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Pumpkin Pie and Mexican Casserole

Despite how my stomach feels (blah), I got around to baking some. I made a pumpkin pie, which is one probable reason for why I feel like I do. I planned on having a little bit each day to stretch it out. Well, that didn't work out soo well. I ate the entire pumpkin pie in 3 days (no lecture needed, thank you). Probably the reason. But, it was pretty good. The pumpkin pie didn't solidify like it should of. For the most part, it was fine (structure wise), I ended up just eating it out of the pan when I wanted some. It wouldn't of worked out too well if I had made it and taken it to a fellowship meet though. Pumpkin pie: What would work better for me is if I could freeze some of it. Maybe, I can either retry or find a different recipe. I really liked this recipe, so may just play around with it. I ended up using an egg replacer, so that may have affected how it turned out. Still a good recipe though. Recipe for Pumpkin Pie


Today...Today, I got around to baking when feeling ill. I know it is all the fructose from the pumpkin pie (crust alone, it had fructose... Love Pillsbury's gf pie dough, just not the fructose). Anyway!

Today, I made something I have never made or eaten before. A casserole. My nephew even gave me a weird looking face when I told him what I was making. Ha.... We don't make casseroles. We just haven't...ever. The casserole: It was pretty good. I may use less sugar for the cornbread next time though. Recipe called for 1/2 cup of sugar. I didn't use cheese to make it dairy free. I would even want to touch it if it had cheese on it. I want to make it more fructose friendly though. I mean, half a cup of sugar plus corn. A little much considering corn is sweet. But, the casserole actually wasn't bad. It'd be good for a quick meal. It was even easy to fix. <3 Just want to make it more fructose friendly. Corn Bread Recipe     Casserole Recipe.

Homemade Breaded Chicken

Homemade Breaded Chicken

Prep: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serving: 1

Adapted from The Nourishing Cook.
The recipe is taken from site above. I only adapted it to make it easier to use for a single serving. Saving ingredients and time, while enjoying good food.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of bread crumbs (Glutino)
3 tablespoons of flour (GF All Purpose Flour)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 serving of Egg Replacer (or 1 egg if not egg-free)

Step by Step Process:

• Mix flour and seasoning (salt and pepper) on a paper plate
  
• Put breadcrumbs on separate paper plate
  
• Mix egg replacer in bowl, and put on paper plate (if large bowl, leave it as is)
• Coat chicken in flour/seasoning mix
• Coat in egg replacer (or an egg)
• Coat in breadcrumbs
  Be sure to cover each part of the chicken, so it is fully breaded.
  
• Put piece of chicken in small skillet with some oil added. Cook for 7 minutes per side.
• Place chicken on a plate and allow it to cool before serving

Large Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before:
Cookies as they are going into freezer.

After:
Broken into pieces with my hands.
Picture is after they have been frozen, cooked,
cooled, and put away.

Large Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Adapted from Karrie at Happy Money Saver

I tend to cut recipes into half or even a quarter. I like to save flour whenever possible. Typically, I am the one eating the gluten free goodies. This one is easily egg and dairy free. I have discovered an easier way to find dessert recipes is to search for vegan ones. This one is not specifically labelled vegan, but it is what it is--with my adaptation anyway.

Here are the way I did the ingredients when making the cookies (to make 1/4 of a batch):

1/2 C butter
8 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp brown sugar
.75 egg (1 Egg Replacer)
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1.5 cup flour
little over 1/4 tsp salt
little over 1/4 tsp soda
1 C chocolate chips

Using the instructions given in the link above.

The goal originally was to freeze the cookies. So, I put them on a baking sheet to freeze. Once in the freezer, I left them in there for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Then when I got them out and realized that it would be impossible to actually freeze them. They were supposed to roll into a ball-like shape, but instead they were runny. So, I couldn't seperate them from the paper: meaning- they were going in the oven.

Obviously, I made some mistakes along the way. . . . .
BUT, it was a blessing in disguise.

They turned out really crunchy and good.
I even shared!
Weird: In the oven, they all ran over onto another cookie-- so resembled a pan of a big cookie (cookie sheet, even). **Update** Turned out  same way when I retried the recipe (making a full batch) also, assuming it is because of the egg replacer or possibly using non-dairy butter.

Chocolate Cake Bite

New Recipe... Just something for me. It was too time consuming, but can be adjusted as I change how much I make or using a cake mix from scratch...

