adopt a gluten free blogger

I was lucky enough to be able to adopt Kate over at Gluten Free Gobsmack and was all set to make her egg roll recipe. Her blog is one of the first I discovered and I love her recipes. My favorite being the flourless ho-ho cake. I was so ready to make her egg rolls I started to buy the filling ingredients so imagine my surprise when the day I went to check the ingredients for the rolls only to find her newest post for XXX sugar cookies well needless to say I had to have them since i am a cookie fanatic. The only problem is that Kate said the cookies would last a week but they barely made it a day in my house and I was left craving more. These cookies were absolutely divine.

menu swap july 7-13

OK I have not been keeping up with my menu swap for several weeks due to some problems with my thyroid but meds were adjusted and I am starting to feel human again. The problem now is I am 20 pounds heavier and my hubby will be home in just 2-3 weeks so I am gonna try the south beach diet after reading about GF Mommy's success with it. I joined the South Beach website so i will be using their menu plan to start with. I am also quitting smoking this week so wish me luck


Monday: Marinated London Broil Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms Surprise South Beach Diet Mashed Potatoes

Tuesday: Gingered Chicken Breast Oriental Cabbage Salad Steamed Snow Peas

Wednesday: Asparagus Raspberry Chicken Breast with Fresh Herbs Fennel Salad

Thursday: Grilled Steak with Grilled Tomato Relish

Friday: Savory Chicken Sauté Surprise South Beach Diet Mashed Potatoes Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing Fresh Steamed Green Beans

Saturday: Grilled Salmon with Rosemary Steamed Asparagus Tossed Salad Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

Sunday:Grilled Chicken Breast with Grilled Vegetables

for more gluten free menus hop over to the Gluten Free Goodness's website

daring bakers challenge for june

the daring bakers challenge for june was to make a danish braid. i found this challenge difficult to make gluten free because gf flours tend to be denser and gummy instead of light and flaky. but after a much thought i was able to create a dough that worked pretty well



DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

ok so the filling ran out and the dough had an overwhelming orange flavor but it was flaky so here is my flour choice
1 1/2 cup rice flower blend equal parts brown white and sweet
1/2 cup corn flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour

then i used teff flour for dusting since it had a grainy feel that would not blend as quick into dough also i chilled only 10 min between turns and froze for 30 min instead of the 5 hour rest the purpose of the rests is to keep butter solid and prevent gluten's from forming. i know this was mentioned earlier but that is not an issue for gf flours however sitting to long in the fridge causes moisture to build up which creates a gummy texture

royal foodie joust

>This is my entry for this months Royal Foodie Joust which is so much fun. The secret ingredients were apricots ginger and butter YUM!! I knew what I wanted to make instantly. It is hot here right now and I wanted something I could sit on the deck and enjoy so a apricot ginger spritzer with white chocolate dipped apricot biscotti seemed to fit my craving.

Apricot Ginger Spritzer

8 apricots halved and pitted
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5 one in long pieces of peeled ginger

Seep all ingredients together in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil.
Turn temperature down to low and mash and stir apricots for 20 minutes.
Drain fruit making sure to mash all the juice out of apricots and discard solids.
Put juice in a glass jar and seal. Let rest in fridge for at least 2 days.
To serve pour ¼ cup juice in glass and top with cold club soda

White Chocolate Dipped Apricot Biscotti

1 1/4 cups Pamela’s pancake and baking mix
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
¾ cup baking mix

In food processor, combine apricots and sugar and pulse to chop.
Add flour, apricots, eggs, lemon extract, salt, almond meal and butter to stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat to mix.
Slowly add remaining flour mixture.
Divide dough in half. On lightly greased baking sheet, shape dough into two 12-inch logs.With hands, flatten each log to a width of 2 inches. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove logs and allow to cool completely before trying to move.
With serrated knife, carefully cut logs on the diagonal into 1 inch slices.Place on baking sheet cut side up; return to oven and bake 7 minutes, or until very lightly browned.Transfer to rack and cool completely.
Dip each cookie half way into some melted white chocolate and allow to set.

menu swap for june 16-22

Ok so I am finally getting everything back on track in our house. The computer is working as well as the air conditioning. I start Italian classes this week as well as writing my first article for a new e-zine on vicenza life. I have also decided to fast this week to clean out bad food from my system. lol I don't know how it keeps getting in, well that's not true I do and I wonder how many more times am I gonna make myself sick before I accept this but enough of my drama.


