melted.
Pour the gelatin syrup mixture into the bowl of a large stand mixer (i.e. Hobart or KitchenAid) fitted with a whip.
Add the corn syrup and vanilla and begin beating at high speed.You may find it useful to cover the bowl with plastic wrap while it beats to keep down the splatter. We didn't have any splatter to speak of .
Continue beating until the mixture cools, increases in volume, and forms soft peaks.
Working quickly before the mixture fully sets in the bowl transfer to either a standard hotel pan dusted with powdered sugar for later cutting into cubes or transfer to a piping bag fitted with a straight tip and pipe mounds onto a non stick surface such as a silpat mat dusted with powdered sugar.
Ok, we live in humid Florida. There was no need to work quickly. I lined my Pampered Chef bar pan with wax paper and dusted it with a smidgen of powdered sugar. Then I poured it on the paper and leveled it off. There is enough here for 2 bar pans.

Alton Brown from Good Eats suggested that the whipping should take a minimum of 15 minutes to get the maximum amount of air incorporated into the mallow. He also stated the finished pan of marshmallow should cool for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Unless you live in humid Florida and it took a couple of days.

The above recipe is from a show called Chef at Large though, rather than Alton's recipe, which uses 2 cups of sugar. Once the marshmallows have set, cut them and dust them then use them. I had to dust my hands with the powdered sugar and peel off the paper. When it gets too sticky while peeling then dust your hands again. We then used cookie cutters to cut them out!

They tasted awesome! There is a hint of orange blossom taste since we used orange blossom honey. I suppose with agave then you would not get that but we did not mind it! I'll put pics in tomorrow's post about moon pies. Enjoy!

Loving Gluten & Casein Free!!!

Collard Green Rolls w/creamy bacon sauce

Twice baked potatoes

Meatless Monday: Black Bean, Corn and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Bacon & Potato Soup

Winner of Gluten Free Bisquick Giveaway

Gluten Free Bisquik and a Giveaway! ****Giveaway Closed*****

NU Life Foods

Homemade French Fries

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday

Coconut Pineapple Potatoes

Our plan for the week!

Menu Plan Monday

Must Follow Recipes: SunButter GIVEAWAY!

Fun Potato Tip

Rich Seafood Casserole

Ham It Up Spaghetti

Free gluten free Thanksgiving e- book

Green GF Garden: Fabulous Pesto

And the winner is..........

Betty Crocker Gluten free Giveaway!

Broccoli Potato Latkes

Sweet Potato Waffles

Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate chip mix with coconut oil

New Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Tip Tuesday- How to make buttermilk

Meatless Monday Recipe- Cilantro Pesto with Tilapia fillets

Pork Chops w/ Summer Vegetables

Chicken with Cream of Mushroom Soup and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

FRUGAL FRIDAY TIP!

A Great Resource for Gluten Free Blogs!

Turkey and Veggie Broth

Finished Gingerbread Houses!

Even GFCF kids deserve Gingerbread Houses

Meatless Monday

Stuffing just like Stovetop!

Gravy! Just in time for Thanksgiving!

Chicken Nuggets

Avocado Fudge

Avocado Pudding w/ Whipped Cream

Asian Chicken Noodle Skillet

Upcoming Recipes for this week!

Gluten Free Pantry Mixes

Blueberry Muffins

Raw Chocolate Brownie Bites

One Pot Ham and Potatoes

Turkey and rice

GFCFSFEF and all the other Free Marshmallows

Gluten Free Bisquik and a Giveaway! Giveaway Closed*