Kung POW! This One's a Knockout!

With November comes my husband’s birthday. Since there are many dishes he loves that, frankly, make me gag (think crab, fish, most Chinese food) I try my darnedest to give him a little treat… a little taste… of the things I don’t make for him the rest of the year. (You know, on paper… that sentence sounds incredibly selfish. Huh.)

Anyhoo….

Last year, it was Shrimp Fra Diavolo. *shudder* Nasty stuff, but he loved it. So, mission accomplished. This year, I wanted to go a different route… maybe something in the Chinese food world. But, I knew that I would also be feeding the kids, my mom and my aunt who is visiting us from Ohio. Why is that a potential problem? Tim loves spicy food. The spicier, the better. Why, I’ll never know. Personally, I like to be able to actually taste my food, not melt the inside of my mouth. But that’s another subject.

So typically, I would make him a spicy dish. Since I wouldn't be cooking for just Tim, I needed to keep the spice level down. Way down. This year, I went with Kung Pao Chicken. And by jing, it was quite good! Not spicy, bursting with flavor… and my daughter even liked it! (Truthfully, that’s not much of a shocker. The shocker would have been if my 3 year old liked it, but since he doesn’t like much, I didn’t bother with him. Better to focus on the positive, right?)

I served this up with some sticky rice (…yummmmmmm) and steamed broccoli. It was simple, it was easy, it was delicious. Sorry, by the way, for the slightly blurry picture. It was my hubby’s big day and I just took a quick shot to be able to show you the dish.

Cheesy pun coming your way, courtesy of Katie…

Want a little Kung POW on your tongue? Try this Kung Pao!

Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken

¼ cup Catalina dressing, divided

¼ cup peanut or almond butter

1 Tbsp GF soy sauce

2 tsp chili sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced gingerroot

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces

In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp Catalina dressing, peanut/almond butter, soy sauce and chili sauce until combined.

In a large skillet, add the remaining dressing and warm on medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute. Turn the heat up for medium-high and add the chicken, stirring frequently. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the peanut/almond butter mixture. Cook for about 7 minutes until the chicken in cooked through, stirring frequently to scrap up brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Serve over rice with a side of steamed broccoli. Serves 4.

The Dessert That Almost Wasn't

Yesterday was one of those days. My daughter is part of a performance of The Nutcracker with her ballet school and she had a long practice in the evening. My aunt was arriving from Ohio for a visit right around dinner time, so I was in the middle of preparing dinner when it occurred to me that a dessert might be nice to have after dinner, to celebrate my aunt’s arrival.

So with my brain churning away, listing everything I needed to get done before leaving for the ballet rehearsal, I embarked upon an experimental recipe. In the middle of making dinner.

In hindsight, not a good combination.

Things started off well. I took a moment to look over the recipe again, making sure I had my gluten free measurements correct. I smiled, feeling pretty confident that I had things right.

I measured out my dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another. I then added the wet to the dry and began to stir. It was then I realized something wasn’t quite right. The batter was rather… thick. Goopy, really. I thought I would be pouring my batter into the bundt pan, but the way things were looking at the moment, I was going to have to scoop large blobs of it in there.

‘Ah well’, I thought to myself, ‘I’m sure it will be fine. Perhaps being GF makes it… goopy.’ I also vowed NOT to use the word "goopy" in my recipe directions.

I prepared my bundt pan and… plopped… the batter into it. I was just about to place it in the oven when something told me to take another look at the recipe.

Uh-oh.

Sugar. I totally forgot the 2 CUPS of sugar. In my hurry to get things done amidst my tickertape list going around and around in my brain, I just totally left it out.

Sooooo… the batter went back into the bowl, the sugar was added (thus making the batter pourable!), back into the pan and into the oven it went.

And can I tell you…. this recipe ROCKS! My family all agreed it doesn’t taste like gluten free, it doesn’t have the texture of gluten free… it’s really good!

