Parades, Fireworks, And Cookie Dough Dip

Here in Center County the 4th of July festivities go on for days. Each small borough had a parade and many have firework displays, all of this happening on different days. 

Our city had their annual Fireman's Parade this past Saturday. After the parade my neighbor hosted a  party. I had intended on bringing a tray of cake pops to the party but could not bring myself to turning on my oven to bake the cake needed to make the pops. So I had to rethink my plan. I had pinned a recipe for a dip on one of my boards on Pinterest. I took another look at it and decided to take a chance on it. I'm glad that I did. It was a hit with everyone.

I had to leave the leftovers behind because I knew that we could consume all of the leftovers that evening. Better that all of the kids eat it and not me.

This dip comes together in less than five minutes and is ready to head out the door without any time in the refrigerator for all of the flavors to mingle. It is very akin to a decadent frosting that you dip a cookie into. Feel free to put as much on a cookie as your heart desires.

Cookie Dough Dip

1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits


1. Cream together the cream cheese, vanilla, and butter.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix till well combined.
3 Serve with graham cracker, vanilla wafers, and apple wedges.

Source: Add a Pinch

Avalanche Bars, Yummy Gluten Free Goodness

I love these bars, they are gluten free and don't require the use of the stove or oven. They are a great last minute dessert option when you don't know what to take to a party or just want a sweet treat. Best of all they are delicious.

To make this delicious treat you will need one bag of white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup peanut butter, three cups rice krispies, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows. A pretty simple list of ingredients.

Before you begin, prepare a 8 x 8 pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it with non-stick spray.
Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave bowl and heat on medium power for 30 seconds at a time till melted. This step took my microwave four 30 second increments. Add the peanut butter and mix to combine. Stir in the rice krispies and combine till  all of the cereal is mixed  and well coated with the peanut butter and chocolate mixture. Lastly mix in the marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. 

Pour or plop mixture into the prepared pan and lightly press into pan. Lastly add an additional 3 tablespoons of mini chips on top. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Source:Cookies & Cups

My Sorbet Recipe

Yesterday I shared with you pictures of my strawberry sorbet and a memory from long ago. I was thinking about memories for a while yesterday and how smell is one of the biggest triggers, bringing back scenes both good and bad. Sometimes my son will get a whiff of something and say, "This smells like Sherry's house!" Sherry babysat Nathan for years. We all have fond memories of her and the love and care that she showered down on Nathan from such a young age.

So on to the recipe that I promised yesterday for the sorbet. A word about this sorbet recipe. I use it to make many different kinds of sorbets, mostly fruity one. You will need to make a simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water that is heated till the sugar crystals are dissolved. Make sure that your simple syrup is cold before you begin.


Strawberry Sorbet or Granita
The night before you make the sorbet make the simple syrup and freeze your ice cream maker insert.


2 quarts of strawberries hulled and rinsed
1 cup simple syrup

1. To a food processor or blender add the berries and blend till you have a fruit puree with no chunky bits.

2. Strain into a container that you can chill the mixture in. Strain until you only have seeds left in the strainer, yo may need to use a spatula to push that last bits of strawberry through.The container will need to be big enough for the fruit puree and the simple syrup  addition.

3. Start by mixing in 1/2 cup of the simple syrup and taste. Most of my sorbets require 3/4 cup. Give the mixture a good stir. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours.

4. Follow manufacture instructions for your ice cream maker for sorbet. I use a KitchenAid ice cream attachment and it takes about 20 minutes for my mixture to become firm enough to scoop. You can now freeze the sorbet to firm up even more.

5. To make granita place the cold mixture into a freezer safe container and freeze for one hour. Starting at this time pull out the container and using a fork give it a stir, making sure to get the bottom and edges. Repeat the stirring every 30 minutes until you have small uniform ice crystals. Place lid on the granita and sever that evening. It will take about 5 repeats to get to the granita stage if you start with a cold mixture.

I hope you get a chance to make your own frozen concoction this summer.

Strawberry Sorbet, Summer In A Bowl

When I was a teen, I would go to summer camp up in the the Angeles National Forest. One of the highlights of the week was a hike along Strawberry Creek. We would take a packed lunch and make our trek up the path, following the creek till we came to a clearing  where we would stop and eat our lunch and then head back to camp. All along the creek were wild strawberry plants and when we stopped for lunch we would feast on these ripe fragrant gems.

The scent of pine underbrush and ripe fresh strawberries still take me back there to my youth when everything was so simple.

While at farmer's market I spied the first of the ripe fragile delights of my youth. These berries are not the supermarket variety. They more intense, more fragile, more fleeting in their loveliness. So I took a few quart home, cleaned them and put them away to think about what to do with them.

