Day 84 - Gluten-Free Strawberry Pie

     After I dropped my son off at school this morning, I decided to go to Starbucks and order a cup of coffee.  On the way over there I remembered that a local grocery store was having a sale on strawberries for 97¢ / lb!  Woo Hoo!  Hence the Strawberry Pie.  So, I decided before I stopped at Starbucks, I'd hop (Easter Bunny reference) on over to the store first.  I was walking into the store when I realized I had my slippers on.  Now, they aren't just solid colored slippers and no, they aren't big fluffy slippers with bunny ears either, but a person can definitely tell that they are slippers.  They're stripped with pink, maroon, tan and brown and they aren't the most attractive things.   But when I bought them I thought, "Heck, they're comfortable and I'll only be wearing them around the house, so who cares what they look like?  It's not like anyone's going to see them on me anyway."  HA! 
     Yeah.  They are so comfortable I didn't even realize I had them on my feet.  I went into the store anyway.  I have never done this before.  I'm thinking it must be a sign of old age and that I'm really moving into an era of my life where I don't care what people think.  I have now become "one of those people" who I always looked at funny when they wore their slippers into the store.  Today's occurrence made me a little more compassionate.  Don't judge us by what we wear on our feet, who knows what the circumstances are or what life is like for us right now.  Actually, if people walked around in their slippers there might just be happier people in the world.
     This is a long one tonight - I'm making up for the last two days, so I'm much obliged for your patience.  So, I'm at the check-out and I also bought a light bulb.  I said to the supervisor checking me out that I'll finally now be able to replace the bulb.  He said, "Yeah, it's like when our oven was out and I wouldn't fix that for the longest time.  Finally, I did it myself; $47 dollars for the part and half an hours worth of work." 
I asked, "How long were you without it?"
You ready?     
"A year," he says.
A YEAR???!!!!!  Now how the heck can anyone go without their oven for a WHOLE year??!!!  I just can't put my head around THAT one!  Ok, I know it's because I'm using mine EVERY DAY, but c'mon, seriously?  He went on to say that they only ever really used it for "warming up the kids' chicken nuggets", so that was when it was really an issue.  And what about Thanksgiving?  Maybe they went to Grandma's or had really nice neighbors and they only had to bring drinks.  I know, not everybody cooks or bakes, but I'm just, just...speechless.
     Wow, this is going to be the longest post in the history of blogs.  I'm still not done yet. hee hee.
     I'm sure people saw me in my slippers, but I really didn't care (BIG step for me!).  So, off I went to Starbucks to get my coffee, feeling pretty good and quite content with the day I had planned.  I decided while sitting in that long drive-thru line that I would pay for the person behind me.  It's something I've done occasionally and just like to make someone's day a little brighter.  The way I see it is, if I'm happy darn it, why can't somebody else be, too?  Hopefully it inspired others to "pay it forward" and helped others, too.  Think about something you can do today to help someone else, even if it's just offering a stranger a smile (though be careful which stranger you pick).  You might just make someone's day.
     So, busy day of baking pie crusts; one for today's recipe and one for the lemon meringue pie I'm making in the morning.  That one's for the teachers' luncheon at my son's school. 
     Today was a good day.  I love days like today!
     Now on to business.  I used The Gluten-Free Kitchen today, pages 228-229, 232; author, Roben Ryberg; publisher, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-7615-2272-7.  The only thing you need to change to make it, I don't know, non-diet friendly (haha), is the pie crust.  You could use a refrigerated one or make it from scratch.

     Strawberry Pie

     Traditional Piecrust
     ½ cup shortening
     ½ cup potato starch
     3/4 cup cornstarch
     1 teaspoon sugar
     1½ teaspoons baking powder
     3 teaspoons xanthan gum
     ¼ teaspoon baking soda
     ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

     Preheat oven to 400ºF.
     In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix very well to remove all lumps.
     If dough will not stay together, blend in an extra tablespoon of milk. 

     Roll out the dough on floured surface or between two sheets of wax paper.  Circle of dough should be about 1½ inches larger in diameter than the pie plate.

     Remove top sheet of wax paper (if using) and place piecrust into pan.  Trim excess dough and pinch edges at top of pie pan to form a pretty border.  Prick piecrust all around with a fork. 

Bake 10-14 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool.


     Strawberry Pie

     Fresh whipped cream for topping (optional)

     For 1st layer of filling
     1 cup milk
     3 eggs
     ¼ cup sugar
     ½ teaspoon vanilla
     1 tablespoon cornstarch

     In small bowl, add ¼ cup of the milk to the cornstarch.  Stir until dissolved.  In a medium saucepan, cream together cornstarch mixture, remaining 3/4 cup milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. 

Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, whisking constantly to avoid curdling  Spread evenly on bottom of piecrust.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

     For 2nd layer of filling
     3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

     Arrange fresh whole strawberries, tops down, in pleasing manner on top of 1st layer.  Set aside.

     For 3rd layer of filling
     1 cup fresh strawberries, smashed or puréed
     3/4 cup water
     2 tablespoons cornstarch
     2 tablespoons sugar

     Put cornstarch into small bowl, add water and stir until dissolved.
     In a small saucepan, combine ingredients for 3rd layer.  Stir well.
     Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. 

     Spoon evenly over berries.  Refrigerate at least two hours to chill.

     Top with fresh whipped cream before serving, if desired.

     It definitely was not the crust that we are used to when eating a pie, but I thought it was ok.  I really liked the cream on the bottom and the sweetness of the third layer.  The whipped cream on top was a nice balance, too.  My husband and my daughter didn't like the crust, but thought the pie itself was ok.  My son absolutely loved it, but remember, he is a teenage boy, and at this point will practically devour anything you put in front of him. 
     I use a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best and we unanimously decided that this Strawberry Pie earned 3 rolling pins.
     Happy baking!

Day 81 - Gluten - Free Margarita Cookies

       I'm aggravated.  Plain and simple.  I'm aggravated to the point of tears.  I'm not going to lie and pretend I'm all happy and joyful right now because I'm not.  I made these gluten - free, but you can substitute regular all-purpose flour so others can enjoy them, too!  No, you can't.  Unless you know of a way to substitute the gluten-free flour and have a way that these cookies will not disintegrate at the moment you touch them, DO NOT use Gluten-Free flour.  I found this recipe from Meg & Josh at The Red Spoon.  It's a very interesting cookie.  While I'm not much of a drinker, I do enjoy an occasional Margarita, and thought these cookies were so cool that I just had to try them.  Her recipe used regular all-purpose flour, but I used the King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour and some Xanthan gum.  I'm giving you the recipe with the regular flour.  Remember, I didn't make them this way, so I can't tell you how they are. 

     Margarita Cookies   Makes about 50 cookies

     2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
     2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
     1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
     Pinch of salt
     2 teaspoons tequila
     Grated zest of 4 limes*
     Grate zest of one orange
     2 cups all-purpose flour

     Coating:     Approximately 1/2 cup clear sanding or other coarse sugar
     2 – 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
     1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

     Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth.

     Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky.

     Beat in 1 egg yolk, followed by the salt, tequila, grated lime and orange zest.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. Underbeat rather than overbeat; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. The dough will be sticky and will probably stick some to the counter. Working quickly, separately wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

     Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. At this point, the dough was extremely sticky, so I put a small amount of flour on the counter.  Meg advised not kneading extra flour into the dough, just using enough to roll into a log.  Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

     Position the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

     Prepare the sugar coating: Whisk the remaining egg yolk plus a teaspoon of water in a small bowl until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze.

     Mix the coarse sugar and salt well and spread the mixture out on a piece of parchment paper.

     Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, brushing any excess flour off. Brush them lightly with a little egg yolk.

     Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar/salt mixture gently to get it to stick if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/4 inch thick. I did as Meg suggested here and to get the sugar/salt mixture to stick better, took the parchment and rolled it over the cookie dough pressing the sugar/salt into the dough. 

     Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch space between them.

