A million minutes

A lot can happen in a million minutes! Its been almost 2 years since my last post and I have missed blogging. Sometimes life gets in the way of the things we want to do. We moved to Kansas in 2017 and it has been quite the adjustment. I've had a daughter graduate and complete her first year of college. The same daughter went on a church mission to New Hampshire! I started working for a different Real Estate firm here in our small town. My other children have been very active in the local theater scene, and have been in numerous plays.. Life just doesn't seem to slow down. I'm still doing gluten-free baking on the side, filling custom orders locally.
I still dream of having my stuff in shops locally, but that hasn't come to fruition yet.
Meanwhile, I'm still baking and creating recipes.
Today I'll be sharing a simple recipe, but it's a goodie!

Fast as a Flash Pasta



6-oz Barilla Gluten-Free Pasta, cooked
1 TBSP Olive oil
1/2 small white onion, sliced
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
3 oz sliced deli salami
2 wedges Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese
2 oz Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp red pepper flake

Saute onion in olive oil until softened. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and cook until juice is released. Add salami and cook until fat is rendered. Add cooked pasta and stir fry until pasta is heated through and starts to soften. Add laughing cow, and parmesan cheese.
Stir until melted. Top with Parmesan and red pepper flake. Enjoy!

Can you believe it's almost back to school time! (gasp) The school supplies are back in the stores,
and I'm starting up my bento box lunch meal-planning.
I don't know about your kids,
but I'm tired of buying Lunchables that my kids pick out what they want, and throw the rest away. Such a waste!
I'll be posting the list here in the future.

I love a good French onion dip. I believe Lipton brand was gluten-free at one time, but why not make your own? The original contained MSG, which gave me monster headaches. My son and I searched the cabinets and came up with the super easy version.
I hope you like it! Serves 2




Homemade French Onion Dip Mix

2 TBSP gluten-free brown gravy mix, dry
1 TBSP dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
8 oz container sour cream

Measure out dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, Stir and add sour cream. Mix well and let set in fridge 1 hour.
Serve with chips or cut up veggies.

There you have it- simple and fast. Enjoy!

Happy Summer!!!
I keep thinking that I will eventually give up on this blog thing(as you can see from my very sparse posts, I pretty much have) but I just can't seem to let go. Yes, I have no big sponsors, I'm not on YouTube, but I do enjoy sharing my recipes here.

This morning I was in the mood for Hot Chocolate but it's 80+ degrees outside here in Kansas, so that's a no! Then I remembered our local coffee house sells frozen hot chocolate for a pretty penny. Its like 4$ for a small!! Surely we can do better, so I broke out my blender and got to work.

I started with 2 cups of lactose-free 2% milk in the blender. I added 3 envelopes/pkgs of cocoa mix powder and blended until smooth.
I then added 3 cups of ice, and pulsed until smooth. I topped it with whipped cream, and gave mine a drizzle of magic shell( yes, the stuff for ice cream)

I served it in my colored plastic tumblers I got from Aldi on clearance. It was really good especially with the crunchy chocolate bits from the Magic Shell! My kids loved it!
Until next time!

Nothing like a five year break in blogging , right? A lot has happened- a move, a complete change in jobs, and children graduating high-school. It all goes by so quick.
I'm in year 25 of being gluten-free and I'm still going strong and creating new recipes to try on my family.

January is a hard time of year for me. As others are making resolutions and changes, I seem to be battling the "winter blues" and just trying to survive day to day. I think this is a common thing with Celiacs. Our bodies just dont get the proper nutrients we need to be healthy, and let's not even talk about our weak immune system. Honestly, I just cant wait for Spring!

I thought I would share a recipe we made on a Snow Day in January. I just LOVE having my kids home, and the relaxed atmosphere it creates.


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The Bomb!

