Southern Fried Corn

Posted by Michele at 9:51 AM 0 comments

Before anyone says it, yes, I know.  This recipe has basically taken corn and made it hardcore unhealthy.  But oh how delicious!  And the smell of it simmering... Yum!

It's really not ttthhhaaattt bad.  If you divide the recipe into 12 servings, they weigh in at about 285 calories each (about 20g carbs, 21g fats, and 2g protein... I know, I know- but delicious!!!)

In a large, cast iron pan (Don't have one? Stop now and go buy one.  Not kidding.), melt:
1 stick (4oz) of butter.

Stir in:
32 ounces/ 2 pounds of sweet, white corn (freshly schucked, in season is the best, but frozen will work).

Once the corn is fully coated in the butter, reduce the heat to low and stir in:
1 pint of heavy cream,
1 tbsp (to taste) of pepper, and
1 tsp (to taste) of salt.

Slow simmer all day (yep, I start this in the morning to serve with dinner), or for a minimum of 4 hours.  You want the cream to reduce and thicken, and the corn to melt in your mouth.

Southern Pecan Pie

Posted by Michele at 9:50 AM 0 comments

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare an:
8in pie shell

In a stand mixer, mix together:
3 eggs,
2oz (4 tbsp) melted butter (cooled),
3/4 cup of dark brown sugar,
2/3 cup of brown rice syrup, and
1 tbsp of bourbon.

Stir in:
14-16 ounces of pecan pieces.

Pour into the prepared pie plate and bake at 350°F for 60 to 75 minutes.  The pie should be fully set and lightly caramelized on top.

Gluten Free Pie Shell

Posted by Michele at 8:39 AM 0 comments

1 1/2 cups of GF AP Flour (I really like the Bob's Red Mill Pie Flour, but the 1 to 1 is great, too)

4oz cold butter, grated

Up to 1/4 cup of water


Finger in the butter into the flour, until it's the texture of breadcrumbs.  A tablespoon at a time, work in the water.  I usually find 2 to 3 tablespoons does the trick for me.  Chill your dough for about 30 minutes, then roll it into a disc.  Press into an 8 inch pie plate and create your magic!  This shell is great for pies and quiche alike!

Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones

Posted by Michele at 11:44 AM 0 comments

My kids lucked out with godparents (or mayb , we've just lucked out with the folks in our lives).  And nothing brings people together like food.  Sarah (Nicholas and Sophia's godmother) makes me think of halumpki (stuffed cabbage), while Terri (Alexander's godmother) makes me think of wine! 😉 When I think of Esteban and Jody (Bobby and Maya), I am reminded of Paraguayan stuffed meat rolls and scones always, always, always remind me of Gary, Barbara (Michael), and their family (their son of whom is Lucas's godfather and their daughter, Ana's godmother).  This quarantine has me missing the people I love and care about, and this morning, I was longing for one of Barbara's hugs and Gary's perfect scones.  Hence...  My first attempt at a gluten free scone!

(And not to leave anyone out... The other godparents also remind me of food: Meg (Maya) and dinner at a favorite gastropub; Eileen (Lucas) and chicken parm; and Clinton (Ana) and lunches with laughter and good times .)

Based loosely off my soda bread recipe, this one made 8 scones.  I don't have a pan, so I cut them by hand.  A note : keep it cold.  Freeze the butter, freeze to chill the scones before baking.  Cold, cold, cold.

Heat your oven to 375°.

In a small bowl, finely cut it grate 1/2 a cup of butter (1 stick), then put it in the freezer while you work on combining your other ingredients.  (Once you get going, this will go fast, so you don't want the down time).

In a mixing bowl , stir together :
2 cups of (GF) AP flour;
1 tbsp of baking powder;
1 tsp of baking soda; and
1 tsp of salt.

In another bowl, whisk together :
1 egg;
1/2 cup of buttermilk;
1 tbsp of orange juice; and
1/2 cup of sugar.

Prepare 1 cup of dried cranberries.

Flour your hands and quickly cut the frozen butter into your flour mixture before adding in the liquids and quickly mixing together.  Hand in your cranberries and roll onto a floured cutting board, forming the dough into a rectangular pyramid.

Using a floured knife, slice into 8 pieces and place on a greased baking sheet.  Put into the freezer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  (For what it's worth, Peter and I danced in the rain for a few minutes too... Strictly for extra freezing time!  ♥ 💃🕺)

Melt 1/4 cup (1 stick of butter) and combine with 2 tbsp of orange juice.  Measure out 1/4 cup of demerera sugar.

Reserve 1/3 of the liquid and 2 tbsp of the sugar.  This will coat your scones prior to cooking.

Over medium heat (in a cast iron pan), add the remaining butter /juice and sugar.  Bring to a rapid boil and simmer until thickened but not candied, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Remove the scones from the freezer and brush with the reserved butter/juice.  Sprinkle with the set aside sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes .  They will be lightly browned and the sugar will glisten on the top.  Cool for 10 minutes and drizzle with the orange caramel sauce.

Southern Peach Cobbler

Posted by Michele at 5:14 PM 0 comments

This is the recipe my Mamaw has been making since I was a girl (with a few minor tweaks).  I still remember the jars of her home canned peaches that made even winter taste like summer!  (On that note, I need to make chili soon... Her canned tomatoes were awesome!)  I talked to Mamaw yesterday and, as we chatted, her cobbler recipe came up.  So, here's to my Mamaw and her amazing recipe!

Heat the oven the 350°F and grease a 13x9.

Mix together:
2 cups of (GF) A. P. flour,
1.5 tsp of salt:
2 tsp of baking soda; and
2 tsp of baking powder.

Once those are combined, add in and beat on medium until well mixed:
1 cup of sugar;
2 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
2 cups of buttermilk OR 1 cup of buttermilk and 1 cup of peach water/juice*

Stir in:
2 lbs of sliced peaches*

*You can use fresh peaches; peel and slice, then bring to a boil for 10 minutes to soften and to create peach water.  If using canned peaches, you can use the juice that is in the can (do not use peaches in syrup).

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  A fork will be clean when the dish is poked to ensure doneness.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Corned Beef Crusted Quiche

Posted by Michele at 12:13 PM 0 comments

With a large family, so much of our income goes to groceries, so it's important not to waste food.  (It's important, regardless of family size!). This morning, I made a breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, Obrien potatoes, and corned beef hash.  As the table was cleared, there was a little bit of food left an , as I looked at, I decided to grab a few more leftovers from the fridge and craft a breakfast - for - dinner favorite: quiche!  Serve this for any meal of the day and it will soon become a "leftover" your family begs for!


I had about half a cup each of potatoes and corned beef hash leftover, which I combined and mashed into a 9"pie plate.

In addition to the 2 slices of bacon I had leftover, I grabbed from the fridge: 1" wedge of red onion , half a small bell pepper, 1/3 of a large tomato, and half a bag of shredded cheese (the one I had was a 6 cheese, Italian blend).

I diced the veg and bacon, then tossed all those leftovers (with the cheese) in with 3 eggs, 3/4 cup of half and half  , and salt & pepper (3 turns of the grinder each) that I had whisked together.  I poured the prepared mixture into my pie shell and put it in the oven at 350°F for 55 min.

I often precook quiche, then freeze it.  You can either pop it in the oven frozen for an hour or so (covered in foil), or defrost in the fridge and reheat until your level of hot is achieved.  Peter bought me several Hot Logic products years ago, including the MacroWave for mass reheating, and I tend to defrost, then stick fully cooked things like quiche and eggplant or chicken parm, in the HL for a few hours.  I love them and use them all the time.  It's also how Peter reheats his lunches at work.

Recipe : all measurements appropriate.

For the crust:
1/2 cup of Obrien potatoes
1/2 cup of corned beef hash

For the filling:
3 eggs
3/4 cup of half & half
1/4 cup of diced bacon
1/4 cup of diced red onion
3/8 cup of diced bell pepper
3/4 cup of diced tomato
1 cup of shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Temp and Time: 350° F for 55 minutes

Maya's Gluten Free Smores Cookie

Posted by Michele at 8:14 PM 0 comments

https://youtu.be/e8WdDtfBTzA

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Waffles

Posted by Michele at 8:50 AM 0 comments

In a mixing bowl, put together: 

2.5 cups of gluten free A. P. flour; 

1 tbsp baking powder; 

1.5 tsp baking soda; 

1.5 tsp salt; 

1/2 cup of sugar. 