     Bake the cookies for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned.  Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

     Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature, if they last that long. Because the sugar coating will melt, these cookies are not suitable for freezing.

    


As I said, I substituted the 2 cups of all-purpose flour for 2 cups of the Gluten-Free flour and added ½ teaspoon Xanthan gum.  They fell apart, completely crumbled as I went to pick them up.

 Well, a few didn't and those I was able to get a picture of, but the others are inedible.  And what makes me aggravated is that I'm doing this project and since my daughter's on this gluten-free diet, I really just want to be able to make her something that she finds absolutely delicious and wonderful.  I know these cookies would be wonderful made the way Meg made them at The Red Spoon.  So, I highly recommend that you do that.  I think I might try them again made that way, too.  The flavor really was wonderful and they did taste like a margarita, especially with the bits and pieces of salt and sugar that I was able to retrieve.  And that aggravated me all the more because they were so tasty. 

     I have a rating system on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and I need to rate them as I made them.  Unfortunately, because I made a mistake somewhere along the way, I have to give these 1 rolling pin.  My daughter thought they should be given 3 rolling pins, but in all seriousness, I can't do that.  I don't think it's fair and wouldn't want to mislead you.  Maybe instead of just an egg yolk, it needs a whole egg because of the switch in flours.  Ugh!  I don't know.  Now I need a real margarita. 

     Happy baking!

    

Day 76 - Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

    
     Yay!!! I'll probably be going to bed with my husband tonight!!  Not that I usually go to bed with someone else, it's just that it's only 9 o'clock at night and I'm almost finished blogging.  Lately, and not to his liking, I've been staying up later than him and he doesn't like it.  Neither of us sleep well without the other - we anticipate when the missing partner will be coming into the bedroom, turning on the light in the bathroom (which has no door - only out here have we lived in houses that have no door on the master bath.  Stupid!), and stealing the covers from the one already retired.  I think it also has to do with the fact that, every night ever since I can remember, we hold hands when as we fall asleep.  I know, it sounds corny, but it's just one of those things that we do.  And if the other partner is not there to hold your hand, there is definitely something that isn't quite right.  So, I understand his discontent with my late nights - he misses me.  And I love that about him.
     Okay, so go retrieve your heads of garlic and start peeling while you're sitting here reading this post.  That way, you can kill two birds with one stone or multi-task, whichever way you prefer to look at it.  I have my garlic peeled and it took me all of 5 minutes.  I confess, I bought the peeled garlic in the jar.  I can't be sitting peeling garlic.  That would drive me NUTS except maybe if I watched 'Days of Our Lives' like I used to way back when the kids were nappers.  Not to mention the smell I'd probably never be able to remove from my fingers.  I found this on one blog, A Tale of Two Kitchens, but she had gotten it from Alton Brown at the Food Network, but I found this one at For the Love of Cooking and it looked so very delicious that I just had to try it.

     Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic

     4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
     1-2 tablespoons olive oil
     dried thyme to taste
     sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
     40 cloves of garlic
     1 tablespoon butter
     1 tablespoon gluten-free flour (all-purpose flour can be substituted)
     ¼ teaspoon corn starch mixed with 2 teaspoons water
     2 tablespoons milk
     2/3 white cooking wine
     1 cup vegetable broth (use chicken broth if you do not need this to be gluten-free)
     1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

     Purchase jar of already peeled garlic or if you so desire, peel it yourself.  Leave me a note to let me know how long it took you to do that.
     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     Place chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound until ½-inch thick.  Season with salt, black pepper and thyme to taste.

     Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  In batches, sauté the chicken until nicely browned, about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove and place in baking dish.  After all of the chicken has been removed from the skillet, add the garlic.  Lower the heat and sauté for 3-4 minutes, turning often.  add the cooking wine and vegetable broth, making sure to scrape all the yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  Season with sea salt, black pepper, and thyme, if needed.  Pour sauce over chicken in baking dish.  Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

     Once the chicken has been baked, carefully remove the chicken and garlic cloves to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Place the sauce in the previously used large skillet or a saucepan.  In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk with a little bit of the sauce.  Once thoroughly mixed, slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the rest of the sauce.  Add the butter to the sauce; add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes or until it is nice and thick.  Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with chopped parsley.

