Currant Amaretti Cookies

Looking for a recipe is a lot of fun for me.  I spend a fair amount of time searching blogs, magazines and Pinterest.  I get recipes mailed to me by total strangers. These recipes have been handed down from family member to family member.  These usually come with just the ingredients and the person emailing would like me to figure out how it goes together and the technique used to get from a list of ingredients to a fabulous recipe.  

I have stacks of papers that I have printed in piles around my office.  My husband thinks I am a hoarder when it comes to paper…LOL

Why the constant search?  For me it is the creative process that I use to develop a recipe.  I take lots of input on certain ingredients, cooking methods, flavors, techniques and foods and then an idea starts to grow.  

I always have a notepad with me…ALWAYS!  When I am sitting waiting for a friend or my kids I write notes and lists.  As my ideals come together and the recipe starts to form I feel a certain amount of excitement and joy.  I would relate it to an artist staring at a blank canvas and once the paint hits the brush, then the white slowly transforms into a picture, the story unfolds and a masterpiece is born; or in my case, a recipe.

I find a lot of inspiration among my friends in the food world.  I printed a recipe about a month ago for an Apricot Amaretti Cookie by my friend Irvin from Eat the Love.  At the time I printed the recipe I had no idea that he was the author.  I was captivated by the photography and the fact that the recipe was naturally gluten free.  

I did not see any need to adapt his recipe, other than I did not have apricots on hand, so I used dried currants.  My method of preparing the ingredients is a bit different from Irvin's and I will share that below but please go visit his site and see how lovely his cookies turned out.

The joy that my mouth experienced after the first bite is almost indescribable.  The only way I can explain the fusion of this cookie is a soft, chewy inside similar to a macaroon; the pillowy, crispy exterior that is fragile to the touch and yet sturdy to the bite. 

 BLISS is what comes to mind, in fact, that bliss cost me about 15 cookies  the first day.  

If you are a fan of macaroons, almonds and totally addicting cookies, then I suggest you give these a try. 

 Simply wonderful and divinely gourmet is the true essence of this cookie from Italy.

Recipe:  Currant Amaretti Cookies

Adapted from Eat the Love

3 cups of almond meal, purchased from Trader Joe's

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of almond extract

3 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 cup dried currants, purchased from Whole Foods

Coating the cookies:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Note: I used almond meal and did not need the meal to be any finer than what I had purchased it as.

Combine the almond meal, sugar and confectioners sugar in a bowl attached to your table mixer with the paddle attachment. 

 Add the vanilla and almond extract.  Combine until mixed.

Add one egg white at a time and COMPLETELY mix in each egg to the flour/extract.  The dough will start to form.

Gently fold in currants. 

With two small bowls, fill each one with the two different sugars. This combination of the two sugars creates that wonderful exterior of the cookie that makes it so unique.

The dough is thick.  I was able to use a cookie scoop and scoop the dough and drop each one into the white sugar.  Using your hands roll the ball first in the white sugar and then in the confectioner's sugar.  

See image below. They will gently spread a bit and then spread more when baked.

Bake for 24-28 minutes for a soft, chewy cookie and a bit longer for the crispier version.

The recipe will make 3-4 dozen, depending on size of cookie scoop. I used a tablespoon scoop so I got the smaller number.

Written by Sherron Watson

      

Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo

 

I love the combination of chicken and mushrooms together.  When you add a rich creamy sauce and some noodles you have a wonderful bowl of comfort food.

I don't use canned cream of anything soups.

WHY?

They are all usually made with wheat and other products that I don't care to feed my family.  When I need a cream base for soups or casseroles I start with three ingredients: butter, rice flour and milk or cream.

This gives me a rich thick white cream sauce to start my recipe with. Kind of like a blank canvas that a painter may use to start their drawings.

Once this is made, then I will add flavor to make the cream sauce go with my entree.  I add this flavor with cheese, fresh herbs, spices and veggies.

For this dish, I used parmesan cheese, minced garlic and sauteed mushrooms to add the flavor boost. When combined with the noodles and chicken you get a warm creamy alfredo style pasta dish.

The meat that you are adding to a creamy dish can also help add flavor.  A chicken breast can be seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder, dried herbs, salt and pepper then sauteed in olive oil for  added depth to the entree.

I built the flavors for this easy casserole  with the sauce, the sauteed mushrooms, onion and garlic and then the sauteed chicken breast.

