Mom's No Bakes...A Christmas Tradition!

Hi all. I know its been awhile but so much has happened over the past few months I don't know where to begin. Loosing several of our loved ones over the past months has seriously taken a toll on our family, myself included. After loosing my mom the stress has just seemed to pile up like a ton of bricks. Not only have I become mentally fatigued but it has wreaked havoc on my body physically as well. I have now had a cold since before Thanksgiving and am trying just about everything I can think of to get rid of it as I am scheduled for surgery on the 11th...You know the old saying, "It never rains but that it pours"...Speaking of rain, I can hear it hitting the roof above as I type.

Christmas is now exactly 25 days away and since I wont be able to do much of anything after my surgery and Christmas will then be only two weeks away at that point, I need to have my house decorated, cookies baked, presents bought and wrapped, fudge made....well you get the picture. The inside is already decorated and the tree is up so I can cross that off my list, although the outside this year is going to look rather dreary. Just too much to do and so little time!

The Buckeyes are made. This is the first time ever that I have made them and if I do say so myself they came out rather good looking, and rather tasty...YUM! Okay, so I have to give some credit to my daughter Jammie as she did help to shape them.

Christmas is not Christmas here without my mom's no bakes, and I am extremely pleased that these will freeze well so I can get them make ahead of time along with my other Christmas cookie assortment. I have my work cut out for me over the next week for my cookie trays to become a reality for the Holiday feast..

Daily chores, baking, shopping, its overwhelming when you are not feeling up to par. These cookies are on every ones favorite list and are definitely a must have. Although they are not fancy, colored, or decorative, they are loved by everyone, and a remembrance of mom.

We hope that you will enjoy them as much as we do and include them in your Christmas family tradition.

Sharon (Lee)

Mom's No Bakes:

2 cups granulated sugar
4 T cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 cup Quick Oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teas vanilla

Over LOW heat  (mom said this is the trick) heat the sugar, cocoa, and milk, constantly stirring until sugar is dissolved.. Once you are sure the sugar is dissolved you can turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil, Do not boil for more than 1 minute! It should have reached a soft ball stage when dropped into cold water at this point.

Remove from the heat and add the rest of ingredient at this stage. Mix until thoroughly combined. Drop by tablespoons onto waxed or parchment paper, I use a cookie scoop to make them more uniform, let set until firm and completely cooled. The cookies can be stored in freezer at this time to await the Holiday festivities!!!
                                                                                

 

Pumpkin season....and Pie in the sky!!!

Wow...where did this icky weather come from? It seems like yesterday fall had just begun, and now Halloween is less than a week away. Next thing you know Thanksgiving will be here, and then Christmas. Well I myself am at least going to try and be ready for Thanksgiving this year before it comes, so therefore I am trying out a few new recipes ahead of time. One being Pumpkin pie cupcakes.

Although this recipe turns out to be more pie like in texture than a real cupcake that's fine with me, because then I don't have to roll out pie dough and clean up the mess that comes with it on a already busy holiday. As the saying goes....I can have my cake, and eat it too. Or in this case PIE! Another nice thing is that the servings are smaller so your guests can always go back for seconds, that is after they have sampled all the other goodies we tend to busy ourselves making in the kitchen to celebrate this special holiday.

I use my own flour mixture here which makes a full cup of 140 grams, so for this recipe you will only use 93 grams of the mix or 2/3 cup. I like to weigh my flours for better accuracy.

Flour mix:

45 gr white rice flour
35 gr brown rice flour
18 gr sorghum flour
25 gr tapioca starch
17 gr potato STARCH not flour

*140 grams total = 1 cup

                                                         Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

15 ounces canned pumpkin  (not pie filling)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk ( makes creamier)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teas vanilla
93 grams flour mix from above
1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1/4 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
2 teas pumpkin pie spice ( recipe to follow below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cupcake pan with spray. Using liners will make cakes stick...
Sift together all dry ingredients except the sugar.
Mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and evaporated milk..
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until evenly combined. A mixer on low speed works well for this.
Using a little over 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup  fill each tin in the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set on cooling rack. Let the cupcake/pies cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely on rack. Store in the refrigerator covered when cool. These are quick, easy and delish. Why not give them a trial run before the Holidays.....they won't last long, I promise!


                                                Homemade Pumpkin pie spice mix:
(makes about  31/4  teas but you only need 2 teas for above recipe)

2 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/4 teas ground cloves

Mix and store in small airtight container.

If at first you don't succeed....fallen leaves, oops.....loaves that is.