With the first two quarts I made a sorbet. The process was simple and the end result made me look like a superhero. We all stood around the ice cream maker as it turned and worked it's magic. With a dollop of whipped cream, heavenly.

Tomorrow I will share with you the process that I use to make this summer delight. It is the same process that I use to make sorbet and granita.

I hope that your day is a wonderful one.

Peanut Butter Cookies, Gluten Free

I stumbled upon this cookie recipe and had to read it through a couple of times. What, not flour? I've made flourless cakes, but never cookies. Next I had to read through the comments, people love this recipe, hmmmm. So I hurried to the kitchen to try these out.

My son, "What are you making now?"

Me, "Peanut butter cookies!"

My son, "OHHH, are they to eat?"

I ignored him.

Here they are in all of their peanut buttery goodness. Peanut butter cookies are a thing of beauty. I know that Tony will approve of this post.

Here's the recipe.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.
makes about 2 dozen.


1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use silicone baking liners.

2. In a bowl mix dry ingredients together. Add the peanut butter and mix till combined. I used a stand mixer.

3. Add the egg and vanilla and combine until it sticks together and is a dough like consistency.

4. Pour a small amount of sugar into a bowl. Roll tablespoons of dough till they are balls and dip and roll in sugar, place on cookie sheet

5. Using a fork, lightly indent cookies with a crisscross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Thank you Carol from Simply....Gluten Free for a great and simple recipe. She has some great recipes, check out her site.

Fried Rice At Home

Have you ever been to a Chinese restaurant and had a box of leftover rice? Or, perhaps you made a pot of rice for dinner and had some left in the pot. For me and my family, I make rice and then store the remains in the refrigerator. But to be honest, very rarely does it have a second go at the table.

The perfect solution for all of that rice is to make fried rice. I will go on rampages making fried rice for days. Everyone consumes it enthusiastically, like it is the best food ever. But as my crusade to save all unused rice marches on the enthusiasm  diminishes. Then I give it up and go back to my usual way of storing the little bits of leftovers and disposing of it at the end of the week.

For now I am in a fried rice kick and my family is in love with it once again. It is a perfect summer breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It comes together quickly and does not require the oven.

It is really flexible and so many veggies and proteins can be added to it. The only one requirement is that you have about four cups of leftover brown or white rice that is to the is cold.

For this batch I used sliced snow peas, diced bell pepper, green onion, and two eggs.

You will also need 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 1 clove of garlic minced, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon  sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Start by measuring and prepping all of your ingredients.

To a large pan add one tablespoon of oil, when hot add the garlic and ginger and give them a quick stir. Cook for no more than 30 seconds and quickly add your veggies. Cook the veggies til they are just warmed through. I cook them for about one minute. Now it is time to add the rice, keep moving everything around till rice is once again hot.

Make a well in the center and add a bit more oil and then the eggs. Cook the eggs till they are scrambled and mix them into the rice mixture. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil. Garnish with more green onion and serve. This version is much lighter than one you will find at a restaurant and more like what is served at home.

Scottish Oat Cakes

Since going gluten free, I've struggled with breads and baking. At times baking gluten free has taken the sails out of my enthusiasm for being in the kitchen. What has helped me is focusing on what we can eat and there is so much that we can eat that doesn't have gluten. These little cakes are an example of that. They have never been made with any wheat and instead rely on oat flour. You can make your own oat flour by using a food processor until the oats are a fine grind.

We make these often. They are very versatile in that they are great with your morning coffee, as a light snack in the afternoon, or with evening tea. These little biscuits are somewhere between a cracker and a biscuit. The recipe says that they will last in an airtight container for two weeks, but they never last that long in our house to test.

Personally, I love them with a bit of jam or honey in the afternoon with a bit of tea. But they are just as good with a small bit of cheese and a slice of apple.

When scooping with a 4 ounce cookie scoop, bake 15-20 minutes. Two ounce scoops will need less bake time, 12-15 minutes.

Scottish Oat Cakes 
from Vegetarian Times

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup oat flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• ¼ cup nonhydrogenated shortening or vegan margarine, cut into small pieces 
• ¾ cup nonfat buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray.

2. Stir together oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

3. Place oat flour in separate bowl. Rub shortening into oat flour with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Stir in oat mixture, then buttermilk

4. Use a cookie scoop and pack lightly, place on cookie sheet and press to make a biscuit, not to thin.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack.

Today I am Grateful

In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Brother David Steindl-Rast  Austrian-American Author and Benedictine Monk  Tomorrow I promise to share a recipe for these beauties. They are delicious in every way.

Crash Hot Potatoes On The Grill

Have you ever had them? They are potato heaven, really they are. Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for them, pictures and all, very easy to follow along.