When they all came together into the casserole it was a pleasant blend of texture and taste.

I have made this dish in a 9X13 casserole pan as well as in individual ramekins.

I also used gluten free noodles to make my                                                 casserole.  Regular wheat noodles can be used too.

Cooking from scratch does not have to be hard once you learn a few basics recipes.  Having a red and white sauce in your repertoire of recipes is a great place to start so that you can start saving money by not buying the expensive cans, and also by sharing with your family, food made with real ingredients.

Recipe:  Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo

4 cups of chicken, sliced or diced into small pieces
2 cups of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 teaspoon of garlic, minced
olive oil to saute
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1/4-1/3 cup of brown rice flour (the more you use the thicker the sauce will be)
2 cups of cream (I have also used 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
dash of salt1 box of penne pasta, cooked and drained
fresh mozzarella cheese to top casserole with.

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare noodles according to the directions on the box.  When cooked, drain and set aside.

In a saute pan, add chicken and a splash of olive oil.  You can use salt, pepper, garlic salt and onion powder to add flavor to the chicken breast.  I don't measure I just start shaking and eyeballing it.

Cook meat until no longer pink.  Remove pieces to a bowl.

Return pan to oven and a splash more oil and add mushrooms, onions and garlic.  Saute until mushrooms are soft.  (3-5 minutes)

In a pot on the stove melt the butter, add the flour and stir.  Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring so that the flour does not stick to the bottom of the pan.  Once thick, remove from heat and add parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine.

In a large bowl combine chicken, sauteed mushroom mixture, alfredo sauce and noodles.  Spread in a 9X13 pan or portion in small ramekins.

Place mozzarella over the top of casserole.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, enough time to melt the cheese and warm any ingredients that may have cooled while waiting for the other items to be done.

Remove from oven and serve.

Written by Sherron Watson

Shredded Chicken with Green Chili's

I have made this for a few years now and thought I had it on the blog.  I don't.

It's so easy and great for those days that you have a lot going on in your family.

This can be made the night before too and warmed up for an easy on-the-go dinner or lunch.

I had originally made it a few weeks ago to use in taco shells but I was too lazy to make and/or warm up the corn tortilla's.

Terrible, huh?

I get so tired around dinner time and especially on days that I am cooking for 6-8 hours that it's meals like this that I rely on once in a while.

On Sunday, I usually get all of the meat out of the freezer for the next 4-5 days.  Some things thaw faster in the fridge than others and those get used first.

It was these two chickens breast lucky day.

I threw them into the crock pot and then thought to myself, "now what?"  The next thing I saw was a can of diced green chili's and I immediately made this old stand by.

I love it because it is so versatile depending on how much time I have to prepare dinner and on how tired I am.

The meat can be used in taco's, on a salad, as a filling for enchilada's or by its self with all the fixings and a big bowl of Frito chips.

I like to eat mine with a scoop of sour cream, jack cheese and fresh avocado.

Recipe:  Shredded Chicken with Green Chili's

2 large chicken breast, thawed
1 (4oz) can of diced green chili's
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 a red onion, sliced
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (add towards the end)

Add the first 7 ingredients to the crock pot and cook on high for two hours.

Check chicken and shred.  If the chicken does not easily pull apart, then cook for another hour and check.

Add the can of black beans and stir.  If you add the black beans in the beginning they may not hold their shape.

Once chicken shreds easily your chicken is done.

Serve or save in the refrigerator for a later use.

Chocolate Caramel Coconut Cookies

My cat had to get in on the action…LOL

Eating gluten free has it's ups and downs. This is one of the ups.

Finding a delicious cookie recipe that almost taste better than the original is awesome!

I try to find basic recipes that I used to make and then use the new version in my baking of treats and goodies.  This is one of those recipes that I know will be used over the rest of my life time.

Everyone needs a basic brownie, cake, bread and cookie recipe in their collection.  I found this recipe by Elizabeth Barbone on her site, Gluten Free Baking.  If you click on her page you will find the shortbread/sugar cookie recipe.

With using basics or simple recipes great things, like these cookies, can be created.



I used the left over coconut oil caramel that I had in my fridge for the gooey portion of this cookie.

I experimented with having the cookie bottom dipped in chocolate and without the extra layer.  We liked it better without the cookie bottom covered in chocolate.

I used toasted raw coconut for the sprinkles.  You could use sweetened coconut and have a much stronger flavor than we did.

