Gluten Free Vegetable Fried Rice

I have made several versions of fried rice and this is definitely our favorite!

3/4 c. chopped onion
2 1/2 Tbs olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp.  gluten free soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated (we use jasmine rice)
2 Tbs gluten free soy sauce

Heat 1 Tbs of olive oil in wok; added chopped onions and stir fry until they turn a nice brown color. Remove from wok.

Mix the eggs with 1 tsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Add 1/2 Tbs of olive oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces. Add egg mixture and swirl until egg sets against wok. When egg puffs, flip and cook the other side briefly. Remove from wok and chop into small pieces.

Heat 1 Tbs of olive oil in wok. Add carrots, peas, and cooked onions. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

Add rice, tossing to mix well and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.

Add 2 Tbs of soy sauce and the chopped egg to rice mixture and carefully fold-in. Stiry-fry 1 additional minute. Serve.

**I make my white rice in advance so that is one less step to do while making this. Then I just have to pull it out and add it. Also, I make this first, and then whatever dish I plan to serve it with. To keep it warm, I preheat my oven to about 200 degrees, then turn it off. I put the finished fried rice in a ceramic casserole dish and place into the warm oven so that it is still warm and fresh when the rest of my meal is ready.

Gluten Free Beef and Broccoli

Sometimes it is hard being gluten free - like when I want to be able to go out to eat, or when I am craving Chinese food. Other times I am thankful for being gluten free - when I discover recipes like this! (well, and because hubby and I both feel much better since discovering our gluten issues and removing it from our diets)

This came out tasting way better than any Beef and Broccoli I have had in a Chinese restaurant!

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1 pound beef steak (I used Top Shoulder Steak)

Marinade:

1 Tbs gluten free soy sauce

1 tsp. Sherry

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. corn starch

Sauce:

1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 tsp. Sherry

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 cup cold water

16 ounces frozen broccoli florets (I used 2 fresh broccoli crowns, cut up)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons sesame oil (this is the secret to make it taste like it authentic)

Mix together marinade ingredients in a large glass dish. Cut steak against the grain into thin strips about 1/4 inch thick. Stir into marinade and let sit for 15 mins or so.  Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a large skillet or wok to medium high.  Put the olive oil and steak in the skillet and cook both sides until brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Steam broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer while steak is cooking.  When the steak is brown, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Pour the sauce mixture over the meat and cook until it begins to thicken.  Stir in the sesame oil.  Remove from heat, stir in the steamed broccoli and serve over rice. 

GF Brownies

I actually posted this recipe a few years ago. But I figured I would RE-Post it now so that it isn't lost in all my gluten filled recipes.

These are some of the best brownies I have ever made. They do take a little extra work, but in the end it is totally worth every second. They are SO rich. Last time I made them with coconut oil instead of the butter. They were a little more dry but had an amazing flavor (I can't get enough of chocolate and coconut together!)


8 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
1 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 c. Brown Rice Flour
1/4 c. Tapioca Flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and 8in square pan. Chop the chocolate into small slivers. Slice the butter into one-inch pieces. Combine the two flours together.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Place a large metal bowl over the top of the saucepan. Put the chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir, occasionally, as they both begin to melt. As they come to a full melt, stir vigorously until you have a cohesive mixture.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency. Add the vanilla extract and alt and stir well. Add in the gluten-free flours and stir. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir, carefully, with a rubber spatula until the mixture has become smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with the spatula. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, fill the sink with ice cubes and 1 inch of water. When the brownies are finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it immediately into the ice-water bath, being careful not to splash any water onto the brownies. Leave in water until completely cooled. Refrigeration. These taste great right away but truly are better after sitting in the fridge for a night.

Enjoy!


Recipe originally posted by: http://glutenfreegirl.com/brownies-gluten-free/

GF Cauliflower Crust Pizza

About a week ago, I tried Cauliflower Crust 'Bread' Sticks and instantly fell in love. When I found the recipe, I also found information about Cauliflower Crust Pizza. Hubby and I loved the 'Bread' Sticks so much that we definitely wanted to try making the pizza version. Well, it was an instant hit in our house last night and will be added to my usual rotation. 