My dessert that almost wasn’t… was a hit! *whew*

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

3 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

4 eggs

1 cup oil (veggie or canola)

1 15oz can solid packed pumpkin puree

Optional: 1 cup of chopped pecans, chocolate chips or raisins

Glaze:

4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the baking mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ground ginger.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and pumpkin. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until completely combined. Add optional pecans, chips or raisins and stir to incorporate.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack.

To make the glaze: Beat the cream cheese until very creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Add 3 Tbsp of milk and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake or individual slices.

Taste Buds of Happiness

Ah yes, the changing of the seasons. It brings such joy to my heart to watch the leaves change into the bright colors of fall, knowing that my favorite season, winter, is right around the corner. Autumn and Winter bring with them wonderful smells, sights and tastes.

When you think of Autumn, you can almost smell the cinnamon and cloves of your favorite goodie baking in the oven. Your mind’s eye remembers the bright reds, golds and oranges of the trees. Remember Christmases past and you’ll drift through the taste of your Grandma’s renowned cookies and smell the rich scent of the fresh Christmas tree in your home.

We really do experience the seasons will all our senses.

Today, I had all of autumn in my mouth. Yep. Right there, lying on my tongue. It was pumpkin, it was cinnamon, it was allspice, it was nutmeg. It was happiness! I had autumn in my kitchen. You should have smelled the aroma coming from my oven!

If you are like a lot of my friends who suffer from a lack of appreciation for the colder months (you know who you are!), then this cookie is for you. It takes all that is comforting and endearing about autumn and plops it into one little package. OK, I might be exaggerating… just a hair… but still, you get the point. A cup of tea and this sweet little confection and you, too, will experience the smells and tastes of autumn that bring joy to my heart!

Happy Autumn, my friends! Enjoy all the smells, sights and tastes that makes this season so amazing!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

1 egg

¾ cup pumpkin puree

2¼ cups GF all-purpose flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

Sugar Mixture:

⅓ cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Roll into balls size of a large walnut and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes.

Mix sugar mixture ingredients in a small bowl. Remove cookies from the fridge and roll cookie dough balls in sugar mixture.

Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes at 400˚ until slightly brown and still soft.

Makes 48-60 cookies.

Wow.

It’s snowing today. A beautiful, steady snow with big, fat snowflakes that practically plop when they hit the ground. It’s a winter wonderland!

Did I mention it’s October 29^th?

We were given an autumn treat today in the form of snow. It’s so beautiful… the changing colors of the leaves outlined by pure white snow. *happy sigh* Our family loves snow. We practically celebrate it! In fact, this morning we did that very thing. As the flakes began to fall, I got to work on a new recipe. (I wish I could take credit for this one, but alas, the wonderful people at www.thebakingbeauties.com came up with this one.)

My review of this new recipe is so complex and detailed that I found it difficult to really express it. How does one put into words the happiness that occurred with each bite? Instead, I decided to keep it simple. Here it is.

Wow.

This isn’t something to whip up on a busy Sunday morning. This is something to bring out when you want to celebrate a birthday or Christmas… or snow. It’s a little labor intensive and there is a waiting period as you let the buns rise before baking them, but it is completely, totally and utterly worth it. I promise.

The next time you check the weather report and it says snow is on its way, do yourself a favor. Run to the store. Forget the basics you usually buy in the event of a storm. Get the ingredients for these cinnamon buns. In the quiet of the morning, make a cup of tea or coffee and get to work on these babies. After that, there is but one thing left to do.

Celebrate!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns

Topping:

4 Tbsp butter

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp heavy cream

Pinch of salt

Dough:

2 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (without leavening or xanthan gum)

½ cup tapioca starch

1 Tbsp yeast

3 Tbsp white sugar

½ tsp salt

3 tsp xanthan gum

¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)

1 tsp baking powder

4 Tbsp butter

½ cup water

¾ cup milk

1 egg

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp vanilla

Filling (may want to double this if you like really thick filling):

2 Tbsp butter, very soft

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

½ cup raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

For the topping: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the brown sugar loses its graininess, then add the vanilla and heavy cream. Remove from the stove and pour into the prepared pan.

