Who Are You Calling Turkey?

I love the alternatives we have available to us today. Turkey, for example, is being used in so many creative ways. Besides the usual suspects of bacon and hot dogs, I’ve even seen turkey ham! Not sure, exactly, how that works considering that ham comes from a pig and turkey comes from, well, turkey… but I think sometimes it’s better to just not ask.

I was especially excited to give turkey bacon a try when it first appeared some years back. I bought it, brought it home and wasted no time in whipped up a few slices. As I fried the slices, I dreamed of crispy, salty deliciousness containing a quarter of the fat of its regular counterpart. I was most egregiously disappointed. It was flimsy, it was chewy.

It was nasty.

It was then that I hopped off the turkey bandwagon. Temporarily. It wasn't until I spotted turkey kielbasa one day that I decided to give it another try. So glad I did!

You have to be just a little bit more on the gentle side with it, but otherwise… it’s yummy. Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa and Turkey Sausage are both gluten free!

Today’s recipe is a light, slightly sweet meal that is a snap to make. Try it – I think you’ll get on the turkey bandwagon, too!

Hey, listen. If you just can’t get yourself to like turkey for some reason, it’s OK. Go ahead and make this with regular ol’ kielbasa or sausage. It will still rock.

Gluten Free Turkey Kielbasa with Caramelized Onions and Apple

2 lbs turkey kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut into slices on the bias

2 Tbsp oil

3 onions, thinly sliced

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

¼ cup butter

2 apples, thinly sliced

1 ¾ cups chicken stock

1 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp sugar, optional

Over medium-high heat, heat oil in a large, deep skillet and add kielbasa or sausage. Brown the meat and remove from the pan to a plate. Lower the heat to medium-low and in the same skillet add the butter until melted. Add onions and cook until caramelized (about 10-15 minutes), using the butter and onion to deglaze the pan. Stir in the apple slices and chicken stock and bring to a brisk simmer.

In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch until smooth. Add to skillet and stir until thickened. Add the kielbasa or sausage back into the pan and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. If needed to balance flavors, add one tsp of sugar and stir to combine. Serve alone in a bowl or over buttered noodles or rice. Serves 6.

Shhhhh.....

I know. There are days when you just don’t feel like cooking. It’s a hot day or it’s a busy day or it’s just one of THOSE days. Doesn’t matter what the day is, the point is when a day like that comes around it’s good to have something in your arsenal that takes care of YOU, rather than you taking care of it.

You are looking for a dinner recipe that is your friend.

I have one of those. I’m even willing to share it with you. But there is a catch.

You must never, ever tell ANYONE sitting around your table how embarrassingly easy it was to make. If you do, it will unravel the very foundation that is the Secret Recipe Society. An entire underground network of women will essentially crumble into nothingness, leaving moms and wives with no choice but to frantically run about the kitchen, rummaging through cupboards to find something for dinner.

You don’t want to single-handedly be responsible for such a catastrophe, now do you?

Repeat after me: “I solemnly promise to neither admit nor deny the lack of difficulty in making the recipe below. If approached, I promise to skirt the issue completely, using every known tactic to avoid answering any questions. I also promise to accept, whole-heartedly, any accolades that are expressed from the recipients of this meal. I will only share this recipe with those I fully trust to handle the magnitude of responsibility needed to preserve and protect the Secret Recipe Society.”

You know, now I’m questioning whether I should have put this recipe on a public blog site. And who is that repeatedly knocking on my door?

Uh-oh.

Gluten Free Pulled Pork BBQ

1 can of Coke or Pepsi

1 2-lb pork tenderloin

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar)

Place the tenderloin in a slow cooker. Pour the can of soda it. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Drain the liquid from the slow cooker. Shred the pork and return to the slow cooker. Add BBQ sauce and stir to combine.

It May Be Little, But It Packs a Punch!

Good things come in small packages.

You’ve heard that one before, right? For this girl, that’s not always true. I don’t want a small little Corvette like my husband does. I want a HUGE, gas guzzling SUV that is larger than 3 of his little Corvettes. I want a Toyota FJ… or a Hummer!

When I cook, I rarely make dainty little dishes. I’m Italian! I only know how to cook in large portions. Lots of leftovers in this house.

When I was still single, I was always drawn to big guys… broad shoulders, strong forearms. I still am! I married a guy with both of those things.

So imagine my surprise when I found something good that really DOES come in a small package (besides babies and diamonds, of course)!

These little beauties are small, but they pack a major punch! Lemon Poppy Seed Cups are sweet and tangy and light. The “cup” part of this dessert is for you to explore possibilities with your imagination. I chose to add a small dollop of raspberry jam. If you really, really love lemon (like I do) try a small spoonful of lemon curd right on top! If you prefer the light and refreshing side of dessert, a small dollop of homemade whipped cream would be amazing. Goodness, even a drop of slightly warmed canned icing would be yummy, too! You really can’t go wrong. Be creative!

