Voting

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Crockpot Chocolate Mud Cake (gluten free)

Someone posted this recipe in the crockpot lovers group over on Ravelry, and let me tell you, it is the best! It will cure a chocolate craving real quick. The recipe wasn't originally gluten free, but thanks to the flour blend hubby makes up for me, not a problem!

Ingredients:
1 cup gluten free flour blend
2 TB baking powder
6 TB butter
2 oz. semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1 cup sugar, divided
3 TB cocoa powder plus 1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 TB vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water

Directions:
1. Coat inside of a 2 1/2 quart to 5 quart crockpot with cooking spray. (The cake's appearance and cooking time with vary with the size of your crockpot)
2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium size bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water and mix well.
4. Whisk in 2/3 cup of sugar, 3 TB of cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk, and egg yolk.
5. Add flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.
6. Pour batter into the crockpot and spread evenly.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining sugar (1/3 cup white and 1/3 cup brown), cocoa (1/3 cup), and hot water until the sugar is dissolved.
8. Pour mixture over the batter in the crockpot.
9. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/4 - 2 1/4 hours, depending on the size of the crockpot.
10. Even when done, the cake will be very moist and floating on a layer of molten chocolate, but you will know when it is ready when nearly all of the cake is set and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the crockpot.
11. As you check the cake's progress, try not to let the condensed steam from the lid drip on the cake. When it is done, turn off the power and remove the lid.
12. Let cool for 25 minutes, then serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Gluten Free Bread

Hubby and I have been playing around with different bread recipes over the past couple of years but haven't come across any that we truly love except those that come from mixes. As fabulous as we think the gf flour blend we've come up with is, it just doesn't sub straight across well in bread recipes. Finally one day I suggested that we measure out how much "flour" is in our favorite bread mix and use our flour blend and their "recipe". It turned out pretty decent. Definitely cheaper than paying $6+ for a loaf of gf bread. After the bread cools completely, I recommend slicing it and placing the slices in a sandwich bag (1-2 slices) and then placing the sandwich bags in a gallon bag and then freezing them. That way you only have to defrost what you need and none is wasted.

Jenn's Gluten Free Bread

2 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend
1 packet of yeast or 2 1/4 tsp granulated yeast
1 TB xantham gum
1 tsp salt
1 TB sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 TB vinegar
1 2/3 cups warm water

Mix water, yeast, and sugar together and let yeast proof. Add eggs, oil, and vinegar and mix. Add flour blend, xantham gum, and salt. Mix on high for 4 minutes.

For Bread: Place dough in a large greased loaf pan, cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

For Rolls: Transfer dough to a cake pan using an ice cream scoop. Each scoop is a roll. Cover and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Gluten Free Flour Blend (updated recipe)

Since the last time I posted the gluten free flour blend we use, my hubby has played around with it some more and come up with a blend we absolutely love. It's not too far off from the old recipe though. This is also for a double batch. We store it in gallon ice cream containers at the back of the fridge and just pull it out when we need it. We've had great success using it in non-gluten free cookie recipes. For the brown rice flour, we use a grain mill that has never been used with wheat and we grind it ourselves. We use Lundberg Farms Organic Brown Rice that comes in 20 lb. bags at Costco.

Gluten Free Flour Blend

11 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
6 cups corn starch
2 cups potato starch
3 cups tapioca flour
1 cup potato flour
1 1/2 cups sweet rice flour
4 TB xantham gum

Blend all ingredients really well and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies & Cheesecake

I came across this recipe on Pinterest recently and just had to give it a go at making it gluten free. I love sugar cookies. This recipe did not disappoint. The end result is the perfect combination of crunch and chewiness. Everything a sugar cookie should be. Then I had the brilliant idea to pair these cookies with no-bake cheesecake filling. The end result?  Sheer bliss! With the first batch of cookies, I sandwiched the cheesecake filling between two cookies. Pretty simple and definitely tasty. Then I got the brilliant idea to make mini-cheesecakes by baking the cookie inside a paper cupcake wrapper, allowing them to cool and then piping filling on them and topping with a bit of cherry pie filling. Either way this recipe was a definite success. We have a new favorite dessert!

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tsp. xantham gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of one lime, finely minced
3 TB. lime juice
1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In small bowl stir together gf flour blend, xantham gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.  Beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.  Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest. Gradually blend in dry ingredients and coconut. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2" apart. They do spread out quite a bit. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet for two minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Note:  I did not bother to toast the coconut nor did I have any lime zest but the cookies turned out great anyways. What can I say, I'm lazy like that sometimes when it comes to baking. :)

No-Bake Cheesecake Filling (from the Keebler website)

This has been my go-to no-bake cheesecake filling for more than 20 years now. I absolutely love how rich and creamy it is.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. container of Cool-Whip
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whip cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat in Cool Whip. Spread over a gluten free crust, sandwich between cookies, the possibilities are endless. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Garlic Pepper Sausage, Green Beans, and Potatoes

Not exactly a catchy name I know, but it does well at describing the dish. ;)  I love this meal for multiple reasons. It's a one dish meal so cleanup is easy. It tastes delicious. My family loves it. It's quick to make. Serve it with a side salad and some fresh fruit and there you go. Dinner in under an hour.