For the filling: In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until completely combined. Once combined, add the raisins, walnuts or pecans (if you choose to use them).

For the dough: In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients until combined.

Put the water and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave until the butter has melted. Remove from the microwave and add the remaining wet ingredients. Stir to combine. With the stand mixer running (use the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out on a slightly dampened countertop or cutting board, so it covers an area bigger than 8” x 16”. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on the plastic wrap and lay the ball of dough on it. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and pat the dough down into a rectangular shape, approximately 8” x 16”.

Remove the top plastic wrap and spread the filling across the dough’s surface, leaving 1 ½” of space without filling on one of the long sides of the rectangle. This will seal your cinnamon rolls.

Starting along the long end, use the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to lift the edge of the dough and roll it up, forming a long cylinder. Start with edge that has filling on it (which will be the center of your cinnamon roll).

Using a long piece of thread, cut the long cinnamon bun log into 8 even pieces, about 1 ½“ wide. You do this by placing the thread under the roll, crossing it at the top and pulling the threads so they cross each other, pulling it through the dough.

Place the rolls, cut side up, in the topping in the pan, spacing them evenly. With damp fingers, flatten the rolls slightly.

Cover with a damp paper towel and allow the cinnamon buns to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, until nearly doubled in size. (I place mine in my second oven with the light on.)

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are a nice golden brown.

Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Invert a bun on a plate and scoop additional syrup from the pan over the bun.

Best served warm, but can be reheated in the microwave for a few seconds if they are a day old.

Makes 8 cinnamon buns.

Kiss Peanut Butter Goodbye??

As I’ve mentioned before, on top of the gluten intolerance we also have a potato intolerance and peanut allergy in our house. My poor husband is the only one left in our little family that doesn’t have a food allergy. We are pretty sure he’ll end up with something like… an allergy to all things dairy… so that we are left to nibble on dry rice cakes for the rest of our lives. J

But back to our current issue, the peanut allergy. Giving up peanut butter wasn’t that tough. I like it, but I don’t love it. My mom…. she loves it. Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream, Buckeyes… you name it, she loves it. Since she lives in the same house, she has graciously rid her home of all things peanut. She does, however, jump at the opportunity to sneak a little while out with friends. We can’t expect her to completely give it up, can we??

I, personally, am a chocolate chip girl. Take the example above of my mom, cross out peanut butter and replace it with “chocolate chip” and you have me. There’s nothing better than the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies. There are times, though, that I want to make something a little different. In the past, I would make something like a peanut butter cookie. They were my dad’s favorite, and I learned at an early age to master the peanut butter cookie.

Enter almond butter. Oh yes, my friends. If you have a peanut allergy in your home… or if you just love almond butter… TRY THESE.

At this very moment, my mom is munching on a little cookie experiment. She spread just a little Nutella (drooling yet?) between two of these almond butter cookies and is now simultaneously crunching and “Oooooo”-ing and “Ahhhhh”-ing over her creation. So, I think it’s safe to say that it might be worth picking up a jar of Nutella (it’s peanut free!) and be prepared to spend some time ooooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing over your creation!

Giving up peanut butter isn’t that hard. May I suggest some almond butter instead? Friends, I must end this post. There is an almond butter cookie with a little Nutella on it calling my name.

Happy munching!

Gluten Free Almond Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup almond butter (I used Barney Butter)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add the egg and almond butter, completely combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, baking soda, potato starch and tapioca starch. Add in two parts to the wet ingredients, beating to completely combine.