Mix together in another bowl: 

1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled; 

3 eggs; 1/2 cup of whole milk; 

3 cups of buttermilk. 

Mix in the wet into the dry, then add in: 

1 cup of mini chocolate chips. 

Let the batter rest and begin heating your waffle maker. Use approximately 1/3 a cup for traditional, thin waffles. Enjoy with butter and warm maple syrup!

Irish Explosion Cake

Posted by Michele at 12:00 AM 0 comments

(my original recipe link is found here )

I initially made this as cupcake . Over the years, it's been modified and I tend to make it as a cake instead.  It's a tradition in our home for St. Brigid's Day and St. Patrick's Day.  Enjoy!



For the cake:
8oz. Guinness Extra Stout
1 cup salted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 dark unsweetened cocoa
2 cups gluten free A. P. flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup Greek yogurt

(Want to cheat or short on time?  You can get a decent dessert by using a box of dark chocolate cake mix, 8oz Guinness, 3eggs, and 3oz oil.  The cake will be slightly denser, but it's still delicious.) 


For the ganache:
5oz dark chocolate (90%)
4oz heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
2oz Irish Whiskey


For the frosting:1 cup salted butter, room temp (2 sticks)
4 cups powdered sugar
4oz  Irish cream



1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare 2 8"pans. Bring the stoudt and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa and sugars, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. Mix the eggs and yogurt together and whisk into the liquid.  Slowly add the liquid into the dry ingredients and, once mixed, pour into pans.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

2. Finely chop the chocolate for the ganache and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and butter until simmering and pour it over chocolate. After 1min, begin to whisk. Add whiskey. Whisk until glossy. 

3. Beat the students butter until light and fluffy.  Alternate thirds of the powdered sugar and Irish cream, beating until the frosting is airy. 

4. When the cakes have cooled and are turned out, even them by slicing the top off.  Paint on a layer of ganache.  Frost the bottom layer then stack the second layer (painted with ganache) before frosting the top layer and sides.

5. After you've frosted as desired, you can thin out the remaining ganache with Irish cream and drizzle on a design.  Sprinkle some green sugar on top to complete the perfect look!

Irish Soda Bread

Posted by Michele at 12:00 AM 0 comments

(originally found here)

My soda bread recipe hasn't changed much since I first started making it, but I've added a few helpers!  ☘ ♥ 🧒 👧 ♥ ☘

This year,  we used dates and raisins, and that seemed to be quite the hit!   Regardless what fruit you use, this is a perfect addition to every meal.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, mix together:
4 cups of (gluten free) A. P. Flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of raisins 
1 cup of diced dates

Let your flour mixture sit while you melt:
1/2 cup (1 full stick) of butter
Let the butter cool but still remain warm.

Put a hole in the flour mixture and pour in:
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
the melted butter from above. 


Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until sticky.   Dust with flour to make the dough formable.  Place on a greased cookie sheet in a circle.  Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked.  A crisp exterior will form, but the bread will spring to the touch.

(Keep in mind that the batter will spread out as it bakes.)

Let the bread sit for 5 minutes before removing to a cutting board.  Cool for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.  We love to cover it with Irish butter while it's still warm!  

Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan

Posted by Michele at 9:26 AM 0 comments

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
4 eggs
4 cups of gluten free Italian style breadcrumbs (I use a combination of Aleia's GF Italian  breadcrumbs, Aleia's plain or 4C plain GF breadcrumbs, and Watusee chickpea GF breadcrumbs)
corn oil (enough for frying)
a jar of marinara sauce (the best is when I have enough homemade to use, but a close second is Rao's eggplant marinara; for everyday use, I just use the Wegman's tomato basil sauce.)
shredded parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese (I prefer the small balls, ovoline or ciliegine)


Heat the oil over medium heat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant to the thickness that you like.

Create an egg wash by whisking together the eggs.

Dip the eggplant slices in breadcrumbs, then egg wash, then another breadcrumbs.  Drop the eggplant in the hot oil and fry on each side until lightly browned, approximately 1 minute on each side.  Do not overcook the eggplant.

