Snow Cone Syrup

 

Last month I taught preschool as a part of a preschool with a group of mom's.  Our topic was snow and for our treat we had snowcones.  I got a snowcone maker a few years ago and have had a lot of fun with it.  But this was my first attempt at making my own syrup.  I made the syrup the way I make my maple syrup and it turned out too thick.  That said it was delicious.  Here is the recipe with a thinner syrup.

Snow Cones (printer friendly)
2 C water
2 C sugar
Candy flavoring

1. In a saucepan combine the water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute.  Remove from stove.

You can flavor the whole batch or separate into different bowls for flavoring.  Add about 1/8 tsp flavoring to each bowl.  Taste and add more flavoring as needed.  Color with food coloring if desired

I made, pina colada, lemon, and raspberry.

Doughnut Balls

For my daughter's class Christmas party they were serving doughnuts.  She really wanted some, but I wasn't up for rolling out and the raising, etc.  But I remembered this recipe in my Lion House Desserts cookbook that I quickly checked just to see what it was.  Come to find out it was a dump, stir, fry recipe which was up to my cooking level for the day.  I was quickly just raised the baking powder a little and added some xanthan gum and voile, we had GF Doughnut Balls that were delicious!  In fact they turned out so good we decided to change our Christmas breakfast tradition to Doughnut Balls.

Doughnut Balls (printer friendly recipe)

2 C rice flour mix
1/2 C sorghum flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 t xanthan gum
2-2 1/2 eggs**(or substitute)
1 1/2 C sour cream (or substitute, Tofutti makes a good one)
2 T sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 C vegetable oil for deep frying***
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon Sugar (recipe below)
Chocolate Glaze (recipe below)
Vanilla Glaze (recipe below)

1. In a large bowl combine rice flour mix, sorghum flour, baking powder, xanthan  gum, eggs, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt -- The batter will be soft, like a thick muffin batter.
2. Heat oil to about 350-degrees.
3. Place tablespoons of dough

I used my cookie scoop, it made it really easy.

into the fryer

Drop carefully so you don't splash oil on yourself.

Fry about 3-4 at a time

I love this photo, I think it is so pretty.

Fry doughnuts for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown all around.  Remove from pan/fryer with a slotted spoon or basket.  Drain on paper towels.

Don't they look yummy already?

Toss with powdered sugar in a ziploc bag

or toss with cinnamon sugar

or drizzle with glaze.

Anyway you eat them -- plain, sugared or glazed -- they are de-li-cious!

 
*Or just 2 1/2 C rice flour mix-- if you don't want GF just use regular flour and omit xanthan gum.
**to do a 1/2 an egg I scramble and egg and dump approx 1/2 in the recipe.
***or if you have a deep fryer use its directions

Cinnamon Sugar

1 C sugar
1 T ground cinnamon

1. Stir together until fully combined.

Vanilla Glaze

(also from the Lion House Desserts cookbook)
1 C powdered sugar
2-3 T milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine the powdered sugar with enough milk to make the mixture slightly runny.  Stir in vanilla.

Chocolate Glaze

(adapted from TheUltimate Southern Living Cookbook)
1 T butter
3 T cocoa
1 C powdered sugar (sifted if you want, I never do)
1 1/2-3 T boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the butter and cocoa.  Cook over low heat until the butter melts and the cocoa is fully incorporated.  Cool for 3-4 minutes.  Add sugar and combine together.  Add water until it reaches a slightly runny consistency.  Add vanilla.

Seven Layer Dip

In case you haven't figured out, I love Mexican.  Tonight we did simple and easy.  While Seven Layer Dip is traditionally served as an appetizer, I like to have it for dinner, with it light on the sour cream.  Yum!

Seven-Layer Dip (printer friendly recipe)

2 cans Refried beans
Guacamole
1 C Sour Cream (2 C if using as an appetizer)
1/2 pkg taco seasoning (opt -- 1 pkg if doing 2 C Sour Cream)
2 C Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 small onion, chopped
1 med tomato, chopped
1 sm can sliced olives (not shown in photo)
Corn Chips or taco shells

1. Layer Refried Beans on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Layer the Guacamole on top (as much as you like, I did 1 1/2 avocados worth).  Next combine sour cream and taco seasoning, if using.  Spread on top of the Guacamole.  Layer Cheese and then top with onion, tomato and olives.
2. If you want you can add chopped avocado, shredded lettuce, jalapenos, black beans, or any other mexican like thing you think is yummy.
3. Serve with corn Chips, or use as a filling for a taco shell.