When the weather turned hot this past week I was not about to turn the oven on, not even for my favorite potato side dish. I will tell you from experience that they work on the grill and come out even better I think. They take on a bit of that grilled taste and are a great accompaniment to a plate of grilled veggies.

The only change is that you will want to use a cast iron skillet and let it get nice and hot before you put the potatoes on. Use boiled potatoes that are just tender. I like to use potatoes that are on the small side. Be very gentle when flipping and you will be rewarded with delicious crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside potato goodness.

Try it, I know that you will  love.

Doughnut Love

Doughnuts, those little round things have been on my mind. I wanted to find a great recipe that was gluten free and would keep the ones I love away from temptation. Nothing really called out to me from the shelves housing all of my cookbooks. Next stop was Facebook, a call out to all of my friends. My niece came to the rescue with a family approved recipe. But later that night I decided that I wanted something that didn't need to rise and was simple enough to put together first thing in the morning.

I decided to try a recipe from here. These went from mixing bowl to kitchen table in less than 30 minutes. I mixed up the dry ingredients the night before and left out the eggs along side. In the morning I threw it all together and voila, doughnuts.

As side note, Roost is my favorite eye candy blog at the moment. She has a lovely way with words and has the most beautiful photos. If you want to surprise your family with some doughnut love follow my first link and you will find the recipe. Have a fantastic weekend full of love, laughter, and family.

Russian Kale Salad and Some Gluten Free Croutons

When I went to farmer's market I picked up some lovely Russian Kale. What to do with these tender, almost sweet lovelies. Then it hit me: "In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite" by Melissa Clark has the best recipe for a salad - it's uncomplicated and delicious. The salad comes together with just a handful of ingredients, kale, pecorino cheese, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and breadcrumbs. What more can anyone ask for, quick and delicious.  A poached egg or some beans round out the salad and makes it a meal.

When I went to plate the salad, my husband reminded me that he couldn't have the croutons. He was pleasantly surprised that I made him the best gluten free croutons ever.

To make your own gluten free croutons slice up about three pieces of bread into manageable cubes. I used Udi's whole grain bread. Toss the cubes with about1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil and bake  at 350 for 12 minutes, turning at  7 minutes. I like to have some around to add to our dinner salad and they keep for about a week.

Millet and Flax Gluten Free Bread

Since going gluten free my family has cut back on consuming bread. There are a lot of great gf bread companies out there but they are expensive and I really like to make my own. I've tried many times to come up with a recipe that works for me. I've had mixed results. Sometimes I have a hard rubbery line that runs across the bottom of the loaf from it falling in on itself. But mostly I'm not impressed with the flavor.
 
There really is a learning curve that is independent of regular bread making. The lack of gluten is one of the main issues. It's like building a house without a solid frame. The other big variable is the flour and it's interaction with the other flours. My favorite flours include millet, flax, oatmeal, almond, potato, and coconut.

A few weeks ago a friend had a loaf of millet flax bread from Sami's Bakery. I love the flavor and honestly it does not taste like a piece of gf bread. So now that I know what I love in a bread, I went in search of a recipe that fit the bill. I found this recipe from Gluten Free Mommy. I made this recipe as written and took good notes on actual weight of the various flours. The bread came out fabulous. She has some tips for success when making bread on her blog. Oh, I might tweak this recipe a bit but I have to say that it is pretty close to Sami's and I'm happy with the results. You can find the recipe by clicking on the link above.

Granola Gluten Free Style

I've been making granola forever, or so it seems. I've tried lots of recipes from various cookbooks. But many recipes use a lot of oil. I like my granola calories to come from the seeds and fruit. The inspiration for my current rendition comes from Progressive Pioneer's blog, here. Amy's recipe is grain free. I will have to try it that way.

The star of my granola is always gluten free oats. I buy Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats. But I also love Jules oats, and always include a bag when I place an order for her lovely flour. I use two cups of oats.

I like to add flaked coconut, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Once all of the oats and mix in are combined, I add the oil and honey. I only use a small amount of oil, maybe a 1/8 cup. I used sunflower oil this time, feel free to use any neutral flavored oil that you have around the kitchen.  I used about 1/3 cup honey and mixed it all up. 

Spread out the granola on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. I stir half way through the baking time. Watch the granola carefully, it will cook quickly with all of the nuts and honey. Better to stir often to avoid burning around the edges. 

Cool completely before breaking into bits and storing. Granola never really lasts longer than a couple of days in our house. Tony loves it as a snack. This recipe is his favorite combination. Sometimes I will add dried cherries or cranberries or apricots. Add any fruit after the granola has cooled. 

Any way that you make your granola, it will be free of preservatives. As an added bonus, you control the quality of the ingredients that goes into your food. That's important to me, I like to know what's in my food. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section and I will try to clarify any of the instructions that I may have been a bit vague on.