Chocolate Fluff Pie

This is a combination of two Betty Crocker pies. I don't like her chocolate creams, because they call for eggs, which makes them way too rich. This is my own compilation of the two, and it tastes great! It's so fluffy and light, yet smooth and chocolatey. Yes, this is a crowd pleaser, if I do say so myself!

1 Pie Shell

1 cup whipping cream

3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

4 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 -1 bar semi-sweet or dark baker's chocolate (depending on how chocolatey you want it)

Whip cream until stiff. Set aside in a cool place.

Make a meringue of egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff and set aside. (Probably in the fridge.)

Soften gelatin in cold water. Set aside. (Are we noticing a trend here?)

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Heat on low-medium heat. Once mixture gets warm/hot, add chocolate. (Better if you break it into pieces.) Continue heating until mixture boils. Allow to boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add softened gelatin. Put chocolate mixture in fridge to set up.

Once mixture begins to cool and set up, mix with rotary beater until smooth again. Fold in cream and meringue. Spoon mixture into prepared pie crust. Let cool in fridge for several hours. The result is fully awesome!

My Favorite Veggies!

This is my favorite way to cook vegetables. It smells good in the oven, and it tastes great once it gets done! The great part is that you can mix and match the vegetables, and it still tastes great.

Ingredients:

Vegetables, enough to fill 8"x 11" pan - I always use onion and bell pepper with a combination of the following: zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, green beans and tomatoes. You can use anything you like, but I would certainly keep in the onion and pepper.

4 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary (word of the wise, do not use dried rosemary)

4 tsp. beef bullion

6 Tbsp. olive oil

2-4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Cut veggies into bite sized pieces and arrange in 8"x 11" pan. Mix olive oil, bullion, and rosemary in a small bowl. Pour over vegetables. Cook in oven at 400 for an hour. Make sure to stir once or twice during cooking to mix vegetables. After removing cooked vegetables from oven, pour balsamic vinegar over top and serve. This makes GREAT leftovers!

Hoilday Treasures

I can't believe that I just found this recipe!! They are so tasty and simple to make! They taste almost like candy! This recipe was hiding in one of my cookbooks for the last eight and a half years. I wonder what other yummy recipes are hiding away! (I only used the chocolate and pecans because I didn't have white chocolate and I don't like it as well. I also used Almond Bark for the candy coating and it worked well.)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 egg

1 Tblsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 jars (10 oz. each) maraschino cherries, well drained

Coating:

10 oz. white candy coating, divided

4 Tblsp butter-flavored shortening, divided

8 oz. dark chocolate candy coating (I used almond bark)

Finely chopped pecans

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and shortening. Add the egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Form 2 teaspoonfuls of dough into a ball. Flatten ball and place a cherry in the center; roll dough around cherry. Repeat with remaining dough and cherries. Place balls 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. or until set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 min. before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Grate 2 oz. white candy coating; set aside. Melt remaining white chocolate with 2 Tblsp. shortening; melt dark coating with remaining shortening. Dip half the cookies into white coating; lace on waxed paper. Sprinkle with pecans. Dip the remaining cookies in dark coating; place on waxed paper. Sprinkle with grated white coating. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen.

Cranberry Salad

This is my mom's recipe. She couldn't put it on the blog, so I did! Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!


1 small box orange jello
1 pkg. Knox gelatin
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 lb. cranberries, frozen then chopped (I do this in the blender with the liquids)
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1 orange, peeled & blended

Stir Jello, gelatin & sugar together. Pour boiling water over & stir to dissolve. Blend in blender with cranberries (thaw a little), pineapple & orange. Stir in nuts & celery. Refrigerate. Best made the night before so flavors blend.

New York Cheesecake

When I was first married, I was obsessed with finding the perfect cheesecake recipe. Well, my friends, I do believe I have found it! Sometimes to change it up a bit, I will mix part of the batter with melted chocolate and either layer it or swirl it in! But oh, it's so delicious! ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream
Garnish: cherry pie filling or chopped strawberries

Directions:
Stir together first 3 ingredients. Press crumb mixture onto bottom on 1 ½ inches up sides of a lightly greased 7 inch springform pan. Bake crust at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add ½ cup sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating until blended. Add egg, beating until blended after each addition. Add sour cream and beat just until blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours. Gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake to release sides of pan; garnish, if desired.

Carnival Corndogs

I know I posted another recipe for corndogs awhile ago, but they were gluten free, and not NEARLY as good as these are! These are like the real thing, and not hard to do at all. Give them a try. NOTE: You can make a double batch and freeze extras for easy lunches for the kids.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 quart oil for frying
8-10 hotdogs of choice

wooden skewers

Directions:

Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat to 375.
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk. Insert wooden skewers into hotdogs (I break mine in half so they're short; otherwise they don't fit in my pan). Dry hotdogs with paper towels and roll in batter until well coated. Fry 2 or 3 corn dogs at a time for 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Drain on paper towels.

