Checking In

Hi everyone. It's been a long time since I posted a new recipe, or anything. I'm sorry.

Please bear with me.

I asked one of my cousins to share some of our grandmother's recipes with me. Hopefully, most likely, there will be some gems that I can convert to GFCF.

We hope you are having a fantastic summer! xoxo

No-Bake Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

3/4 cup pure cane sugar
1/2 stick gfcf margarine
3/4 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup cf milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup oats (processed in a gluten-free facility)
1 cup crushed GFCF pretzels

Bring sugar, margarine, cocoa and milk to a rolling boil and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Add oats and then pretzels. Stir to combine. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto wax or parchment paper. Cool completely. Makes about 15.

~ A new twist on an old-fashioned no-bake cocoa and oats recipe! If there is a peanut allergy, perhaps you could use another type of nut butter...? ~

Pumpkin Pie with Almond Crust

2 cups almond flour/meal
1 1/2 tablespoons melted GFCF margarine
1 tablespoon pure cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix almond flour, butter, and sugar. Pat evenly into bottom and sides of a pie or tart dish. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.

2 large eggs
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 15 oz. can cream of coconut*
2/3 cup pure cane sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs with a fork. Add sugar, spices and salt. Blend well. Stir in cream of coconut and then stir in pumpkin puree. Whisk until well blended. Pour into cooled pie crust and bake for 55 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

~ I'm sorry I am posting this on Thanksgiving instead of a few days before, but I wanted to try this recipe first. I tweaked some of the measurements and omitted and substituted some of the ingredients, and it turned out to be delicious! ~

* You can find cream of coconut in the international aisle of your grocery store, the baking aisle, or (as in our store) the wine aisle - in the drink mixers section.

Gluten Free Flours for Cakes

I was looking at referrals for this blog the other day and noticed that someone was searching for information about using GF flour mixes in cake recipes. I have used Carol Fenster's gluten-free flour mix for cakes and it works very well. Her cake recipes also call for leavening ingredients such as baking soda and baking powder as well as xantham gum and guar gum at times.

This morning I saw a link to Gluten Free Baking's Conversion Chart and thought I would share it here. I hope you find it helpful. Happy GF Baking!

New Products We Love

Happy Thanksgiving 2012 Everybody!

I wanted to let you know (if you don't already) about some new products that are on the market now. Udi's® now has pizza (not CF), more bagels, and new flavors of muffins and bread, as well as muffin tops.

Daiya now has cheddar, jack, and havarti wedges in addition to their cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack shreds. The havarti listed on the website reads "jalapeno garlic" but our local store has plain havarti wedges in stock.

And Hail Merry Macaroons are the best I've ever tasted. (The blondies are my favorite.) Can't wait to try their strawberry and caramel sea salt macaroons next. And yes, they use organic strawberries! Yum.

We hope you are able to find some of these yummy new products in your area. xo

Easier Meatloaf - Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
Lawry's seasoned salt
pepper
1 beaten egg
ketchup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season ground beef with seasoned salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon ketchup and the beaten egg and blend well. Roll into small meatballs and place in stainless steel muffin tins. Gently flatten meatballs. Spoon 1 teaspoon of ketchup on top of each. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove meatballs from muffin tins using tongs and cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12. Serves 4.

~ I don't think I will ever prepare traditional meatloaf again. :)

One way to measure the seasoned ground beef to ensure that you have 12 even-sized meatballs is to first divide the mixture in half and then the halves into halves, and then those quarters into thirds, until you have 12 equal portions/meatballs. ~

Easiest Delicious Summer Squash

3-4 large summer squash
GFCF margarine
salt
pepper

Grate squash. Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a non-stick skillet. Place half of the quash into the skillet into a smooth layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the squash. Cook over med.- med.high heat for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the squash over, salt, and saute for another 5 minutes after placing small bits of margarine around the edges of the pan and in the center of the squash. Continue to turn squash over every 4-5 minutes until it reaches the desired level of caramelization. Cool completely. (Cooked squash holds its heat well.) Repeat process with the remaining squash. Serves 4.

