Gluten Free Shower Treats

We recently held a bridal shower for my youngest daughter, and not only did I want to enjoy the food at the shower, I also knew that there were guests coming that needed gluten-free options.  The menu included quiche (with and without a crust), spinach salad, chicken salad, the requisite bridal shower cake with pretty pink roses and the following gluten free options:

Peanut butter cookies
I used about 2/3 extra crunchy pb and 1/3 sun butter to cut the sweetness factor.  These cookies are amazing because, given the recipe, it doesn't seem like they should turn into cookies.  But these taste like standard peanut butter cookies and are great for those moments that you feel kind of deprived because you are eating gluten free.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies
Recipes from Gluten Free on a Shoe String are consistently good, but she does rely heavily on rice flour blends. That said, I have tried a few of her recipes using "Mr Ritt's Gluten Free Flour Alternative" (which is also based on rice flour) and found them good. I used mini chips in this recipe to distribute the chips a bit more evenly.

Oatmeal Muffins
These oatmeal muffins are from my favorite recipe, and the only change was to use the flour alternative.   It was so nice to find a recipe that I love was easy to make gluten free!

The shower was a lovely event and EVERYONE got to enjoy the food!

Menu Planning... again.

I know that I have written about menu planning in the past.  I looked back and it was just about 1 year ago... More than 300 meals later, I am still struggling with accommodating the various tastes and diet needs of the family living here now... the need for lower calories for the 50-somethings, the need for high-calorie for the over-80, the diverse tastes  of the 20-somethings and the need for gluten-free options.  In just a short time I can add, toddlers and preschoolers to that list too when the Uganda family returns to the US for a time.

So here we are, needing to eat this week, needing to shop efficiently and use my time wisely in preparations.  Menu planning still meets all those needs and I know the week goes much more smoothly when I have a plan!  

Here is this week's plan (main dishes) - If I come across any amazing recipes for the things on the plan I will post them later.

Monday - Chicken-Broccoli Pasta (rice for the gluten free)

Tuesday - Potato soup, wheat bread (or gluten-free biscuits)

Wednesday - Pineapple chicken and rice

Thursday- Roast beef in the crockpot

Friday - Take Out Pizza for everyone who can eat it or who shows up for dinner

Saturday - Options from the freezer

Sunday - Spare ribs/pulled pork, chips and other assorted munchies for the Super Bowl game.

Here's hoping that these ideas spark some creativity for you as you make a plan and work your plan. 

Spanish Rice & Quinoa

We love Spanish Rice at our house.  Over the years my recipe has evolved and the newest version is gluten-free. (In the past I had added a can of cream of something soup and that is now off limits. Replacing the ground beef of the past with quinoa is another change I have made recently.)  I am never sure how spicy to make it since tastes vary greatly here, but tonight I hit a nice balance, receiving positive comments from the husband who doesn’t like too much spice AND the future son-in-law who can’t ever have too much spice! 

Here is my best guess at the recipe that is measured by  a “bit of this and a bit of that.”  You can adjust to your tastes. It is a large recipe, but we like the leftovers!!

Ingredients

• 3 cups long-grain rice
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 – 1 ½  cups chopped onion
• ½ - 1 chopped red or yellow pepper
• 1 44fl oz. container V-8 juice with water added to make 8 cups.
• 1 tablespoon beef base
• 1 tsp. Ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp. celery flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley or cilantro
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• grated Mexican blend cheese

Sauté onions and peppers until tender.  Add rice to the sauté pan and cook till light golden brown, stirring often to prevent burning.  Stir in V-8 juice, beef base and herbs.  Stir in rinsed quinoa.  Transfer to a baking dish that holds about 4 quarts.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400° for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Serve in bowls topped with grated Mexican blend cheese.

Transitioning to Gluten Free

In an effort to tame the beasts of arthritis and fibromyalgia, I  took the advice of a friendly pharmacist and went gluten-free... mostly.  2013 is my year to be hard-core about it.  Thanks to a very thoughtful Christmas gift from a friend, I am on my way to stocking the gluten-free ingredients I need and plan to begin a serious study of gluten-free baking.