Monday: salad for me and a grilled hamburger for the boy

Tuesday: salad again but i get some fruit to go with it yeah hamburgers for the boy again

Wednesday: juice only today so pasta for the boy

Thursday: grilled chicken for the boy with a salad for me

Friday: nachos with salsa and guacamole only mine will have no chips meat cheese or sour cream (oh wait that is a salad lol)

Saturday: breaking the fast to day with grilled scallops and a salad

Sunday: grilled chicken and salad

thank you to Natalie at Gluten Free Mommy for creating and hosting such an awesome event and i have really missed participating but i am back in the game and if you need a host for another week i would love to do it again.

tex mex quiona salad (yummy)

I made this up real quick to take to a short notice barbecue at a friend's house who has allergies that make my usual gf fare impossible i.e rice. Well this impromptu salad was so good good i had to share the recipe. This is one of those a little of this and that as i was making it in a hurry and not measuring or writing anything down.

2 cups water
1 cup rinsed quinoa

cook according to package directions

2 diced tomatoes
1/2 diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 diced red onion
1 minced jalapeno
2 tbs minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs lime juice

mix with cooked quinoa serve room temp or chill

sweet potatoe waffles

I was looking for something to make with a leftover sweet potato for breakfast and decided to make waffles instead of the usual potato pancakes. these waffles turned out so creamy and light that I could barely keep one long enough to get a photo.

1 cup mashed sweet potato
1 1/3 cups Pamela's baking/pancake mix
1/4 demerara sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs safflower oil
1 tsp grated ginger

mix and cook according to your waffle machines instructions

I think these would be great with pumpkin instead of sweet potato as well.

adopt a gluten free blogger

I adopted Karen at Gluten Free Sox Fan this month. She has a wonderful site with lots of yummy recipes. It took me some time to decide on just one but after much debate I decided to go with her pizza recipe. It was a very easy recipe and made lots of extra crusts to freeze. I made two 10in crusts one rectangle and six 6in crusts. We ate the rectangle pizza the first night and I have to say it was Delicious. I topped the other crusts and froze them and they have made wonderful quick lunches and dinners for my son in fact he liked them so much that he has already eaten them all.



I look forward to making this recipe again and encourage everyone to check it out if you are looking for a quick and easy pizza crust that makes extras that freeze well. Also head over to GF/Cf Experiance to check out the rest of the Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger round up for this month

out of touch

i am out of touch with reality but as that is not new for me this post is really to let you know i am out of touch with the internet as it got struck by lighting last friday so i will catch up on post if and when they decide to come and fix it and i buy a new wireless modem

Raspberry Bread Pudding

I was feeling a bit nostalgic this week so with the food joust lingering to be done and no dessert for the week planned I decided on a raspberry almond bread pudding. The nostalgic part came from the announcement that my younger brother would be joining the army. This took me back to my brief enlistment a few years back where I remember living on bread pudding. I looked forward to this brief edible dessert even though I had never been a big fan of it. I do not however recomend joining the army to eat bread pudding as almost anything tastes good when you are hungery and tired.


Honey Almond Bread
Ingredients
1 cup white rice flour, 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup potatoe starch, 1/2 cup tapioca starch (or 3 cups of your favorite flour blend)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs xanthan gum
1 TBS salt
2 pkgs regular or quick-acting active dry yeast
2 1/4 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
2 cups almond meal

Instructions
Mix flours, honey, oil, salt, and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in almond meal, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; spray the top of dough with non-stick cooking spray. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready when indentation remains when touched.)
Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Punch down dough; divide in half and place in loaf pans. Let rise 35 to 50 minutes or until double.
Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place loaves on lowest oven rack. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.