1 lb. smoked sausage (make sure it's gluten free if that's a concern)
4-6 red or gold potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb. fresh or frozen green beans
McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Slice sausage into 1/4" rounds. In large skillet with lid, brown sausage. Add potatoes, stir, and cover skillet. Check often to make sure the potatoes aren't sticking to the pan/burning. Add a bit of water if need be to help them steam and keep them from sticking. When potatoes are done, add green beans, sprinkle liberally with seasoning, stir and cover. Cook until green beans are tender. Be careful not to overcook. Enjoy!

P.S. Be sure and use red or gold potatoes. Russets will turn to mush and do not work well for this recipe.

Photobucket

Sunflower Cake - Gluten Free

I realize I haven't been around for a while. It's been rather busy lately. Even though Easter is long past, I wanted to share this cake that I made. I got the idea from Pinterest, my latest obsession. :)  I used the coconut cake recipe posted here. Rather than using homemade frosting I was in a hurry and used Betty Crocker milk chocolate frosting. Peeps were placed around the edge of the cake and mini chocolate chips sprinkled in the middle. It was super fun and easy to do. I can't wait to do another one next year!

Photobucket

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sloppy Joes

When DH and I got married, his mom introduced me to a recipe for sloppy joes that used Campbell's chicken gumbo soup, ketchup, and mustard. I thought that was THE oddest combination ever. Then I tried it. Oh my gosh...BEST sloppy joes ever!  Now that I have to eat gluten free I just had to find a way to make them again but without the chicken gumbo soup because these sloppy joes stuffed into a baked potato and topped with sour cream & cheese is one of hubby's most favorite meals ever.

 Photobucket

1 - 1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
black pepper
Mrs. Dash
2-3 tsp. Better Than Bouillon (beef) Paste
1 cup ketchup
1/2 TB yellow mustard
2 cups water

Brown ground beef in deep skillet with onion. Season liberally with black pepper & Mrs. Dash.  When beef is done cooking, add water, bouillon paste, ketchup, and mustard. Stir well to make sure ingredients are thoroughly blended. Make sure the taste is just right. Trust me, you'll know if it is or isn't. It shouldn't taste too much like ketchup or too much like mustard. If it seems to be lacking a bit of flavor, add more Mrs. Dash. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens up. Serve on buns or over baked potatoes.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli Soup

I clipped this recipe from the newspaper nearly 7 years ago. It is my absolute favorite soup to make when it's cold and snowy out (next to chicken & dumplings). :)  Normally I make it in a pan and let it simmer. Today when I made it, I used my crockpot because I had a crazy busy day. If you're using a crockpot, simply add the ground beef and all the other ingredients to the crockpot rather than simmering in a dutch oven. (Don't forget to wait to add the noodles till shortly before serving). Easy peasy and incredibly delicious!

2 cups small shaped pasta (I use Schar gluten free fusili)
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 TB minced or chopped garlic
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrots (regular or baby carrots)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 - 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 - 5.5 oz cans V-8 Juice (I've never seen cans this small, I simply used a 12 oz. can)
3 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (I use Pacific Foods beef broth)
1 TB white or rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain & set aside.  In large dutch oven, brown ground beef until nearly cooked through. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and cook together for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, except pasta, lower heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir in cooked noodles and simmer for about 15 more minutes. If desired sprinkle parmesan cheese over each bowl of soup when serving.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Chicken Enchiladas

I'll warn you now, this is a VERY Americanized recipe but oh so delicious! It's easy peasy to put together and quite honestly served over some steamed rice it's a great comfort food. You can find the soup mixes I use at http://www.momsplaceglutenfree.com. No, I don't work for them or have any stake in recommending them, but I have used many of their products and find them to be delicious and a way to enjoy some of my favorite comfort foods. Okay, now on to the recipe. :)

1 package Mom's Place Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix
1 package Mom's Place Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup Mix
1/2 container Philadelphia Cooking Cream Original Flavor approx.
1/2-3/4 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
1-2 cups diced, cooked chicken (I use either leftover chicken or a can of white meat chicken chunks) couple of handfuls of shredded Colby Jack or 3 cheese blend
____________________________________
Corn Tortillas
More shredded cheese

In a medium saucepan over med-high heat whisk together soup mixes and 2 1/2 cups cold water. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer with corn tortillas, more sauce, tortillas, sauce, until you run out of sauce. Sprinkle some cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees until the casserole is all bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned.