Strawberry Shortcake

This was a practice run for me and I think I may have handled the dough a little bit more than I should have. Even so the result was very good. My family ate the gluten-free biscuits along with me and enjoyed every bit.

I think you likely already know how to prepare the strawberries, so here is the biscuit recipe.

Shortcakes

2 cups gluten-free flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup partially softened butter
3/4 to 1 cup milk

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk gradually, stirring with a fork until dough starts sticking together. Gently shape into biscuit sized rounds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Top warm biscuits with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Gluten-Free Baking Mix

I actually used my own gluten-free flour mix and baked some of Ann's banana bread. (No xanthan gum included.) I baked it in mini loaf pans for just about the same amount of time as the recipe called for, covering it loosely with aluminum foil the last ten minutes or so. It was a grand success!

So here is the gluten-free baking mix recipe I have. (You can even enjoy licking the spoon after pouring the batter!)

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca four
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup coconut (or almond) flour
1 cup corn starch

I mixed a double batch and have it and the leftover flours stored in the freezer.

Xanthan Gum

I have several recipes that call for gluten-free flour, but don't ask for xanthan gum. Probably they assume it is already in my gluten-free flour mix, but I have mixed my own flour and need to know how much xanthan gum to add to my recipe. I found this handy dandy little bit of information which I hope will solve my baking dilemma.

General Tips for Using Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum in Gluten-Free Cooking

• Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes
• Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used
• Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used

Note- For best results follow recipe recommendations when using xanthan gum or guar gum.


I'm planning to try that banana bread recipe Ann posted. I'll let you know how it turns out and if the spoon is lickable.

GF Angel Food Cake

I was on a baking roll this weekend...

My mom had Celiac Disease when she was a child and while she may have out grown it, she still tries to stay away from gluten as much as possible. Since it was Mother's Day this weekend I wanted to make her favorite dessert, angel food cake, gluten free. We topped this cake with strawberries and whipped cream for a fantastic GF strawberry shortcake.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups eggs (anywhere from 9-12 eggs)
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup GF all-purpose flour **
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

Separate eggs; discard yolks or refrigerate for another use. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

**I used the GF flour mix that I have been using for all my other baking, but from what I was reading on other websites almost any flour mixture would work. I even read that one woman used rice flour and it worked just fine, but I didn't want to risk it on Mother's Day...something I may experiment with later.

Now, this is in no way cheaper than buying angel food cake mix as it take almost a dozen eggs, but it is GF...AND you know every ingredient you are putting into it and into your body...somethings I don't think you can't put a price on!

(Sorry, no picture, it got eaten long before I thought about taking one)

GF Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved*
1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained**
1 box Betty Crocker® Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Butter, water and eggs called for on cake mix box

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 9x9 or 8x8 inch pan***, melt butter in oven. Mix brown sugar into melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.

Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting reserved pineapple juice and water mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes (42 to 48 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

*I used one of those half cans of diced pineapple because it's what I had, I think a 20oz can might be too much for the smaller pan.
**only used 1/2 a jar of cherries so I could make another cake later.
***The original recipe calls for it to be made in a 9x13 pan, but the cake mix doesn't cover that big of a pan unless you use two boxes.

Gluten Free Baking

Given the fact that I am new to baking gluten free, I decided to buy a prepackaged GF flour to start. This is what I have been using.



Ingredients include: garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, whole grain sweet white sorghum flour, fava bean flour.

I can find this at my health food store and even at walmart now, so until I get a better grasp on different flours and flavors, this is what I'll use (and so far seems to be working fine).

The one thing that I have noticed...I am a HUGE fan of tasting the batter before baking. This flour makes the batter taste BITTER! Don't lick the spoon when using this stuff! Everything tastes fine when it's done baking, but not before ;-)

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Needless to say, I am dying without cakes and bread...so in an effort to get the goodness in my belly without all the other stuff that goes with it, I am experimenting and found a good one:

Gluten Free Banana Bread (or muffins)

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (gluten free of course)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, bananas, sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

* I made mini muffins so I turned the temp on the oven down to 325 and baked till they were golden brown. I don't like nuts in my banana bread so I put some on top for those who like them...so I can tell which is which. Bite size goodness!*0

The Gluten-Free Bible

I bought a new book. I like it. It gives some great gluten-free ideas that aren't totally out of my price range.

I even stirred up a batch of gluten-free four blend to do some baking. I'm thinking maybe some muffins are in the near future, maybe even blueberry ones.

A Summer Salad

Fresh salad is a great gluten free meal. I buy Romaine hearts, cut two into bite size pieces, and add sliced cucumber and bell pepper chunks. That makes my salad base and I vary how I finish them from there. Sometimes I'm in the mood for cheese and Italian dressing and other times I like French or Cracked Pepper Ranch. Sometimes we add lunch meat, chicken, or hard boiled eggs. Variety keeps eating salad interesting.

For this salad I cut an apple into small chunks, sprinkle the salad with craisins (dried cranberries) and blanched slivered almonds, and top it off with Ken's Steak House Fat Free Raspberry Pecan Dressing. It's wonderful!