The most time consuming step is 'ricing' the cauliflower. The easiest way to do this is with a cheese grater. Just make sure you put the cheese grater in a deep bowl. Otherwise you will end up with a mess of rogue cauliflower pieces (yes, I learned this the hard way). I have *heard* that you can use a food processor for this step, but you have to be careful that you don't end up pureeing it. You just want small pieces.

The Bowl of 'riced' cauliflower

As long as the grater is out, go ahead and shred your cheese. While you are doing that, you can be cooking the cauliflower in the microwave.

Once the cauliflower is finished in the microwave, add your cheese, egg, and spices. Mix Well

Spread the 'dough' out on a silicone baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper. Bake

The top of the crust should be nice and golden after it is finished baking. 

Add your favorite toppings (Pepperoni for my hubby and son)

Canadian Bacon & Pineapple for my daughter and I

Return to the oven under Broil just until the toppings are heated and cheese is bubbly.

The Pepperoni was the first one I baked and there was only one slice left when I remembered I was going to take a picture. 

The recipe makes one 9" pizza, which is enough for 2-3 people. I had an extra large head of cauliflower and decided just to make it all. It yielded me 3 pizzas.

Crust:
2+ Cups of Shredded Cauliflower (approx 1/2 head)
1 large Egg
1 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp. Onion Salt

Toppings:
Whatever you like!!

Shred the cauliflower into small pieces using a cheese grater. Place in a glass bowl and microwave for approximately 6-7 minutes.

While your cauliflower is cooking, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper. If using parchment paper, you may still want to spray with just a small bit of olive oil.

After your cauliflower is done cooking and has had a chance to cool slightly, ad the remaining ingredients. Mix well until you have a nice 'dough'. Pour onto your prepared pan and gently pat it out into a rectangle or circle, using a rubber spatula. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven.

Turn the oven up to Broil.

Add your favorite toppings to the cooked crust. Return to oven under broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and toppings are hot. (Because you are not baking it for long, be sure all of your toppings are already cooked).

Enjoy!!


**For my third pizza I tried baking it a little differently. I don't have any circle silicone pans, but do have a heart shaped one that is about the same size as an 8" round. I placed my 'dough' in there and baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then I turned it out onto a silicone baking mat on my cookie sheet and baked another 10 minutes. Then I added toppings and broiled for 4 minutes. This did not alter the flavor at all but did offer a nicer looking pizza and a more firm crust. I think in the future I will probably continue to do it this way.


Recipe adapted from: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/01/16/cauliflower-crust-hawaiian-pizza/

GF Baked Oatmeal

Lately I have been enjoying baked oatmeal every morning for breakfast. I just put a batch in the oven and thought I would share the recipe. The nice thing about this one is that there are several very simple variations you can make so it is regular, gluten-free, or even dairy free! And uses ingredients most people have in their kitchen on a regular basis.

I will write the recipe the way that I personally prefer to make it, but will include substitutions in parenthesis. 

1 1/2 c. GF Quick-Cooking Oats (or regular quick-cook oats)

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Milk (or almond milk)

1/4 c. Butter, melted (or coconut oil, or vegan butter)

1 Egg (or 1/2 banana, mashed)

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3/4 c. Fresh or Frozen Berries

Preheat oven to 350 degreees.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Spread into a greased 8x8 baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 mins, until edges are golden brown and center is set.

Serve immediately and top with a few extra tablespoons of milk. 

Serve 2-3

*I use whatever berries I have in the house. Usually it ends up being blueberries and strawberries as I like a mixture.

*I usually eat half of this for breakfast, then save the rest in the fridge to reheat and eat the next morning. 

GF Zucchini Bread

Yesterday was a snow day for my boys. So that meant extra time as a family. And or course, baking! It is my favorite way to warm up the house.

I had gone through our deep freeze to see what all we had for actual food since a lot of space is taken up by frozen breast milk right now. I came across my stock of grated zucchini that I froze this past summer. I figured it was as good a day as any to try making some GF zucchini bread. I recently ordered over 100 lbs of my favorite GF flours so I have plenty in the house right now to experiment with (and MORE than enough zucchini). So I started looking for GF recipes.

Several that I came across talked about just adapting their standard recipe to be GF. I have one that I really like so I decided to try it. Hubby claimed it was the best bread I have ever made. I wouldn't go that far but would say it is the best zucchini bread I have ever made. Which is interesting since it is the same recipe I have used for a few years. I guess it is all in the flavor and texture of my homemade  AP flour mix.

I have posted this in another recipe but again, here is the recipe for my flour (60% starch, 40% whole grain). I make a large batch to fit in my flour canister when I make it so I will list the amount I mix and in parenthesis I will put the percentage.
* 300 g Tapioca Flour (40%)
* 150 g White Rice Flour (20%)
* 150 g Sorghum Flour (20%)
* 150 g Brown Rice Flour (20%)

So now, on to the recipe.

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Mix together following dry ingredients and set aside:
* 420 g GF AP Flour (3 cups white flour if you are not GF)
* 2 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum (omit if you are not doing GF)
* 1 tsp Salt
* 1 tsp Baking Powder
* 3 tsp Cinnamon

Beat together the following:
* 3 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1/2 c. Unsweetened Apple Sauce
* 1/2 c. melted Coconut Oil (slightly cooled)
* 2 1/4 c. Sugar
* 3 tsp Vanilla

Add in Dry ingredients and mix well.

Stir in:
* 2 c. Shredded Zucchini (be sure to press out as much water as possible)
* chocolate chips or walnuts, to taste (optional)

Grease 2 loaf pans. Pour half of batter in each pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-60 mins, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 mins in the pan. Flip out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Note: I prefer to use 1/2 c. Apple Sauce & 1/2 c. melted Coconut Oil. The original recipe calls for 1 c. vegetable oil)

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pancakes

We love pancakes in our house. This is something I did not want to give up with our new lifestyle. I also did not want to be stuck using GF Pancake mixes. They are expensive and just don't have the flavor I was looking for. By making them myself, I could adapt the flours to create the flavor I desired. It took only a couple tries and I found a recipe that we love. My 4 1/2 yr old sits quietly and eats slowly, not dropping a single crumb. Those of you who know him know that this is a rare occurrence for him during meal time.

I adapted my recipe from Gluten Free Girls GF Pancakes for the Ratio Rally.

The original recipe calls for 7 oz (or roughly 200 g) of Whole-Grain Flour mix. A good whole-grain flour mix is 70% whole grains and 30 % starch. The recipe listed below is exactly how I make them for my family.

40 g Tapioca Flour
20 g White Rice Flour
70 g Sorghum Flour
35 g Brown Rice Flour
35 g Almond Flour
2 Tbs Milled Chia Seeds (or ground flaxseed if you don't have Chia on hand)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbs Agave Nectar
8 oz Buttermilk (*see note)
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
2 large Eggs
4 Tbs Melted Butter

Whisk together the flours and chia seeds to combine them. Add baking powder, salt, Cardamom, and Cinnamon. Whisk all together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Whisk together agave nectar, buttermilk, almond extract, and eggs. Pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until batter is combined. Add the melted butter and stir until it is well incorporated.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Grease it liberally with butter (I add a small pat of butter everytime I add new batter). Pour the pancake batter into the buttered skillet, about 1/4 cup at a time. When bubbles have started to form and pop on the top of pancake, flip it. Cook for about 1 minute more. Serve with your favorite toppings.

If you plan to serve them all at once, put the pancakes on an oven-safe plate in a 250 degree oven to keep them warm. If you are like me, the kids will gobble them up as soon as they are off the skillet so I omit this step.

*Note about buttermilk*
I never have buttermilk on hand. So I take out my liquid measuring cup, add a squirt of lemon juice, then fill to the 8 oz line with regular milk. I let it set for a few minutes while I prepare the rest of the ingredients so it can 'sour up' a little and become buttermilk substitute.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin Tops

Our family recently decided to start following a gluten-free lifestyle. Since I do so much baking and cooking, it has been rather easy to convert. However, recreating our favorite recipes is a bit of a challenge at times. We LOVE Blueberry (or Blackberry) muffin tops. So naturally it was on the top of my list of recipes to convert. My first attempt was a success in texture and decent in taste (well, I wasn't a fan but Hubby and Son ate them). I knew I could come up with a better version. Attempt #2 was a great texture, although a little more spongy than typical muffins, and yielded an amazing flavor! So, I thought I would share. 