Caribbean Sweet Potato and Bean Stew

This one is really good! It's super easy. If you're feeding more than 3 boys aged 22, then double the recipe. It served a perfect amount for the three of us!

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1 inch cubes)
2 cups cut green beans
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) vegetable or chicken broth
1 small onion, sliced
2 tsp. Caribbean jerk seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Put it all in the crock pop (except almonds) and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Garnish with almonds. Easy as that!

French Dip Sandwiches

We love this recipie at our house and have it often! It's easy and fast and makes the house smell sooo good!

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Sandwich
METHOD: Slow Cooker
TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 5 hours

Ingredients:
1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trimmed
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 whole peppercorns
8 French rolls, split

Directions:

Place trimmed roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth; skim of fat. (If you trim it you shouldn't have to do this.) Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls.

Yield: 8 servings.

Gluten Free French Bread

Here's what we had for dinner tonight! Tasty lasagna rolls and fresh french bread. All of it was as good as any wheat-based dinner like it. So good! You'll love this bread; the taste and texture are JUST like the regular once it is completely cooled. As you can see in my picture, the loaves rose out, not up, since I don't have a french bread pan. I'd recommend using one if you have it. It was still great, just short.

2 cups rice flour (white)

1 cup tapioca flour

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

3 egg whites, beaten slightly

1 tsp vinegar

more melted butter, for brushing

Directions:

In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the water, and add yeast.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, place flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Blend with mixer on low.

Wait until the yeast mixture foams, then blend into the dry ingredients.

Add the melted butter, egg whites, and vinegar. Beat on high for 3 minutes.

To form loaves, spoon dough onto greased and cornmeal-dusted cookie sheets in two long French-loaf shapes, or spoon into special French-bread pans. Use wet hands to smooth tops of loaves.

Slash diagonally every few inches. Brush with extra melted butter.

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 40-50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from pan to cool.

Lasagna Rolls

These were amazing. I think next time I'll try sprinkling a little mozzarella cheese on the noodles right before rolling up. Not hard, and even my kids ate them-spinach, mushrooms, and all!

18 lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 Tbsp oil
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups Alfredo sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the lasagna noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are cooked, but still firm to the bite; drain and rinse.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish; set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook until hot; remove from heat.

Stir together the chicken, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and the cooked spinach mixture in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spread about 1/4 cup of the mixture on each lasagna noodle. Roll the noodle up, and place seam-side down into the prepared baking dish. Repeat for each noodle. Spoon Alfredo sauce over the roll-ups.

Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and pine nuts. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the pine nuts are toasted, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Strawberry Smoothie Ice-Cream Pie

I did this for the girls' birthday party! It was so good!!!

Prep: 50 min.; Bake: 10 min.; Stand: 35 min.; Freeze: 4 hrs., 30 min. Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients
1 (7-ounce) package waffle cones, broken into pieces
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 (1-quart) containers premium vanilla ice cream, divided
1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries (1 quart), stemmed
1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 pint fresh blueberries
2 ripe bananas
Garnishes: waffle cone pieces, fresh whole strawberries, fresh blueberries

Preparation
Process first 3 ingredients in a food processor until finely crushed. Firmly press mixture onto bottom of a lightly greased 10-inch springform pan.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Let vanilla ice cream stand at room temperature 20 minutes or until slightly softened.
Process strawberries and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a food processor until pureed, stopping to scrape down sides; remove strawberry mixture, and set aside.
Process blueberries and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar in food processor until pureed, stopping to scrape down sides; set aside.
Mash bananas with a fork in a large bowl; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Set aside.
Place 1 quart of ice cream in a large bowl; cut into large (3-inch) pieces. Fold strawberry mixture into ice cream until blended. Place in freezer until slightly firm.
Divide remaining quart of ice cream in half, placing halves in separate bowls. Stir blueberry mixture into half and mashed banana mixture into remaining half. Place bowls in freezer.
Spread half of strawberry mixture evenly into prepared crust in springform pan. Place pan and remaining strawberry mixture in freezer. Freeze 30 minutes or until strawberry layer in pan is slightly firm. Spread banana mixture evenly over strawberry layer in pan; return pan to freezer, and freeze 30 minutes or until banana layer is slightly firm. Repeat procedure with blueberry mixture. Spread remaining strawberry mixture over blueberry layer in pan, and freeze 3 hours or until all layers are firm. Let pie stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Gluten Free Pizza that is Good!

This one I got from April, and it was a relief to have pizza that was worth eating! It is the closest to real pizza that I've tried so far.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. Yeast
2/3 cup Gluten Free Garbanzo and Fava Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
2 Tbsp. Milk Powder (Non-Fat Dry)
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Gelatin powder, unflavored
1 tsp. Italian Herb Seasoning (substitute any fresh or dried herbs)
2/3 cup Warm Water (105 degrees)
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Cider Vinegar
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 425.
In medium mixer bowl blend the yeast, flours, dry milk powder, xanthan gum, salt, gelatin powder, and Italian herb seasoning on low speed. Add warm water, sugar, olive oil and vinegar. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Add water if the dough is too stiff. The dough will resemble soft bread dough. Put mixture into 12 inch pizza pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle extra four onto the dough, then press the dough into the pan. If dough becomes too sticky, use oil or water on your hands to help work the dough. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake for another 10-20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION(For an 8 slice pizza pie.)
For 1 slice serving size Calories 90, Calories from Fat 15, Total Fat 1.5g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 160mg, Total Carbohydrate 15g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 2g, Protein 3g.