~ So easy - Grating and cooking summer squash like hash browns! ~

Easier Roast Chicken and Vegetables

8-12 boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
4 medium potatoes, cut into med. size chunks
6 carrots, cut into med. sized slices
1 small onion, chopped
Safflower oil
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss potato and carrot pieces with oils and salt and pepper. Place in an 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Submerge chicken tenders in salted water and refrigerate for at least 5 minutes. Then, drain tenders and toss with oils and pepper. Return to refrigerator.

When the vegetables have cooked for 30 minutes, remove baking dish from oven, add onions and toss vegetables to coat with oil. Place chicken tenders on top of the vegetables in a single later and return the dish to the oven. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Toss chicken and vegetables to coat with oils and seasonings. Serves 4.

~ This is an easier version of roasted whole chicken with vegetables. It is not as good as roasting the whole bird, but it is pretty close. ~

The Best Fried Chicken Ever

Chicken strips
water
salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Mimiccreme, unsweetened
1-2 cups GF flour mix
salt
pepper
garlic salt
safflower oil

Soak chicken pieces in salted water for 5-10 minutes. (You may skip this step but I recommend it.) Drain thoroughly. Add a beaten egg to 1 cup Mimiccreme and stir well. Add in a few chicken strips at a time and let soak while you mix the flour.

Put flour in a shallow dish or pasta plate and add two sprinklings of salt (I didn't measure), one sprinkling of garlic salt (this will not make the chicken garlicky; it will make you say, "Hmmmm. What is that yummy flavor?"), and one sprinkling of pepper. Mix well. Remove chicken from egg and cream mixture and coat chicken in flour on both sides and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Drop those chunks of flour and Mimiccreme that you have on your hands gently into the hot oil too. When they are golden brown and cooled, you won't be disappointed!

By the time I put the last batch of strips into the oil, they were falling apart.


~ This recipe is inspired by a TACA recipe Fried Chicken with Country Cream Gravy and Dr. King's Delicious Fried Chicken Recipe.

I did try to use Mimiccreme to make gravy after all the chicken was done (instead of CF milk or water) and it produced the richest, creamiest gravy ever. Thank you TACA! ~

Rotisserie Chicken In a Slow Cooker

3 1/2 - 4 pound whole chicken (giblets removed)
2 tablespoons GFCF margarine (we use Earth Balance soy-free)
1 lemon
Lawry's Lemon Pepper
Lawry's Garlic Salt

(This is messy. Have plenty of paper towels handy.)

Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle liberally, inside and out, with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Coat entire chicken with GFCF margarine. Sprinkle again with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Cut lemon into wedges (remove seeds) and place inside chicken cavity.

Spray slow cooker* with cooking spray. Place a small oven-proof glass (like a single serving casserole dish) lid or saucer in the bottom of the crock. Spray with cooking spray.

Place chicken into slow cooker, breast sides up. Put any remaining seasoned margarine bits into the cavity with the lemon wedges. Cover and cook on high 4 1/2 hours. When cooled, remove chicken from crock and debone. Scrape fruit out of lemon wedges and mix with chicken.

*Before I purchased our new slow cooker, I researched many slow-cooker website FAQs. Proctor Silex crocks, for example, do not contain lead or cadmium.

~ The last time I tried to cook a chicken in a slow cooker, the end result was shredded chicken, which I did not want. I have seen a few recipes for rotisserie chicken in a slow cooker; this is my modified version.

One of my favorite oven-roasted chicken recipes includes potatoes and carrots, so I may try to add those next time. There was about 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid in the crock when I removed the cooked chicken. But I am not yet sure how much of that is fat. ~

Old Fashioned Creamed Corn

2 10 ounce pkgs. frozen organic corn
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons GFCF margarine (we use Earth Balance soy free)
salt
pepper

Bring water, corn, GFCF margarine, salt, and pepper to a boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Scoop 3 cups of the corn out of the saucepan and pulse in food processor for about 10-15 seconds. Add to remaining corn in saucepan. Stir. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently. Serves 4-6.