                                                                             

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, months, where nothing seemed to go right, or was just a little off ? Well this is one of them for me. I have been faithfully searching the web for a place for my sister to rent to no avail. It seems that even if you are aloud to have pets, they must be small or weigh less than 20 pounds....Since she has a large German Shepard it is virtually impossible to find anything at all for her. She has till the end of this month to be moved and I have no idea how this job fell onto my shoulders to find her a place, but it has.

Since loosing my mom in July I have had this overwhelming pressure of responsibility that sometimes takes my breath away. Since we have no parents, or grandparents left, I now have the role of "Top Dog" as my husband puts it, in the role of this family. Its funny how being only 3 years older than my sister that I feel such pressure to make sure she is safe. She's not a child anymore by any means, she's a grown woman, yet I feel responsible now.

I have an allergy to dogs, and since we live in a restricted pet community, a dog of that stature is not aloud. Also I have a 19 year old cat that would not withstand the pressure of such a massive creature being in the home.

I understand her dilemma, and being a pet owner myself would hate to see her have to give up her two year old pet, but life is sometimes about survival, is it not? Its kind of like baking bread, if at first you don't succeed, then try and try again.

Well thank God I am not under pressure about baking that perfect loaf of bread...Or am I? I set the bar pretty high for myself. Seems the older I get the more I expect from myself. I have a tendency to attempt the best from myself and when I don't reach that goal I can get pretty down on myself. Therefore I am still seeking that perfect loaf of bread that may never happen, but I strive on. I guess anything is better than most of those store bought frozen loaves, right?

I made a loaf yesterday that fit every criteria. Soft and spongy, excellent taste and mouth feel, perfectly browned, flexible.. Wow I thought I was on the right track, that is until the top sank after cooling. So I cut out some water from the recipe for the second loaf I made, and although the top did not rise very high, it at least didn't sink.

I have to say that the recipe is getting pretty darn close to being posted for you also to also enjoy. Be patient and give me just a little bit more time, and I promise to post the recipe soon!

Until then, enjoy your gluten free week.
Sharon

GF Bread baking..If at first you don't succeed....try and try again....

Another day has come and I am excited to head to the kitchen for some more "trial and error'. To be perfectly honest, I'm becoming a creature of nature in this area. I have plopped more baking efforts into the trash than I care to mention. Like the old saying goes...If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

You are probably wondering why I don't just give up trying to find that "PERFECT" flour blend and use what's out there on the store shelves. Well to be honest, sometimes so do I. My own family thinks I have a bad case of PROFESSIONALISM, but my thoughts on the subject are that I just want my baked goods to taste like my mom use to make, plain and simple!

In case I have peaked your curiosity I will straight out mention that yes I have tried almost every "Cup for Cup" flour out there on the market, and although there are some pretty good ones, to me everything tastes the same. Same texture, same mouth feel, same....same....same!

I have even tried almost every flour mixture recipe I could get my hands on. I have followed the mixtures, and the  recipes to the tee, and still had major flops! What is a girl to do? I lost my mom this July and her recipes have now become mine as my sister is not a baker by heart. Some of the recipes are hand written and are now my treasures and keepsakes. Oh what I would give to make her famous Texas sheet cake and remember the exact taste from my childhood! Getting close, but no cigar yet!

Recently I have been working on that perfect loaf of gluten free bread. To be honest I have several loaves of store bought in my freezer for emergencies, but they just lack that taste and texture I am looking for. I am getting close though! At least close enough that I can say the past few loaves have gone into the freezer, not the trash. OK, so my bread may never completely look like a loaf of  wheat bread, but it will be spongy, has a nice bend, hold up to sandwiches, and have a great taste. When I have it to where I think its as close to the perfect "wheat" laden loaf I remember from my moms kitchen, then I promise to share.

Well I have things to do, and bread to bake, so I'm off. Have a great day, and stay gluten free!
Sharon

Gluten free pesto for the soul!

Hello everyone. I trust your day is going well. I got off to a shaky start this morning but things are hopefully back on track. It has been a really hectic week. I have been trying to help my sister find a new place to live that will be closer to her job. I watched my five year old grandson yesterday as he was running a fever and couldn't attend school. I have to drive my oldest grand child to an appointment today as she doesn't yet have her drivers licence. All of this while still trying to perfect a vanilla cupcake recipe...

I have been up since 7:00 AM today and already have unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, made a batch of cupcakes, which I have yet to sample. I have tackled several chores and I am about to get ready for the rest of the day, but wanted to share a great pesto recipe with you first.

I love pesto, that is if done right, and I hate all those added "things" they contain when purchased in the store, especially pine nuts as I am allergic, so this is a nice recipe for me as I can sub walnuts, and I know it's fresh. My friends at Miracle Noodle had this great recipe on their site that I really, really  like, so I will post it here.