To finish off the cookie, I melted a few chocolate chips and zigzagged them across the top.

I had someone tell me these did not look simple.  I laughed.  Simple is relative like everything else.  To me these were a piece of cake (well, a cookie actually) because I already had the caramel and the cookies made.  It took just a few minutes to throw them together.

Your neighbor and family members will think you visited a fancy bakery after you deliver a batch of these to their doorsteps.

ENJOY!

Recipe:  Chocolate Caramel Coconut Cookies

1 batch of sugar cookie dough (follow link above for gluten free or make your own)
1 jar of caramel sauce or make this one HERE
1/2 cup of toasted coconut
1 cup of melted chocolate chips

Bake cookies according to directions. Let cool.

Warm caramel sauce and spread over the top of each cookie.

Sprinkle caramel with toasted coconut.

Zig zag milk chocolate on top of cookie.

Let everything set and serve when ready.

To Toast Coconut:  In a large skillet over medium heat add raw coconut and stir.  In about 3-5 minutes the coconut will start to turn color and eventually become darker.  Be careful to not over toast the coconut.  Once it starts to brown it goes fast.  Stir it to keep it from burning.

To melt chocolate chips:  In a microwave proof bowl place chips.  Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and do it again until they are melted.

Written by Sherron Watson

Cheesy Meat Casserole

I have had lasagna made with some pretty unique ingredients.

I love how people have their own interpretations on food dishes.  The combinations that I remember the most and are quite good but very different are: one made with Velveeta and one made with pepperoni.

Mr. Thompson always made his lasagna with slices of pepperoni and I thought it was super good.  The pepperoni added a bit of spiciness to the dish and it was quite the conversation piece when everyone figured out what his secret ingredient was.

The second unique lasagna that I remember is the one Cory's Mom used to make.  It was super easy and simple.  The secret ingredients were chopped black olives and Velveeta Cheese.

Every once in a great while I will buy a small brick of Velveeta Cheese.  We try very hard to stay away from overly processed foods and this one just screams processed to me.

I asked on my fan page if anyone had ever made the "From Scratch" version that is floating around on Pinterest.  Several had with varying results.

Most of the comments were recommendations of the types of cheese that I could use to get the same creamy cheesy texture of the dish.

I took their suggestions and headed to Whole Foods to chat with the cheese man.  I actually think he was a boy (lol, kids are looking younger and younger to me). He also recommended the same types of cheese.

I decided to go with the recommendations and this amazing dish was created at home.

OH WOW…the cheese combination is so good!

The three cheeses that were suggested and used are: gruyere, triple cream and fontina.  I will tell you that these three cheeses can be purchased in a wide range of prices.  WIDE…like ultra cheep to super expensive.

I went for the mid priced range and spent, are you ready….$20.00 on cheese.

I know, too much?  Never!  The cheese is what makes the dish so delicious.  If you want a top product you must be willing to spend the money for the result you want.

Will this dish get made often in my home? Probably not. I am thinking twice a year.  Twice a year I can spend the extra money to have a delicious in-my-home meal.

For those that want to try the Velveeta version, I have added the amount needed.  I will tell you that the cheese makes the dish a bit soupy right out of the oven (this never bothered me) so you may want it to sit for a few extra minutes.

I also don't have gluten free lasagna noodles so I used a whole box of wide rice noodles and it worked great.

This dish makes great left overs and a perfect casserole to share with neighbors that may be in need of an easy dinner.

ENJOY!

Recipe:  Cheesy Meat Casserole

1 pound of hamburger, browned
3 cups of homemade spaghetti style sauce  RECIPE HERE
1 box of rice noodles or 6-8 wide lasagna noodles, cooked according to package
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
1.5 cups of gruyere, grated
1 small wedge of triple cream cheese (similar to Brie), sliced with mold removed
1.5 cups of fontina cheese

NOTE: If using Velveeta, use enough cheese, sliced in thin slices, to cover two layers.

Have your meat browned, cheese grated or sliced and noodles cooked.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl add sauce to meat and stir.  You don't want you sauce to be too runny.

In a rectangular baking dish (9X13) start layering ingredients.

I did meat on the bottom, olives sprinkled, cheese, noodles and repeat.  I topped my dish with a final sprinkle of cheese. I also mixed the cheese's up on each layer (this is your choice).

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Let rest for 10 minutes once removed from oven.