Roll into 1-inch balls, place on cookie sheet. Using a fork coated in sugar, press the traditional criss-cross pattern in the top of the cookies.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Cool for 3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling racks.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

Role Reversal

Once in a while, when all other forms of dinner have been exhausted and the thought of another forkful of chicken, beef, pork or even pasta just cannot be entertained… we go for breakfast foods. There is something quite comforting about having breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs and toast… pancakes… heck, even cereal every now and then! (Don’t think badly of me after that last part.)

Pancakes are extremely diverse little guys. You can throw basically anything into them and make yummy goodness. We will often grab a couple of ripe bananas and some vanilla extract to make Banana Pancakes. My dear friend shared her secret love of Chocolate Chip Pancakes with peanut butter spread on them rather than syrup. (By the way – FABULOUS.)

For the fall, it seems only fitting to celebrate the season with the flavors that capture it. Pumpkin Bread Pancakes smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice… and, of course, pumpkin. Just the process of making them immediately makes your house smell incredible.

There is brown sugar already in these, so no syrup needed. Maybe a little butter on top, but that’s about it. They are seriously that good.

But…

If one DID want to have some sort of syrup to put on top, one COULD - hypothetically, of course - heat up about 1 cup of apple cider and about ¼ cup of real maple syrup in a small saucepan until the cider reduces and becomes thick. One MIGHT enjoy the parade of autumn flavors that march on your palette as a tiny little band plays “Autumn Leaves”.

Just sayin’. Hypothetically.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Pancakes

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

¼ cup canola or veggie oil

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp allspice or cloves

2 cups Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix

1 cup milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add Pamela’s Mix and whisk to completely combine. Add milk ¼ cup at a time, until smooth and completely incorporated.

Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken and to let flavors blend.

If using an electric griddle, set temperature between 300 and 325 degrees. Pour ¼ cup of batter on the griddle and spread to about 4” round circles. Watch pancakes carefully, as they don’t bubble as much as “regular” pancakes. Flip when golden brown on the bottom.

Makes about 15-18 pancakes.

Soup? Or a Cheeseburger? YES!

I have this strange quirk about me. You see, I love to make soup. It’s probably one of my most favorite things to cook. I love to chock my soups full of veggies and deep flavors. There’s only one problem.

I don’t really like soup. I endure soup, but it’s never really a culinary event for me. Know what I mean?

I know, I know. Quirky. What this phenomenon has done, though, is set me on a quest to find soups I really do like! So be prepared, there will most likely be a lot of soup recipes on this blog in the future. The ones already posted… Broccoli Cheese, Creamy Cauliflower… they are probably the top two out of three soups I like. What’s the third, you ask?

After covering the veggie-based soups, I wanted to find something really different. Not your everyday chicken noodle or even the beloved Italian Wedding Soup. Thus, I give you… Cheeseburger Soup.

This is one hearty soup. Save this recipe for a cold winter’s night when you’ve been out all day and are chilled to the core. This soup will thaw you right out. It begins deep within, slowly warming your chill. Don’t eat this at the table, though. Grab a bowl, spoon, blanket and your favorite movie and feast on it whilst curled up on the couch.

Now, you see? That, my friend, is a culinary event worth having.

Gluten Free Cheeseburger Soup

1 Tbsp butter

½ lb ground beef

¾ cup chopped onion

¾ cup shredded carrots

¾ cup chopped celery

3 cups chicken stock

4 cups cubed potatoes

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups cubed cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups low-fat milk, divided

¼ cup light sour cream

2-3 tsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp ketchup

In a large soup pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook until slightly tender.

Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.

Add 1 ¼ cups of milk, bring almost to a boil, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ¼ cup milk and the cornstarch. Add to the soup and stir until it becomes thickened. Lower heat and add cheese, mustard and ketchup (when cheese is almost completely incorporated, taste test to see if more mustard and/or ketchup is needed). When the cheese is melted, add the sour cream and heat through, but do not return to a boil. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat at a later time.

Serves 8.