One thing I have found from several blogs, is that when working with GF flours, it is much more accurate to measure by weight. You can pick up a food scale pretty cheap and it will make your GF recipes much more successful. To begin, you need to make a GF flour mixture. There are several ways to do this since there are so many GF flours available. You will get different flavor and texture results from all of them. The key is to have 60% Starch and 40% Whole Grain. So here is the specific mixture I used for my muffin tops: 

Flour mixture (this will make just slightly more than you need for this recipe) 
180 g Tapioca Flour (starch) 
45 g Brown Rice Flour (whole grain) 
45 g Sorghum Flour (whole grain)
Mix all 3 together well. (After my second attempt turned out so great, I also made a batch of Blackberry ones. However, I didn't have quite enough Tapioca Flour so I added the weight I was short by in White Rice Flour - another starch. The flavor was still what I was looking for) 


 Batter 
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter 
* 1/3 cup whole milk 
* 1 whole large egg 
* 1 large yolk 
* 3/4 teaspoon Almond Extract 
* 210 g Flour mixture 
* 1 1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum 
* 3/4 cup sugar 
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
* 3/4 teaspoon salt 
* 9 oz fresh blueberries (can use 12 oz of Frozen Blueberries - thawed and drained) 

 Topping 
* 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 
* 35 g flour mixture 
* 1/4 cup brown sugar

 Preheat oven to 375 (350 for dark or non-stick pans). Grease Muffin Top pans (or regular muffin tins) Melt butter over low heat. Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients and set aside. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and whisk in Milk. Next, add whole egg, egg yolk, and almond extract. Whisk together well. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Carefully fold in blueberries. Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 mins (May need to bake longer for regular muffins). Cool on baking racks for 10 mins. Remove from pans to cooling racks to finish cooling off. Enjoy warm or room temperature.

Hawaiian Heartthrob Smoothie

It is like Summer in a Glass. Or at least that is how I described it after trying this drink at Red Robin a few days ago. I just HAD to figure out how to make it. Thankfully, it is pretty easy! I wanted to share right away since it is so tasty. I hope you all enjoy! This recipe serves 1.

First, gather all your ingredients:

*1/2 c. Frozen Strawberries
*1/4 c. Pineapple chunks
*1/4 c. Banana slices
*2-3 Tbs. Cream of Coconut (depending on how much coconut flavor you like)
*1 Tbs. Grenadine
*1/2 c. Ice (not shown)

Pour all into a blender. I don't use my actual blender too often anymore. These days my Magic Bullet lives on my countertop and is so convenient...especially in drinks like this that make 1 serving. Blend until smooth.

Pour into a cup and enjoy! You can also garnish with a fresh Strawberry or Pineapple wedge.

Sour Cream Chicken

Here is our family's newest favorite chicken recipe. Very simple. Very tasty.

1 lb chicken breasts (I prefer to cut them into strips)
1 pkg Ranch Dressing mix
1 c. Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 small can French Fried Onions

Place the chicken breasts in a greased glass baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken with Ranch Dressing Mix. Stir together Sour Cream and Cream of Chicken Soup. Spread over the chicken. Sprinkle on Shredded Cheese. Top with French Fried Onions. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

You can take the foil off the last 10 minutes to help brown the onions if you would like, but some of the moisture will escape when doing this.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Chicken Nuggets

I apologize that I have not been around lately. But the end of my pregnancy left me very tired and not doing much cooking or baking. And then with a new baby in the house I don't get much time to sit at the computer. But I did recently try some new recipes that I wanted to share.

My 3 1/2 yr old LOVES chicken nuggets. But it is very hard to find pre-made nuggets that are somewhat healthy. So I finally found a recipe that our entire family loved. By using the Panko Crumbs they stay nice and crispy. I varied a bit from the actual recipe to make them a little healthier and this is what we came up with.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed
1/4 cup Italian seasoned Bread crumbs
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large egg whites


Instructions

1. Cut each chicken breast diagonally into thirds, then cut each third diagonally into ½-inch-thick pieces. Whisk water, tablespoon salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes. Do not brine for more than 30 mins of the chicken will be too salty

2. Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking soda in shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in second shallow dish until foamy. Coat half of chicken with egg whites and dredge in flour-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining chicken (don’t discard flour-crumb mixture). Let sit 10 minutes.

3. Dredge a second time in flour-crumb mixture. Spray a cookie sheet with Olive Oil and lay coated pieces of chicken on the sheet. Spray the tops of the nuggets with Olive Oil.

4. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Flip nuggets over and bake an additional 4-5 mins.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

Enjoy!

4.

Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies

Warning: Upon completion of reading this recipe, you may feel a strong urge to run to your car and go immediately to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for this recipe...Follow your instincts.

Warning 2: Once these are made, you may want to have a plan to share some with others or you will find yourself eating one after the other until before you know it, you have consumed 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ok, now that that is out of the way....

A friend of mine found this recipe and posted it on facebook yesterday evening. I read the title and thought it sounded like an odd combination. Then I read the recipe. Next thing you know, I am texting my husband, bribing him to pick up the candy bars on his lunch break and bring them home to me. Thankfully, it worked!

I'm pregnant right now and am pretty relaxed when it comes to food choices and don't really cut anything out of my diet, just use good judgement and moderation. However, in my last pregnancy and this one, my one rule has been NO RAW EGGS. This is VERY hard for me because I have a downfall for cookie dough, cake batter, brownie batter... Well, I caved last night and couldn't resist trying this dough. It was just too tempting and was SO good. When the cookies came out of the oven, I burned my mouth on the caramel but I would say it was well worth it.

If you are the type of person who prefers to see pictures of each step of a recipe, then check out the original post where this recipe is located: http://www.hostessblog.com/2011/10/recipe-chocolate-caramel-apple-cookies/

I have not checked out the rest of that site, but after trying these cookies, I definitely will.

So, onto the recipe.

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 10 caramels, unwrapped
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 large apple OR 2 small apples, peeled & diced
• 6 Fun Size MILKY WAY® Simply Caramel Bars, chilled & chopped
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract, then beat in the egg and egg yolk until the mixture is well blended.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat unwrapped caramels & milk until smooth and creamy, starting with 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring once. If necessary, continue microwaving the caramel in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely smooth. Allow the melted caramel to cool for about 10 minutes, then pour it into the wet ingredients.

Fold in the diced apples, followed by the dry ingredients. Add chopped candy bars and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: My husband could not find the fun-size Milky Way Simply Caramel bars. Luckily, they had the full size bars in the check-out line. I used 2 full size (well, 2 full size packages. Each package contained 2 bars that were just a little smaller than a normal candy bar, but larger than a fun-size). I also did not chill mine first and had no problem cutting them. If you do want to chill them, do NOT put them in the freezer or the caramel will be rock hard (don't ask how I know this...)

Are you still reading? Or are you already searching your cupboards to find out which ingredients you need to go pick up?

Enjoy!

Peppermint Marshmallows

These take a little bit of work, but are well worth it. They make great Christmas presents. I like them in a cup of hot cocoa. My husband likes them in a cup of coffee. Friends like to just eat them plain. I also might sneak some of the mixture while it is still gooey, before it sets. No matter how you eat them, they're excellent!

1/2 c. Powdered sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 c. white sugar
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. crushed candy canes or mint candies
1/8 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Line a 9x13" pan with nonstick foil. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Sift 2 Tbs. of the sugar/cornstarch mixutre into the pan, tilting to coat sides. Leave any excess in the pan.

Place 2/3 c. water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften for 5 minutes.

In a medium size heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat white sugar, corn syrup, candy cane pieces and salt over medium heat about 7 minutes until sugar and candy are dissolved, stirring occasionally. Pour into bowl with gelatin, removing any larger chunks of candy cane that did not melt.

Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 10-15 minutes. Spread into prepared pan and smooth top. Dust with 2 Tbs of sugar/cornstarch mixture. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

Lift marshmallow from pan using foil. With a wet knife, cut into 6 squares. Spread remaining sugar/cornstarch mixture onto a baking sheet. Invert marshmallow block onto sheet; cut each square into 9 pieces. Toss marshmallows in sugar/cornstarch mixture, and set on a pan to set an additional hour. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Morning Glory Muffins

I had someone ask about muffin or bread recipes that are low in sugar and have lots of vegetables in them. These still have 1 1/4 c. of sugar, but have lots of good for you things in them. And I'm sure you could reduce the sugar if you wanted. I think I may make a batch of these tonight. I haven't had them in years and used to have them at my grandma's house. They freeze very well.

