Spanish Rice

You all know I love to cook. I have a few go-to recipes, and this is on of them.
I first had this rice about 20 years ago, at my friend Jill's house back in Arkansas. I think the recipe is her mothers, but nevertheless, it has stood the test of time. The bacon really makes it, so don't skip it!

Jill's Spanish Rice

5-6 slices bacon, stacked, and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup rice
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp sugar

Saute bacon in pan until brown. Remove and drain on paper towels, until cooled. Reserve 2 tbsp grease in pan.
Over medium heat, saute onions and bell peppers for about 2 minutes. Add rice, stir until rice is coated, and starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, ketchup water, salt/pepper, and sugar to pan. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. (This rice will need to be stirred about every 5 minutes to prevent sticking) To serve, top with bacon pieces.
We often serve this with cheese enchiladas, and a salad. Enjoy!

Gluten-free doughnuts

I miss my donuts. I have tried, rather unsuccessfully, to duplicate yeast
glazed donut. They usually turn out with a muffin-like texture and have a
gritty aftertaste.
I have had some success with Blue Chip Group's Scone Mix,(now called
Auguson Farms) but was looking for something I could make with the flours I
keep on hand. I think this recipe is the closest I have come, with out actually using AP flour..lol..

Now onto the recipe:

1 packet yeast(2 tsp)
1/8 cup warm water
3/4 cups lukewarm milk
1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 Tbs shortening, melted
1 3/4 cups GF flour mix
1 1/2 tsps xanthan gum
vegetable oil for frying

Combine 1 3/4 cups flour with xanthan gum, set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water . In a 2 1/2-quart bowl add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 1 1/2 cups of flour with xanthan gum mixed. Add yeast mixture, and beat on low speed, scraping bowl. (about 30 seconds). Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally (2 minutes). Turn dough onto well floured surface. Gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick with floured rolling pin, or pat with hands. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Cover and let rise until doubled (40-50 minutes). Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 350F. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side.

Product Review- Grandpa's Kitchen Pizza Mix

The mix...

The toppings...


The finished products...

I recently went to a demo at Beehive Essentials. They were featuring the Grandpa's Kitchen line of gluten-free products. I was able to meet the co-owner and creator, Allison Kuawe. Like many of us, her diagnosis started her on the path to find delicious food she could eat. Her mother Joyce, was diagnosed shortly after, & they experimented gluten-free flours. In the beginning, the family would pass out their "special" mixes, for people to try. They eventually convinced the duo to sell their product.

Grandpas Kitchen products are made right here in Utah.During our demo, Allison shared with us a delicious samples of orange danish, carrot cake, and sandwich bread. I was really impressed with these products. There was no gritty aftertaste, and the breads basically melted in your mouth. As they say in the biz "it has a nice mouth feel". Allison informed us, that Grandpas Kitchen also has a cookbook, that uses many of their mixes. You can find the book at www.grandpas-kitchen.com.

Now onto my pizza review....I was really surprised by how chewy the pizza crust was. Rice flour crusts tend to turn into mush in your mouth, but this crust was really great. The flavor,however,reminded me of a potato. Over all,I would give the crust a 4 on a scale of 5. Not bad for a local product. I will definitely buy it again, and try Cinnamon Rolls next time :)

Pear Pie

before

after

Got 1/2 case of pears from work today. Thought I might do some canning, but decided I just didn't feel like it. The weather here in Utah has been overcast, cold, and rainy, literally draining the energy from me :)

I finally decided on making a pear pie, which is something I have never made before. This recipe is from allrecipes.com, with a few minor changes. For the crust, I used the Donna-Jo's Dream Pastry recipe, from Betty Hagmans book,"More From the Gluten-Free Gourmet

Crust Recipe:
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1 rounded tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
dash sugar optional
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter flavored crisco
1 egg cold
1 TbSP. GF vinegar
sweet rice flour for rolling

Blend together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar. Cut in the margarine and Crisco in small dabs until you have shortening the size of lima beans (not cornmeal).
Beat the egg using a fork; add the vinegar and ice water. Stir into the flour mixture, forming a ball. You may knead this a bit, since rice flour crusts can stand handling. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more to chill. Roll out, or pat into pie pan. Make sure you dock the crust with a fork, before adding filling.

Creamy Pear Pie:
1/3 cup white sugar
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups peeled and sliced pears
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked GF pie shell

TOPPING:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, stir together the white sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Add pears lemon juice, and toss to coat. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla, until the pears are evenly coated. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
3.In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup flour and brown sugar. Mix in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pie.
4.Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until pears are tender, and crust is browned.

Serve with whipped cream, or ice cream! ENJOY!

Strudel

I work in a bakery. Yes, a flour-filled bakery. I handle strudels, and turnovers, and doughnuts every day. Sometimes, it's sheer torture.
Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at a GF strudel. Our local Health Food store had a 2 for 1 deal on Chebe Mix. For those of you not familiar with Chebe Mix, the main ingredient is Manioc(tapioca) flour. A word of advice- be careful with the mix when you open it. The mix is so light, it creates a flour cloud when you pour it into the bowl!
I decided to use the Chebe mix made for cinnamon rolls with this experiment. I began following the manufacturers directions and mixed the dough in my Kitchen Aid mixer. Meanwhile I sauteed 2 Granny Smith Apples in 2 Tbsp butter. I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and some white and brown sugar. I sauteed until the apples were tender. I finished the apple mixture off with a splash of vanilla and lemon juice.


Now that my filling was done, I was ready to roll out the Chebe dough.


Chebe dough is very rubbery, and has a tendency to shrink. I got it into a manageable rectangle, and added the filling in the center.
Fold over both sides to cover filling, and brush the top with egg wash.


I finished it off with some granulated sugar over the top. I baked it approximately 30 minutes in a 375 oven.


My taste-testers said it reminded them of some strudels they had tasted in Europe. I will take that compliment and run with it!

Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Amy and I am a Celiac. Sounds like a ten step program, eh?
My journey to become gluten-free was definitely a self-help program, that took approximately 20 years. My story is like many other Celiacs, I was a sickly child, who could not gain weight. I was a teen in the 80's, struggling not only with self-image issues, but with chronic diarrhea, and nausea. When I was 18, I was able to talk to a nutritionist about my problem, and she suggested an elimination diet to weed-out the offending food. I took her advice and found wheat/gluten to be the culprit. I'm hoping that through this blog I can offer support,and share what I have found, to help those who are struggling with this disease.

Most of you that are new to this journey, have been to your local grocery to check out the gluten-free isle. I can assure you that 20 years ago, you could not locate rice flour in the grocery store, and if you found a clerk to ask, they would look at you quizzically. Celiacs have many options today. It's nice to see that some companies, such as Betty Crocker,(check out their Asian Hamburger Helper and GF Bisquick mix)and big box stores, such as Walmart, taking notice of us.
For my first post, I want to share a delicious recipe for those mouth-watering cheese biscuits from Red Lobster, called Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

1 box of Bisquick Gluten Free Baking Mix

1 cup cold whole milk

4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Butter/Garlic baste:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter, in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, mixture will be wet.

Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet using an ice cream or cookie scoop.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

Meanwhile combine, 2 Tablespoons butter is a small bowl, stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and dried parsley flakes. Microwave until butter is melted. Apply the baste to the tops of biscuits while hot. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Even my non-celiac family members gobbled them up. Come back tomorrow for another short-cut recipe, using Chebe bread mix!