~ I have only recently purchased a food processor so this might be a "duh" recipe for many of you. I have missed creamed corn so much since we switched to organic (which means No GMOs) foods and beverages. I purchased organic corn on the cob several times in an attempt to make creamed corn but no matter what I tried (organic cornstarch mixture included), I could not make the corn creamy. So, about 45 minutes ago, it occurred to me: Use the food processor! I bought the food processor to shred organic squash so that I could cook it like hash browns, but it is now also my corn creamer. Love it! ~

Roasted Chicken

I have spent the last two weeks amazed by how delicious roasted chicken recipes are. Where has this dish been all my life?

I cannot possibly do better than Ina Garten, Food Network's Barefoot Contessa, so here are a couple of her awesome roasted chicken recipes that I've tried. Be sure to use organic chicken, vegetables, and other ingredients... ;)

Garlic Roast Chicken

I cooked this recipe today. Be sure to use GFCF margarine instead of butter. I skipped the part where she says to salt the chicken and leave it in the fridge overnight...as well as the tying the legs together part. I separated, peeled, and halved the garlic cloves before putting them into the chicken with the lemon, and when the dish was done, I mashed them into the vegetables. I discarded the cooked lemon. Basically, I de-boned the cooked chicken and tossed it in with the vegetables, which were done without an additional 15 minute cook-time as I cut them a little smaller than she suggests. I cut the large potatoes into 8 pieces, instead of 6, for example. And I cut the carrots (at their thickest) into 1 inch chunks. Be sure not to cut either of them too small though as they will overcook. De-lish!

Engagement Roast Chicken

Be sure to use GFCF margarine and GF flour. Again, I didn't tie the legs together. I separated, peeled, and halved the garlic cloves before putting them into the chicken with the lemon, and when the dish was done, I mashed them into the vegetables. After tasting them, I discarded the bitter cooked lemons. (Yuck!) I used chicken broth instead of wine. Again, I de-boned the cooked chicken and tossed it in with the vegetables. De-lish!

Perfect Roast Chicken

This is the next roasted chicken recipe I plan to try, using GFCF margarine...

Thanks, Ina ! :)

Scrumptious 4 Minute Squash

2 medium or 1 very large squash (yellow or zucchini)
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
2 eggs, beaten
8 tablespoons GFCF flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Grate squash into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater. Stir in the (optional) onion and eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

Melt margarine and oil together in a large non-stick saute pan over medium to medium high heat. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, reducing heat to medium if/when margarine/oil begins to smoke. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels. Serves 6-8.

To keep them warm, remove paper towels and place them in a 300 degree oven for up to 30 minutes, on an oven-safe dish.

~ I don't think I will ever cook squash again, without grating it first. It cooks so much faster grated, which makes total sense, but I never thought about it until I tried this recipe...~

Happy 2012

Hi everybody. I just wanted to say hello and take a minute to post something, so that this blog won't be deleted. I hope everyone is finding something helpful here. Do you have any requests?

I'll be back with more recipes in a few days. xo

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

1 large chicken breast, cut into strips
water
salt

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup rice
2 teaspoons GF chicken base paste (or 4 GF chicken boullion cubes, crush 2 of them)
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine

6 small or 4 large baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons GF constarch
1 cup CF milk

Place chicken breast strips in salted water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from heat. Do not discard broth.

Bring 2 1/4 cups water, 1 teaspoon chicken base paste (or 2 chicken boullion cubes), and margarine to a boil. Stir in rice, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 21 minutes. Remove from heat.