Gluten Free Fantastic Chocolate Pudding Cake

This one I took straight out of Betty Crocker and substituted my favorite flour blend, and it was amazing! And easy. I've always loved this one, and it's still sooo yummy.

Ingredients:
1 cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (click to see recipe)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp baking cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 3/4 cups very hot water
Ice cream, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Mix flour, sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa, baking powder, and salt in ungreased 9x9 pan. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in nuts (opt). Spread evenly in pan.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa over batter. pour water evenly over batter.
4. Bake about 40 minutes, or until top is dry. Cool 10 minutes.
5. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. Top with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving.

Gluten Free Biscotti

A perfect treat to dip in milk, hot chocolate, or just eat plain!

Ingredients:
1/8 cup oil
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1 cup GF flour blend (see below)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
chocolate for dipping (opt)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extract, then beat in the egg. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and almonds by hand.
3. Form a 12x2 inch log on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F.
5. Carefully cut log on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8-10 minutes. Flip slices and bake additional 8-10 minutes, or until dry; cool.
6. Once cooled, melt dipping chocolate and pour on a plate. Dip bottoms only of biscotti in melted chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet and allow chocolate to set.

GF Flour Blend

Mix 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, and 1/3 cup tapioca flour. Store extra mix in an airtight container.

Gluten Free Blonde Brownie Chocolate Chip Surprise

This recipe came from a friend, who found it and made her own modifications. I adapted it slightly so I could use my favorite GF flour blend. It's very yummy, and pretty easy.

Cream together:
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Add:
1 1/2 cups GF flour blend (see recipe below)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup coconut (opt)
3/4 cup nuts (opt)

Mix well and spread in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or mini chocolate chips). Next time I will try using butterscotch chips instead (some butterscotch chips have gluten, so check the label).
Bake for 25 minutes in 350 oven. Cool and cut into squares (can be frozen).

GF Flour Blend:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour

GF Fruit Cocktail and Dumplings

If you're NOT cooking Gluten Free, just substitute regular flour for the GF flour blend. These are wonderful either way.

Ingredients:
1 can fruit cocktail (add sugar, butter, and lemon juice to taste)
1/2 cup GF flour blend (see recipe below)
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp oil
Sugar
Cinnamon

Directions:
Pour fruit cocktail, undrained, into saucepan. Add sugar, butter, and lemon juice to taste. Place pan on stove bring to a boil. While warming the fruit, mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and oil. Drop into pan of boiling fruit cocktail. Sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon. cover lightly with lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until done. Dumplings may seem wet on top, but when touched, you'll be able to tell that they are done all the way through.

GF flour blend:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour

Gluten Free Flour Blend

I use this a TON. All my recipes that call for this also have this recipe at the bottom, but here it is on it's own. I make up a huge batch of this and store it in my cupboard, because it saves a lot of time when I'm making things if I don't have to do it every time I cook. I use this recipe as a substitute for other flour blends in recipes I find. Just be sure to add xanthan gum if necessary. I have a couple other flour blends posted, but I don't use them anymore. I love this one!

To make 3 cups:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour

Mix together and store in airtight container in a cool place.

To make 18 cups:
12 cups rice flour
4 cups potato starch
2 cups tapioca flour

XANTHAN GUM:
Don't forget to add xanthan gum when using this flour as a substitute in other recipes. Here are some basic guidelines for amounts to add. They're really just suggestions, so experiment with them, and add more or less as necessary.

Xanthan Gum per cup of flour:
cookies: 1/4 tsp
cakes: 1/2 tsp
muffins and quick breads: 3/4 tsp
bread: 1 to 1 1/2 tsp
pizza: 2 tsp

These are per Bob's Red Mill's suggestions. Personally, I have found my recipes often need MORE zanthan gum than suggested above.