One of my favorite places to eat gluten-free, is PF Changs. For the last year we lived in a state, yes I said a state, that did not have one location. So, I perfected a copy cat version of my favorites, Mongolian Beef and Chicken Lettuce wraps. That got me to thinking of my favorite dessert, the Chocolate Raspberry Bomb torte. You know the little round, chocolate dessert, with the fancy vanilla and raspberry sauce. I'm happy to say, that last nights version tasted exactly like the one at PF Changs. The recipe is a little time consuming, as you are making two sauces that accompany the chocolate torte. This dessert is pretty heavy on the dairy side, so if you have that intolerance, you might want to try some substitutes. Here's the recipe:

P. F. Chang's Chocolate Raspberry Bomb Torte
serves 5


1/2 cup Butter
3 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 Eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Vanilla Sauce

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 Vanilla extract
4 Egg yolks

Raspberry Sauce

1 12 oz bag frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons Granulated sugar
4 tablespoons Water

Fresh Raspberries for garnish


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips and stir occasionally until chocolate is completely melted. Do not over melt! Remove chocolate from heat to cool.
Beat 4 eggs until fluffy in a large bowl, add sugar and vanilla and mix well until sugar is dissolved.
Temper the egg mixture by mixing in just a few tablespoons of the warm chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate mixture, and stir until well combined.
Pour the batter into 5 buttered and parchment paper lined ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes or until middle of the cake begins to firm up. Remove and cool to room temp, then cover, and chill in fridge.

To prepare the vanilla sauce,combine cream with 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat mixture, stirring often, just until boiling, then remove from heat.(watch carefully to avoid boil over)
In a medium bowl whisk together remaining 1/4 cup of sugar,vanilla, and egg yolks until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by adding a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and heat it up again, stirring often until it begins to boil. Turn off heat and cool for 5 minutes. Then a cover using a piece of plastic wrap laid directly on top of the sauce and chill in the fridge until you are ready for it.

Make the raspberry sauce by pureeing the thawed raspberries in a blender. Add 4 tablespoons of water to thin the berries . Pour pureed berries into a saucepan over cook over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons sugar. Heat until mixture boils,remove from heat. Cover and chill.

To assemble torte, I like to transfer the sauces to a squeeze bottles.( I like the Wilton brand) I squeeze a thin line of raspberry sauce on the plate, followed by larger dots of vanilla sauce on either side. I carefully invert the baked torte from its ramekin,peel off the paper, and place it in the center of the plate. Top with fresh raspberries, and a little extra of the the two sauces on top.

Warning: this is very dense and rich, and I often have to share a serving with my husband! Enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes

Well, it's back to school time again. And you know what that means, freedom, oh no, I mean baking! I love having free time, to tweak recipes and bake to my hearts content. I have been craving cheese cake lately, and was trying hard not to give in. Unfortunately my children don't eat it, so the hubs and I end up devouring the whole thing.
So I had the thought, how about mini cheesecakes? Maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty :)
Here's the recipe:

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
Crust

1/4 cup crushed gluten free cookies or othe gluten free crumbs
2 tbsp brown sugar
a dash of salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Pour over melted butter and mix together with a fork. The mixture should look like sand. Place about a tablespoon of crumb mixture in each of the prepared muffin cups and press down with the back of spoon.

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Evenly divide cheesecake batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheesecakes are set.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the muffin pan, then carefully transfer cheesecakes to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store finished cheesecakes in the refrigerator.

Magic Cookie Bars!

Are you ready for some messy, chocolatey goodness? I am!
I remember my mom making these "cookies" when I was a child, which got me to wondering, could I pull off a gluten-free version?
The answer is yes. With just a few modifications, you too can have this yummy treat. The substitution lies in the graham crackers.

I used a mixture of crushed Rice Chex cereal, and some doughnut crumbs, from a recent baking disaster. You can use just Chex crumbs, if that is all you have on hand.
I'm not sure if there are gluten-free Graham Cracker Crumbs out there yet,(there probably is and I just don't know about it) but it would make the recipe a little easier.
Doesn't matter anyways, cause this bar cookie is totally worth it! Onto the recipe:

Magic Cookie Bars


1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut


Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add butter to crumbs and press into the bottom of a 9x13 dish, that has been liberally sprayed with non-stick spray.
Open the can of SCM,(try not to eat it all)and pour evenly over the crust.
Sprinkle chocolate and butterscotch chips evenly over the milk layer.
Top with chopped nuts, and coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Cool completely, and cut into squares.