Twisty (kind of) Cheese Sticks

The other day I decided to make the Cowboy Beans from the "A Year of Slow Cooking."  After a disastrous issue with soaking the beans overnight with the crockpot on (can you say ready to be refried) and then forgetting to soak them I finally got around to successfully making it.  The soup was pretty good, not amazing, but good.  However, the Cheese Sticks I made to go with the soup were fabulous.  I only wish I would have realized my oven wasn't heating all the way and they would have worked even better, and I should have cooked them just a bit longer to get even more crunch (I finally figured it out on the 3rd pan in the oven - 1 GF pan, and 2 regular).  I was a little worried my dough was too soft since they didn't twist great, but I think it is because I didn't twist them enough to really stay twisted, instead they just folded.  I think I got this recipe from the Family Fun magazine, but I'm not sure since I cut it out and placed it in my "to try" binder, and I really should have "tried" it before.  Even though I made GF & regular sticks, I could have just done GF (cost aside) and no one would have known the difference.  You really need to try these the next time you crockpot.  They are really easy and don't take too much time.  Since you already made dinner in the crockpot it makes it even easier.

Twisty (kind of) Cheese Sticks (printer friendly recipe)

1 C rice flour blend
1/2 C sorghum flour
6 T butter, softened
2 C grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 C grated Parmesan &/or Romano cheese
1 egg
1/4 C milk

1. Heat oven to 400-degrees and grease 2 cookie sheets
2. In a food processor add the flours, butter, and cheeses.  Pulse for about a minute or until all the cheese, flour, and butter and well combined.

3. Add the egg and pulse until its combined well.  With the processor running, add the milk through the feed tube and blend until the dough forms a ball (about a minute).  Add more Parmesan if it seems really sticky.

4. Place 1/2 the dough on a floured surface (I used parchment paper) and roll to about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 1/2-inch strips that are 4-inches long.  Twist the strips and line them up on the prepared cookie sheet.

 

5. Bake the strips for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long).

Crunchy Granola

A year ago my husband and I visited Scotland and Ireland. We spent 3 days in Belfast and during that time we stayed at a hotel that served breakfast. Because we were cheap we chose the cold breakfast each morning. I expected cold cereal, instead it was basic granola with choices of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. I loved it. Since then I have been trying to recreate the granola with no luck. Last January my sister sent me this recipe from a recipe swap at church. It sounded so yummy, but I hadn't gotten around to making it until today and I'm not sure I made enough. I can't stop eating it, and it reminds me so much of the granola back in Belfast, it isn't sweet like most granolas and it is pretty healthy so I don't feel too guilty eating a lot. It is easily the best granola I've ever had. If you like sweet granola add honey to the butter/syrup mixture before you pour it over the rest of the ingredients. I am thinking of having it over ice cream as a lunch/afternoon snack.

NOTE: This uses oatmeal, which need to be certified GF for those with GF issues, even if they are GF some people still have problems with oatmeal.

Crunchy Granola
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
¾ cup sliced or slivered almonds
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp flax seed
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A Dark Amber)
1 cup dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, apricots, dates, figs, and/or raisins) (optional -- but recommended, I used cranberries & dates)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Either butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl combine the rolled oats, nuts, seeds, flax seed, ground cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the oil (or melted butter), and maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the liquid. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 - 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally so the mixture browns evenly. (The browner the granola gets (without burning) the crunchier the granola will be.) Place on a wire rack to cool. You will notice that the granola may still be sticky when it is removed from the oven but it will become crisp and dry as it cools. Make sure to break up any large clumps of granola while the mixture is still warm. Once the granola has completely cooled, add dried fruit and store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. It will keep for several weeks.

Potato Logs & Sauce

This is one of my favorite treats, and really while this post has a recipe for potato logs, it is all about the sauce. "Fry Sauce" to be exact. It is somewhat of a Utah/Idaho thing, but it should be everywhere. You should try it, you just might be hooked.


Potato Logs
4-5 Russet Potatoes, sliced lengthwise, skin on
2 Tbsp oil
Season salt, or any combo of spices.