In a large, baking disk, place a thin layer of sauce.  As the eggplant is fried, remove it to the baking dish (do not drain).  Arrange the eggplant in a single layer.  Pour over sauce to cover and place a mozzarella ball over each piece (more if desired).  Create a second layer of eggplant and cover with sauce and cheese.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the very top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.




****We enjoy serving this with pasta and garlic bread or, alternately, with sweet corn muffins and asparagus.  It also makes a great accompaniment to polenta and spinach florentine.*****

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

Posted by Michele at 10:51 AM 0 comments

Nothing says Happy Saint Patrick's Day (or Happy St. Brigid's Day... or Happy St. Clare's Day... or, well, any day really!) like Irish Soda Bread (or, as it was known in my house, "bread").  Whether you make it as a bread to accompany dinner and go sans fruit or you make it the traditional way with dried fruit galore, there is nothing better than a slice of warm soda bread topped with a melting pat of butter... Yum!

Heat your oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix together:
4 cups Gluten Free Flour (if you aren't GF, feel free to use regular All Purpose... My favorite GF is the Wegman's blend of AP.  It works like a dream.)
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
2 cups of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, currants.... whatever makes you happy!)

Let your flour mixture sit while you heat and melt
1/2 cup (1 full stick) of butter
Let the butter cool but still remain warm.

Put a whole in the flour mixture and pour in
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
the melted butter from above
Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until sticky.   (At this point, because I rarely measure and sometimes add too much buttermilk- as if that is possible- I sprinkle in enough flour until the mixture is tacky.  It should be able to be taken out in large spoonfuls and make a pile on the cookie sheet, so not runny, but it can't be too stiff or "bread like" or it will cook up dry.)

This recipe allows me to make 2 rectangular piles and 2 circular piles, but you can make one big loaf or a bunch of small ones.  It's to you.  Pile the batter on a greased cookie sheet (it will spread out so keep that in mind if you are putting more than one loaf on a pan).

Bake at 375 for half an hour, then turn the heat off and let it sit for another 5 minutes before removing.  Cool on wax paper until you can slice and pick up a piece without burning your fingers, then lather on the butter and enjoy!

Gluten Free Southern Biscuits

Posted by Michele at 9:25 AM 0 comments

I've been gluten free since last March due to RA and one of the hardest things to replicate has been my mom's biscuits.  My GF and GF/DF incarnations have been so bad that I'd pretty much decided to just forgo biscuits forever, which, as a southern girl, is sad.  But, this morning, I gave it the old college try and... SUCCESS!!!  These are hands down the BEST southern biscuits this side of the Mason Dixie and the BEST GF ones I've ever had.  Peter said they didn't taste gluten free and I'll be making these often.  My only negative this round was that I need to roll them thicker to account for less rising but the texture was perfect and the taste was a Christmas miracle.

I made a dozen... These are the last two and won't make it til lunch. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of GF AP flour (I've recently started using the Wegman's brand in lieu of making my own unless needed and it's great) 

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda 

1tsp salt 

1.5tsp sugar

4tbsp very cold butter plus an extra 1tbsp

2tbsp solid coconut oil 

7/8c (or 3/4 cup plus 2tbsp) buttermilk 

Extra flour for rolling 

1. Heat oven to 425°.

2. Cut the 4tbsp cold butter and coconut oil into your dry ingredients with your hands until the flour mixture resembles course cornmeal. 

3.  Stir in your buttermilk with a wooden spoon. 

4.  Sprinkle flour on a counter or board and dump your dough, covering it with a thin layer of flour.  Flour your hands and press into a two inch layer.  

5.  Cut your biscuits by pressing down and NOT turning the cutter.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Melt 1tbsp butter and brush it over the tops.

6.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Makes 6 biscuits.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Posted by Michele at 11:56 AM 0 comments

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together on medium: 50g coconut butter/oil (about 2 tbsp), 500g (about 1 lb) chucky peanut butter, 1tbsp vanilla. Add in 2 cups powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Roll into balls and put in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

Chocolate Sauce: In a saucepan over low heat, melt 8oz of dark chocolate with 1oz coconut butter. Remove from heat.