Allow bread and then chop about 1 1/2 loaves into cubes and let sit for couple hours or overnight.(since this is a dense gf bread it does not need to stale as long as regular bread)

Pudding
2 cups frozen or fresh raspverries
6 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups scalded milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter one 2 quart baking dish. Combine bread cubes and raspberries; mix well and place in baking dish. Beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add milk, mix well and pour over bread cubes. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and set

Raspberry Sauce
1 pkg. frozen raspberries
2 Tbs. armareto (optional)
4 Tbs. lime juice

Combine in sauce pan and heat until just warm and raspberries are defrosted.

Go Ahead Honey its Gluten Free (Breakfast)

Breakfast during the week is usually a bowl of cereal since we are not morning people but on the weekends I try to make up for it with a big breakfast. That was until egg pie came back into my life. I know you are thinking what is egg pie so for those without fussy kids or picky husbands (I have both) it would be called quiche. Egg pie has all the makings of a big breakfast in an easy reheatable size and since the crust is potatoes even my hubby might try it. He has been gone so long I can't remember all his pickiness but i may have to leave the chives out or chop them smaller for him lol.

Crust:
3 medium potatoes
2 Tbs butter or margarine

Cook potatoes, covered, in boiling salted water until tender. Drain; peel. Mash with a potato masher; measure 1 1/3 cups. Stir in butter or margarine.

Spoon into a greased 9 inch pie plate. Spread over bottom and up sides of plate; build up sides with a spoon to form a crust.

Bake at 375 for about 20 min. This is to set the potatoes not to necessarily brown them. The crust should appear slightly dry.

Filling
3 eggs beaten
6 slices cooked bacon chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
2-3 Tbs chopped herb (I use chives but use your favorite)
salt and pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into crust. Bake at 375 until puffed and golden. About 30 to 50 minutes I believe (sorry lost track of time)

I like mine with sour cream and salsa and my son likes his with just sour cream since he fears the word salsa.

If you would like to share your favorite gluten free breakfast head over to Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried and check out Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free.

strawberry salsa

Sorry it took so long to post this recipe but it is hard to keep strawberries in the house long enough to make anything with. My darling boy is a fruit monster and will take a whole package of them to eat as a snack. Now I have to admit I have never measured when making this so my recipe is more of a guideline. Please feel free to alter the recipe to suit your tastes or mood because I know I do (in fact this was an alteration of my pico de galle salsa)

1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 clove minced garlic
2-3 Tbs chopped cilantro
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it up and enjoy

menu swap for may 18-24

This weeks theme ingredient is avocados, what fun. I love avocados. They are high in potassium with 60% more then bananas. hopefully i will have time to create something exciting with them, but with my mom just leaving i have a lot of work to do around the house to start getting ready for hubby to come home in a couple months. Also I am currently working on several culinary projects as I keep finding new web events. I love these events because it pushes me to create, so check in and see what I have going on.

Sunday: chicken tortilla soup topped with avocado slices

Monday: cali style hamburger steaks with sweet potato fries

Tuesday: pasta with pesto

Wednesday: ribs yet again (they are my sons new favorite food)

Thursday: grilled chicken with salad

Friday: nachos with salsa and guacamole

Saturday: steak and salad

Dessert of the week is top secret right now you will just have to wait for the post

This weeks menu swap is being hosted by M-Elle at Cooking and UNcooking, so hop over there at check out what everyone else has planned.

to market to market

This is by far my favorite market because it is small and only sells fruits, vegetables, cheese, etc. Italy is home to weekly markets and every town has their own but food stands tend to get lost among seas of clothes and home decor. Large markets can be very crowded and small markets hard to find. I was glad when I heard about this market on Saturday mornings in downtown Vicenza because I knew exactly where it was plus it was an all organic market. What could be better?

I found the most beautiful fruits and could not resist the fresh goat cheese. There was a vendor with different types of bread but unfortunately they had no senza glunetine (pouting).
If you would like to learn about other markets check out A Scientist in the Kitchen who hosts To Market, To Market as a chance for people to share markets in the areas they live or travel to. It is a great way to learn about different markets and to celebrate the tradition of farmers markets.

quinoa and goat cheese salad

This is a salad I created for No Croutons Required challenge hosted by Tinned Tomatoes. Goat cheese is very fresh right now so I could not resist it at the market.