Gluten Free Crescent Rolls

What a great find! We love this one, it's the closest thing to rolls we've had in a while. I have used this recipe for cinnamon rolls, too. Just roll all the dough out into a rectangle, cover with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. Roll up carefully and cut into 1 1/2 inch slices with floss. After you've let them rise, cook, etc, spread a glaze or frosting on them. DO NOT OVER-BAKE! They are heavier in consistency than normal cinnamon rolls, but we really like them!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp GF Flour Blend (see below)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup warm water (110 F)
2 Tbsp honey
1 egg
melted butter to brush onto rolls before baking

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F (static) 350 F (convection). In a large bowl, mix warm water, sugar and yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture bowl, together with the egg and honey. Beat on low speed of an electric mixer for one minute, or until well-blended. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and blend until well-mixed. If the dough is dry, add an additional 1/2 to 1 teaspoon warm water.
Pull apart the dough into approximately 6 equal sized dough balls. Roll each dough ball into an elongated triangle shape between two pieces of plastic wrap. Remove top piece of wrap. Cut the edges to form the shape of an elongated triangle and gather the trimmings to make one more roll at the end. (If you are making "Pigs in a Blanket," place the hotdog on the wide end of the triangle at this point and follow the directions from here). Brush melted butter or buttery spread onto the dough at this point, then, from the wide end of the dough triangle, begin gently rolling the dough into a log, until the narrow tip of the triangle wraps around the roll on top. Place each roll onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet, and pull the ends of each roll in toward the center to form the crescent shape. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Brush the rolls with more melted butter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Do not over-bake.

GF Flour Blend
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour

Gluten Free Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix above ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the following:

2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk

For hamburgers: Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Spray cookie sheet with Pam and then spray inside of muffin rings. Put 2 very large spoonfuls of batter in each, make sure the rings aren't too close to each other. Use wet hands to smooth the tops. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (opt) and bake immediately for approx. 13-15 minutes. They should get nice and golden brown on top. Don't undercook them or they will fall when cooling. Take out of muffin rings and let cool completely. Makes around 5 buns.

For hot dogs: Add 1/4-12 tsp more xanthan gum to batter. On a greased cookie sheet, spoon batter into an oblong shape, as long as the hot dogs you will be using. Use wet hands to smooth the tops. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (opt) and bake immediately following above instructions.

Once the buns are cooled enough, slice them as desired and use immediately, or freeze immediately. Work well also for breakfast sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, etc.

Modified Gluten Free Bread

This is a take-off of my other gluten-free one, but I've downsized it to fit my mixer, and I've also made a few important changes that make the bread taste better and have a much better consistency. If you still want to make 3 loaves, you can use the other recipe and just apply the changes I've made in ingredients. I've been trying to add more nutrients to our diet, so I use brown rice flour, and if you want you can also use about 1/4 cup ground flax seed to enhance flavor and add more nutrition.

Mix together, THEN LET SIT FOR 10 MINUTES:
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 1/4 cups water (small-I use a little less)
2/3 cup powdered milk (if you'd rather substitute buttermilk for powdered milk and water, see bottom of recipe)
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
4 eggs
2/3 cup instant potatoes
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/3 cups brown or white rice flour

Sift together, then add to above:
1 cup brown or white rice flour
1/3 cup soy flour
2/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix in a mixer until smooth. Grease two loaf pans. Now there are two options. The first option is much easier, but the loaves don't usually have as smooth as a top. The second option takes more time and is more of a challenge to do, but the loaf shape is much better. So decide which one you want to do.
Option One: Spoon batter evenly into greased pans and smooth top with wet hands.
Option Two: Grease or flour some plastic wrap on a counter. Place half the dough on wrap and cover with another piece of greased plastic wrap and then use a rolling pin to roll out. Once dough is width of your pan, carefully roll it into a loaf shape by lifting one end of plastic wrap, and place loaf in greased pan. Do the same with the other half of the dough.
Cover pans and let rise in warm place, or warm oven, for one hour (slightly less if in warm oven). Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Once loaves are cooled, you can slice the bread and place most of it in the freezer. Bread only lasts a few days otherwise. Makes 2 loaves.

As a side note, I have recently been trying to substitute BUTTERMILK for the water and powdered milk. I like that recipe as well. I warm up the buttermilk, and I use 2 cups of pretty warm buttermilk, and 1/4 cup of hot water. It helps a little with the consistency, and gives it a different flavor. If using buttermilk, I place bowl in warm water at the very beginning for those 10 minutes of sitting, and later when it rises, I would definitely use a warm oven. Using buttermilk seems to take slightly longer in the rising parts.

Best Gluten Free Waffles

Here's another awesome recipe, meaning that it tastes normal and doesn't have a weird texture.

Ingredients:
1 cup white or brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk (more or less to consistency)
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Pour batter into waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Serve with syrup, fresh fruit and whipped cream, or ice cream!

Gluten Free Perfect Pancakes

Wow, these turn out great! Just right, very close to normal ones.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups GF flour blend (see recipe below)

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 3/4 cups milk (more or less to desired consistency)

2 eggs

3 Tbsp oil

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients, then add milk, eggs, and oil. Stir until well blended and no lumps remain. Pour onto pre-heated griddle and cook. Serve warm, or freeze extras to save for later.

GF Flour Blend

2 cups rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

I usually make up a huge batch of this and store it in my cupboard, because I find it substitutes well in almost any recipe that calls for store-bought GF mixes, or even in most wheat flour recipes.

All-Around Amazing Asparagus

This is a fantastic asparagus recipe, even better than Aunt Les' (for anybody who remembers the miracle of seasoned salt). My buddy and made this for our dates tonight, and it was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself.