See how smooth and round they are.
Never underestimate a good appliance
and nonstick cooking spray. =]

I used my Baby Cakes Cake Pop appliance. I like it. It goes faster that way, or it should. It took a lot longer to make these cake bites than it would have been to make cupcakes. It would of taken much longer to use a mini-muffin pan. I am figuring it probably took 1.5 hours, easy. When you don't have energy, that is outrageous and costs more than many can imagine. My body is very sad right now, because of that great cost.

Case in point why next time I will only make a small fraction of how much I made today. They were good though. I am letting them cool, then will freeze them in a gallon size bag, and eat them slowly over next few months. A box of cake mix can make me about 24-32 smaller cupcakes, and last a few months. Making cake bites means a lot more to eat, just bite size. But also why it took so long to make them.

I have been having to be reminded of using non-stick cooking spray. I resprayed every batch or two to keep it from sticking. For the first batch, I forgot to spray the wells..things went much more smoothly as I remembered to spray it, lol.

I used Betty Crocker's gluten free chocolate cake mix and followed the directions pretty much. The only difference in preparation was using nondairy butter AND an egg replacer. I wasn't sure how well it would work considering it was a recipe calling for three eggs, but it turned out pretty well.

Because I like fast: I used the Cake Pops appliance. Each batch took maybe 3 minutes. It may have overheated. Not sure... It worked fine though. The cake bites in the picture aren't glazed or anything, just the regular cake bites.

I did try out a glaze for a couple of the cake bites. It was really simple. Some powdered sugar (1/2 teaspoon) mixed in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of original rice milk. Then, I rolled the cake bites in the glaze mixture. It isn't enough of a glaze mixture to leave it looking different than a regular plain cake bite.

This was my first attempt at trying something more resembling a doughnut. It isn't a doughnut, but it's a start. :)

Single-Serving Rice Krispies Treat

Rice Krispies Treat.
In under 2 minutes.
Umm....YES!!

Single-Serving Rice Krispies Treat Recipe

I had found a rice krispies in a cup recipe, but I didn't have my phone when I decided to make it on the spot. So, I just used what I had: my ingredients, knowing something needed to be melted, etc..It isn't a perfect recipe, but I think it is a work in progress. It was a yummy treat that I enjoyed, which basically is what I look for in a recipe. Food goodness found inside a cute mug.

Materials:
Favorite mug (I used my Fresno Pacific University one)
GF Rice Krispies (3/4 cup..23 grams is what I used)
Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow (2 nice, fluffy, big pieces)
Butter  (2 tablespoons: I used Smart Balance-Extra Virgin Olive Oil light)

1. Grab mug
2. Put 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 marshmallows in your mug
3. Place it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. (more like 40 seconds is what I used)
4. Open pack of GF Rice Krispies.

Okay, can I be honest? I used a little single serving container of Rice Krispies that I found at the dollar store. And, it was incredibly quick. I just threw it in my mug. I didn't have to measure it out or anything. It was beautiful, and only 20 cents for a single serving container. It is love at first sight...

*ehem* anyway, back to the recipe. You want to mix in the 3/4 cup of rice krispies into the mug, and stir. You could possibly add more in if you wanted--given how much room is left in yours. I opted to not mess with it. More still could of been added.

5. Lastly I push down on the spoon, so it could come together in a cubed-like shape. Then left it sitting (not before taking a few small bites of it). Mine didn't shape or stick together particularly well, but I prefer taste to shape any day.

Enjoy!

Next time, I might play around with the recipe... Maybe either add more cereal; Add in chocolate chips; try using less butter. Possibilities for Rice Krispes Treats. are. endless.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

I didn't exactly roll some of these into a ball.
They are flatter than the other batch.

I was on a mission earlier for egg-less chocolate chip cookies. I just knew I wanted cookies. I am beginning to explore the whole "removing egg" from my diet due to possible allergy, so that kept me from consuming my Pillsbury cookie dough that is sitting idly in the fridge.

Thankfully, many have walked this road before me. It has been well traveled by many. They have experimented greatly. What do I have to gain? Good chocolate chip recipe minus the egg(s)! You gotta try it! <3 It's pretty good. In mine, I used less brown sugar (just a little bit less.. 1/3 versus 1/2) and used more chocolate chips. It wasn't planned out or anything. It just happened.

I accidentally began to burn the first batch, but the amazing thing: they still taste good. This is what I am looking for: good chocolate chip cookies where the chocolate chips literally melt and make a beautiful display of a good treat.  I probably haven't made any fresh cookies in a while. If I sound deprived, that is probably why.

The recipe: Egg-less Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Go try it!!

