Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

It's crazy that you can get a cookie from 3 main ingredients and no flour.  But here you go.  These are actually really good too.  They are pretty much the same consistency and texture of regular cookies. Next time I'll add chocolate chips or Reeses peices.

2 cups peanut butter ( I used crunchy)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients.  Drop by teaspoonfuls and flatten with fork.

Bake 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy (especially with milk)

Buffelo Chicken Wing Dip

Ever since going gluten free I really want my food to have a lot of flavor, especially spice.  If you like spicy food this dip goes great with corn chips.  I also used the leftover dip and mixed some with rice.  It was delicious.  You can also half the batch it makes a lot and a whole batch is great  for parties

2 lbs. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( I put mine in the food processor and pulsed it a few times after I shredded it to make the pieces smaller)
1 12oz. bottle Frank's Red Hot Sauce
2 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 16 oz. bottle Blue Cheese Dressing (I use Ranch Dressing)
8oz. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.


In a 9X13 pan, combine the chicken and hot sauce, spread evenly across bottom of pan. 


In saucepan, combine cream cheese and dressing over medium heat. Stir until mostly smooth.  Spread evenly over the chicken.  


Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with the cheese and bake another 10 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes and serve!

DELICIOUS Caramel

This caramel takes over an hour to make, but it is TOTALLY worth it!

2 c light corn syrup (I used 1 c of dark and 1 cup light
1 14 oz can sweet and condensed milk
1 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c milk
1 cup butter (2 sticks, do not substitute)
4 c sugar
2 c chopped pecans (optional)
2 t vanilla

Butter a 9x13 pan.

In a heavy 6 qt pan, combine syrup, milks, butter, and sugar. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  (If sugar crystals form on pan, wash down sides with a wet pastry brush.  Clip on candy thermometer.

Continue stirring constantly until mixture reaches 240 degrees (or hits firm ball stage).  Remove from heat.

Add pecans and vanilla.  Pour in to prepared pan (DO NOT SCRAPE PAN) and cool at room temperature  or overnight.

Fudge

This fudge is very yummy and only takes about 25 minutes total.

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup  (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)
1 bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I use half bag of semi sweet and half bag of milk chocolate)
1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

LINE 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F (or soft ball stage), stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

ADD chocolate chips and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted. Add pecans and vanilla; mix well.

POUR immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled; cut into 1-inch squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

My Baking Disasters

Switching to gluten free cooking hasn't been that dificult. All I had to do was buy new spices and ingredients that are gluten free and figure out what I can cook that is gluten free. I still cook a lot of stuff I did before. Baking on the other hand has been a nothing short of a disaster.

I decided the other day after one of my many disasters that I would start taking pictures of them so I can laugh it off. It can be very frustrating to do everything exactly as the book says and have it still turn out bad. When I take a picture if it it makes it more funny. So, this is it.

The pile of oat sitting there was suppose to be cinnamon raisen cookies. Instead, I pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven with twelve piles of oats surrounded by a dark goup. So, I thought maybe I can cook it in a cake pan. I dumped the rest in a 9x9 pan and that is the last square of a strange cake that just fell apart. It did still taste pretty good, but I had to eat it on a plate because as soon as it came out of the pan, it just fell apart.

I have been trying a new flour with modified tapioca starch and xantham gum already in the mix. It works very well for cakes, but not so much for bread or cookies. Maybe I just need to try some new recipes or go back to my old, mix up a billion ingredients and hope that all of that work turns out.

Anyway, I'll keep you updated on my disasters so we can all have a laugh at them. :)

Mexican Lasagna

This may not sound or look really appealing, but it is great!  My husband and kids all loved it!!  I served it with plain romaine lettuce.

12 corn tortillas
1large can enchilada sauce (I like green)
1 pkg cream cheese (next time I'll try with lowfat to make it a little healthier)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 c cilantro
1 med onion, chopped
2-3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I boiled mine and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.)

Heat cream cheese in microwave about 30 seconds (until soft) and mix with 1 1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, onion, and cilantro.  Mix in chicken.

Grease 9x13 pan and pour about half a can of enchilada sauce in bottom.  Coat four tortillas in remaining enchilada sauce and place in pan.  Overlap if necessary.  Spread half of chicken mixture over tortillas.  Repeat with four more tortillas dipped in sauce and spread remaining chicken mixture across.  Dip last four tortillas and cover chicken mixture.  Pour on remaining sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese. ( I also sprinkled a little cilantro on top.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chinese Fried Rice

I have always loved fried rice.  This recipe is very YUMMY!