  

Date Nut Roll Candy

 

I spent my twenties and thirties trying to be hip and stay current with hairstyles, clothing trends and life in general.

I hit my forties and suddenly everything is about my childhood…LOL  Go figure.  

The "remember when" moments are everywhere. Trends do tend to repeat themselves and maybe this is why I feel so nostalgic suddenly.

It used to be the music.  I would hear a song and was immediately sent back to 1985 and the homecoming dance or 1988 on my wedding day.

Now it's with almost everything I do and see, especially food.

Digging through some old recipes I found two date nut roll recipes; one with a name of Virginia Washam.  This used to be my grandmothers best friend a long long long time ago.

With this one name I was taken back to my days spent at the lake (Lake Isabella in CA), to the Washam's home (they lived below my grandparents) and a whole slew of memories came flying back.

This nut roll was made every year. I fondly remember the rolls in the refrigerator each holiday season.  My grandmother would wrap them in cotton towels and pull them out at night so that we could each have a slice.

It was sweet.

It was nutty.

It is a wonderful memory.

I wasn't sure if my own kids would enjoy this treat.  They have had dates before and so I thought they would not mind the combination. I was right. The first log was gone.  I gave the second log to a dear friend because she too had a memory of this being made in her home.

Once again, I am reminded of the connection that holidays and food has on a family.  Most of us have long forgotten the toys that were brought to us by Santa but somehow we can remember the scents of the home, the smells coming from the kitchen and our favorite cookies and candy.

Enjoy your time with the families and friends that fill our home this season.  

Recipe: Date Nut Roll Candy

1 cup of dates,  chopped into small pieces

1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans

2 cups of sugar

3/4 cup of milk

1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a small sauce pan add sugar, milk, dates and sugar.  Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads Soft Ball Stage or 234-236 degrees.

Remove from heat.

Add nuts and stir.  Candy will get thick.

On a clean cotton towel or a piece of wax paper, sprinkle confectioner's sugar on one side.

Plop candy in a row on one side (like a log).

Using your hands, flip over the wax paper or towel and form the candy into a log.

Roll up candy and store in the refrigerator.  Candy will become firm after cooling.

Slice and serve. 

  

240. Hot Buttered Rum and Pecan Encrusted Christmas Ham

Christmas at our home is always a huge affair. I plan every detail with the hope that my kids will remember the activities, events, and food of the season.

All three of my kids have birthdays right after Christmas, which is when they get their big gifts for the year. During the Christmas season we focus more on traditions, family time, and buying gifts for others. Our kids are each given a budget to spend on gifts for the family, and then we help a military family and choose angel tags from the tree at the mall. Santa makes a visit to our home with gifts and stockings, and then grandparents, aunts and uncles fill in the rest.


The traditions that we started years ago with our cute little family include a variety of fun things. My favorite is the 12 Days of Christmas. It's the one thing that my children look forward to and start talking about long before December arrives. In the twelve days leading up to Christmas Eve we gather each night, open up a gift bag, and look inside. The gifts are usually trinket toys that I find here and there, and we get a chance to be silly and laugh.

The other traditions that we enjoy are seeing the lights in our neighborhood, seeing local choirs sing the music of the season, decorating our home, and of course making our favorite foods to eat.

This year, while chatting with my mom, she mentioned that a friend has been bringing a pecan-crusted ham to their annual Christmas party. This intrigued me, and I got to thinking about ingredients that pair well with pecans. I decided that a sweet, tasty, hot-buttered rum batter would be perfect with pecans and ham.

I went to work finding the best bone-in ham that I could, and gathered my ingredients. The ham turned out amazing! It was so sweet on the outside, and warm and salty on the inside. I saved the drippings and juice from the baking pan and served it in a gravy boat for those that wanted a little bit more buttered-rum gravy.

I love having a large ham for the holidays because it will provide several extra meals for us to enjoy for the week after Christmas. This recipe turns a simple ham into a gourmet feast.

Hot Buttered Rum and Pecan Encrusted Christmas Ham

• 10 pound sliced spiral ham
• 2 c turbinado sugar or any large grain sugar
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/3 c of dark rum
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 c chopped pecans

NOTE: You can use rum extract in place of rum, but start off with a teaspoon at a time.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small sauce pan combine sugar, molasses, butter, rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pinch of salt. Cook until batter starts to bubble. Remove from heat. Take half of the batter and put into a separate bowl to use later.