4 beefsteak tomatoes, cap removed, cored and hollowed out
Salt
2 cups cooked quinoa
½ English cucumber, finely diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 cup goat cheese crumbled and divided
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup red wine vinegar

Salt the insides of the hollowed out tomatoes and drain them upside down on a rack. In a mixing bowl combine the quinoa, cucumbers, parsley, mint, cranberries, carrots, and half the cheese. Make a dressing of the olive oil, lime juice, and vinegar and toss with the vegetables and quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil or lime juice if you wish. Stuff salad into tomatoes and top with the remaining cheese.

This was my first time using quinoa and I am in love all though my son didn't care for the texture very much he liked the taste of the salad.

menu swap for may 11- 17

I am so excited to be hosting this weeks menu swap. I picked strawberries this week because the season is finally starting and the have just been calling my name. Strawberries are very low in calories but high in vitamin C and flavonoids. Flavonoids are a major antioxidant linked to protection from some cancers and heart disease. Strawberries are also a very versatile fruit as they can be used in sweet and savory dishes.

Sunday: mothers day brunch cheese blitz, fried potatoes, bacon, and eggs

Monday: spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: carolina style baby back ribs with strawberry spinach salad

Thursday: hamburger steaks and french fries

Friday: cheese quesidila's with strawberry salsa

Saturday: sandwiches

my dessert for the week will be strawberry ice cream

This week I also have several culinary adventures going on so check in on them:
citrus dessert
cheese salad
2 new breakfast dishes
jam
and more to follow

Manda over at Asparagus Thin has a busy week of exams ahead but plans on feasting on a wonderful menu of Korean, Indian, and Japanese. She is also very excited about how well her menu paired up from the market. I am personally hoping to hear more about those plantain chips with strawberry, tomato chutney.

Mary over at Gluten Free Cooking School has brightened my morning with some kind words as well as an exciting menu. She is also planning on testing some new items for her blog with the menu she has planned so keep your eye out.

Sea at the Book of Yum has a busy week and a wonderful menu planned. She also promises yummy new recipes to come, but needs lots of encouragement to find the energy to get through the week. So drop in on her and wish her lots of good energy.

Cheryl at the Gluten Free Goodness has an awesome menu up this week featuring fresh herbs from her garden. She is also calling for creative bakers in an awesome web event featuring oats to celebrate her birthday, so hop over there and check that out.

Esther blogging from the Lilac Kitchen has to work the late shift this week and has prepared a simple yet delicious menu. I look forward to hearing more about her cauliflower cheese and hope strawberries make it up north soon.

Gluten Free in the Greens has been playing around beans and has prepared a menu to highlight their flavor. She is attending a wedding on Saturday and has posted a question on gluten free wedding etiquette, so if you have any suggestion pop over there and let her know.

M-Elle has planned a light and healthy fare of salads over at Cooking & Uncooking. She went to the Canadian Celiac Association Conference in Victoria this weekend where she was able to indulge in lots of treats. Look for posts on the conference to come.

Karen at Gluten Free Sox Fan is suffering from lack of inspiration but still managed to pull together a scrumptious menu. She is also preparing to celebrate her nine year anniversary and more importantly ONE YEAR GLUTEN FREE yeah!! Also you can drool over her husbands furniture.

Fresh Ginger shared a wonderful memory with us growing up on a strawberry farm. What Fun! Unfortunately strawberries are not in season for her yet but she has some awesome meals planned including a buffalo wing cook off. So pop in and see what she is up too.

Sally at Aprovechar has an exciting menu focusing on locally grown vegetables and and getting away from processed foods. What an inspiration for me. She has recently given up sheep and goat dairy and is at a loss for some yummy dairy free/soy free cheese, so if you have a favorite drop her a line.

NQN banana bread bake off

I found yet another foodie event that inspired me to create a new recipe over at Not Quite Nigella. She has a very eclectic and fascinating blog and I urge you to check it out.

This time I had my son in mine, he loves peanut butter sandwiches but so far my attempts at gluten free bread have not tasted good by lunch time. Well the banana bread did in fact he came home and proclaimed the sandwiches awesome.