• 1 bunch asparagus spears, ends trimmed
• Some butter (enough to sautee mushrooms and onions in)
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, minced
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Steam the asparagus spears in a basket-style steamer over boiling water until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and remove to a serving dish; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, some butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted (it's ok if it begins to brown), stir in the sliced mushrooms, and cook until they brown, soften, and begin to release their liquid; pour into a serving dish, and set aside. Melt some more butter in the skillet, and stir in the onions. Cook until the onions soften and turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Season with garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped pecans, and cook for a minute more.
3. Sprinkle the onion mixture with half of the Parmesan cheese, and stir in the reserved mushrooms. Pour over the asparagus in the serving dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Fresh Asparagus, Tomato and Feta Salad

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 pound asparagus - cut into 1-inch pieces, cooked and drained

1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta

1 container grape tomatoes, halved

2 green onion, diced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Whisk together the cider vinegar, white sugar, salt, and olive oil in the bottom of a salad bowl. Add the asparagus, feta, tomato, green onion, and parsley to the bowl with the dressing; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

GF Fruiti Sushi

Talk about cute, fun, and tasty! Kids love it. This recipe comes from www.chex.com/glutenfree, and they have lots of other fun recipes that are also GF, so check it out.

1 1/4 cups Rice Chex® cereal (gluten free)
1 cup white vanilla chips
4 rolls Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack in favorite flavor (from 5-oz box), unwrapped
12 candy worms

1. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with fingers to 3/4 cup.
2. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla chips as directed on package until melted and stirred smooth. Add crushed cereal; stir until well coated.
3. Unroll fruit snack rolls. For each sushi roll, spread 1/4 of cereal mixture on snack roll to within 1/2 inch of one short side. Arrange 3 candy worms, side by side, on cereal-covered short side.
4. Starting with short side topped with candy worms, roll up each snack roll tightly, pressing unfilled short side of roll to seal.
5. Let sushi rolls stand 5 to 10 minutes or until firm. Cut each roll into 4 slices.

Bean and Veggie Soup

I found this one today when I was looking for a tasty veggie soup. It was super easy, because I just put in a bunch of frozen veggies, and it made a ton! So now I have some leftovers. Plus, my kids are both eating it, so that's always a good sign. Try it!

5 cups vegetable broth, (or use water with optional veg. bouillon)
14 1/2 ounces tomatoes -- Italian style
15 ounces canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces canned cannellini beans, chickpeas, or other white beans, drained and rinsed
2 pounds chopped vegetables (may be frozen)--any combination--try to include carrots, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini
1/2 cup diced potatoes or corn
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon thyme
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco, or other hot sauce
4-6 ounces fresh or frozen spinach

Combine all ingredients except spinach in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until veggies are done (frozen veggies may cook faster than fresh ones. Add additional broth if necessary. Add spinach and cook for 5 more minutes before serving.
Serves 4-8, depending on your appetite

Gluten Free Strawberry Upside Down Cake

The vanilla cake recipe could be used for a regular vanilla cake, or any other variation.

NOTE TO ALL NORMAL EATERS: This recipe could be made with a regular cake mix. Just be sure to use a 9X13 pan instead, since it will make more cake than my GF recipe. Make cake batter as directed on back of box and then pour over marshmallows. Bake 40-50 minutes.

Ingredients
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 recipe of vanilla cake batter (see below)

Directions
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spread sliced strawberries on the bottom of a greased round baking pan with tall sides, or a greased 9X9 square pan. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with the dry gelatin powder, and top with mini marshmallows.

Prepare the cake batter from recipe below, and pour on top of the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. (Note: If you stick the toothpick in a marshmallow spot, it will still come out sticky, but the cake part should come out clean.) Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the sides, and turn the cake out onto a serving tray. Store cake in the refrigerator.


Vanilla Cake Batter

Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn starch
2/3 cup potato starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil

Directions
Sift together sugar, corn starch and potato starch in mixing bowl. Add baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Add vanilla extract, egg, milk, and oil. Stir until smooth.

Mexican Chicken Manicotti

I tried this tonight on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. My kids even liked it! It's kind of a fun twist on Manicotti.

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 small onion, diced, divided
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, divided
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup salsa
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1-1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half of the onion and 6 tablespoons chilies. In another bowl, combine the soup, salsa, milk and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 1/2 cup in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drain manicotti and rinse in cold water; stuff each with about 1/4 cupful chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 7 servings.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is Dad's grandma's recipe that Grandma Lorimer always made us. This is certainly one of my favorites.

1 pie crust (already prepared)
sliced fresh strawberries (enough to fill your pie crust most of the way)

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter
red food coloring

Stir sugar and cornstarch into water until they dissolve. Add cinnamon, butter, and food coloring. Heat mixture until it becomes transparent, stirring sometimes. Once it is transparent, let the mixture cool. Once cool, add sliced strawberries. Put strawberry mixture into pie shell and refridgerate. (Do not let sit for too long. Pie crust gets soggy.) Serve with whipped cream.