     I really enjoyed this dish.  I thought it was flavorful and really liked the garlic cloves.  Unfortunately, my family didn't agree with me and thought it was just, "eh".  My husband said he thought the sauce needed more of a kick and rated the dish a 2.  I rate my dishes/baked goods on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute best.  I'm going to give this 3 rolling pins.  Maybe instead of using the vegetable stock you'll have a better flavor with chicken.

     Happy baking!

Day 73 - Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier Sauce

     I have to say a big thank you to my friend, Debbie, for her assistance with today's recipe.  I couldn't have done it without her because she let me borrow her soufflé dish.  I knew I was going to have to purchase one in order to make them for this blog, so I cannot tell you how excited I was when she told me she had one.  Debbie, I am so very grateful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
     Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier.  Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier.  I like the way that rhymes; soufflé, marnier, souffé, marnier.     
     I adapted this is from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p.684,685; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.  The original recipe I wanted to use wasn't going to work.  I got 3/4 of the way through typing it to the blog and realized I never typed that the oven had to be preheated, so I switched and used the recipe for the Basic Dessert Soufflé, and added orange to it.  I also made it gluten free.  Not intentionally, but if you read the post from yesterday, you'll remember that I'm out of flour because I spilled it on the floor.  So, I substituted the King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour where it called for 3 tablespoons and added a PINCH of xanthan gum.
     There is an Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier Sauce recipe in the book, but it isn't baked.  Mine is.

     Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier

     4 egg yolks
     ¼ cup granulated sugar
     2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
     3 tablespoons butter
     3 tablespoons flour
     1/8 teaspoon salt
     2 tablespoons orange marmalade
     1 cup milk
     5 egg whites
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
     Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish or baking dish and sprinkle it with sugar.  Beat the yolks; slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar, and grated orange zest, beating until thick and blended, set aside.
     Melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the flour, and salt.  Cook for several minutes over low heat, stirring, then slowly stir in the milk.  Stir in the orange marmalade.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sauce reaches the boiling point and becomes smooth and thick.

     Remove from heat, pour a little of the hot sauce into the yolk/sugar/zest mixture, and stir well.  Add the remaining yolk mixture to the sauce, stirring constantly, then return to the heat and cook for another minute; remove and let cool.

 Put the 5 egg whites in a large bowl and beat until foamy.  Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.

     Whisk a fourth of the whites into the sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites.  Stir in the vanilla.

     Pour into the soufflé dish.  Bake for 35 minutes if a slightly runny center is desired and 45-50 minutes for a dry soufflé.

After being in the oven for 30 minutes.  15 minutes to go.

     Sauce

     1 egg yolk
     3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
     1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
     ½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

     For the sauce, put the egg yolk into a medium bowl and whip it with a fork.  Stir in the confectioners' sugar and the Grand Marnier and whisk until it is smooth and blended.  Fold in the whipped cream.  Refrigerate until used.  Spoon sauce over each serving.

Right after removal from the oven.

Less than 5 minutes out of oven.

10 minutes after being taken out of the oven.  See how much it's collapsed?

     My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and the family decided that this soufflé earned 2½ rolling pins.  It smelled absolutely delicious as it was baking, and tasting the batter before it went into the oven, I thought it was really good and was quite impressed.  I have never had a soufflé before and decided that I'd be ok if I never had one again.  It wasn't that this wasn't good, it's just not my kind of dessert.  As my husband said, it's not the type of dessert we would order in a restaurant.  The flavor of the orange was just right and that sauce was sweet with that kick of Grand Marnier, but it was a little too eggy for me.  This was definitely a more sophisticated adult dessert and I was pleased that my kids couldn't stand the sauce.  Hmmm...now what to do with the rest of the Grand Marnier?

     Happy baking!