I made the bread into two mini loaves to make little sandwiches smeared with natural peanut butter and an Italian organic chocolate hazelnut spread. Enjoy my recipe and Ilook forward to trying everyone elses banana bread recipes
INGREDIENTS
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup each potato starch flour and tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 4x2 loaf pans and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, mash the bananas and stir in the eggs and honey. Stir in the flour mixture and
mix until just combined, then fold in the chopped nuts (optional). Pour the batter into the
prepared pans.
bake for aproxamitly 55-60 min

mad for macaroons in may

I recently stumbled across an awesome web event hosted by Couture Cupcakes called Mad for Macaroons in May. I was so excited because macaroons are so easily gluten free and I am always searching for new treats to serve my family. After searching for a recipe that was easy and that had ingredients available to me I realized i would have to create my own. With a few batches of flat overly sweet sticky messes under my belt I stumbled across a winner.

These cookies turned out dense and chewy yet light and fluffy. I chose to go a different route from the traditional French macaroon though. Instead of using my ganache to make sandwich cookies I paired them with fresh strawberries from the outdoor market and drizzle the ganache over them. From the first bite I knew that these were sure to be a new family favorite and I couldn't wait for my son to get home. Well all I can say is he was sneaky off with cookies before I even got a chance to tell them they were there. The cookies were proclaimed another success, now we just have to wait until daddy gets home in a few months to know for sure.

Ingredients for Almond Macaroons
2 egg white
½ tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup almond meal
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat the egg whites and then add cream of tartar.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff.
4. Gradually beat in the sugar.
5. Add the almond meal and fold gently
6. Spoon on to lined baking sheet.
7. Bake fifteen to twenty minutes until they turn a nice golden color
8. Remove parchment paper from baking sheet immediately to cool on counter top.
9. The macaroons will then easily peel off.
10. Before baking, the macaroons may be sprinkled with almonds which have been blanched and shredded or chopped

adopt a gluten free blogger

Ginger Lemon Girl is a fellow North Carolinian (even though I am not from there I lived there for 6 years before moving to Italy). She is a busy girl with a new food event I can't wait to learn more about called Kid Friendly Foods Friday as I have a picky son and husband.

I adopted Ginger Lemon Girl this month because I was excited to find her cheddar biscuits. I was so excited I planned a whole Red Lobster dinner around them and I was so glad that I did. The biscuits were so light and yummy. They tasted just like I wanted them to.


I was timid about the big batch of her master baking mix I would need to make for the biscuits, but was glad to see she had other recipes using the mix. Now I also have plenty of mix to make them again. Another plus is my Husband will love them even though they are gluten free. This will be a definite addition to one of his first meals home.

I really enjoyed adopting Carrie and look forward to trying even more of her recipes in the future

I also want to thank Rachel at Wheat-Free, Meat-Free for being such an awesome host this week.

menu swap for may 4-10

This weeks menu swap is being hosted by Cooking Illustrated. She has a fantastic website and I plan on using her Creamy Dill Salad Dressing as part of menu this week.

Potatoes are this weeks theme ingredient. YEAH!! I love potatoes plus most varieties are high in (yep you guessed it) antioxidants. however my choices here are very limited I plan on using them to their fullest potential.

Sunday: baked potato soup

Monday: pork chops with chorizo gravy and rice

Tuesday: grilled steaks with twice baked potatoes and roasted cherry tomatoes

Wednesday: pumpkin gnocchi with cream sauce and Parmesan

Thursday: grilled chicken with a warm potato salad dressed with creamy dill dressing

Friday: tuna patties with macaroni and cheese

Saturday: eating out

now for the best part my dessert of the week is going to be potato candy (recipe to come)

cinnamon twists

OK this post is for Manda over at Asparagus Thin but first a little background on Taco Bell night. When ever I am love sick and missing my husband, which is all the time, I crave Taco Bell. See we worked there together in fact that is how we met and all though it was one marriage and baby later before we would get together even though there was always a chemistry between us.

OK so now you know how I came to meet and marry my soul mate let me tell you the truth of cinnamon twists. They are fried twisty pasta! That's right fry rotini pasta at 375 and coat with cinnamon sugar. The problem now is finding the best gf pasta brand for the flavor. I used an Italian corn pasta which left a popcorn flavor and I had to add a pinch of salt to the batch because of it. They were still very tasty.