Place your ham in a rimmed baking dish, with the cut side down. The ham and batter will create about 1 inch of juice after baking.

Use a pastry brush and brush the batter on ham. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Brush ham again with batter and bake for 30 more minutes (one hour total cook time so far.)

Add the chopped pecans to the second bowl of hot buttered rum batter. Stir well. It will be thick.
Remove ham from oven and carefully cover the outside of the ham with pecan buttered rum mixture.

Leave uncovered and bake for 30 more minutes.

NOTE: If your ham is smaller or larger than 10 pounds, you will need to adjust bake times. You want the internal temperature to be around 135 degrees.

Remove from oven, transfer to serving plate and use a gravy boat to serve the ham and buttered rum drippings.

This post is part of BlogHer's Holiday Parties editorial series, made possible by Cracker Barrel.

Multi Grain Gluten Free Pancakes

I am so happy with this recipe.  It has taken me 6 months to finally feel good about posting a gluten free multi-grain pancake.

My poor family is about pancaked out…LOL

I have to admit they were not all bad, they were just different.  Some too flat, some to grainy, some not sweet enough or too sweet.

Welcome to the joys of recipe testing and developing.

Personally, I like this pancake much better than a wheat based recipe.  I love all of the flavors combined together that create a wholesome taste.

The texture is fluffy, like a pancake should be. They reheat well and freeze great too.

I will make a double batch of this recipe and my kids will take a week to go through them.  Breakfast is a no brainer, but they also enjoy them for after school snacks.  We use real maple syrup so I don't worry about them having the processed syrups with the big brands.

I have mentioned this before, but I love molasses instead of syrup for my pancakes.

How do you enjoy your pancakes?

Recipe:  Multi-Grain Gluten Free Pancakes

1/2 cup of oat flour
2/3 cup of almond meal
1/3 cup of corn meal, finely ground
1/3 cup of oats, uncooked
1/4 cup of tapioca starch
1 1/2  tablespoon of coconut flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of milk
2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon of oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla

NOTE: Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.  I have used buttermilk in place of regular milk with good results.  I have used a medium ground corn meal before and it is very noticeable, that is why I recommended the finely ground. These pancakes are not overly sweet, I leave that for the syrup. Feel free to make them sweeter for your family if that is what you prefer.

In a large bowl combine all of the eight dry ingredients and mix well.

In two bowls, separate the egg yolk from the egg white.  Beat the whites until stiff.

In the bowl with the yolk add the remaining four wet ingredients and mix well.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients.  The batter will be thick.  Gently fold in egg whites and stir to combine.

Ladle batter onto a hot griddle that has been seasoned with warm butter.

Serve pancakes with butter and syrup.

Recipe: Cinnamon Syrup

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. Karo light corn syrup
1/4 c. water
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. evaporated milk

In small saucepan stir together sugar, corn syrup, water and cinnamon. Stir constantly and bring to boil over medium heat. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in evaporated milk. Cool. If desired, serve over pancakes or ice cream. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

  

238. Easy Creme Brulee Eggnog Custard

When I think of winter many things come to my mind, but one of them that sticks out in the forefront is eggnog.

Like candy cane ice cream and gingerbread latte's, eggnog is only in the stores at certain times of the year.

In my home, as a kid, when eggnog made it to our fridge we were always given strict instructions of when we could drink it.  My grandparents wanted it to last longer than the few hours we would have consumed it in without the rules.  We were allowed small glasses and it was considered a luxury.

My son and I are the only ones that drink it in my little family. Both my daughters and husband don't like milk.  I think the thick texture and eggy flavor turns them off.  Drake and I buy one small quart bottle and we savor every small glass so that we too can stretch out the small sips of a favored holiday treat.  When that is empty I buy another one.  By the time is all over, we have probably consumed a gallon over two months.

I wish I had a homemade recipe to share but I have not yet found one that I love.  Each year I give it my best effort and spend the time and money buying the ingredients to try another batch of homemade eggnog and each year it does not meet my standards of excellence.

So I buy the best eggnog I can find.  I think this is important.  I have tried the generic brands and I don't think they have the rich flavor and texture that some of the high end brands do.

This recipe came to me by way of my MIL when I first got married.  She knew I enjoyed eggnog and showed me how to make this easy eggnog version of burnt custard.   I have only made it a few times because I always forget about the recipe.

It is only when I sit down with the family box of recipes and look for something new to try that I rediscover some of our oldies, and this is one of them.