Day 72 - Gluten Free Chocolate Pound Cake

         This so wasn't the recipe I had intended to make today.  Did a lot of running around the state today and one of those places to which I ran was Gluten-Free Creations Bakery.  The place was a little hole-in-the-wall with no windows, tucked away behind a Midas shop.  No wonder the sign on the building says,

"You found us!". 

I walked into the shop (a little nerve-wracking because with no windows, I don't know what I'm walking into, but took a deep breath and turned the door knob) and everything is like right there.  I'm a little claustrophobic from being stuck in an elevator in high school, and that immediate feeling came back.  There was room to move around, it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't your regular open, airy-type shop.  They have so many baked goods available, and premixed flours which is wonderful for people who do a lot of baking (ahem!).  I didn't purchase it, but I did buy some cinnamon raisin bagels which were really, really good!  They reminded me of the Raisin-Cinnamon Mochi I used to buy when the kids were little at Bread & Circus (Whole Foods).  I'd cut it up into squares, pop those babies in the toaster oven and then put cream cheese in the middle.  Oh my gosh, they were so good!  Hmmmm...I think I'm gonna have to make a trip to Whole Foods to pick some of that stuff up - now I've got a craving.
     Today I also bought my daughter a brownie (which was delicious and tasted like the real thing!), and some pizza crusts which were really, really good, too!  Those crusts have been purchased by many pizza places in the area, so that they can offer gluten-free pizzas.  I have to say that I was very impressed with all of the items.  Who says gluten-free food can't taste great?  I would definitely recommend them.  I know they ship as well and have a frequent-buyer program, so check them out!
     As I said, I hadn't intended to make this Pound Cake today.  It was 8 o'clock this evening and I just sat down to eat dinner (everyone had already been fed and was doing their own thing) and realized it was going to take too long for what I had planned, so that will be baked tomorrow.  No, I'm not telling you what it is.

 I also had an accident in the kitchen (surprise, surprise), knocked the container of flour to the floor scattering its' contents.  Fortunately, there wasn't much left.  I wasn't even using flour in today's recipe!  I had it out though because I had just rolled out some pizza dough.  Oh, well.
     This recipe is from The Gluten-Free Kitchen, p. 143; author, Roben Ryberg; publisher, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-7615-2272-7.

     Chocolate Pound Cake

     ½ cup softened butter
     1 cup sugar
     2 eggs
     1½ teaspoons vanilla flavoring
     ½ cup cornstarch
     ½ cup potato starch
     ½ cup cocoa
     2½ teaspoons baking powder
     3/4 teaspoons salt
     1 1/8 teaspoons guar gum (I substituted xanthan gum)
     3/4 cup milk

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. 
     Add eggs and vanilla flavoring.  Mix well.
     Add all remaining ingredients except milk.  Mix well, being sure to remove all lumps.
     Slowly mix in milk.

     Pour batter into a greased 9 X 4 loaf pan. 

     Bake 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf tests clean.
     Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes.

     My daughter really loved this cake.  I have a rating system of 1-4 and 4 is the absolute best.  She decided that this Chocolate Pound Cake earned 4 rolling pins, and she's picky!
     Happy baking!

Day 69 - Lasagna Rolls & They Can be Gluten Free!

          I've made lasagna rolls before, not during this blog, but tonight I made it using gluten-free noodles.  It can easily be made both ways, so if you'd like to make it the regular way, all you have to do is substitute the lasagna noodles.  If you are going gluten free, make sure the following items you intend to use are in fact, gluten free and call the company phone number listed on the package if you have any questions.  I wasn't sure about our store brand ricotta cheese, so I called and found out it was ok to use.
      I also called about the lasagna noodles because they say DO NOT PRECOOK and Sarah said that they can't guarantee how they will turn out if they are precooked.  She said that more than likely they would fall apart.  I've had regular lasagna noodles fall apart when I boil them, how bad could these be?  I told her I'd try it and see how it went.  And actually, it wasn't too bad.  I only boiled them for 5 minutes though, just long enough so that they could be (oh my gosh, I am having such writer's block right now because I am so tired.  I can't think of the words I need to use!!) pliable - haha.  I wouldn't suggest any longer, such as following directions for a regular lasagna noodle because I really think they might disintegrate; 5 minutes seemed to be key.