OK now that you know the secret I hope you enjoy experimenting with it.

menu swap for april 27- may 3

This weeks menu swap is hosted by Asparagus Thin who has a fantastic site going. The ingredient is peas which I love however my mom is here visiting and she hates peas so I will not be able to utilize the theme ingredient.My menu this week will continue to focus on a diet rich in antioxidants. A bonus for this week is that I went to wonderful olive mill and purchased some fresh olive oil so I am going to whip up some wonderful dressings for my salads and fish.

Sunday: Taco Bell Night with tacos, beans, mexican rice, salsa, guacamole, and homemade cinnamon twists and chocolate ice cream

Monday: grilled tuna steaks with fresh herb infused olive oil and a greek salad

Tuesday: grilled chicken breasts topped with mozzarella cheese served with spaghetti and a homemade tomato sauce

Wednesday: grilled steaks and salad

Thursday: hamburger steaks topped with wilted spinach and asiago cheese with baked potatoes

Friday: crab legs and corn chowder with Ginger Lemon Girl's cheddar biscuits

Saturday: eating out

my dessert for this week (well I have 3 this week since i was feeling inspired but no recipes. I will post them as i create the desserts) rocky road gelato, cinnamon twists, and meringue oreos

Today was market day in downtown and even though I did not buy any vegetables or cheese I wanted to share this awesome picture my mom took. We sat at this outdoor cafe for lunch and watched the people crowding the square. I was inspired to make some gelato this weekend though. I am thinking a chocolate rocky road kind. Well i hope you enjoyed the picture and stay tuned for the verdict on my previously posted gelato recipe in rocky road flavor.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Well I was up at 4:30 this morning in pain from my most recent clumsiness and found myself in need of a distraction. You see yesterday I took my mom to see a fabulous castle in Soave IT and while walking down the slick wet marble steps from the tower i slipped and broke my tail bone. I did not think that it was actually capable of being done but I did. OK so anyway I am up and in pain searching the web trying to be quite when i came across peanut butter cookies on Gluten-Free Girl's website. I couldn't believe that there was a quick easy recipe that i would have all the ingredients to make at 4 am. Inspiration swept through me and with her recipe i recreated a flavorful version on jam cookies. YEAH!!!

I tell you you have to try her recipe it was Divine. I also took a few to the little boy down the street whose mother has decided to go GFCF for his autism and he is doing very well with it.

things i have found out

So I have been checking out different gf blogs and amazed and inspired by every ones ideas and recipes. There are so many bloggers doing amazing things and so what I have learned is that even though I am gluten free now I can still do amazing things in the kitchen. I have learned that there is so much that can be done if I learn to try to cook outside my box and even though I think I am a decent cook I don't try to create my own recipes I just play with recipes I have been using for years. I have been inspired truly inspired to get in there and try something new. I see now that a recipe may fail but i should keep trying. Anyway my point is to thank all the bloggers out there kicking it gf style for showing me there is more to my kitchen then bland bread and strange prebaked cookies.

menu swap for april 20-26th

this weeks swap was hosted by gluten free mommy and her menu looks very tempting
OK my menu this week will be focused on fresh fruits and vegetables as I try to detox from my travels. I have been reading up about antioxidants and free radicals lately so I have decide to start eating healthier. The National Cancer Institute provides some basic information on the subject. I also looked at other websites and magazines, but I warn do not believe everything you read on the Internet because it is hard to tell which sites are reputable and which are not.

I found this list at another website called The Nibble and thought I would share it with anyone interested.