When the balls have chilled, dip them in the chocolate sauce, then return to the freezer for 10 minutes.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.



http://www.onceamonthmeals.com/wp-content/uploads/Peanut-Butter-Balls-800x529.jpg

Snowballs

Posted by Michele at 11:54 AM 0 comments

Chocolate Hazelnut Snowballs: 

 In a large mixing bowl, mix together on medium: 2 cups hazelnute flour/meal, 3 tbsp vanilla, 1/4 cup dark cocoa, 1/2 cup hazelnut oil, 75g (approx 1/4 cup) coconut butter/oil, and 2 cups powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth. Roll into balls and put in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Put 1 cup of powdered sugar in a ziplock.  Add the balls to the ziplock and shake to coat.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

pic from pinterest

 
 

Herbed Green Beans and Baby Potatoes

Posted by Michele at 9:02 PM 0 comments

Preheat oven to 350.
Put a large piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, mix 12oz baby red potatoes, diced, skin on; approx. 60 green beans, ends snapped off; 1/2 cup slivered almonds; 2 tbsp. olive oil, and 1tbsp dried dill. 

Mix well to coat and place, singly, on the cookie sheet.  Top with another sheet of foil, crimping the edges.  Roast for 30 minutes or until done.

Makes 2-3 entrees or double that as a side dish. 
For 3 entrees, approx. 300 calories each serving.

Fermented Triple Berry Smoothie

Posted by Michele at 11:28 AM 0 comments

I modified this recipe from Craving4More for a smoothie.  I only modified it slightly, so the real credit goes to C4M for creating it and, I have to admit, I was less than impressed when I read it but it's actually really good.  And that's not just me saying it!

Toss, in the following order, into the blender:
1 banana, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/4 cup RAW FERMENTED kraut (not what you buy canned and shredded, but actual raw... it looks almost like a paste), 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk, 1 cup TROP50 OJ, and 1tsp raw honey.

Blend it until smooth (our non-awesome blender took about 60 seconds).  Drink ASAP.

The entire recipe has about 340 calories.

But here is what the peanut gallery has to say about it...

Oh... wait... they can't talk.  They're too busy drinking!

Roasted Beets with Orange and Rosemary

Posted by Michele at 7:08 PM 0 comments

I'm not a fan of beets, but they were beautiful and in bounty at the farmer's market so this is what I came up with!

http://onebodelive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Beets.jpg

Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil.  Chop 6 beets into cubes and spread in the foil.  Cut off the ends of 1 large orange then cut the rest into chunks and toss with the cubes.  Squeeze the juice from the ends over the beets and orange pieces.  Sprinkle 2 tbsp. rosemary  over the  combination, then drizzle with 2tbsp olive oil.  Fold up the foil to make a packet.  Roast at 350 for 45 minutes.

Flag of Italy

Posted by Michele at 7:29 PM 0 comments

In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and, when hot, add 1 large onion, chopped.  When the onion begins to turn translucent, add 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with juice.  Bring to a boil, then add 1 large (peeled) zucchini, chopped and 1 lb of fresh green beans, ends removed and halved.  Cover and cook over medium for 5 minutes.  Add 1 14.5oz can of cannellini beans.  Cook for 5 more minutes. 

We opted to just enjoy this as the main dish without any additional sides, but you could toss it with pasta or serve it over rice.   You could also use it as a side dish.

Makes 3 entrée servings at 350 calories a pop.

Quick Black Raspberry Jam

Posted by Michele at 5:48 PM 0 comments

We picked up some black raspberries at the market today, so I turned them into an accompaniment for dinner tonight...and breakfast tomorrow!

Over medium-high heat, I combined 1 pint black raspberries  (washed) and cook until bubbly, mashing with a potato masher and stirring well.  I sprinkled in 2 tbsp. sugar  (we didn't want the jam too sweet) and cooked for 5 more minutes before adding 1tbsp corn starch.  I immediately removed from heat and began to \whisk vigorously for 2 minutes before canning it.  (No hot water, just the hot jam in the clean glass jar and putting it in fridge.  It only made 1 jar so I don't want to preserve it long term.)  By the time I went back to get it for dinner tonight, it was fully sealed and popped when opened.)

http://ourhappynuthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Black-Raspberry-Apple-Spread-400x306.jpg