     Lasagna Rolls   (This is the Gluten Free version - just substitute regular lasagna noodles and boil according to directions on package if wanting non-GF)  makes 12 rolls (or could have if one wasn't broken in thirds)

     1 package DeBoles GF lasagna noodles
     1 egg
     1 15 oz. ccontainer part skim ricotta cheese
     1 10oz. frozen box of spinach, thawed
     ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
     1  26 oz. jar of  Ragu spaghetti sauce
     1½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.
     Prepare lasagna noodles according to directions.  If gluten free oven ready noodles, wow - mouthful, boil for only 5 minutes.
     Prepare 13 x 9" with a non-stick spray.
     Pour 1/3 of spaghetti sauce into pan, making sure to coat the entire bottom.
     Drain lasagna noodles.  If gluten free, remove them from water with tongs and place in colander. (I didn't want to dump them into the strainer for fear they would tear).  Rinse with cold water.
     Arrange wax paper on counter and spray with cooking spray.
     Lay noodles flat on wax paper.

     In medium bowl, lightly beat egg.  Add ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.  Squeeze excess water out of spinach and add to bowl.  Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
     Using 1/3 - 1/4 of a cup spread mixture along length of noodle.  Roll up from one end to the other.

     Place seam side down in baking dish.
     After all rolls are assembled in dish, pour remaining spaghetti sauce on top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

     Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

    
     I liked them.  I really liked them when we had them unglutenfreed (new word), but these worked well, too.  My daughter, who is on a gluten free diet, liked them, but wasn't nuts about the spinach.  They're easy to make and not as time consuming as making a full-fledged lasagna.  I like that, too.
     My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  My daughter and I decided these should be given 3 rolling pins.  I also didn't have them when they came out of the oven because I was at a baseball game and came home to them lukewarm.  They were still good.  I like the consistency of the regular noodles best though.
     I admit I'm very tired tonight and am so very grateful for spellcheck!  If this post has been confusing, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  My e-mail is lafbaker@gmail.com.
   Happy baking!
    

Day 66 - Gluten Free Chicken Parmigiana

     I made two kinds of chicken parmigiana tonight - one was based on the Eggplant Parmigiana  recipe I made on Day 5 of this blog and the other one needed to be gluten free for my daughter.  I needed to change the breadcrumbs I usually use with something that was gluten free.  I was going to buy some gluten free bread crumbs, but figured they'd be pretty expensive as most gluten free products are, so I decided I"d do some searching online.  One site (I looked at so many, I can't remember which was which) said that a Japanese Panko crumbs could be made from crumbled Rice Chex cereal it doesn't contain gluten.  I didn't have the Rice, I had Honey Nut.  Since i was going to be eating it with her, I didn't want my Italian chicken tasting honeyish.
     My daughter has been eating these Blue Diamond Pecan Nut Thins.  They are really quite good!  Since she likes them so much I decided to take about 25-30 of them (which made about 1/2 cup) and pop them into the food processor which I had never used with any gluten containing products.  This is important because you don't want to use the same toaster, food processor, etc. for concern of cross-contamination.  I made this for three, but I'll give it to you for four servings.
     All of the specific items I used tonight were gluten free.  If this is important for you, please check your labels or if you have any questions, contact the company of the product you are concerned about directly.  That is the easiest way to find out and I've discovered that most are extremely willing to help with any dietary questions.  It is much better to check than just assume, and then have issues later. 

     Gluten Free Chicken Parmigiana
     2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more if needed)
     4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
     1 egg, lightly beaten
     3/4 cup Pecan Nut-Thin Cracker Crumbs (approx. 40 crackers)
     3/4 cup grated Kraft Parmesan Cheese
     1  1lb.10 oz. jar of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce
     8 oz. block of mozzarella cheese

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.
     Combine cracker crumbs and parmesan cheese on a plate. 
     Grate or slice mozzarella cheese.
     Dip one chicken breast into beaten egg, coating both sides.  Dredge in crumbs/parmesan mixture.  Repeat with remaining chicken.
     Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
     Add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides for about 4 minutes each.  I recommend using a spatula to scrape under the chicken before turning so that the coating won't stick to the pan.