Undutched cocoa
powder
Dark, semisweet
chocolate
Milk Chocolate
White tea
Green rooibos
Green tea
Red rooibos
Oolong tea
Black tea
Montmorency cherry
Prunes
Dark grapes including
currants, raisins, purple
grape juice and red wine
Blueberry
Blackberry
Cranberry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Plum
Orange
Red grape
Cherry
Avocado
Kiwi
Grapefruit, pink
Kale
Spinach
Brussels sprouts
Alfalfa sprouts
Broccoli flowers
Beets
Red bell pepper
Onion
Corn
Eggplant
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avocado
Beans (small red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans)
Beets
Carrots
Olives (in the form of extra virgin olive oil)
Red pepper
Russet potato
Spinach
Tomato
Walnut
Pecan
Hazelnut
Allspice
Cinnamon
Cloves
Ginger
Lemon balm
Oregano
Peppermint
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Oats
Sunflower seeds

Sunday: pasta tossed with sun dried tomatoes, olive oil and fresh rosemary topped with some shaved Parmesan

Monday: citrus glazed ribs with steamed broccoli

Tuesday: seared tuna patties with stuffed cherry tomatoes

Wednesday: grilled steaks with citrus asparagus

Thursday: grilled chicken with a fresh spinach and strawberry salad

Friday: nachos with homemade salsa and guacamole

Saturday: going to Venice so i am leaving this open to possibly eating out

My dessert for the week will be a pinapple orange sorbet

gelato

i found this looking for a basic gelato recipe i can use to create different flavors of gelato. i am really excited about my new ice cream maker and plan on making up a batch this weekend i just have not decide what flavor.


Gelato SUBMITTED BY: OSTAFF1
at allrecipes.com


INGREDIENTS
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cream. Warm until foam forms around the edges. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Gradually pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to show, remove from heat immediately.
Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer into a bowl. Cover, and chill for several hours or overnight.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a sealed container, and freeze until firm. If the gelato is too firm, place it in the refrigerator until it reaches the desired consistency.

menu swap for april 14th

The theme for this week is cornmeal and the swap is being hosted by Gluten Free Sox's Fan !! Yeah I love cornmeal because it can be used for so many different things. I had to add an extra day this week to get my menu back on track after my unexpected trip home.


Sunday: pork tamales with chile sauce, refried beans,and mexican rice

Monday: steak, cornmeal cheese fritters and asparagus

Tuesday: cornmeal crusted catfish, baked potatoes, and caprese

Wednesday: chicken and cornmeal dumplings

Thursday: cornmeal pizza topped with fresh asiago cheese and spinach

Friday: chicken fingers with toasted corn salsa, fries and salad

Saturday: chili and sour cream and lemon honey cornbread muffins
Sunday brunch: cornmeal and ham pancakes with fried eggs
Sunday dinner: tomato soup and grilled cheese (to give are tummies a break before next weeks exciting ingredient)


my dessert for the week will be chocolate polenta cake


OK so this was the menu i had planned for the week but have since decided a more low fat healthy menu is in order to combat a very long trip and the extra pounds that came with it so here is my revised menu

Sunday: shredded mexican flavored pork (the tamale filling) with roasted tomatoes and corn

Monday: grilled steaks and salad

Tuesday: grilled catfish with caprese

Wednesday: chicken and vegetable soup

Thursday: hamburger steaks topped with wilt spinach and asiago cheese and roasted potato wedges

Friday: grilled chicken fingers with toasted corn salsa and salad

Saturday: baked pork chops with roasted asparagus and rice

Sunday: vegetable soup

i am back sorta

Ok so I have been gone and now I need rto get myself back on track. For those who don't know i had to take an unexpected trip to the states and i am not going to be back to my house until April 12th. I plan on getting back to my recipeces and the menu swap then though and in the meantime catching up on what other people are doing.

Dinner Tonight

Well i am so excited about the way dinner turned out I had to share a picture. I think coconut chicken will be a new favorite of mine and ds liked it to so double yeah.

new producted i tried

OK I needed brownies yesterday for my friend Darci's birthday dinner (happy 25th if you are reading girl), so I pulled out a box of Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownies that has been in my cabinet for a while. I have been afraid to try them for some reason which is beyond me now because they were fabulous. The brownies turned out to very rich and moist. My son said they were better than the other brownies I made before (sorry Bob Redmill). I will definitely be baking these again

prepping for next week

So it is the weekend which means I need to shop and prep for next weeks meals. Yeah! Ok I was so excited yesterday because my grocery store had fresh coconuts and pineapple in, so I only had to buy canned mangos. I forgot how hard it was to crack a coconut though, so I only cracked one so far. I cut my hand on the shell doing that one but it will be worth it for fresh flavor instead of that dried over sweetended bag coconut. I will be posting pictures with my recipes throughout the week as these are new recipes to me. Keep your eyes out to see them and hear what i thought of the dish.