This is the easiest recipe I have made to date for pesto, and the taste really is super. So I hope you  enjoy. In my book it rates a #10....Oh....Did I mention that their noodles are great too....and 0 calories!!!

Sharon

 

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves

4 medium cloves garlic

A pinch of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can sub chopped walnuts)

2 1/2 tablespoons (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiana cheese

2 1/2 tablespoons (1 ounce) finely grated Pecorino cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Rinse the basil leaves and spin dry. Place them together with pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a several times. Add the peeled garlic and pulse several times more to mix.Slowly add the olive oil to emulsify until the mixture is creamy.
2. Transfer the contents to a separate bowl and mix in the grated cheeses with a spoon or spatula. At the end stir in some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serving suggestion:

1. Pesto can be served with rinsed package of Miracle Noodle pasta right away or on any of your favorite gluten free pastas.

 

Not in the mood...but need some food...Hurry up scramble eggs!

Hey everyone. Its another day starting, and although I would rather still be tucked under the covers with my cat, I gotta push myself and get up...I haven't been in the mood lately to cook, guess its the changing season. I'm sure there are others out there who feel the same.

I know I have to eat, so I brought out one of my quickie recipes to share,  Hurry up scrambled eggs.
These are quick, easy, and just right for a total of 1...

Ingredients:

1 egg and 2 egg whites
dash of water
dash of hot sauce , optional
chopped chives, optional
salt & pepper to taste
cooked ham chunks, optional
shredded cheese, optional
fresh spinach, optional
Directions:

Whisk the eggs and water together. Add chives, salt & pepper, cooked ham chunks, shredded cheese, fresh spinach, the sky is the limit. Pour into a mug lightly sprayed with Pam.

Microwave for 30 seconds, check to see if done, cook in 30 second increments if needed until done.
This is a quick meal, quick cleanup, and pretty filling, even on those hectic days. I like to top mine with a scoop of cottage cheese and some salsa. Yum.

This has saved me many times from eating something bad when I was hungry and in a hurry to eat.
So I hope you enjoy, and will leave a comment as to what  you like to add to yours.

Till next time....have a great GF week!!!
Sharon 

Roasted Vegetables over Quinoa... Yummy, yummy to the tummy!

                                                                        

Good morning everyone. Wow....I am feeling pretty good this morning, I must have gotten up on the right side of bed", as the saying goes. Life lately has been a little hectic to say the least, but I am trying desperately to get myself, and my life back on track.

I had signed up for a Gluten Free Wellness conference being held last night and had woke up yesterday not feeling so well and I almost blew off attending. I am so glad I didn't. I have to say it wasn't the biggest seminar I have attended over the years as it was local, but I was surprised at the knowledge and experience I walked away with.

I met a few new friends, Carol being one, and gained more knowledge in those few hours than I have over the past months. I got to watch two cooking presentations, listen to two knowledgeable  Doctor's in the field Celiac disease speak....well I actually listened to one as the second cooking demonstration overlapped with the second speaker, and I was more interested in the FOOD...

I acquired pamphlets pens, a tote, and got to taste various products from companies who had traveled hours to attend. There were soups from Full Flavor Foods which I didn't try as I was too full at the time but looked absolutely delicious, and from the comments of others attending the seminar they were a big hit.

Our local Aviva Brick Oven was on site with delicious gluten free pizzas. So yummy. My husband and I had eaten at their restaurant this summer and not only is the gluten free pizza delicious but the atmosphere  with the outdoor tables felt like we were at a ocean resort...If you are ever in the area of Route 19 in Wexford Pa stop in and see them.

Sunny Bridge Cafe did a great presentation of making Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa which was absolutely out of this world! If you have never tried quinoa before you are missing out. It has a great nutty texture and is on the list of the top 10 foods you should be eating.  I will post the recipe at the end for you to enjoy. They are located in McMurray Pa. You can check out their web site at SunnyBridgeNaturalFoods.com This was absolutely my favorite cooking demonstration.

GF Chang' were there with samples which made me want to go back for more, but being as nice as I am and not wanting to be greedy I moved on to the next table.

Edible arrangements was also there and I have to say the chocolate covered strawberry was out of this world!!! The arrangements they make to look like flower arrangements are beautiful, and if you are allergic to flowers like me, this is a great alternative for those special occasions from those you love. Hint...Hint...
The last cooking demonstration was from Grandma Whimsy at http://GrandmaWhimsy.com Although they are working on the new site and it may not be up for a month or so please check them out. She offers a gluten free brown rice flour blend with no added gums...I was impressed with this! She told us this blend can be used cup for cup in any favorite recipe you might have. Although her flours are not found local at this time, and she is over 3 hours away I did buy a bag of flour to give it a test. If your in the mood for waffles, pancakes, cookies, cakes, then bake away, however this is not a good flour for baking breads.

