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.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Posted by Michele at 11:09 AM 0 comments

This recipe should be called "chocolate chip pancakes for an army".  With a family of 8 eating and needing to be full until lunch, this is a staple during our week.

Combine:
3 cups (GF) AP flour;
1 tbsp each of baking soda and baking powder;
2 tsp of salt; and
1/4 cup of sugar.

Mix in:
3 eggs; and
4 1/2 cups of buttermilk.

(That's not a typo.  Four and a half cups.)

When the batter is well mixed, stir in:
1 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Bring your cast iron to low-medium (or, based on your stove, low) heat.  Ladle on 1/2 cup of batter.

Cook until the edge begins to brown and bubbles break the surface.  Flip and then cook another 60 to 90 seconds.

You can also use a quarter cup (1/4c) of batter for smaller, mini pancakes.

Serve with butter and warm (preferably grade B/dark amber) maple syrup!

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!