The key to cooking the custard is putting the bowls in a water bath.  You can see below that I use a square baking pan and it fits the four small dishes perfectly.  I fill the water almost two-thirds of the way up the side of the pan.

These cute little bowls hold about a third of a cup each.  From this recipe, I was able to get 5 servings.

To make the crisp topping you don't need to add very much brown sugar.  I learned this the hard way one time.  If you add too much then if does not get the crispy shell and has a tendency to burn.

I do make my own brown sugar though and this is a very easy thing to do.  You take 1 cup of plain white sugar and add molasses to it.  I usually start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if I want the brown sugar to be darker.

Recipe: Easy Creme Brulee Eggnog Custard or Burnt Custard

2 cups of eggnog
2 eggs
1/4 cup of brown sugar (use more if you need too)

Preheat oven to 350.

Warm eggnog in a small pan until tiny bubbles form.  Remove from heat.

In a bowl, beat eggs until thick and creamy.

SLOWLY whip the eggs into the hot eggnog.

Pour into ramekins.  Add water to a baking pan large enough to hold ramekins.  Water in baking pan should only be two- thirds of the way full and do not allow water to over flow into custard.

Bake for 20 minutes and remove.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Turn broiler on, remove ramekins and sprinkle brown sugar over the top of each dessert.

Broil until brown sugar is melted.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes to harden.

Serve on a small plate as the ramekins may be hot to the touch.

ENJOY!

  

Hot Fudge Sauce

Recipe Update: 2020 We still use this recipe. This is our go-to hot fudge sauce for all icecream. I have even used it as a chocolate fondue in a flash and served it with pound cake or bananas.


This is the easiest recipe for hot fudge sauce that I have ever made.

My sister n law, Elizabeth, introduced this to our family 20+ years ago and we have used it for more social events than we can count.

We call it A CUP, A CAN and A CUBE.

For those that don't remember the term, CUBE, that is now our current STICK of butter.

This chocolate is best served by the spoonfuls with very little of anything else…LOL  Okay that is just how I eat the hot fudge sauce.

I love it served warm over raspberry sherbet, stirred in a glass of milk or as a fondue for some of my favorite fruits and pound cake.

It's a real treat and something that makes a wonderful gift for neighbors and friends.

Recipe:  Hot Fudge Sauce

1 cube (stick, 1/2 cup) of butter, soft
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

To make your own Sweetened Condense Milk, there is a great recipe HERE from Just as Delish.

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Add the Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Stir well to combine.  The butter will take a minute to incorporate into the sauce.  It will be smooth and silky.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Good for one month in sealed container.

  

Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Quick Bread #TwelveLoaves November

You can also make this quick bread in small canning jars.  I found these jars at a thrift store and they make the perfect single size portion for desserts.  Bake them at the same temperature, just not as long. They will rise above the rim and this is a good sign they are done.

Twelve Loaves is a fun group of bloggers and bakers that focus on baking breads, yeast or quick breads, from scratch.  Lora, from Cake Duchess, is the creator behind the group.   Each month a theme is decided upon and she or others host the party.

To learn more about Twelve Loaves you can visit Lora's page here.   This month's theme is apples or pears.  You can find Lora's beautiful recipe for Apple Bread Ring here.  This will also take you to the link party where all of the recipes are being hosted in one place.

When you see these recipes you will be blown away, the ladies that contribute to this group are all amazing bakers.  In fact I have been stalking the group for a few months and wondered to myself if I could fit in.

I love to make bread.  It is something I have been doing for years for my family.  Of course, that all changed a few years ago when I found out I could not eat any wheat based bread.  I missed working with wheat and flour.

I dabbled a bit here and there for family gatherings to keep myself practiced in the art of baking a fine loaf of bread, foccacia, a dozen or two rolls or my favorite, breadsticks.  I still have a few recipes on the blog that are not gluten free from my earlier days of bread baking.

Last month I decided that I needed to get back to making bread, yeasted or quick bread, and prove to myself that I could still get in the kitchen a produce a quality but gluten free loaf of deliciousness.

I instant messaged my friend, Jamie, from Life's a Feast to get the details and to see if there was an interest in a participant that could offer some gluten free choices to the bread discussion and recipe sharing group.

I was welcomed to participate and so here I am with my first recipe for Twelve Loaves.  I decided on making a quick bread.  A quick bread is a style of bread that uses baking soda as the leavening agent and not yeast.  One quick bread that everyone enjoys and loves is banana bread.