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees
2. On a large cookie sheet place 1 Tbsp oil and spread over pan.
3. In a Gallon Zip-loc bag pour remaining oil and add potatoes. Close bag and toss.
4. Lay potatoes out on pan so the skins are down. Sprinkle seasoning over potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes.

Fry Sauce

Measurments are approx, since I use color to determine ratio
1/2 C Ketchup
1/3 C Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
1 tsp Horseradish, opt.
1/2 tsp relish, opt.

1. I measure based on color, so here goes. Place ketchup in small bowl, add mayo and horseradish. Mix. Add more mayo or ketchup until it is salmon pink in color. I didn't have enough may in the above photo so I had to add more. I didn't do relish this time.

Garlic Parmesean Corn Chips

On Saturday I made a Turkey-Vegetable Tomato Soup that was really yummy. I wanted garlic bread to go with it, but we were out of GF bread -- still need to make it. So I made some for the rest of us, (I'll have to post the recipe one of these days, it is my favorite garlic bread) and then had to decide what to do for my GF daughter. After some debating I decided I would make chips, but season them with the same seasoning I seasoned the garlic bread. They turned out so good, I almost wish I had made a huge batch of these instead of the garlic bread. The recipe is a not an exact science, but I think it is pretty easy. I am thinking I might make other flavors as well -- smoked Paprika and onion powder with cheese????

Garlic-Parmesean Corn Chips
Vegetable Oil
Corn Tortillas
Garlic Salt
Grated Parmeasean Cheese
Dried Basil

Heat oil in a small fry pan on med to med-high heat (350-375 degrees F). While heating, quarter tortillas. Fry pieces until browned on both sides -- about 30 sec on each side. Remove from oil and immediatly sprinkle garlic salt, parmesean cheese, and basil. Enjoy!

*I used the inexpensive one in the plastic container since it is extra fine, but it would be good with fresh grated, of course.

Cream Puffs

So today on the Yahoo! Gluten Free Recipes Group someone posted that they loved eclairs and missed them. Which made me think of Cream Puffs which I haven't made in years, but love. So I decided to try to find a way to make Gluten Free ones. I started by looking through me 2 GF cookbooks and found one in my Bette Hagman cookbook. Then I pulled out my regular cookbooks and looked for a recipe. I must admit I kind of collect cookbooks and have recipes in all of them I love. That said, I have a lot. It took me 5 tries to find a recipe. I couldn't believe it since Cream Puffs are so incredibly easy. Anyway Bette Hagman's and Better Homes & Garden's recipes were similar but Better Homes & Garden used BUTTER, my one true baking love! The processes they used were slightly different as well. So I decided to combine the two recipes to make mine. I also made regular ones as well for everyone else. Anyway this is the recipe I used.

Cream Puffs (printer friendly recipe)

Makes 6 puffs
1/2 C water
1/4 C butter
scant 1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (opt.)*
2 1/2 T potato starch
1/3 C Rice Flour
4 eggs
Filling: pudding, ice cream, whipped cream, chicken salad, or anything else that sounds yummy!

1. In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, salt, and sugar (if using). Bring to boiling. Meanwhile mix potato starch & rice flour in a small bowl. Once the water/butter mixture boils add flour in all at once and stir vigoriously. Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball and it all sticks together. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

3. Drop by 6 heaping Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 400-degrees for 30-35 minutes, or till golden. Cool on a wire rack. Fill with your favorite filling.

I put both my GF and regular ones on the same pan with a piece of tin foil separating them. The regular ones are on the left and are twice as big only because the recipe made 12 and I only had room for 9.

This is a closeup of the GF cream puffs.

4. When cooled, cut tops from puffs and remove any remaining soft dough from the inside. Fill with your favorite filling and replace tops. If you want you can sift powdered sugar over the tops of dessert puffs for an extra pretty presentation.

Eclairs: You can make them using the same recipe, but put the dough in a piping bag with a 1" hole and pipe them 4" long on the cookie sheet and bake, poke, and split (if desired) as above. Fill with pudding or cream and frost with chocolate glaze or frosting.

*I don't particularly like sweet cream puffs, especially to use for a sandwich. I like the combination of the salty/buttery dough with sweet fillings. But adding 1 tsp sugar could be a nice touch for a dessert puff if you want.

Dinner Nachos

This is a favorite "quick" meal at our house and insanely easy. Basically add how much you want of each ingredient or some of your own and bake.