Pork Carnitas

This is a family favorite! And it's nice for when the missionaries come over because it's easy and makes quite a bit! I also have quite recently discovered it tastes great with Dean's Creamy Tomatillo Dip that's listed on this blog under Appetizers. (The leftover meat and sauce are also great in scrambled eggs!!)

One quick note: The recipe calls for red wine vinegar - last night I used half balsamic vinegar and half beef broth and it turned out about the same.

Ingredients:

3 lb. pork loin roast
2 to 3 cups red wine vinegar (enough to cover meat)
3 to 4 Tblsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup minced onion
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Combine vinegar, red pepper, onion and spices for marinade. Cover meat and marinate overnight. Next day, discard marinade and roast meat at 350 until tender or in a slow cooker. (I actually find that if I cook the meat with about a 1/2 - 1 cup of marinade, there are enough drippings for the green chile gravy!) (If you want to add a little heat, add a few red pepper flakes to the meat the last hour or so of cooking.) Serve with fried potatoes, tortillas, green chile gravy, spanish rice, tomatillo dip, tomatoes, cheese, or whatever else sounds good.

Green Chile Gravy

Warm meat drippings on stove. Add onion to taste and flour to thicken (I'm sure you could use corn starch too.) Stir in 1 can diced green chilies. Simmer until thick. (You could also use 1 cup chicken bullion if there are not enough drippings.)

GF Change It Up Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another one I got from http://www.landolakes.com/mealideas/gluten-free-recipes.cfm. It is a wonderful recipe, and this site is one of my new favorites! To mix it up, add raisins, craisins, nuts, m&m's, toffee, etc. for a variety of cookies.


2 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
1 (12-ounce) package (2 cups) gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

Heat oven to 375°F.
Combine flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in medium bowl. Set aside. Combine butter, brown sugar and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 minutes or until light golden brown. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make Flour Blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, and 1/3 cup tapioca flour. Store in container with tight-fitting lid; stir before using.

Easy Popcorn Balls

This was Grandma Lorimer's recipe. It's easy and delicious and the kids love it. If you're real ambitious you can add peanuts, M&M's, or whatever else you want. If I'm feeling lazy, instead of making balls, I'll press the popcorn into a pan or a ring or something!

Ingredients~
6 quarts of popped corn (I pop 1/2 cup corn and that works out great!) (And don't forget to sift through it and get rid of the old maids)
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 3oz. pkg. of jell-o, any flavor

Directions~
Combine sugar, syrup, and jell-o in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil. Pour over popped corn. Shape into balls with buttered hands.

GF Cocoa Bean Brownies (or Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Makes 16 small brownies. A thin batter puffs up during baking and then deflates a little as it cools. They also stay amazingly moist for many days. They have a slight "beany" taste, but otherwise are good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup canola oil
1-15 oz can beans, drained and rinsed (kidney, pinto, navy, or black beans all work well)
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Oil an 8x8 inch pan. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until brownies are just set. Cool, cut and serve. For a flourless chocolate cake, and a fancier presentation, use an 8" round cake pan. Cut into wedges and serve with raspberry or strawberry sauce.

GF Meringue Cookie Recipe

This one is from a friend, Bev, and she says feel free to add anything else that you want to change it up a bit.

4 egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp. g-free cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, grated (optional) of chocolate chips
chopped pecans to taste (opt)
a few drops mint flavoring to taste (opt)

Line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment. Beat egg whites until they stand in soft peaks, then gradually beat in half the superfine sugar. Continue beating until the mixture is very stiff and glossy. Fold in the remaining sugar, cornstarch and grated chocolate (or chocolate chips), pecans, mint flavoring, or anything else that sounds good with a metal spoon or spatula. Drop on parchment with the spoon and bake in preheated over at 275 degrees for about 1 hour, changing the position of the cookies sheets halfway through the cooking. Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool in the oven. You can leave them overnight, too. If you like them better a bit chewy, take them out instead of leaving them overnight.

GF Cream Cheese Pudding Dessert

This is one was sent to me from a friend's mom, so thanks!
Crust:
1 cup coconut blend flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup softened butter
Press into 9 x 13 pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool thoroughly

Mix together:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup cool whip
Spread over crust, then chill.

Then combine:
6 oz. pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
Pour over layer and chill again.

Then combine:
6 oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
Pour over chocolate layer and chill again.

Top with cool whip.

GF Pound Cake

I got this recipe from http://www.landolakes.com/, and it was awesome! It doesn't even taste gluten free.

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
4 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
3 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine sugar and melted butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until well mixed.
Stir together flour blend and baking powder in small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating at low speed until well mixed. Pour batter into greased and floured 12-cup bundt or 10-inch angel food cake (tube) pan (or two loaf pans). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend:
Combine:
2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Store in container with tight-fitting lid; stir before using.