Making these quick breads gluten free is very easy.  I work mostly with almond meal and this flour will create the perfect quick bread texture and flavor.  I had an idea of the combination that I wanted to use and went in search of finding recipes that shared a similar combination of flavors.  I wanted to first see if gingerbread and pears went together.

I was happy to have found several gluten free recipes that were very close to the one I wanted to make. I used my recipe for Harvest Cake as a place to start.  I love this quick bread and it works every time.  I also found a recipe by Meg at Sweet Twist of Blogging for Pear Bread.

I have just recently posted a recipe for Gingerbread Granola that was out of this world.  The full and rich flavor of molasses shined through with the hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.  I wanted this cake to also have that same exceptional flavor.

I sat on this idea for about two weeks working out the flour combinations in my mind.  Working with gluten free flour is a test in how well you listened and followed directions in your high school science classes..LOL   Mixing the flours with the starches and other ingredients can be tricky and if you over or under calculate you can end up with quite the creation.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

This is why I love almond meal.  It seems, for me at least, to be the one guarantee when it comes to baking gluten free that I know well and it always turns out.  This makes working in the kitchen with gluten free ingredients a joy.

I have come across very few recipes that I am not able to convert to a gluten free version.  Once you understand the combinations and ratio's, then a whole new world of baking and recipe development opens up.  You no longer have just one flour to use but many.  You no longer have white or wheat to choose from but amaranth,  sorghum, rice, millet, oat, coconut and a so many more.  Each of these flours offers something unique to the recipe, texture and flavor.

To learn more about gluten free flours and baking, I would suggest that you visit a few experts in the field.  Gluten Free Goddess was my go to site for many months while I retrained myself to work in the kitchen after first discovering I had Celiac Disease. Karina has a wealth of information on her site.

This recipe was a wonderful treat for my family to wake up to this past weekend.  It made my home smell like gingerbread and browned butter.  It was a warm breakfast on a cold morning.  It was a healthy alternative to cereal or toast.

What I loved the most about this quick bread was when I took each bite, I was able to enjoy a piece of pear.  That little hint of sweetness along with the gingerbread flavor was wonderful to my taste buds.

I have kids and sometimes they like a bit of sweetness to be added to their cakes.  I made brown butter frosting for those in my family that needed a bit of a sugar fix (recipe below).

Please enjoy this Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Cake.

Bobs Red Mill 24852 Almond Meal Flour Gluten Free (Google Affiliate Ad)

Recipe:  Gluten Free Gingerbread Pear Cake

2 cups of almond meal
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs + 2 egg whites, beat
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup pear puree (about the size of one average ripe pear)
1 cup of chopped pear pieces (smaller pieces work best, 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch)
powdered sugar, optional for dusting
brown butter frosting, optional (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray your pan well with a non stick baking spray.

You will need three bowls.

First bowl:  Add almond meal, tapioca starch, flax meal, all the spices, salt and baking soda.  STIR WELL

Second bowl:  Add molasses, maple syrup, canola oil, 2 large eggs, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and pear puree.  STIR WELL

Third bowl: Beat 2 egg whites until peaks form.

Combine the first and second bowls and stir well.  Add diced pear pieces.  Stir.

Gently fold in egg whites from third bowl.

Spray a small Bundt pan and pour batter until it is 1/2 inch from top.  My Bundt pan measured 8.5 inches across the top from side to side.  If you do not have a Bundt pan you could use an 8X8 square baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove to a cookie rack to cool completely.  Keep covered in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for continued freshness.

Serve with powdered sugar sprinkled over each sliced piece or a small spoonful of brown butter frosting.

Recipe: Brown Butter Frosting

2 tablespoons of butter, browned
2 tablespoon of milk
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar

Using a small saucepan, add butter and cook until butter starts to turn brown and has a very nutty aroma.  Remove from heat.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Add vanilla and milk, stir well.  Slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency is met.  The more you add the thicker it becomes.

  

Turkey Stuffing Meatball #Thanksgiving

It's a crazy idea, but I did it.  I took some of my favorites from a traditional turkey day meal and combined them into one huge meatball.

So what was my inspiration?

Willy Wonka, of course.

Do you remember the Three Course Chewing gum: tomato soup, roast beef and blueberry pie?

Don't worry you won't turn into a huge cranberry but you can taste the blended flavors of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

There are several ways you can do this.