Dinner Nachos
Tortilla Chips
Refried Beans, heated*
Black Beans
Olives, sliced
Tomatoes (fresh or canned added at different times), chopped
Jalapeno or Green Chili Peppers
Cheese
Onions, chopped
Salsa
Hot Sauce

1. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray if desired.
2. Lay tortilla chips on Sheet
3. Top with Refried Beans, Black Beans, olives, canned tomatoes, peppers cheese.
4. Place in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
5. Top with Onions, fresh tomatoes, salsa & hot sauce

NOTE: My kids don't like spicy foods so my husband and I add salsa & hot sauce to the nachos on our plate.

*I like to add a little garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and dried cilantro to plain refried beans for extra flavor.

Cinnamon Apple Snacks

Today on the YAHOO! Gluten free recipe swap group, Jackie, posted a snack idea to take sliced apples, cinnamon & flax seed meal and toss them together in a bag for a snack. That sounded so yummy I decided to do that for my daughter's afterschool snack. However, I added a few more ingredients. It was so yummy. I also think it could make a good dessert or appetizer. I have the suggestions below the recipe. Anyway, here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Apple Snacks
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fruit fresh
1 tsp sugar, opt.
1 tsp flax seed meal
1 tsp almond meal
1 Apple, sliced into about 12-16 sliced

In a ziploc bag or other larger bag (I used a "food & bread" plastic bag) mix everything but the apple. Add the apple and toss. Yummy!

Dessert Version
Microwave a 2 minutes and 30 seconds each after that until the apples are soft. Serve over ice cream or eat plain. I haven't tried this, but when I do I will make a post.

Appetizer Version
Chunk the apples before tossing.

Quesadillas

Our family LOVES Quesadillas. We eat them for lunch and dinner and for a simple snack. Often I just pull out everything that can be put in the quesadillas and then everyone gets to pick and choose. Sometimes I just do corn tortillas, but when I do flour I usually do those on a griddle that I don't consider a GF appliance and then I do the corn ones on a pan on the stove. It gets them all done faster and we can enjoy them while they are warm.

Quesadillas
Cheese
Tortillas
Filling*

If I am in a hurry I just put the cheese & filling between the tortillas and microwave for about 30 seconds. If I have more time (or energy) I will cook them in a pan. For our mixed GF/non-GF family I usually cook the flour tortillas on a griddle and the corn tortillas in a pan on the stove. That way everyone's gets done about the same time.

*Some of our favorite fillings to add to the cheese are:
Pepperoni
Pizza (pepperoni and any other pizza toppings)
Broccoli
Mixed veggies
Tomato & basil (fresh is best but canned & dried are good too)
Diced Chicken & basil
Black beans & salsa (sometimes we add corn)

These are our most common, but basically whatever is in the fridge has been made into quesadillas.

Onion Rings & Fry Sauce

Today was the first snowfall and I decided to start a tradition of onion rings, popcorn, hot chocolate, and (maybe) some fruit. It was so fun to make the onion rings, I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. One thing to note, this is a approximate kind of recipe. The kind where you do as much as looks good. Anyway, here they are:

Onion Rings

2 large onions
Water
1/2-1 C Flour (GF or reg)
1 C slightly runny pancake mix & Ingredients listed for mix measured*
Extra milk or substitute
Bread Crumbs (GF or regular)
Fry Sauce (recipe below) or ketchup

1. Heat oil in a skillet, pan, fryer, etc. to 365-degrees.
2. Slice onions thickly and place in a bowl of water.
3. Pour flour into a bowl large enough to hold the onion slices
4. Mix pancake mix and add a little extra milk to thin it out a bit. It should be runny.
5. Pour bread crumbs into a bowl big enough to hold onion slices.

This is the basic assembly line set-up

6. Fry rings in oil, turning once, until golden brown.

Don't they look yummy already

7. Set on a paper towel lined plate. To keep them warm until all of the rings are cooked place them in a 300-degree oven.

Regular Rings

Gluten Free Rings -- Can't even tell the difference

8. Serve with Fry Sauce or ketchup.
9. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes

*Or use 1-2 cups of your favorite pancake recipe made a little runnier than usual.

Fry Sauce is a Utah/Idaho concoction that I personally find delicious and missed desperately when we lived in Tennessee. It is a mixture of approx equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup. Some people add relish or other things to their sauce. Today I added some chili powder and Old Bay Seasoning.

Delicious!