Saute chopped mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil and margarine over med./low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 teaspoon chicken base paste (or 2 crushed chicken boullion cubes) and cornstarch. Increase heat to med./meat high and gradually add milk. Stir frequently until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

When rice is cooked, chop cooled and cooked chicken strips into small pieces and stir into cooked rice. Stir in mushroom sauce. Place heaping helpings of rice mixture into a bowl and ladel in warm strained chicken broth. Stir well. Add more or less broth/rice for desired thickness. Serves 2.

Buttery and Creamy Grits

2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon Ghee clarified butter
2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free - Polenta - Corn Grits*
salt and pepper

Bring water, Ghee, and salt and pepper (to taste) to a boil over med. high heat. Stir in 2/3 cup grits. Stir well. Reduce heat to very low (between low and off on our stove), cover, and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and to distribute the water and Ghee. Remove from heat but leave covered for 5 additonal minutes. You may stir in additonal warm salted water to reach desired thickness. Serves 4.

~ My Grandmothers would be so proud that I finally got grits right! This method produces creamy and delicious grits that are not gritty. ~

*Bob's Red Mill uses only non-GMO corn.

Appetizers

A friend recently asked me if there were any appetizers she could prepare for us for a short visit we had planned at her home. I thanked her and told her not to go to any trouble as I always have gfcf snacks for my daughter whenever we are away from home for an extended period of time.

Out of curiosity I Googled gfcf appetizers just to see what is out there, in case she had possibly done the same thing.

A few suggestions:

~ Kabobs - Meats and vegetables are gfcf. Make sure your marinade does not contain malt or maltodextrin or caramel color. Many brands list allergens on their labels. Make sure there is no "food starch" listed on the items you purchase unless it is specified that it is corn starch. Fleischmans's unsalted margarine is CF, as are other oils. Many Wishbone salad dressings do not contain gluten.

You can use pepperoni with vegetables marinated in a GFCF Italian dressing for Italian kabobs, cooked or uncooked.

~ Deviled Eggs

~ Deli Meat roll-ups: These are great. You can sprinkle garlic salt on your mayo and/or mix minced garlic and onions in it. You can use strips of red bell pepper, scallions (green onions), etc. Make sure your ingredients are very cold when you roll your wraps into cigar-like shapes (Boston/Bibb lettuce is great for this) and chill thoroughly if you are going to slice them into coin shaped servings, affixed with a toothpick.

~ BLT stacks - You can make mini single serving sized bites using lettuce, tomato, bacon and mayo, secured with a toothpick. Use a very small biscuit or cookie cutter to help with portion size if you need to.

~ Mixed nuts

~ Chex Mix using GF Chex cereals

~ Mini quiches/frittatas cooked in stainless steel mini muffin tins.

~ Mini pizzas and finger sandwiches:

There are GFCF products that can help make appetizer preparation easier, such as: GF tortilla chips, GF pizza crusts (cut into smaller sizes for mini pizzas), Daiya vegan cheese shreds are delicious and are GFCF.

Udi's GF bread can be used for finger sandwiches and mini toasts. Both chicken and ham salad recipes are traditionally GFCF.

These are just a few things off of the top of my head. As I think of more, I will add them to this blog.

Hoppin' John

This is another one of those "Holiday Dishes" that we will be having throughout the year. This recipe is modified from a HJ recpie at Tasty Kitchen by MissAmy.

1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas
8 cups water, divided
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 smoked ham hock
6 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
chicken broth (optional)

Place peas, 6 cups water, salt and pepper, and ham hock in a large covered pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until peas are tender, 1 1/2 - 2 hours. 30 minutes before the peas are done, fry bacon until crispy, and drain on paper towels. Saute chopped onion in bacon grease until tender but do not discard the grease. When peas are done, carefully remove the ham hock. Add crumbled bacon, sauteed onions and bacon grease, rice, and 2 cups hot water. Mix well and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot. If you wish to add more liquid to your Hoppin' John serving, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth. This works especially well when re-heating left-over servings that have been refrigerated.