Can you tell I didn't use the spatula before flipping like I told you to?

Pour 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce into a 9 X 13" baking dish to cover the bottom.

     Arrange chicken pieces in pan.
     Cover with remaining sauce.
     Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.
     Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

     Usually I'll use shredded mozzarella cheese, but I've read that some, unless noted that it is gluten free, may contain gluten.  Purchasing the block and slicing it myself also saved some money instead of buying the specific gluten free shredded cheese.
     In the past, the breadcrumbs I've used are Italian style and contain herbs.  To be honest, I completely forgot to add any oregano, or basil to the cracker crumbs, but I really couldn't taste a difference.  I think it may have been because there were enough spices in the spaghetti sauce.  The great thing about this meal is that you can just substitute those bread crumbs for the crackers if there aren't any dietary concerns.  
     I really liked the taste of the chicken.  It was coated nicely with the crackers and had a very slight nutty flavor.  My daughter really couldn't tell a difference from the bread crumbs, so I'll be making it for her this way again.  We both agreed that this gluten free chicken parmigiana deserves 3½ rolling pins.  I use a rating system of 1-4 rolling pins with 4 being the best.
     Happy baking!
    
    
    

    












   

Day 63 - Gluten-Free Ham and Cheese Pocket Pies

         Today was an absolutely wonderful day!  We were blessed with a new addition to our extended family; a new nephew/cousin.  I'm very excited!  We are waiting on pictures, but I'm sure he is just as beautiful as his older brother.  A HUGE congratulations to the new mommy and daddy!!  Babies are always so exciting, and sometimes I wouldn't mind being pregnant again.  I do miss those days.  But, that phase of my life is over.  I don't know if I could tolerate waking in the middle of the night every few hours anyway.
     I also received a most wonderful phone call from my very dear friend, Mary.  I shared her Spanikopita recipe on Day 48.  And just as I thought it would be, we picked up right where we'd left off.  It's been a couple years since we've spoken on the phone, but it was as if no time had passed.  And we talked for 2 hours; I'm sure we could have stayed on longer.  It was great to catch up, but it was even better to hear her voice, and especially her laugh.  Mary will always have a very special place in my heart. 
     If you have a friend like that or a friend who you haven't spoken with in a while, call or e-mail them.  You never know what they might be going through and you may be contacting them at the perfect time.  Why wait?  I'm sure it would do you both good to reconnect. 

     Since we started my daughter on this gluten-free diet a week ago to see if it would help with her acne, she's really been wanting me to bake her something besides those chocolate chip cookies from the pre-made mix.  So, I went to Barnes & Noble today and purchased The Gluten-Free Kitchen.  There is quite a selection of books for those with special needs.  I was just searching for one that was published by Random House so that I could copy the recipe for you.  The recipe is on page 182-183; author, Roben Ryberg; publisher, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-7615-2272-7.

     Double Chocolate Cookies   makes 3½ - 4 dozen

     ¼ cup softened butter
     3/4 cup dark brown sugar
     2 egg yolks
     1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
     1/3 cup water
     ¼ cup oil
     ½ cup potato starch
     ½ cup corn starch
     ¼ cup cocoa
     ¼ teaspoon baking soda
     ½ xanthan gum
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.
     In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. 

Add egg yolks, vanilla flavoring, water, and oil.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips.  Mix well, being sure to remove all lumps. 

Fold in chocolate chips.
     Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes.

     NOTE:  These cookies will soften if stored in an airtight container.  Freeze your extras, or give them a few minutes of air before serving.

     My daughter liked them and based on my rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best, she thought they deserved 3 rolling pins.  I thought they were ok.  They are definitely different then anything I've baked before - a lot flatter as you can somewhat see from the picture.
     Happy baking!