Enjoy. Savor each bite.

So now I’m wondering if a Lemon Poppy Seed Cup can teach a girl to really look for good things in little packages.

I would say it’s a distinct possibility.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cups

4 Tbsp butter, softened

½ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar, divided

1 egg

2 Tbsp lemon zest

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 cup Pamela’s Baking Mix

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and ½ cup sugar. Add the egg, lemon zest, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and poppy seeds. Stir to completely combine.

Add the Pamela’s Baking Mix and buttermilk. Stir until smooth.

Fill muffin cups about ½ full (be sure to use all 12 cups). Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned.

In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together the remaining 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp of sugar. Stir until the sugar completely melts and becomes a light syrup.

Remove muffins from oven. Immediately poke the muffins with a toothpick all over the top (9-10 pokes each). Gently brush the tops with the lemon sugar syrup, going over each one twice.

Let cool completely before topping the cup with your choice of topping.

Makes 12 cups.

The End Is Almost Here...

Autumn is right around the corner. Soon the leaves will change, pumpkins and dried corn stalks will adorn neighbor’s porches and the air will turn crisp. I can almost imagine the cool breeze coming through the window, quickening my step and making the house smell wonderful.

And oh… the tastes of Autumn! Stews and pies, apples and pumpkin! I can almost taste the spices of the season… cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger. I can smell the aroma of them drifting in the air…

Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just this pumpkin muffin I’m munching on.

There are times I need an “Autumn Fix” in the middle of miserable summer. The air is so thick you can cut it with a knife, the grass is dead and crunchy and the bugs are in full force. Ugh. It’s then I take myself on an imaginary journey into October. As these muffins bake, I’m suddenly on a hayride through cornfields or picking apples at the orchard.

Inevitably the timer goes off and I’m reminded that it was only a dream. Sure, I’m still in the throes of summer, but there is still hope. We are well past the halfway point to a more glorious season! To those of you longing for that crisp, clean air… take heart! Autumn is right around the corner!

Go now. Bake these. Enjoy the imaginary journey.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

3 eggs

2 cups light brown sugar

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 15-oz can pure pumpkin

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix (or 2 cups GF all-purpose flour blend, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two muffin tins with non-stick spray (24 muffins).

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add applesauce, pumpkin and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add Pamela’s (or GF all-purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder), cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Stir to completely incorporate.

Pour batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing muffins from the pan to finish cooling.

PS – for a little something more, add 1 cup mini chocolate chips as a last ingredient!

On a Side Note...

I confess that more often than not I totally forget about side dishes. I’ll get so involved in making a new gluten free main dish that the notion of having something along with it goes right out of my head. (Perhaps this is the reason I love the one-dish sort of meal. Everything is thrown together and served in bowls with a spoon! Side dishes need not apply.)

When I actually DO remember to throw some side dishes together, I find that I am bored stiff with them. I try to always have a green veggie at dinner. After a while, salad or steamed broccoli or green beans (the main veggies everyone likes – except for the picky toddler) get old. Boring. Bland. That’s when I go on the hunt for inspiration… a way to spruce up my boring veggies!

It’s got to be easy, though. I don’t want to spend as much time on my side dishes as I do my main dish. I want to be able to pop my main in the oven and whip up my sides while it bakes. (Did that last sentence create a picture of cooking frenzy? I’ve been told that others should just stay out of the kitchen when I’m working, lest someone gets run over.)

I recently went on the hunt for a creative way to serve fresh green beans. I found many – an overwhelming amount, actually – and ended up tweaking one to make it my own. Hence, a very pretty side dish that offers a change of pace!

Is your dinner fare lacking these days? Need a little something new thrown in there to wake up the taste buds of those who gather around your table?

I’ve got your back.

Gluten Free Green Bean with Tomatoes

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into two-inch pieces

1 ½ cups water

4 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp Italian seasoning

2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped into large bite-size pieces

Place green beans and water into a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, pepper and Italian seasoning and stir until garlic begins to soften. Add tomato chunks and stir gently until just soft. Add the green beans in and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately. (Garnish with parsley, if you so choose.)

Nut Free, Gluten Free… But Certainly NOT Yummy Free!

In our household, we have been challenged with not only gluten intolerance… but a peanut allergy and white potato intolerance as well! The potato intolerance is actually pretty easy to control. Dessert, however, can sometimes be hard to pull off for the combination of gluten intolerance and peanut allergy. Chocolate, for example, is difficult. Hershey Chocolate is safe for my son and his peanut allergy (except for the miniatures), but not safe for my gluten intolerance. Toll House chocolate chips are safe for me, but not for my son! And the list goes on.