2 c. Flour
1 1/4 c. Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 c. Grated Carrots
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 c. Raisins
1/2 c. Coconut
1/2 c. Chopped Pecans
3 Eggs
1 c. Vegetable Oil
1 Apple, peeled and shredded

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, raisins, coconut, and pecans. In another bowl, beat the eggs, add oil, apple, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture only until combined. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until muffins test done.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

This is another recipe that gets credit from my friend Shelley. These are wonderful, easy to make, and feed a lot of people. They are also wonderful reheated.

4 lbs sliced potatoes
2 tsp. chili pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup diced onion (optional)

mix in greased 9 x 13 pan.

add 2-3 tbsp. melted butter.

bake covered with aluminum foil at 400 degrees for 1-hour, or until potatoes are tender.

mix in 1 c. ranch dressing

add 2-cups shredded monterey jack cheddar cheese.

cook uncovered for 10-minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

This is my favorite Zucchini Bread recipe. I haven't had a chance to get any zucchini this year to make some, but hopefully soon. This also freezes amazingly well. To freeze, wrap cooled loaves first in saran wrap, and then in aluminum foil.

3 c. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3 tsp. Cinnamon
3 Eggs
1 c. Vegetable Oil
2 1/4 c. Sugar
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 c. Grated Zucchini
1 c. Chopped Walnuts, optional

Grease and flour two 8x4 in bread pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared bowls. Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and completely cool on racks before storing.

I also made this adding a brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, rolled oats topping. Unfortunately, I don't have an exact recipe for it. I just combined the ingredients together to my liking and sprinkled on top before baking.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

This is a marinade my husband created. He started off with a recipe he found online, but changed several ingredients to what we had in the house (some not even close to what the original recipe called for). The results: amazing!

2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Sesame Ginger marinade
1 Tbs. Peach Juice
1/2 Tbs Cointreau
1/2 Tbs. Lemon Vodke
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2-3 lbs Pork Tenderloin

Mix together all ingredients. Pour over pork and marinate in refrigerator for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Cook on low in crockpot for 6-8 hours or until tenderloin is cooked through. You can also remove from the marinade and grill for 35 minutes, basting with the remaining marinade.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Brownies

These are some of the best brownies I have ever made. They do take a little extra work, but in the end it is totally worth every second. I have to give credit for these to Gluten Free Girl. Her blog is amazing. If you or someone in your family is on a gluten free diet, you MUST check out her recipes. www.glutenfreegirl.com

8 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
1 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 c. Brown Rice Flour
1/4 c. Tapioca Flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and 8in square pan. Chop the chocolate into small slivers. Slice the butter into one-inch pieces. Combine the two flours together.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Place a large metal bowl over the top of the saucepan. Put the chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir, occasionally, as they both begin to melt. As they come to a full melt, stir vigorously until you have a cohesive mixture.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency. Add the vanilla extract and alt and stir well. Add in the gluten-free flours and stir. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir, carefully, with a rubber spatula until the mixture has become smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with the spatula. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, fill the sink with ice cubes and 1 inch of water. When the brownies are finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it immediately into the ice-water bath, being careful not to splash any water onto the brownies. Leave in water until completely cooled. Refrigeration. These taste great right away but truly are better after sitting in the fridge for a night.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Apple Glazed Pork Loin

This is a great Fall recipe when apples are in season and the weather is just starting to cool...

4 boneless pork loin chops
6 apples (cored, peeled, and quartered)
1/4 c. apple juice
3 Tbs quick-cook tapioca
3 Tbs packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp All Spice
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a crockpot, lay out the apple slices. With a meat mallet, pound chops to tenderize. Place chops on top of apples. Mix salt, pepper, and tapioca. Sprinkle over chops. In a glass bowl, combine apple juice, brown sugar, and all spice. Pour over chops, making sure to moisten all. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Apple Cake

Here is a very delicious and simple recipe for an apple cake. Sometime I want to try making it with peaches instead of apples. I'm sure you could try just about any pie filling you like.

1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1 (21 oz) can Apple Pie Filling
3/4 c. packed Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Flour
1 Tbs. Butter
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 c. Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and Flour and 9x13" pan. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, and apple pie filling. Pour into the prepared pan. Combine the Brown Sugar, Flour, Butter, Cinnamon, and Walnuts. Sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

I will admit, I started eating this straight out of the oven and it was well worth the burns on my tongue, hehe!

Enjoy!