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prepare thy self for a full inbox! Gluten free . . . . here I come!

Sugars And Chips

Hello again! For a few months I've been gluten free (minus a couple of days while in China. The best Italian food! Ah . . . how I miss you China.) Back to home. . .

So I've been adapting my recipes to the gluten free flour mixes that I use. I tried Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free AP Flour Mix for a wedding last year. It had various bean flours who's flavors don't lend themselves to deserts. Then you have to purchase a $12 bag of Zanthan Gum (in order to replicate the gluten) for the 1/4 tsp that you actually add to the recipe. I also found the flour to be grainy.

Recently, I found Beth's AP Gluten Free Baking Flour from Glutino. (Beth's Flour is about mid way down.)

This flour is remarkable! There isn't any graininess and the flavor is so mild. You really can't tell that your baked goods are gluten free. (And neither can your friends at the office! ;)

The only drawback is the price tag . . . I am not used to paying $4 for 2 cups of flour! And because it only comes with 2 cups of flour, you have to alter your recipe or buy two plus boxes. (That's when it starts to get expensive.)

Hopefully, someday I can figure out Beth's recipe so that I make my own flour. Its main components, potato starch and tapioca flour, are inexpensive and easy to find in bulk at our local co-op.

Anyway, to the cookies. This past week I worked on my sugar cookie recipe. The first recipe is the original. (I just realized I hadn't put it up. Sorry.) Then the second version is gluten free.

Erica's Original Sugar Cookies
Perfect for cut-outs or filled with Lemon Curd.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1/2 C Butter
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1/3 C Sour Cream
3/4 C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
3 C AP Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt

Blend wet ingredients. Sift dry ingredients. Blend dry into wet gradually. Chill for at least 30 min.

Flour surface. Roll and cut. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.


The Gluten Free Sugar Cookie of Your dreams!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


1/2 C Butter
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1/3 C BUTTERMILK
3/4 C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
2 C Beth's Gluten Free AP Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt

Blend wet ingredients. Sift dry ingredients. Blend dry into wet gradually. Chill for at least 30 min.

Flour surface. Roll and cut. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.



Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe contains margarine. You have two options.
a) Find a gluten free margarine and substitute.
b) Replace with butter.

Also, just replace the bread flour with gluten free flour. (You can add more flour for thicker cookies, if you have it around.)

A New Year, A New Resolution

It is just about 2010. No one could believe it when 2000 was just around the corner and now, one decade later, can you believe what these years have brought? How your life has changed? Where you've gone and what you've done?

I certainly did not see myself married to my, then, crush and have two phenomenal boys. Nor did I see myself having the job of my dreams! Its been a hard, rough, sucky, amazing, magical and terrific ten years. So here is my new resolution.

My resolution is to be me. In everything I do, I'm just going to follow my heart. I've learned that I do really well, when I listen to myself, and I need to trust myself more.

This blog is a passion of mine and I am going to take the time to follow through on it. I need that time.

I'm not sure the direction it will go, I'm not sure I care to know. That's the exciting part . . .

Daring Bakers - My First Post - Chocolate Eclairs

This will be posted on monday! Thanks!

Feast Day!

Today was the feast day at our church. I will expand on this a little later.

Here is the recipe I promised to post. Pictures will be added this evening. I'm pooped.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Snack Mixes

I have been experimenting with making my own snack mix (similar to Chex mix). I started out using seasoning packets from the spice aisle, adding them to melted butter and then baking. They work very well but you're never quite sure what all is in them. So I made my own this evening. Its in the oven currently but the pre-oven taste test was pretty yummy. Here's the recipe.

P.S. Ben is perfectly happy with the base ingredients on their own. We'll see what he thinks of the finished product.

P.P.S. Fruity snack mix? How would you get the flavor into the cereal???


Basic Snack Mix

Base Indredients:
4 cups corn (chex-like) cereal
1 cup cashews
1 cup almonds (I used sliced almonds. Its just what I had on hand.)
1 cup sunflower seeds

Seasoning Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 tsp salt (I used kosher.)
2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 Tbsp dried Parsley Flakes*
1 Tbsp dried Minced Onion


Melt the butter in a pan. Measure the base ingredients and put into a bowl. Measure the seasoning ingredients into your measuring cup. When butter is melted, turn to medium heat. Add seasoning ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour evenly over base ingredients and stir together quickly and throughly. Pour on to lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees. Stir every 20 minutes for 40 minutes. Cool.

Barefoot Bloggers - Butterflied Chicken

Ina has done it again. 'What?' You may ask, 'has she done again?' Ina has combined a few simple ingredients to great a bite that says,'This is what cooking is all about!'

Lemon, garlic and rosemary - they seem ordinary enough . . . right? Maybe, but when combined they are an extraordinary team that brings out the best flavors a chicken has to offer. This trio make chicken the star of any show. They give the chicken a fresh citrus aroma with a slight hint at woodsy. This is an easy must try recipe.

Note: I didn't grill my chicken. I sauteed it in olive oil. Delicious!

Here is the recipe.






(We loved it. Need I say more?)