I love sampling new products and "paying it forward" as it were. I just made a bread from a new mix this morning and will give a review on it later this week.....

However here is the recipe I promised at the beginning of the post...

Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa

1 large head broccoli, chopped, no stems
2 red peppers, julienned
2 medium zucchini, julienned
1 large red onion, julienned
1/2 cup gluten free balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp. garlic salt or garlic powder
Course black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Cut all vegetables accordingly and place in a large bowl. Add the garlic salt, balsamic vinegar, and oil to the vegetables and toss with your hands until all are well coated. Add the black pepper.
Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. Stir the mixture several times through the baking process or the broccoli will blacken if not rotated.

To make the quinoa. 

1 cup red quinoa
1 cup white quinoa
4 cups water salt to taste

Add both the water and quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt to flavor.
Cook for approximately 15 minutes on med for approximately 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed.

Place the quinoa on a plate and top with the roasted vegetables, top with crumbled feta cheese,  and enjoy! This is absolutely a warm inviting dish...

I hope you enjoy the recipe and will come back for more. Until next time, have a great gluten free week.
Sharon




 

Sugar Cookies...Ho, Ho, Ho...Christmas is coming!

                                                                              

The other night my grandson wanted to spend the night, and since he loves pizza I took him out to our local Pizza Hut. OK....ya caught me! No I didn't have pizza, but opted for salad instead, so I am just a wee bit proud of myself. Can I pat myself on the back now???

When we got home I decided we ought to make cookies to occupy some time. Its really hard to keep a 10 year old boy who's full of energy at my age,  and I thought this would be a rather tasty diversion. With that being said, and being to tired to make cookies from scratch as I normally do, I opted for a box mix.

Several weeks back I had received several mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchen to review so I opted for the easy way. The mix calls for melted butter, rice milk, vanilla, and the box mix. Well I didn't have rice mix on hand so I used regular 2% milk, which is always on hand.

I am a stickler with following directions, my daughter swears I  have a slight case of OCD  ..think that's what she said...Oh well, I just like things done a certain way.

When I assembled the mix it was more like a crumble that you might put on top of a coffee cake. Oops... The directions say you are suppose to roll the cookies in balls before you bake them. If I would have done this they possibly would have turned out ok, but being who I am I didn't want to take the chance of having to throw everything in the garbage. So I did the only logical thing I thought I should do, and that was to add a egg.

The dough at this point actually resembled cookie dough, so I scooped them out with my cookie scoop, flattened the tops just slightly with the back of a spoon, and baked.

I have to say these really surprised me! They tasted exactly like a sugar cookie should, rose nicely, and were tender and moist. Oh, did I tell you I added a sprinkle of sugar to the tops before baking?

I have no idea how they would have turned out if I hadn't added the egg, so for that reason alone I can't give a honest review, as I didn't follow the directions on the box....Sorry Charlie.

But I can say this... if you want to give this product a try, then be sure and add a egg, unless you are adventurous and want to follow the directions exactly as stated on the box! If you do I would love to hear back from you as to how they actually turned out.

Until next post, have a blessed gluten free week!
Sharon
 

Enjoy Life....Top of the muffin to ya!

Good morning all. Today I posted on Facebook that I was going to make this the best day I possibly could. Having lost my mom recently the days just seem to run together. So I am determined to pick myself up and try and make today as normal as possible. Baking has always been a sort of go to project that seems to help make all things seem right, so therefore  I baked!

Several weeks ago Enjoy life sent me this incredible box of goodies. I was tickled when I received it and excited to finally be able to give their new "box mixes" a try. I have tried many of their shelf items and am so thrilled that they finally are offering mixes that I can make from scratch and enjoy warm, straight from the oven.                                     

                                                                               

The mixes are not only gluten free, but also free from dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shell fish, so they are very allergy friendly. They are made with Ancient Grains like teff, buckwheat (has no wheat), millet, quinoa, with rice flours being last on the list. They are developed with probiotics which also make them good for your gut....Well enough dousing your brain with ingredient information, I was getting a little brain fog there also...

The muffins were even more than I had hoped for. They were light, fluffy and had a great flavor, unlike mixes based on strictly rice flours, there are actually hearty tasting. I felt like I was doing something special for my body :-)

They rose nicely and were soft and moist. I had to stop at two...didn't want to get too carried away, and I added some frozen blueberries for a extra added treat.
                                                                                

So if you are looking for a great hearty muffin mix, then look no more. Stop by the Enjoy life  site at http://www.enjoylifefoods.com and pick up a box or two. Since this is a brand new item it make take awhile to be found in your local stores.