As opposed to past batches of cookies I have made, these were full size cookies ;). Mine are safely tucked away in a bowl. Ideally, I would wait until they have cooled to put them away. A sneaky 3 year old with gluten hands stopped that. So, they can just stick together--not like it matters. I am the only one getting into the cookies. :)

What I might change: use less chocolate chips. There were way too many. I need to settle on a specific amount to use. The recipe didn't give a certain amount. Guess I thought there was more dough than there actually was. Then my chocolate chips have been affected by the heat, so some of it just looks like a melted Hershey's candy bar. Also with some adapting, I can make the cookies into a fructose friendly cookie. IE) using dextrose versus cane sugar to help with the brown sugar.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip CookiesIgnore the bad photography!

Adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring
 
Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I recently bought a new cooking book. The first one I have gotten from Gluten Free on a Shoestring, but I really am enjoying it. I have discovered Nicole's recipes and began trying them out, and there are some GOOD recipes that she has designed. It makes it so easy to bake something without a premade mix. I am not a good baker, but I can find easy things to whip up! In her first book (Gluten Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap), I have found a couple recipes that I have already tried out. So far, I have made butter cookies as well as these delicious chocolate chip cookies. In her book, she lists her chocolate chip cookies as one of the recipes that are freezable for things like once a month cookie! YES!!

Here's the thing with these CC cookies though: I altered the recipe, just a bit. As I have been learning new recipes, I have been only making a fraction of the recipe... for two reasons: it's only me that eats gf. Also, it's alot cheaper. For these cookies, I had some configuring to do since I did not want to use up so much flour to try a new recipe (cookies or not!). I kept her directions for  the cookies, except for choosing to bag the dough and let it sit in the fridge before putting it on a baking pan. (I do not have room for a baking pan in my fridge) The dough was not exactly in the shape where I wanted to be molding it either. A bit to sticky and hard to shape.Much easier after it had been in the fridge.

My list:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of "All Purpose" flour.
2 tablespoons of butter. (softened, I believe)
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon of gluten free vanilla extract
A little over 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum (only one harder to configure)
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
1/3 cup of milk chocolate chips

Again, I used all of her directions. All I really did was 1/4 the recipe and alter the sugar amounts to keep my tummy happy. Now honestly, I think the milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet made a difference in how good they taste. Texture-wise, they weren't what I preferred. They were really fluffy, not flat and crunchy. Still really good!

Directions to follow:

Set oven to 350 F.

1. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, and the vanilla until well blended. Add the flour, X. gum, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Beat batter well until becomes thicker and a bit more elastic.

2. In small bowl, mix chocolate chips with a small amount of flour (well that's what I did...just enough to cover over the chips). Toss the chips to coat them. Stir chips in w/ cookie dough until its evenly distributed. Dough should be soft and thick.

3. Drop small balls of dough onto a baking pan (I used foil for cleaning purposes). Place baking sheets w/ cookie dough on them into the refrigerator to chill for about 15 minutes. Once the dough has chilled, place the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 7-10 minutes (keep an eye on 'em, so they don't burn!). Cookies may seem to be undercooked. As long as the edges are beginning to brown and the cookies are lightly brown, they're done. They will firm up. Let them cool.

Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Here is my review on this much anticipated cookie dough. For someone gluten free, to have easy access to refrigerated cookie dough at a local supermarket is a pretty big deal. I mean, to not have to make cookie dough from scratch. Or buy an overpriced mix and add ingredients before popping cookies in the oven. It's a very big deal in the gluten free community...

I have not been able to have refrigerated cookie dough in over a year (since I went gluten free).  I have been on countdown since I found out when certain stores would carry it. I did not have to wait as long as I thought. I found the Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough at Albertson's the other day. I received a coupon for a free tub of the cookie dough in the mail. Since I did not have it on me, I went ahead and got it anyway ( I have since gone to two Albertson's to hope they were still on sale to get more: my free one plus another one). Albertson's has a little sale at one of their stores: $3.99 for the cookie dough. At Albertson's, the regular price will be about $5.50. Maybe, Walmart will have it much cheaper when they start selling it. Target is set to start selling it pretty soon too.

Cookies turned out pretty good. It took two tries.... Since I made mine much smaller, it only took about 5 minutes for a batch to get done. I prefer bite sized cookies. They are cuter too. Pillsbury has done a good job with the cookie dough. The cookie dough is remarkably similar to that containing gluten. I followed the instructions on the tub (except the one about eating raw cookie dough). Used a piece of foil for the pan. Rolled the cookie dough into small balls and put onto the pan (much smaller than normal sized cookies). My cookies turned out to be the size I really wanted them to be. I wanted smaller cookies. So my cookies turned out to be about the size of a quarter (maybe slightly larger than a quarter). They fit nicely into the tub used for the cookie dough.