Fortunately, I have come across two different brands of chocolate that, for the time being, are safe for both of us! One is a higher quality, one is lower.

My lower quality chocolate comes from Wegmans Market. In fact, the chips are Wegmans store brand! It comes in your typical 12oz bag and is both gluten and peanut free. One bag is usually around $1.99… so I’ll use them for various cookies and bar cookies.

If your grocery store has an organic section, check out Enjoy Life mini-chocolate chips. They are dairy, soy, gluten, casein and peanut free! This is the higher quality chocolate… and the price will reflect that. Around here, they are about $5 for a 10oz bag. I use them when I want to melt chocolate to drizzle over a dessert, as more of a finishing chocolate.

And for brownies. It would be a crime to use the lower quality chips! What are we usually trying to accomplish when making brownies? We want a big pan of fudgy, rich chocolate goodness. To use a lower quality chocolate really does make a difference. Don’t deny your inner chocoholic the satisfaction of really, really good brownies.

No worries if you can’t find them at your local grocery store… check out this link and get yourself some great chocolate! http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Semi-Sweet-Chocolate-10-Ounce/dp/B000HDJZWO/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1313511776&sr=1-2

Once you get your lovely new chocolate chips, you might be tempted to just sit and stare at the wonder that is really good gluten free chocolate. Don’t. Get in the kitchen ASAP and make these brownies. They are chewy, they are rich, they are ridiculous. You’ll be in love!

Brownie tip for the day… use a plastic knife to cut your cooled brownies! No more globs of brownie stuck to your knife. Although that also means no globs of brownie to swipe off the knife and “sample”. Let’s say it this way… if you are serving brownies to guests, use a plastic knife for clean cuts. If you are cutting a brownie for your family, use a regular knife and swipe away!

Gluten Free Brownies

½ cup rice flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

28oz gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

4 Tbsp butter

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11x7 baking pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine the rice flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a medium microwavable bowl, melt 16oz of chocolate chips and the butter, stirring regularly until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Place the bowl over a simmer pot of water (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, only need an inch or so of water… just be sure the bowl is a little larger than the pot so it rests on top yet leaves a gap between its bottom and the water). Continually whisk the egg mixture over the simmering water until it is just slightly warm. Remove bowl from the pan and add the chocolate mixture. Whisk together until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir to completely combine.

Quickly fold in the remaining 12oz of chips and pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting with a plastic knife.

Southern Roots?

There are times I’m sure that somewhere in my heritage there are Southern Roots. Not sure how that’s possible, logistically speaking, since my father’s side of the family is Italian and lives in New Jersey and my mom’s side is German/Irish/English and hails from Ohio. There has to be a little bit o’ southern in there, I’m sure of it. That would explain my love of all things cornbread.

Yes, I’m on that subject again.

I do love it so. Because of my love affair with cornbread, I look for any opportunity to incorporate it into my meals. Can you imagine my joy when I came across something called Creamed Ham on Cornbread? Oh joyous day! This is one of those “all-in-one” dishes… unless, of course, you feel overly ambitious and throw some side dishes out there, too! But in this house, to add side dishes would be downright wrong. The possibility of marring the loveliness on the tongue with other flavors would do this dish a disservice.

It wants to shine alone. And I, for one, am not going to allow anything to steal its spotlight. We have an agreement, Creamed Ham on Cornbread and I, to let it be the star of the evening when it is on the menu.

For the record, the food I cook does not literally talk to me… I just have a sixth sense about these things.

Call me the Dish Whisperer.

Gluten Free Creamed Ham on Cornbread

1 recipe for gluten free cornbread (cut the sugar to 1/3 cup)

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp minced dried onion

½ tsp dry mustard

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 ¼ cups of milk, divided

½ cup Colby Jack or Cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups diced ham

1 cup canned green beans

Make cornbread as directed (see link above).

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add dried onion and stir for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of milk and heat to a pre-boil. Add dry mustard and stir or whisk to incorporate.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining ¼ cup of milk and cornstarch. Add to heated milk and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low.

Cut cheese into small cubes and add to skillet, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted. Fold in the diced ham and green beans and stir gently until ham and beans are heated through.

Serve creamed ham over a square of cornbread. Serves 4.

Sacrificial Love

If someone were to ask me to name foods I can live without… the top three on my list are probably the top three on my husband’s “Foods I Love” list. Steak, mushrooms, seafood. I can eat steak and sometimes I even enjoy it, but I have never craved it. Mushrooms, if mixed in with other things are virtually undetectable and therefore edible. Slap a large portabella mushroom on my plate, though, and it’s just not going to make it into this girl’s mouth. No matter how much I will myself to do it, it’s just not going in.