My Favorite Chili

I mix up all the ingredients the night before. Then I put it in my crock-pot first thing in the morning. The flavors mix better that way. If you want it hotter, add more red pepper. I have cut back the amount listed on the recipe because I have kids who won't eat it hot.

2 lb beef, cooked
1 46oz can tomato juice
1 29oz can tomato sauce
2 15oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 15oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and let cook in crock-pot on low for 8-10 hours.

Dean's "Step Aside, Relief Society" Spaghetti Sauce

I realize that everyone has their own recipes for this, but this is one I sorta made up on the spot today, and it worked great. To celebrate my triumph, I decided to blog it.

2 - 6 oz. cans tomato paste
2 - 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1- green bell pepper, chopped
1 - white onion, chopped
3 - cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 - 6 oz. cans sliced black olives, undrained
1 - 8 oz. can mushrooms, undrained
1 - tbsp. basil
1 - tbsp. oregano
1 - tbsp. thyme
1 - tsp. crushed red pepper
1 - cup water
1 - tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in crock pot and simmer on high for about 4 hours. I spend about the last 20 minutes without the lid on the crock pot. Serve over noodles.

Strawberry Dream Cake

Good and pink. The website calls it decadent. The only think I know is that it got eaten up pretty quickly at dinner tonight.

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, pureed
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 8 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Make cake per directions except substitute the 1 1/2 cups of strawberries for the water and add 1 extra egg, (if cake mix calls for 2 eggs add 3), and 8 ounces of the cream cheese at room temperature. Beat well and pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean when this cake is done since it is so moist. Let cake cool fully before frosting.
4. To Make Frosting: Heat the heavy cream until just beginning to boil. Pour it over the white chocolate (chopped) and the remaining 4 ounces cream cheese. Mix well and let cool. Once cool fold into the whipped topping. Use to frost cooled cake and garnish with sliced fresh strawberries.

Pavlova

This is a great recipe for dessert. It's fairly painless to make; it just takes a little preparation. It's a little rich, but I am a huge fan. The Australian members used to make this for us in Vegas.

• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/8 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Whipped Cream
• Fresh fruit
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat egg whites and sugar in a large, clean bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. In separate bowl, mix together vinegar, vanilla and cornstarch until smooth. Pour cornstarch mixture into egg white mixture and beat until thick and glossy, 4 minutes.
3. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper. Spoon or pipe mixture inside a drawn 8" circle, to within a little less than an inch from the edge.
4. Place in preheated oven, REDUCE TEMPERATURE TO 200 DEGREES F , and bake 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave Pavlova to cool inside. Decorate cooled Pavlova with whipped cream and fruit to serve. (Trust me, if you do not decrease the oven temperature, you get a disaster.)
   

Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil


In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add the tomato juice, bouillon, lemon juice, parsley, brown sugar, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

GF Corndogs

These were lots of fun. I found this recipe at celiac.com, which is a good resource. We fried 10 hotdogs and 5 mozzerella cheese sticks and still had leftover batter, so you might try doing a half batch. By the way, it took a TON more milk than it called for!

Mix:
1 cup gluten-free flour (gluten-free mix is fine-the recipe is on this blog)
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup corn flour (finely ground corn meal)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 egg beaten with 1/2 cup milk
pinch of sugar

Mix until well blended. You may need to add a bit more milk. You want a batter that will coat your hotdogs when they are dipped, the coating should be about 1/4" thick, any thicker and the batter will not cook all of the way before it burns on the outside, too thin and there will be bald spots where the batter splits away from the hotdog during frying.
Heat oil to 350 degrees. Use corn or safflower oil for even cooking.rinse hot dogs. pat dry, toss dogs with a little corn starch to coat them. Slide a wooden dowel down into the hotdog about 1/3 of the way. Dip the hotdog into the batter making sure the coating gets on the dowel stick a bit. This keeps the coating on the hotdog better during frying. Place the coated dog immediately into the hot oil. Cook until light golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
(if you want to cook a lot of corndogs, don't fry them quite so golden. Just let the coating firm up then remove and drain. Freeze corn dogs on a baking sheet until solid then transfer to a freezer bag. To heat, you can put them in a 400 degree oven or refry them. If you cannot eat corn, try sorghum flour as a substitute for all of the corn flour and arrow root powder or potato starch as a sub for the corn starch.

Nearly Normal GF Flour Mix

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup corn flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum

Gluten-Free Mix

Rice Flour-3 cups
Potato Starch-1 cup
Tapioca Flour-1/2 cup

Mix together and store in airtight container. NOTE: This recipe does not call for xanthan gum, so do not use it in something like breads, etc. without adding some. I'm not sure, but maybe about a tsp of xanthan gum per cup of flour. Once I try it I'll let you know. However, it does work well for thickening gravies or soups.

Gluten Free Cream Soup Base

Note: I couldn't find powdered soup base, so I have the gooey kind you keep in the fridge. I mixed all the other ingredients except the soup base and store it in my pantry. Then when I use it, I put in 3-4 TBSP of mix and add 1/3 to 1/2 TBSP of soup base. VERY TASTY!