 

So shop away, and as always have a great gluten free week. See you real  soon....

Sharon "Lee"

Next On the List Is - Blueberry Quenchin Bliss!

I am definitely not a big water drinker, and with the hottest days of summer upon us I needed to find a way to keep myself  hydrated...I find water tasteless, so it does nothing to satisfy my taste buds, or quench my "mental" thirst. I do however realize it is something my body needs to survive. So when I came across this delicious recipe for a blueberry soda I decided to give it a try.

Everyone knows blueberries are not only an excellent source of fiber, but they also contain vitamin C, as well as manganese, potassium, and vitamin K. I figured this way I would be getting the much needed water which I seem to avoid to keep my body healthy, along with quite a few added benefits. I found it was not only refreshing, but quite delicious, and satisfied both needs. With blueberries at the peak of their season it is a drink that is not only good for you, but also cost efficient.

As "Mikey" use to say in the cereal commercial from years ago..."Try it, you'll like it". Oops...did I just give away my age????? The directions are quite easy, and it is well worth the few minutes it takes to prepare. I hope you enjoy...


Ingredients:
 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
9 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar

 

Directions for making Syrup:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Slowly bringing to a simmer over medium heat, stir constantly until all the berries have popped, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from the  heat and let cool.
2. Pour syrup into an airtight container, like a mason jar, and refrigerate overnight.
3. To use, take out of the refrigerator and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days (in the refrigerator)

To make the drink you will need ice; blueberry syrup from the above recipe; and sparkling mineral water.

Directions:

1.  For one drink, fill a tall glass with ice. Add 3 Tbsp. of the Blueberry Syrup and then top with seltzer water. Top glass with a lemon slice for that extra zing a ling, toss in a few fresh blueberries just for the heck of it,  then stir gently.  It is so refreshing, and great for hot summer days! 

 

 

Sharon

 

Cherrybrook Kitchen Pancake & Waffle Mix review...

Hi all. As you well know there have been several things going on in my life lately and the blog has taken a backseat to all my life's crisis so to speak...

My mom is still in rehab after breaking her hip and having surgery three weeks ago, and it seems she fell again last night while trying to get up by herself. They say she is okay, so I guess I' ll  know more when I visit this afternoon. I would like to thank all my friends and followers out there for your prayers.

So needing a break from my continual "THINKING" this morning about what else could go wrong in my life,  I decided to try a pancake & waffle mix that Cherrybrook  Kitchen was so kind to send me to sample and review.

This product is all natural, peanut free, dairy free, nut free, and egg free, for those of you who might have allergies to any of these things.  Looking at the ingredients list on the box I find that the main ingredients are white rice flour, and potato and tapioca starches. Basic enough. Maybe a little too basic as it comes down to being basically starch, starch, starch...I personally like a little protein added for bulk and substance. Although if you read the labels on most of their competitors products you might just find the same ingredient list or pretty darn close with a few exceptions along the way.

The directions on the box calls for the mix, rice milk and vegetable oil. It notes that you can switch out the rice milk for soy or regular milk if you prefer.  I thought I would use buttermilk instead, just for the added extra Vitamins A, D, and also calcium.  I then ended up adding about 1/4 cup more regular milk to thin it out as the batter was way to thick at this point. A miscall on my part...

The pancakes browned and rose perfectly. The taste was a little sweet, (the mix includes cane sugar) but all in all had a very good flavor. I must admit with all honesty though that they seemed a little dense and doughy.

To be fair I  decided to remake another batch of pancakes and follow the directions on the box to a T... The pancakes once again browned beautifully and rose to perfection. I used regular milk as I had no rice milk on hand, and personally felt like there were enough rice ingredients in the mix itself as it was.

The pancakes still seemed a little dense and doughy for my liking, but once again had a good taste. I guess I like my pancakes a little dryer in texture so that once I smother them with butter and syrup and they will still hold up.

Since the company was kind enough to send me the samples to review and I have no idea what this product cost in the stores so I checked the Internet to get a pricing of several different products similar to this one. With the ingredients list in mind I feel the pricing to be much in the same range as similar products.

If you have followed the blog and tried any of my recipes  you know I love using sorghum and a few others in my home made flour mixes in addition to rice flour. I guess in my own personal opinion the only thing this mix might be needing is a little protein...

Rating:

Browning  5
Rising  5
Texture  3+
Taste  4
Cost  4