Seafood, however, will never cross my lips. It’s completely and utterly a psychological issue. They are creepy, crawly ugly things. We shove them in boiling water, toss them on a plate, crack open their exoskeleton and eat what’s inside. Personally, that makes my stomach turn. Repeatedly.

My husband, though, loves it. He practically trembles when we vacation in Chincoteague, VA because it means soft shell crab is on his menu at some point during the trip. I have ventured into the seafood realm far enough to make him some Balsamic Glazed Salmon… and even Shrimp Fra Diavolo for his birthday… but I must confess that I was slightly gagging while making both. (Which, in my mind, is just a testament to how much I love my husband. Right?)

Once in a while I’ll have a tender moment in Wegman’s Market when I feel sorry for my husband who has a wife who doesn’t cook some of his favorite foods. So I’ll grab some mushrooms and steak. This past weekend’s trip to the grocery store included one of those tender moments.

Hence, tonight’s dinner of Steak Stroganoff.

The beauty of this recipe is that it actually is two recipes in one. If you omit the very last ingredient (cream cheese) you have a lovely, slightly thickened mushroom gravy to pour over a perfectly grilled steak. Add the cream cheese and you have Steak Stroganoff!

My hubby thoroughly enjoyed his steak and mushrooms tonight. Do you think the fact that he isn’t sure when – or if - he’ll get this meal from his wife again may have made it even tastier for him? (Poor guy.)

Sacrificial love on both sides, isn’t it? He sacrifices some of his favorites for me… I sacrifice a settled stomach to cook things for him. *wink*

PS – I can’t conclude this post without telling you a scary truth: I really liked this meal. It was creamy and gentle and the steak was yummy. DON’T TELL MY HUSBAND.

Gluten Free Steak Stroganoff

1 (1 lb) flank steak

1 tsp oil

1 ½ Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

2 bay leaves

¼ tsp dried thyme, slightly crushed

1 ¼ cups chicken broth or stock

1 tsp cornstarch

¼ cup water (or chicken stock)

4 oz cream cheese

In a large skillet, heat the ½ Tbsp butter and oil on medium-high heat. Cook the steak for 2 minutes on each side until browned. Remove steak, place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Lower the stove temperature to medium and add the remaining butter to the same skillet. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme and cook for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer on lower heat for 5 minutes.

In a small cup or bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water (or broth). Add to the mushroom mixture in the skillet and turn heat up to medium. Heat until the liquid thickens.

STOP HERE FOR MUSHROOM GRAVY… continue on for stroganoff.

Add the cream cheese, stirring until it melts. Discard the bay leaves.

Cut the flank steak across the grain into thin slices. Add the slices into the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes until the meat cooks through.

Serve over gluten free buttered noodles or rice. Serves 4.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Baseball. The All-American game. Picture the good ol’ boys with their caps over their hearts as the National Anthem plays. Fans in the stands get ready to cheer their team from the top of the first to the bottom of the ninth, each hoping for the chance to catch a game ball.

Stadium food has come a long way since the bag of peanuts and the hot dog. But still, there is something so traditional about certain foods. A soft pretzel. Popcorn. A corn dog.

Oh, man. Corn dogs. They are so incredibly bad for you… yet so very good. A nitrite stuffed hot dog dipped in cornbread batter and deep fried. Wow. That little dude should come with a defibrillator on the side. Heaven forbid someone eat more than one, considering one has about 19 grams of fat…

*shudder*

Yet, I love them. Haven’t had one in probably 10 years, though. I just couldn’t bring myself to put that much fat in my mouth. It actually grossed me out enough to stop me from wanting it.

Thankfully, I came across a recipe a few years back that satisfied my love of said corn dog, without the frying. I recently tried a gluten free version and found I like it even better than the original! To trim it down even more, try turkey hot dogs.

So the next time you curl up on the couch to watch the good ol’ boys, be sure to have a plate of this with you. You’ll have all the goodness of the game without your feet sticking to the floor and someone spilling a beer on you. Oh, and no traffic jams!

Gluten Free Corn Dog Bake

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup finely chopped celery

¾ cup finely chopped onion

1 package hot dogs (8 dogs)

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup Pamela’s Baking Mix

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 scant tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup canola or veggie oil

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sauté celery and onion until soft. Place in a large bowl, set aside.

Cut hot dogs into bite-sized pieces. In the same large skillet, sauté the hot dogs until lightly browned. Add hot dogs into the large bowl with the celery and onion, tossing to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, Pamela’s Baking Mix, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the egg, milk, oil and black pepper and whisk together until smooth.

Add the cornbread batter to the hot dog mixture and stir to combine. Add ½ cup of cheese to the cornbread mixture and stir. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.