Cinnamon Rolls?

It's been super cold here in South Dakota, so we have been inside, a lot. Of course, this has afforded me some time to refine more recipes.
I'm proud to say I have perfected my cinnamon roll recipe! The pudding mix is the key ingredient, as it helps bind the dough together, and makes it easier to roll.
This recipe makes 8 large gluten free rolls.


Icing:

1 ounce cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Blend all in mixing bowl, until smooth.


Filling:

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, very soft
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour ( I use a 3-2-1 ratio of rice flour, cornstarch, and tapioca flour)
plus an additional 1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry) OR dry milk powder
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla



Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.
Put water and margarine in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the margarine has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you have to.
Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Take a piece of plastic wrap or floured cutting board. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish shape. Roll the dough out to a square approximately 8″ x 16″.
Spread filling mixture evenly across dough’s surface.
Starting along the long end, roll it up, forming a long cylinder.
Using a long piece of dark thread or knife dipped in water to cut into rolls. Place rolls in prepared pan, with cut side up.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, or until nearly double in size.
Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before frosting with icing.

Almond Joy Bites

Looking for a delicious, gluten-free candy, to give to those special people in your life? Look no further, you have found it. I was internet hopping and found this recipe on Food Network.
This recipe comes form Alton Brown, one of my favorite chef-celebs on Food Network. Warning, these are rich, but well worth the time :)

Ingredients:

1 cup toasted chopped Macadamia nuts, or other favorite nuts
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
One 7-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate morsels, melted
1 tablespoon shortening


Directions In a bowl mix together the nuts, condensed milk, almond extract and coconut. Using your fingers, press the mixture into balls about 3/4-inch round. Place onto sheet trays and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours or in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After the balls have set up, melt the chocolate and shortening until smooth. Dip into the chocolate to coat evenly and lightly. Place onto a parchment or foil lined sheet pan to dry

Trifle Baby

Don't you hate it when you try a new recipe, and it fails miserably? I tried a roll cake recipe, and it was a total flop! It was so crumbly!
So, what do you do with your mistakes? You cover it with chocolate pudding, and fresh whipping cream. Looks pretty good for a mistake :)

Frosty

Do you ever get in the mood for a Weny's Frosty? Unfortuantely, I live 2 hours away from the nearest Wendy's, so I needed a way to get my fix!
After searching online for a copy cat recipe, I came to the conclusion there wasn't one I would try. Some require many ingredients, or an ice cream maker.
Since I had neither, I used what I had on hand, mostly from my pantry.

The cast of characters:

Pantry Items:
1/2 cup Coconut milk
12 heaping teaspoons Auguson Farms Morning Moo Chocolate Milk Mix

Fridge/Freezer items
1/2 carton vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 cup Cool Whip

First, combine the coconut milk and 2% milk into the bottom of the blender. Add the chocolate milk mix, blend well. Add ice cream, and blend about 1 minute. Add Cool Whip last, and blend for about 30 seconds. The cool whip really gives it that airy Frosty mouth feel. Enjoy!

Muffins

Wanted to share a quick recipe for Chocolate Banana Muffins. If you have some bananas you need to use, this is a GREAT recipe.
If you dont have applesauce on hand, go ahead and use vegetable oil. Of course the applesauce IS healthier :)

Chocolate Banana Muffins

3 large bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup white rice flour (or mixture of other GF flours)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp xanthan gum
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like Giradelli’s)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Line a muffin tin with baking cups, and set it aside. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher.
Mix in sugar, egg and applesauce. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum, to the banana mixture.
Mix lightly with a rubber spatula to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter should be just moistened but still a little clumpy.
Pour, or scoop batter into cups, and bake for 20 minutes.