What I have missed most, besides pizza, is the little breads that often accompany a meal at our house.  Today, since soup was on the menu I took my bag of Mr. Ritt's Gluten Free Flour Alternative and turned to my favorite muffin recipe.  I am posting it below with the gluten-free alternatives in parentheses.  The muffins were light and very, very close to their original texture and taste.  I am delighted!

Oatmeal Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 ° (425°)

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar or 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 cup quick oats or 1 1/4 cup rolled oats  (Process 1 cup GF oats in the food processor until they resemble quick oats)
• 1 cup flour (1 cup or 140g. GF flour substitute; I used Mr. Ritt's.)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon b aking soda

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Beat egg well. Stir in soured milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 (5-10 minutes) minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Caramel Dipping Sauce

I follow a blog called How Does She.  It features a wide range of ideas for enriching everyday life.  Recently they posted a most wonderful recipe for caramel dipping sauce.  It is called "Aunt Kay's Dipping Sauce"  It is really simple to make and when I put it in pretty  Mason jars it will make a lovely little gift.

Here is the recipe for Aunt Kay's Dipping Sauce from HowDoesShe.com:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I added this because desserts need vanilla!!)

*Makes 2 1/2 cups

In a medium saucepan combine sugars, syrup and butter.

Cook over medum heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil, about 5 – 6 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Stir in whipping cream.

Pour into a jar and store in refrigerator.  It will thicken when cold.

When all the caramel sauce is gone you can make some more, or use the jar to make an easy baking soda air freshener.   

Forgot to Get Poultry Seasoning?

I don’t ever remember to purchase poultry seasoning.  So I searched a lot of online sources and came up with the recipe that combined several recipes to come up with one I thought our family would like best.  I am getting ready to mix this up again.  I think I mixed it up last Thanksgiving morning also!

Poultry Seasoning Mix

·       1 tablespoon dried rosemary

·       1 tablespoon dried sage

·       1 tablespoon dried thyme

·       1/2 teaspoon celery seed

·       1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

·       1 tablespoon dried marjoram

·       3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

·        

Mix all ingredients together.  Use in recipes that call for Poultry seasoning.  Store in a small spice jar.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

I was craving some Cheddar Bay Biscuits for dinner, but every recipe I looked at online had Bisquick as an ingredient.  Having none, I had to go to plan B- combining the best of several recipes to come up with a reasonable facsimile.  

The following recipe did the trick!

Biscuits

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion (or onion powder)
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese

Topping

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ¼  teaspoon parsley flakes

Melt butter for topping in a small cup and blend in seasonings.  Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter and shortening until it looks like crumbs. 

Add milk and cheese. 

Blend just till all dry ingredients are moistened.

Scoop dough with ¼ cup scoop and place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes until tops are very lightly browned. 

Brush tops of warm muffins with toping mixture and serve fresh from the oven.

Makes 12-13 biscuits.

Miss J's German Potato Salad

Some of the best cooks in the world are found in church kitchens.  That would be true of my friend Miss J.  She works hard to make meals for church dinners and blesses people through sharing her cooking skills.  Recently she shared this recipe with me for German Potato Salad.  It is something my husband likes, but I have never really learned how to make.  I thought it would go great with the spare ribs he requested for Game Day 2012.


Miss J's German Potato Salad
(Just as she wrote it)

• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 1 med.onion chopped fine
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 tlbs. water
• 3 tlbs sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4lbs small white potatoes
• parsley

This makes enough for 2 or 3 people
For a large 5-6 quart  crock pot (used for serving)  you would have to double  and triple the vinegar, water and sugar.
Double everything else.
Fry bacon until crisp and can be broken into pieces.
Remove bacon, keeping the drippings in the pan.
Add onions and simmer until soft, then add vinegar,water and sugar.
Cook potatos in the skins just until tender. Peel and slice.
Layer potatoes, bacon salt and pepper, then add liquid and stir. 
Serve warm.


(If you don't have enough liquid.  I have used oil and vinegar and sugar add to potatoes and stir.)