On another note though I was very tired last week and let ds eat school lunches all week. Well now I think he possably is a celiac too. So now I will have to watch his diet more closely to be sure and if I get an appoint with the gi doctor next time they come here I will talk to him about his symptoms.

menu swap for march 17th (coconut)

I am so excited i found this idea. It gives me a chance o try so many new foods and recipes by focusing my whole weeks menu around one ingredient. I kinda feel like Iron chef.

monday: chicken strips, french fries, and a fresh salad

tuesday: cheese quesidila with coconut mango salsa

wensday: grilled steak, coconut risotto, and asparagus

thursday: pasta with cilantro coconut pesto sauce and caprese

friday: coconut brown sugar ribs, baked potatoes, and a salad

saturday: Seared Pork Chops with Coconut Rum and Caramelized Pineapple Sauce, white rice and steamed carrots

sunday brunch: cheese blintz, and bacon

dinner: nice plain chicken noodle soup to give our palletes a break before the next exciting ingredient (cant wait :))

i will also bake coconut pineapple bars on the 16th for desserts this week

first batch

OK so yesterday I was to sick to go to work in the morning. Then I found out that ds had a half day of school when I did get to work and my neighbor (who works with me) came in from her lunch break with dd. So I had to rush home to get ds; good thing i left the door unlocked for the housekeeper(that didn't show up because she didn't know about the half day either). Anyway so i decided i would use the afternoon to try making a batch of energy bars. Well that did not workout so well. My first batch was a flop but I did learn from it, so hopefully my second batch will be a success. I have to work so it will be friday before I get another chance.

Myspace Poem Quotes

lazy sundays

Girly Comments & Graphics



Well I am dragging today. It will be awhile before ds hosts another sleep over since I was up til 3 am and I cant remember ever staying up that late sober before. But I was inspired this morning. I need protien energy bars. Something I can grab and go on busy workdays or eat for a quick burst of energy.So this week I will be researching ideas for a power packed yet totally yummy power bar. Stayed tuned for next weekends baking to see what I come up with.

barbaque ribs

So for dinner i made barbaque ribs. baked potatoes. and green beans. Of course i am a southren girl with a taste for carolina sauce which i cant find here and traditional sauce is way to sweet and thick for me. This means time to make my own. Yeah! so here goes



my carolina style rib saue



2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup sweet white wine

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tbs curry powder

1 Tbs paprika

1 tbs Mrs Dash table blend

1 Tbs tarragon

1 Tbs fresh crushed garlic

1 box pectin



mix everything but the pectin together and simmer for 20 minutes. strain out solids and add pectin. bring sauce up to a boil for 5 min. at this point you can can the sauce or let it cool and freeze extra sauce.

Ok so now you are think canning I thought you were trying to keep things cool and lets face it 30 somethings dont can, grandmas do right.

wrong, look at it this way would you rather say to your friend "Hey at your barbaque this weekend I thought maybe I could bring my special barbaque sauce for everyone to try." They dont have to know where you got the recipe

or

"I am a celiac and have to avoid gluten which is derived from wheat, barley, and rye, so I can not eat certain brands of barbaque sauces which one will you be using at your party"

Plus your friends will be impressed because they will not know how easy canning is. All you have to do is throw the jars in the dishwasher and the lids in a pot of water heating up on the stove. When the sauce is done pour in warm jars put the lid on and set on counter top for 5 min upside down. Turn the jars over and wait for the little buttons to pop down.

the search is on

So I have been diagonsed for a year now but I am just at the point where i am accepting this as my life. I know those 2 people reading are thinking what is she talking. Well i am talking about the life altering little known autoimmune diease that is Celiac sprue. i mean are you kidding 30 years of eating whatever i want and now you tell me all my favorite cookies pizzas and pastas are slowly killing me. Ok but then i learn that gluten is in everything i eat, are you kidding. So now i am starting my journey of teaching myself a whole new way to cook, cooking the GF (Gluten Free) way. Also how to attend parties and functions without sacraficing.

So stay tuned as i figure this out