WARNING: these are very chocolatey and gooey! If you dont like that much chocolate, omit the chocolate chips. Enjoy!

Go ahead, make your move...

Greetings from South Dakota! Yes you read correctly. The family and I moved from Utah, to South Dakota about 2 weeks ago. It was a tri-state move, with enough stress to choke a horse, but alas, we made it! We are now living in a small town in South Central, South Dakota. Ive been learning how to buy GF in bulk, and the harsh reality set in, when I saw my local grocery does not carry gluten free items. Guess I will be getting to know my UPS/Fedex guy, really well. It's been a while since I posted anything(moves do that to you)and I though I would share a recipe for yummy baked granola.
Don't pay 7$ for 12 oz pkg. Make this instead, and save yourself some money!


HOMEMADE Gluten-Free GRANOLA

2 cups certified gluten-free oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup sliced almonds or other nut
1/2 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup honey(or agave)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons of butter (or my fav, coconut oil.)


DIRECTIONS: Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a small saucepan( or in microwave), combine the peanut butter, honey(agave), butter (coconut oil), and vanilla.
Once the peanut butter mixture is combined, mix it with the dry ingredients until the oat mixture is moistened. Press the granola in a shallow pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
The granola will be pretty dark, but as it cools you will be able to break it up. I store mine in a gallon ziploc bag in the freezer.
A typical serving for this, as cereal with milk, is about a 1/2 cup. Eaten by the handful, well until you want to stop :)

Eureka!

I have FINALLY perfeted my Old Fashioned Cake Donut recipe! Hold onto to your waistline, because it's about to change :) Once you try one, you just can't stop! So here it goes..

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
Yields 10 doughnuts

2 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix(I used the UN-Flour recipe from Irresistibly Gluten Free, by Christina Davis.)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp iodized salt
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup
2 tbsp softened shortening, like Crisco.
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
canola oil/vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl, and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the sugar and shortening/vegetable lard for 1 minute on low speed, until sandy. Add the egg yolks, then mix for 1 more minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is light coloured and thick.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with sour cream, mixing until just combined on low speed and scraping the sides of the bowl each time.
The dough will be sticky, like biscuit dough. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes(or up to 24 hours).
Heat your deep fryer to 350 degrees. Roll out the chilled dough on a generously floured counter or cutting board to 1/2 in thickness, flouring the top of the dough and the roling pin as necessary to prevent sticking. Cut into as many doughnuts as possible, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut.

I use a biscuit cutter, and a metal cake decorating tip to make the inner hole. Shake any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to crowd them.(they will expand) Fry until golden for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Drain on paper towels and dip one side of doughnut into glaze and let dry.

Enjoy!

Simplest Vanilla Glaze

3 1/2 cups powder sugar,
sifted 1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp hot water, plus more if needed

Place the confectioner’sugar, salt, vanilla, and hot water in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.

It's Springtime here in Utah, and that means Case Lot Sales! This week I got a great deal on Fresh Strawberries at Stokes Market, in Salem. 6.99$ a flat, which contains 8 quarts of berries... Needless to say, we have been eating strawberries, making freezer jam, and of course, strawberry pie!
For this month, I though I would share my recipe for my Mom's Scrumptious Strawberry Pie, only Gluten-Free!

First I start out by making the crust. I prefer the Donna Jo's Pie Crust recipe in Betty Hagman's book, More From the Gluten Free Gourmet.
Here is the recipe per her book: (This makes enough pastry for a 2 pie crusts, so half the recipe if you only need one crust)

Crust:
½ c. tapioca flour
½ c. cornstarch
¼ c. potato starch flour
1 c. sweet rice flour
1 rounded t. xanthan gum
½ t. salt
Dash of sugar (optional)
½ c. (1 stick) margarine
½ c. butter-flavored Crisco
1 egg, cold
1 T. GF vinegar
4 T. ice water (I use 2 T)
plastic wrap for rolling.