Cheesy Peas + Casserole Idea

12 oz. frozen organic baby sweet peas
2 tablespoon GFCF margarine, divided
1/4 cup water
salt
pepper
GFCF Cream of Cheese Soup

Bring peas, water, margarine, salt and pepper to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain. Add 1 tablespoon GFCF margarine and stir until melted. Add Cream of Cheese Soup and blend well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

~ I think this would be even better with GFCF cheddar crackers (I don't have a recipe for them) crumbled over the top and then baked in a lightly greased baking dish until crackers are lightly browned. And perhaps also doubled, with the addition of Cream of Mushroom soup instead of doubling the Cream of Cheese soup. This recipe is inspired by a very old asparagus and sweet pea casserole. ~

Cream of Cheese Soup

GFCF Cream of Cheese Soup

1/2 cup Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion powder or paste
salt
pepper

Sprinkle cheese shreds into melted margarine. Season with salt and pepper and stir over med-med/low low heat until melted. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

Cream of Celery, Chicken, and Mushroom Soups

GFCF Cream of Celery Soup

1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion powder or paste
salt
pepper

Season celery with salt and pepper and saute in margarine over low heat until tender. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

GFCF Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup cooked chicken, finely chopped
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion powder or paste
salt
pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper and toss in melted margarine over low heat until heated through. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

GFCF Cream of Mushroom Soup

6 baby portobello muchrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
2 teaspoons exra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion powder or paste
salt
pepper

Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and saute in margarine and extra virgin olive oil over low heat until done. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

Chicken Tetrazinni

*This dish requires a lot of prep but it is so worth it, at the very least for Thanksgiving and Christmas. :) *

2 tablespoons GFCF margarine
1 med. chopped onion
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons GFCF flour mix
1 1/2 cup GFCF milk
6 oz. GFCF spaghetti, cooked
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 1/2 cups Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, divided
GFCF cream of mushroom soup (see recipe below)
GFCF cream of celery soup (see recipe below)
2 oz. chopped pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons Galaxy Vegan Parmesan Topping
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GFCF Cream of Mushroom Soup

6 baby portabella muchrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion powder or paste
salt
pepper

Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and saute in margarine and extra virgin olive oil over low heat until done. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

GFCF Cream of Celery Soup

1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1/2 cup GFCF milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon GFCF chicken boullion poweder or paste
salt
pepper

Season celery with salt and pepper and saute in margarine over low heat until tender. Add milk, cornstarch, and boullion. Increase heat to boiling, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper in margarine until tender. Add GFCF flour and cook over med-low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and cook over med-med/low heat until thick and bubbly, stirring frequently. Season with garlic salt. Stir in chicken, pasta, and 3/4 cup cheddar shreds. Mix well. Add GFCF cream soups, pimentos, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Pour into lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheddar shreds evenly over top. Bake for 25 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Chicken Cornbread Dressing

*This is a much improved version of the CCBD recipe posted previously.*


Cornbread Base

3/4 package Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix
1 small-med. onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup GFCF milk (add 1/4 cup more if batter is thick, like cookie dough)
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly combine ingredients and pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees, or until golden brown on top and bottom. Cool completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4-5 slices Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain bread (end slices work best), torn into small pieces
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
5-6 cups chilled chicken broth (increasing as needed until ingredients first appear soupy
1 egg, beaten
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a very large bowl, crumble thoroughly cooled cornbread. Add bread pieces, chicken, broth, 1 beaten egg, and an additional 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix just enough to combine ingredients. Pour into lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes at 400 degrees. Serves 10-15.

Tender Juicy Baked Ham

This is my recipe for fall-off the bone, tender, juicy, smoked, baked ham.