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of chicken
soy sauce
1 c rice, cooked and cooled (3 c cooked)
1 small onion
2 medium carrots
3/4 c frozen peas
3 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 t garlic powder

Cut chicken into chunks and marinate in soy sauce (enough to coat chicken) for a couple of hours.  Cook eggs and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook chicken.  Add onion, carrots, peas, cooled rice, and eggs.

Melt butter and mix with garlic powder.  Pour over rice mixture until evenly coated.  Add more soy sauce to taste, if desired.

Classic White Bread

I finally found a bread I like!!!  I have one other bread recipe I need to put on here, but this is great for sandwiches.  YAY! I have missed sandwiches. Next time i'll use smaller pans so the bread is more sqare. There are a lot of steps, but I promise it is worth it.

2 c rice flour
1 1/4 c Carol's Sorgham Blend (look at top of categories for this mix)
2 T sugar
1 T xantham gum
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 c nonfat dry milk
2 1/4 t (1 package) dry yeast
1 t unflavored gelatin (optional, but helps bread retain moisture)
1 1/2 c water
2 T margarine or butter
1 t rice vinegar
3 large eggs

Combine all dry ingredients and wisk together in a large bowl and preheat oven to 200 degrees

Melt margarine in water and heat to 120-130 degrees and add water to dry ingredients slowly on low speed.  Then add vinegar and eggs, one at a time.  Then mix on high for 3 minutes. (dough will look like thick cake batter)

Pour dough into one greased bread pan.  Place in preheated oven; turn oven off.  Let the dough rise until doubles; about 45-60 minutes.

Turn oven on (with bread still in it) to 375 degrees.  Bake 25-35 minutes; until toothpick comes out clean.

Place bread on cooling rack for 10 minutes and remove from pans.  When bread has cooled slice and place in bag.  Store in freezer.

Microwave a few seconds and then toast it. (At least that's how I like it.)

3 Bean Chili

This chili is pretty darn good and very easy to make. And it's great for leftovers!

2 pounds ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped green pepper
3 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 16 oz cans diced tomato
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 T chili powder
2 t dried oregano
1 t cumin

I also like to add cayenne pepper to spice it up. I have to do it to my own bowl because it's too much for the kids. (If you want to make a smaller recipe, just use 2 cans kidney beans and cut everything else in half)

Peanut Butter Bars

These definitely hit the sweet spot.  I haven't found a homemade cookie recipe I like yet.  But, these curbed the craving for cookies.  I think next time I'll use crunchy peanut butter.  


Okay, I tried them with chunky peanut butter.  They were amazing.  I am changing the recipe, but I'll keep the old on in parenthesis in case you like it better. I've decided these taste quite a bit like reese's candy bars (with and added crunch).

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups chunky peanut butter (peanut butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk chocolate chips (semisweet chocolate chips)

Melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat and  add sugars, peanut butter and vanilla and mix well.

Press into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips and spread over the top. Cool and serve.

Bacon Potato Soup

This soup is delicious.  My husband said it was good and he doesn't really like very many soups.  I was hoping to have leftovers for dinner tomorrow night, but I should have doubled the recipe. (It only fed 2 adults and 3 small children).  Next time I will be doubling it for sure.

8 slices of bacon
5 smalls potatoes
1 med onion
1 bell pepper, optional (I used red)
3 cups water
3 bouillon cubes
2 c milk (I used 2%)
1 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt and pepper (or to taste)
1/2 to 2/3 c sour cream, depending on how creamy you want it
1/2 c cheese

Peel potatoes and cube.  Boil with 3 cups of water and the bouillon cubes 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove and place on paper towels.  Saute onion and bell pepper until tender.

When potatoes are soft pour half of water down sink and keep remaining in pan.  Mash potatoes slightly with fork.

Measure out milk and use a small portion to mix in cornstarch and add cornstarch milk and milk to potatoes.  Add bacon, onions, bell pepper, salt, and pepper.  Bring to boil over medium heat until thickened.  Add sour cream and cheese.  Allow cheese to melt and enjoy!

Cornbread Pancakes

I like making breakfast for lunch my kids. They love pancakes. I decided to try this recipe I found on glutenfreemommy.com. They are really good.

2 cups stoneground yellow cornmeal
1/2 c rice flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use homemade 1 T vinegar to 1 cup milk, let sit 5 minutes)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg


In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, rice flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the buttermilk, water, oil and egg with a fork until blended. Add to the cornmeal mixture and mix until lumps are eliminated.

Cook as you would regular pancakes. I made honey butter to spread on them. My kids LOVED them.