Directions:
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 big, since rice flour crusts can stand handling. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more to chill. Divide the dough and roll out between two sheets plastic wrap, for easier handling. Place in a pie tin. If using plastic wrap, invert the dough into the pan. Bake as directed for the filling used. For a baked crust, prick the pastry with a fork on sides and bottom. Bake the crust in a preheated 450-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly browned. Cool before filling.
When you are done, you should have a cooked and cooled pie crust.

Now onto the Pie recipe:
Mom's Scrumptious Strawberry Pie

One COOKED and cooled pie crust

Filling:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 teaspoons cornstarch
3 oz pkg of stawberry jello
1 quart of strwberries washed, hulled, and sliced.

Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Over medium heat, add water, and stir to dissolve. Continue to stir until mixture is thickened. Turn off heat, add powdered jello, and stir until dissolved. Layer sliced strawberries in pie crust. Pour jello mixture over berries, and let set for about an hour. (the refrigerator speeds up this process too)
Top with Cool Whip at serving. Doesn't it look divine?

Deal at Macey's grocery store

Wanted to post quickly about a gluten-free deal at Macey's grocery stores this week. If you live in Utah, they have a deal on the Gluten-free Rice Krispie Cereal 4 boxes for 10$. This cereal is normally about 4.79 a box(regular price) so this is BIG savings! Here was my scenario:

2 boxes @ 2.50 each
used a manufac. coupon for 1.00$ off two boxes(found in last Sunday's newspaper)
total= 2$ per box.

Also on special marked packages, there is a peelie for a free bag of M&Ms, yes FREE! It's a 3.79 value just on the M&M's, and with Easter coming up, that's a huge help.
So run down to Maceys and grab this deal today!

Gluten Free Night at Maceys

Was able to head over to Maceys last night, to get in a gluten-free cooking demo, put on by Sunflower Mills. I have tried a lot of GF mixes in my life, and I have to say, that this brand, is one of my top two favorites.

Now some of you know I run a GF cupcake buisness out of my home, and have struggled to find a good recipe for yellow cake. I have the chocolate, and red velvet perfected, but the yellow cake is elusive. I was hoping SM would fit the bill, but alas, the sample of yellow cake was a bit dry. They assured me that this was not the case if it was made into an actual round. Maybe a key ingredient was left out in the sample.

Anyhow, we were treated to some yummy zucchini cake, cinnamon rolls, corn muffins and the best for last, Peanut Butter Bars, that were made during our class. Those Peanut Butter Bars rocked! If you would like the recipe go to Sunfowermills.com and look for the recipe under the heading recipes or go here

http://www.sunflourmillsidaho.com/Sun%20Flour%20Mills/Recipes.html

Hope you will give these wonderful products a try.

Good Food on the Cheap- 3 Stir Potatoes (Fried)

I know we all crave that one dish your Mom perfected growing up. For me, it is fried potatoes. You would think with only spuds, grease, and some salt, nothing could go wrong? It's an accident waiting to happen.
Potaoes stuck to cast iron skillet like cement, burned on the outside, but oh-so-raw on the inside. Here's a fool-proof method for pan frying potatoes. By the way, you might want to clear the kiddos out of the kitchen for this one. Popping grease is hazardous to your skin :)

These directions are courtesy of Jerry @ cbsop.com (Cooking by the Seat of My Pants

Dorris’ Fried Potatoes

Ingredients:

4-7 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces (this depends on the size of the potatoes and the size of the skillet. My skillet is 11½”, so I can generally fit 6 medium sized russet’s comfortably. A different sized skillet means a different amount.)
3-7 tbsp bacon grease (or butter, or olive oil, or Crisco… I’d go with the bacon grease if possible)
1 small onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add fat of your choice allow to come to a shimmer. (Just before smoking.)

Add potatoes to skillet as quickly (and safely) as possible in a single layer. If you’ve cut too many to fit in the pan, make them in batches.

Reduce heat to medium low, then walk away. Do not attempt to move the potatoes around, they’re stuck to the pan like cement at this point, and that’s exactly what you wanted to happen. Hang out, have a cup of coffee and use your ears and nose to guide you.