Sunbutter Chocolate Chip

Another cookie recipe!

This one is more of a "Sunbutter Chocolate Chip" kind of recipe. It does not require alot of ingredients. The only thing is making sure you have enough room in your freeze to let the dough "chill", so it's more like regular cookie dough and easy to roll and place on a baking sheet.

I used a recipe by Nicole, from her awesome page "Gluten-Free on a Shoestring". It is titled: "Gluten-Free Flourless Cookies: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip".

I am not an experienced baker, which is probably why I had difficulty. I sorta (okay, I did!) burnt my SunButter. I decided to go ahead and continue making the cookies to see how they would turned out. It would not hurt to try. I had used up alot of sugar already. All was left was the beaten eggs and chocolate chips. So, I went ahead and continued--even with my burnt SunButter. The directions were pretty straight forward. I used carob chips instead of chocolate chips.

The cookies came out flat and crispy! Most of them were giant size cookies, because I just used a spoon to scoop it onto the baking sheet. They are pretty decent cookies. I use the word "decent", because remember I did burn the SunButter. They are still good in spite of burning the seed butter. I am definitely going to have to try this recipe again, and perhaps I will not burn the SunButter in the process.

All this cookie making has got me wondering about making cookie dough to freeze, particularly for the chocolate chip cookies that I made earlier. In comparison, the chocolate chip cookies are better. These ones may not compare, but they are pretty good! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I tried a "Sunbutter Rice Krispies" recipe this morning. Well, it bombed...What a waste of my Rice Krispies!! I will have to try a combination of "Rice Krispies" and "Sunbutter" on a different day. I love the idea of having some breakfast ready for on-the-go option. Since I have been in a serious baking mood, I went ahead and found a recipe for some chocolate chip cookies. They looked great, but the really good thing is they taste pretty good too!!

I chose to use a "low fructose" recipe. Seemed like a good idea since most  recipes are loaded with sugar and I cannot handle my fructose. (Figured out marshmallows were a big "no-no" this morning) I chose to use a recipe by Delicious as it looks. Even though theirs called for 'almond' flour, I thought it might work with a different flour. I used 'all purpose' flour by King Arthur (gluten free, of course). They did not turn out flat, but rather plump. The picture does not do the cookies justice!

I did a few things different from the recipe. I added a little bit more sugar and chocolate chips (about 1/3 each). It created a little bit of a problem. It left me with more dry ingredients than dough, so I had a little bit of a problem with that. So I did what any egg conscious but chocolate lover does: I added one egg white. Just one. It solved the problem, thankfully! I was able to mix the rest of the ingredients into dough. Adding in the egg white lead me to put a little bit more chocolate chips. Aside from using a different flour, that is all that was different. The recipe given by Dianne of Delicous as it Looks has done a GREAT job with this recipe! I love it!!! The cookies were sweet, but not too sweet. Turned out perfect, or as perfect as a cookie can possibly be. Now maybe, I can make my own cookies instead of having to venture out to buy some. 

Home-made Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets (home made)

Chicken nuggets... Ohhh, how we love them. We miss them once we cannot have them. This trial run of chicken nuggets was just an easy thing. They tasted fairly good. I am not really a big meat eater, but they are good with ketchup. Point blank: they are good. Better than any gluten free chicken nuggets I have come across, and much cheaper! What I absolutely loved about it was how crunchy it was.

I did a few things different than the recipe.

1. I wanted to cheat during the clean-up process, so I put a sheet of foil on the pan before adding the oil. The oil has a very powerful effect on how the chicken nuggets turned out. We have olive oil, but did not even think about using it... So I used canola, which is fine by me. It worked just as well.. I used their suggestion by using a paper towel to spread the oil.

2. When it pouring the Glutino bread crumbs, I used a quart size freezer bag. I put some bread crumbs in there. Also, pouring in a small amount of paprika and salt. I almost got ambitious and tried adding in a bunch of different spices. Almost... There is always next time.

I only cooked 6 chicken nuggets (1 piece of boneless, skinless chicken thigh). That way, I am not wasting chicken or bread crumbs to try a new dish. It is always a good thing when food lasts.. especially if it is gluten free food, which honestly it is not the cheapest... Only a couple ingredients used.

Ingredients used:
Glutino Bread Crumbs
Piece of boneless skinless chicken
Seasoning (Paprika and Salt)

Okay, a break down of how I did things in the chicken.