That Carrot Cake I Was Talking About...

Oh, so moist and oh, so yummy! It was hard to put that piece back in the cake pan this morning. (We had some for James' birthday celebration last night...)

Scroll down to find the recipe. (Or click here.)

Kristen, if you end up here, just follow the link to the recipe. :)

Molasses Cookies

I love molasses cookies and found a perfectly wonderful way to have them gluten free, The Gluten-Free Pantry Spice Cake and Gingerbread Mix!

I think I added egg, shortening, a bit of ground ginger, and a few tablespoons of molasses. The balls of stiff dough are rolled in granulated sugar and baked on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. They turn out so much like the cookies Mom used to make that I have to hide them from myself! Good thing the store was all out of mixes on my last shopping trip... Now I am down to my very last cookie. Guess it's time to start that long awaited diet.

PS. It appears this particular mix has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Now that is really, really disappointing!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

So, tonight we had gluten free spaghetti and meatballs. Rather than breadcrumbs, I take a slice or two of Tapioca bread, shred it, and add it to my ground beef, egg, and spice mixture. I also add some gluten free Parmesan cheese. (Parmesan cheese is what makes the very best meatballs.) I am blessed to have a nearby grocery whose store brand sauce is gluten free. Hooray for Wegmans! And tonight, since I was low on regular spaghetti, everyone got the gluten free variety.

Yummy Chicken Soup

Yummy Chicken Soup

1 small onion chopped
cubed chicken breast (I used 2 halves)
4 stalks chopped celery
4 carrots, sliced
1 clove minced garlic
1 large container gluten-free chicken broth
1 can creamed corn
a shake or two of cumin
a shake or two of curry powder1/2 - 1 cup frozen spinach
salt and pepper

Saute onion in butter. Quickly brown chicken cubed chicken. Add celery, carrots, garlic, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook for five or ten minutes. Add creamed corn and spices. Simmer for a while. Add spinach a few minutes before serving over gluten-free noodles or tagliatelli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


We had this for supper tonight and it was wonderful! Maybe I'll take a picture if I catch the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE

5 c shredded red cabbage

4 slices diced bacon

2 T brown sugar

2 T corn starch

½ c water

⅓ c vinegar

salt and pepper

1 onion, chopped

Cook cabbage in boiling water until just tender. Fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Save drippings and add to them the sugar and corn starch. Stir together. Add water, vinegar and seasonings and cook until thick. Add onion, bacon, and cabbage and heat through.

Supper Time

It was a simple meal; chicken cooked ont he grill, fried potatoes and onions, a few chips and some fresh guacamole, topped off with a roasted chile pepper. Oh, yum!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

This is one of the best! Everyone eats it and everyone loves it.

Carrot Cake

4 Eggs
2 C Sugar
1 1/4 C Oil
1 1/4 C Rice Flour
1/4 C Potato Flour
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
3 C Grated Carrots
1/2 C Chopped Pecans or Walnuts
2 C Chopped Apples

Heat oven to 350F. Beat eggs well, gradually adding sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in oil. Sift in the dry ingredients. Then add the nuts to coat them. Fold in all the dry ingredients. Use a greased 9x13 pan or 2 round layer pans. The 9x13 pan will take about 45-50min to cook. Test with toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out.

Frost w/ cream cheese frosting.

Blumbly Bakery

I stopped at the Webster Farmer's Market on my way to Mom's house yesterday and stumbled upon a couple selling gluten-free baked goods. I sampled a Vanilla Almond Muffin and bought a little package of Double Almond Crunchies. They were really yummy. I may have to return next Saturday and show my encouragement again.

Shepherd's Pie

I think I'll make this for dinner tonight.

Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
salt and pepper
frozen corn or mixed vegetables
mashed potatoes
grated cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onion (add garlic if you like) . Season with salt and pepper. Heat corn or mixed vegetables in small amount of boiling water, drain. Place meat mixture in bottom of casserole dish, add layer of corn, and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

I did something different than usual tonight and added an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce to the meat mixture. Not like I normally make, but not too bad either. And it looks pretty, yes?

Breakfast Time

I suppose I could eat eggs for breakfast, but I really like cereal. This past week, after eating Rice Chex for most of the year, I sampled a box of Honey Nut Chex. I found them to be yummy. They will make a good change every once in a while. I really do love my Rice Chex, especially with a sliced banana and a handful of raisin on top, and sometimes I eat Corn Chex, but it's nice to find something that will double as a midnight snack too.

Ground Beef and Beans

Our local grocery store marks their own gluten free products. It makes shopping easy and being gluten free a little less expensive. I wish I could tell you I buy gluten free mustard and ketchup, but unfortunately it doesn't say so on the bottles...





Ground Beef and Beans

1 lb. ground beef
1 large can gluten free baked beans
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T vinegar
1 t. salt
2 t. gluten free mustard
1/2 c. gluten free ketchup

Cook ground beef and onions. Add all ingredients except beans. Pour beans into a casserole dish and put meat mixture over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve alone or over rice.