6 pound semi-boneless smoked ham, half
Stainless steel covered roaster

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ham, pink side down, in roaster and cover tightly. Bake for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake for 6 hours. Turn oven off, but do not open the door. Leave covered roaster in oven for 1 hour. Remove roaster from oven but do not open it. Let sit for 45 minutes. Slightly open the roaster and allow ham to rest for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Healthy Top GFCF Whipping Cream!!

It's here!

CLICK

Fried Okra

1 bag frozen cut okra (not whole pods)
1/2 cup (or more, if needed) Bob's Red Mill GF Cornbread Mix
salt
pepper
oil for deep frying

Place frozen okra in a large shallow bowl and allow to partially thaw (just until the pieces are moist) at room temperature. Toss with BRM GF cornbread mix, salt and pepper to coat. Carefully place coated pieces into hot oil and cook until golden brown. Drain. Salt to taste.

~ I would venture to guess that you could moisten fresh cut okra with water before tossing with the CB mix, or even coat fresh cut okra with an egg mixture before coating with the CB mix. ~

Better Battered Cubed Steak

Cubed steaks
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Pepper
GFCF Flour Mix
Oil

Cut cubed steaks into strips in the opposite direction that they were cubed. Season on both sides with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and pepper. Coat with flour mix on all sides. Cook in heated oil until done, turning strips as necessary.

~ Cutting the steaks into strips - against the grain - makes them so much more tender! ~

Flour Mix Update

I am now using Carol Fenster's Sorghum Flour Blend mix exclusively for all recipes that call for flour: Carol's Gluten-Free Flour Blends

I use Sorghum Flour Blend (#3) and I omit the 4th ingredient.

This blend, minus the 4th ingredient, is featured in the Carol Fenster's 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes cookbook that I purchased in September 2009.

Cherry Crumble

1 large can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1/2 pkg. Bob's Red Mill GFCF Vanilla Cake Mix
1 stick Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
GFCF non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 x 8 square baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour cherry pie filling into the dish. In a bowl, combine melted buttery stick with BRM GFCF cake mix. Crumble the buttery cake mix mixture evenly on top of cherries. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely. Serves 6-8

~ This recipe is adapted from a recipe from our dear friend, Molly, in Florida. Could this be any easier? 3 ingredients! OK, 4 counting the non-stick spray. :) Feel free to use the fruit pie filling of your choice - apples, blueberries, etc. ~

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, EVERYBODY! :)

Fabulous Find - EcoFriendly Travel Cup

THIS is my new favorite travel/sippy cup for Miss B. It is also available in dark purple (in the pic - on my computer - it appears to be blue, but it is purple). It's made for runners, but I think it's just about perfect for Miss B. (I put the carabiners in the junk drawer. Ya never know when you might need a carabiner.)

You may have already read that we've gone organic? Well, for us, that also means no more juice boxes. I read recently that some of them have tested positive for lead but the fact that they are lined with aluminum is enough for me. Same thing with broth boxes! So, I went in search of new sippy cups for Miss B since we wouldn't be purchasing the oh-so-convenient juice boxes anymore. (I confess that I am in Juicy Juice Punch withdrawal.)

What I like most about these cups, other than the fact that they are BPA free, 5% of sales of the pink cups go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the fact that they are spill-proof is that the straws are Miss B proof. They are soft! The top portion of the straw is soft and the bottom portion (the portion below the lid) is hard. Twist the top of the cap and the soft portion of the straw folds over and the lid is sealed shut.

Miss B has destroyed so many sippy cup straws. It is unreal. We have so many cups with matching lids, but no tight-fitting straws for them. I don't even want to think about how many of them contained BPA!

Miss B hasn't even tried to chew on these straws. They are kinda short when fully extended, so that may have something to do with it. :) But anyway, I found these cups at Kroger in the seasonal items area. I think they were around $8. The only downside is they are NOT dishwasher safe. I purchased two of them.

Check 'em out if you see them anywhere. If you know someone who is a straw chewer/destroyer, this might be just the thing for them.

You can order these and similar products online Here and Here.