1. Heated the oven to about 375
2. Put piece of foil on the baking pan with a little bit of oil--spread through entire pan. (I used a paper towel)
3. Pour good amount of Glutino Bread Crumbs *gluten free* into a ziplock bag, along with seasonings (I used Paprika and Salt) and shook the bag (make sure it's sealed first).
4. "Whisked" two eggs (I used a fork, but accomplished same thing)
5. Cut my chicken thigh into small nugget-sized pieces.
6. Add chicken to eggs, tossing them.
7. After I picked them up, I held them for a second so the extra egg fell off
8. I put them in the seasoning bag...tossed the bag around until they were fully coated.
9. Put them on the pan, and stick it in the oven.
10. Do not forget to get them out. ;)

They cooked for about 20 minutes. I turned them half way through, so each side could get crispy. They were very crispy. Most things gluten free do not get crispy. So, that was exciting! It was not a boring food that I would toss out immediately after the first bite (has happened many times with new chicken recipes). I was able to sit there, eat, and enjoy it. Also, it is a good, quick, cheap meal that does not really require too much work to make.

To make it fructose friendly, try using something other than bbq sauce and/or ketchup. For me, that is the new challenge. The key is finding good, easy, low fructose foods to go with the nuggets. It'd probably be really good with beans and other sides to go with it.

GF Potato Wedges

Today's recipe is just simple Potato Wedges. Sometimes, I honestly just want to be able to have Rusty's potato wedges. Since my symptoms indicate Celiac's disease, going back to Rusty's potato wedges is not a possibility (not even for "just one"). It leaves me left to experiment, try others' recipes, and hope to come up with something that can replicate the deliciousness of Rusty's potato wedges. Or at the very least, find a decent replacement.

When I get a pizza, I am left without the potato wedges portion. I have learned to replaced potato wedges with a baked potato. Not a bad trade-off. Low in fructose.

My first experiment of potato wedges making uses a recipe, not of my own. "Homemade Oven Baked Jo Jo Potatoes" is the recipe I chose to use today. I didn't have any 'All Purpose' flour, so I used plain 'Rice' flour that I had on hand. Combo of that and leaving it at the high temperature in the oven contributed to how it turned out. I should of had the oven set to a lower setting. They were very crunchy. They were hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. Taste wise: They have some serious potential. Next time, I will use much less cheese. I think it takes away from the taste. They don't need anything to accommodate them (no ketchup!).

What I like about her recipe that will leave me wanting to retry, it is pretty low fructose. Garlic is the only fructose ingredient that I have to worry about, and it isn't a very high amount of it. Check out her recipe and try it for yourself.

GF Corn Dogs

Gluten Free Corn Dogs.

The purposes of this page is to just share recipes I have come across. It isn't rewriting what I have found. It is sharing different sites with a recipe that I have tried and liked. I am not the best of cook. What worked for me may not work for others... Just wanting a place to share, and talk about newfound cooking experiences as I learn to live with different food restrictions...

Recipe 1: Gluten Free Corn Dogs.

I actually really like this recipe. There are only some very slight difference in terms of what I may have done differently ingredient wise: I added a drop or two more of milk and bisquick~ not much, just slightly. Probably not much of a difference. Adding a little bit of both probably evened things out.

Also: the hot dogs. I cut them in half and cooked them in advance, so they were in the oil for less time. Heating the oil before putting in the "corn dog" works really well. Then, the corn dog isn't soaking up too much of the oil, because the hot dog was already thoroughly cooked..

Ohhh, and a bonus. My batter stretched a lot farther than it says in the recipe. Instead of using one pack of hot dogs, I used nearly two packs. Thankfully, we stock up on hot dogs when they are on sell. The corn dogs taste great. It will really cut down on my frustrations of not knowing *what* to eat. It gives me something else to choose from, so I am not eating the same thing day after day.

Freezing idea:
This came from a different site, but I tried it and really liked it. After a few of them have cooled, I put them on a baking sheet to go in the freezer. This way, they could freeze a bit before I started to bag them (using quart size freezer bags). I ended up with thirty corn dogs after eating a couple... Since they were smaller corn dogs, I was able to stick the freezer bags in the door of my small freezer without worrying about it taking up too much space.

When bagging, I added the date...so I would know when I made them. Also, put the expiration date on bags of corn meal and GF Bisquick. (Note: Best to freeze GF Bisquick... Don't be like me, and almost forget!)

The results!

Best of all: Gluten free/Nut free/ Fructose friendly. Just is not lactose free. Others without nut allergies, feel free to try using Almond milk for the recipe.