When there’s nearly no sizzle left in the pan and the potatoes start smelling almost sweet, it’s time to stir it up(stir #1). Use a stiff spatula and carefully dislodge the potatoes from the bottom of the skillet (if they’re sticking at all.) then walk away.(I calculated about 6 minutes to get them brown on one side)

Moving things around in the pan too often will irrevocably damage the process. Wait about 5 minutes and stir the potatoes again(stir #2).
Take stock of the amount of grease in the pan. If it looks dry, add another tablespoon.

Salt the spuds profusely. Don’t worry, they’ll soak almost all of it up without a noticeable effect on taste, but now is the time we want them to start letting go of the moisture we’ve trapped inside. Wait about 5 more minutes and toss the onions into the skillet(stir #3). Add pepper.

By now it should be safe to keep them moving more often, and you’ll need to do so if you want to keep the onions from burning. Caramelized is fine, burnt isn’t.

When the onions are cooked to your liking and the spuds are fork-tender, you’re done.

Restaurant Review-Big Al's Texas BBQ-Provo, Utah

I am a true Southerner. I have spent the last 36 years of my life in the Southern part of the United States, and I am what you call a "GRIT"
(Girls Raised in The South)
I know my barbeque, and the best part is every place I have visited, I have tried the regional flavor,ie. Kansas City, Memphis, Texas, Oklahoma, etc...I have to say Memphis Style is my favorite. There is something about taking a bunch of spices and sugar, throwing them in a bowl, and rubbing it onto a thick rack of ribs! I dont profess to be a master griller, I just know what I like. Dry rubs! For those of you not familiar with BBQ, Memphis Style is dry rub-doesn't include BBQ sauce(unless you want to put it on afterwards.)

There are some decent BBQ recipes out there. Americas Test Kitchen has a Memphis Style Rib recipe,that is fairly simple, that includes grilling, and finishing in the oven.

Now onto our review. We went to Big Al's Texas BBQ in the middle of the week, about 2pm for lunch. Even at that time, there were patrons getting thier BBQ grub on! My husband got the daily special, which is a type of BBQ sloppy jo, with beef and pork, in thier Texas sauce.
I had a small lunch portion of ribs, with baked beans, and coleslaw, which are both gluten free sides. Sorry to say, I found out the fries are not GF. FYI-they do have a list by the cash register of items that are gluten free.

The beef ribs were tender, and fall of the bone. If you like a little bit of heat, I would recommend the Spicy BBQ sauce. The coleslaw was incredibly good, but the baked beans had BBQ meat in them, and I kinda prefer a vegetarian baked bean. My husband gladly inhaled the beans :)

As far as price, this place ain't cheap. My lunch portion of ribs was 13$ and the daily special, was around 8$. On a scale from 1-10, I give this place a 7.

Now onto the next BBQ houses, Tommy's BBQ in Provo, and Sticky Bones, in Spanish Fork, Utah.

Carry on, BBQ lovers!

Monkey Bread!

When I was in college, say 20 years ago( yes,I am old..lol) Monkey Bread was all the rage. With a few cans of biscuit dough, brown sugar, and an oven, you could satisfy your sweet tooth.

Saturday is my baking day, and last Saturday I required something sweet. All I had in the house was a pkg of Grandpa's Kitchen Bread Mix on my pantry shelf, so I decided to give it a go.

The only thing I modified from the package instructions was I used 1.5 cups of milk, instead of the yogurt it calls for.
In addition, I melted 4 TBSP butter in shallow bowl, and prepped some cinnamon-sugar for rolling the balls of dough.
I basically used my smallest pampered chef cookie scoop, and dipped the dough balls in the butter, then rolled them in brown sugar.
I packed them loosely into a greased bundt pan, and let them rise for 45 minutes.


Heat the oven to 400 degrees, and bake the bread for 25 minutes. Cool the monkey bread in the pan for three minutes, then invert onto a plate, and enjoy!