1.  Make the meatballs only with the ground turkey, seasonings and stuffing.  Shape them into smaller meatballs and bake them until done.

2.  Make the meatball and stuffing mixture and then add a warm cheesy center.  I combined mozzarella cheese (this makes it stringy cheesy), cream cheese (creamy) and cranberry sauce (flavor and color).

3.  The final option is to serve them with or without the thinned down cranberry sauce.  Personally I think it adds moisture and flavor to an already yummy meal.

The first option is the easiest and the quickest.

The second option is a bit more involved and takes some patience and time to form the meatball with the cheesy filling (I will give you some tips to help with this)

I thought of this idea because I was thinking of my friends that are empty nesters, living alone or don't have time or money to buy and prepare a huge meal.

With this meatball they get a few of the wonderful flavors of the Thanksgiving holiday and a few leftovers too.  The turkey meatballs without the cheesy filling also freeze well.

You will notice that none of the pictures include an inside shot of the cheesy inside, this is because it just would not photograph well…LOL  The cranberry makes the cheesy center a mauve color.

I hope you enjoy this twist on a quick turkey day meal.

Recipe:  Turkey Stuffing Meatball

1 pound of ground turkey, thawed
1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
2 cups of boxed cornbread stuffing (I used a gluten free brand) (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
See below to make the cheese meatballs and cranberry sauce versions

NOTE:  The way I scooped my 2 cups of stuffing from the box was to take off the top cubes of cornbread and use the bottom, this is where all of the seasonings are.  If you use homemade cornbread then you will want to add your own stuffing seasonings like: sage, celery salt, dried parsley, onion salt and chicken bullion.

To make the meatballs:  Combine the above ingredients.  Let the turkey meat sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.  This allows the stuffing to get softer, it will still be firm in places.

Scoop into small meatballs and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until done.

To make the Cheese Filled Meatballs: Make the meatballs above and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add together in a small bowl:

1/4 cup of cream cheese, not too soft
1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons of cranberry sauce

Mix well and put in the refrigerator until the meat is done.  The cheese is easier to handle if its cold.



Remove the meat and cheese from the fridge and start making the meatball.  I took a golf ball size of meat/stuffing mixture and flattened it on my hand, scooped a small amount of cheese into the center and wrapped the meat/stuffing mixture up around it.  I did have to reach for a bit more meat/stuffing mixture on a few.  The idea is to totally surround the cheesy inside with the meat.

I was able to get 6 large meatballs from this recipe, it all depends on how big your meatball ends up being to how many your will have.

The final step for the stuffed meatball is to seal it with egg and breadcrumbs.

I used:

2 eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs, panko ( for the gluten free version I used brown rice flour or almond meal)

Roll each meatball in the egg and then breadcrumbs.

Add to a cooking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.  They will be firm to the touch and some of the cheese may cook out, this is why you don't want to over cook them.

To make the cranberry sauce:

I added a can to a small pan, added a touch of water to thin and whipped the two until a thin and warm sauce was ready to serve with the meatballs.

These meatballs have been rolled in a combination of almond meal and brown rice flour because I have to eat gluten free.  Use regular bread crumbs or panko crumbs if gluten is not a problem for you.

  

Gingerbread Granola

This is the fourth granola recipe that I have made this year.  I enjoy making the different flavors and my family loves eating them.

The other flavors that I have made can be found at the links below:

Honey Almond Granola

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Gingerbread is a favorite flavor at our home.  Each and every year we attempt homemade gingerbread cookies and houses.

My favorite morning breakfast is honey greek yogurt with a big scoop of granola sprinkled over the top.

I also enjoy eating the granola as a bowl of cereal.

I added this recipe to Capital Style Magazines list of neighborhood, teacher and friend gifts.  I think, in a cellophane bag with a big bow this would make a wonderful homemade treat.

Recipe: Gingerbread Granola

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1/4 cup oil
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4.5 cups of uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup blanched almonds
3 tablespoons flax meal

Preheat oven to 275.

In a medium sauce pan, combine first 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil.

In a large bowl mix oatmeal, coconut, nuts and flax meal.

Pour boiled molasses mixture over oatmeal mixture.

Stir well. Add to a cookie sheet.

Bake for one hour total time, but checking and stirring granola every 15 minutes.

Granola will turn a rich color. Remove from oven and cool.

Store in airtight container. Good for 2 months.