Cream Soup Base
1 cup dry milk powder
1 cup white rice flour
2 tablespoons dried minced onions
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons GF powdered soup base (chicken or vegetable)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container or your pantry shelf. This mix is the equivalent of 8-9 cans of soup.

Cream of Chicken Soup: In a small saucepan, blend 3-4 tablespoons of the base with 1/4 cup cold water. Add 1 cup hot or cold water (or chicken stock) and cook over medium heat, stirring until the soup thickens. Use 3 tablespoons for thin soup, 4 for thick soup.

Cream of Mushroom Soup: Follow the instructions for Cream of Chicken Soup, using the liquid from one 4-ounce can of mushroom bits and pieces as part of the water (reserving the mushrooms). After the soup thickens, add the mushrooms.

Cream of Tomato Soup: Follow the instructions for Cream of Chicken Soup, using one 5.5 ounce can of V-8 juice as part of the liquid.

Cheese soup or sauce: Follow the instructions for Cream of Chicken Soup, using 1/4 cup of the base. Add 1/4 cup extra water. Stir in 1/2-2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese before removing from stove.

To Use in a Casserole: If your casserole (scalloped potatoes, etc.) calls for canned soup and is to be baked over 1 hour, just tumble the Creamed Soup Base with the ingredients and pour on 1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups hot water.

GF Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins

Cream together:
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup skim milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Fold in:
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Beat until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon into greased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes.
Makes 24 mini muffins.

GF Gingersnaps

You'd never know these were GF! They taste great, and they are SOFT!

Cream together:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs

Sift together:
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup potato flour
2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and beat until combined. Roll into 1/2 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Do not overcook!

Gluten Free Bread

Okay, this is the first of I hope many GF (gluten free) recipes I'll be posting. I am always looking for more, so if you have any, please let me know. I haven't made this, but my friend made some for us when she gave me the recipe, and it was good (comparatively).

Mix together, then let sit for 10 minutes:
3 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup powdered milk
2 tsp vinegar (or dough enhancer)
6 eggs
1 cup instant potatoes
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp dry yeast
2 cups rice flour

Sift together, then add to above:
2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
2 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt

Knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. "Flour" surface with cornstarch or rice flour. Divide dough into three sections and form into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, cover and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

NOTE: For a better consistency, I substitute 2/3 cup soy flour for part of the rice flour in the second part of the recipe. It does change the flavor a little, but we still really like it, and the bread isn't crumbly. It holds together better, and it is very moist. Give it a try.

Makes 3 loaves.

Sweet Pork for Burritos

Okay, I know that this one didn't go over too well over the summer, but I think I made a couple worthwhile improvements that turned out great! (Anyway, the Elders and Sisters liked it. But since they like everything, my roommates and Nancy also liked it.) Goes great with the creamy tomatillo dip!

3 lb. Pork Roast

16 oz. salsa

12 oz. NON-diet cola

2 cups brown sugar

1 packet taco seasoning

6 oz. can green chilies

Okay, so here's the gist. Put the thawed pork roast in the crock pot and cover with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. (I like to salt the water a little. It cooks hotter and adds a little more flavor.) Drain the water after 5 hours. Cut pork into smaller pieces. (I find just chopping with a plastic spoon works great.) Puree salsa (I like to do a little more). Add cola and brown sugar. Mix and pour over roast. Cook on high another 3 hours. During the last hour, add green chiles and taco seasoning. (I want to experiment with also adding onions and bell peppers.) Shred with a fork and serve on burritos.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

411 calories, 4 g. carbs

I like to make extra chicken because it makes a wonderful lunch the next day!!! If stored in a covered container, the chicken will keep for up to 2 days. To reheat, arrange the chicken in a baking dish, cover, and bake at 350 until heated through, 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with a little olive oil to replace lost moisture. (The microwave works well too. :) )

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz. each)
1 Tblsp. fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried
4 slices (6 oz.) smoked or regular mozzarella cheese, each 1/4" thick (I use string cheese and cut it in half)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 large green and/or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/3 cup (3 oz) pitted ripe kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise (opt.)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Make a 3"-long horizontal pocket in each chicken piece (cut through the thicker edge to 1/2" from the opposite edge). Sprinkle basil into the pocket. Slip cheese slice into each pocket, folding it as needed to fit. Close the edges and secure with toothpicks. Season with 1/4 tsp. of the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the bell pepper and season with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and starting to wilt, 4 to 5 minutes. Push the pepper to the edge of the skillet and add the chicken. Cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn, and brown the other side of 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Arrange the pepper around the chicken. Add the wine or broth and the olives (opt.)
Bake, uncovered, until the chicken juices run clear and a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to plates and top with the peppers and olives. There should be about 2 Tblsp. of juices in the pan. If more, set the skillet over medium heat and cook until the liquid is reduced, 1 to 3 minutes. Spoon over the chicken.

Makes 4 servings