GF biscuits

Tried this recipe tonight and it was way better than any pre-packaged GF biscuit mix we have tried, which should not be a surprise.

Gluten-Free Drop Biscuits

Author: Gluten Free Gigi

Recipe type: Breads, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  12 mins

Total time:  22 mins

 

Free from: gluten, the top 8 food allergens (US), as well as egg, corn and yeast.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend without gum (See link to Gig’s Everyday Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (Gum-Free) in recipe notes below.)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons fat, melted (For dairy-free use butter substitute; if you eat dairy, use real butter if you prefer.)
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
• ¾ cup milk (dairy- or plant-based will work)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment.(You will have 2 pans of biscuits.)
3. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl; whisk to blend.
4. Pour vinegar and milk into melted butter. Stir once.
5. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Stir until no dry ingredients remain.
6. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, drop portions of dough (about 2 measuring Tablespoons each) onto prepared pan, about 1 inch apart.
7. Bake 12 minutes.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!

Ham plan

I bought a ham on sale last week-you know holidays are over, lets clear out the spiral cut ham sale.  I thought I would use it as lunch meat.  My kids say it is "weird" as lunch meat.  So I went searching for a good hot dish (shout out to my Minnesota/Wisconsin friends) to have for supper and this is what I found.  Reviews will be forthcoming.

http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/2013/12/cheesy-ham-and-potato-bacon-casserole.

cheesy ham and potato bacon casserole

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

yield: 4-6 servings

serving size: 1 cup

an easy but delicious ham and potato casserole with gooey cheese and crisp bacon! perfect for using up leftovers or a quick dinner.

ingredients

• 6 red potatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped onion, fine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups cooked ham, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped and steamed
• 4 ounces neufchatel or light cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked

instructions

1. heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x9" baking pan.
2. fill a pot with water and heat over medium heat. add the potatoes and boil until tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes. see note drain the potatoes and set aside.
3. in a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and once it begins to melt add the onion. saute until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. dump the onion and butter into the pot with the potatoes and add the broccoli, ham and cream cheese. stir to combine, not worrying about spreading the cream cheese as it should be left in clumps and dump into the baking dish. top with cheese and bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes or until heated through. top with bacon the last minute and serve!

notes

it's key that you cook the potatoes until tender during this step or they will still be too raw even with baking for the dish to be enjoyable.

brazilian black beans

Making this for dinner tonight and realized I only have half the recipe (no bueno).  So I am posting it so I know where to find it later.  BTW it is really tasty.  Also beans are packed with fiber which is my new culinary hero (I am trying anyway).

http://relish.com/recipes/feijao-brazillian-black-beans/

Feijao (Brazillian Black Beans)

KITCHEN TESTED 

• YIELD 6 servings

Tender, savory and succulent, these vegetarian black beans are a daily staple in Brazil and never fail to satisfy.

Mark Boughton/styling: Teresa Blackburn

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans, picked over and well-rinsed

2 -- bay leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped garlic

2 -- green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place beans in a slow cooker set on HIGH. Add boiling water to cover beans by at least 3 or 4 inches, and add bay leaves. Cook, covered, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, then reduce heat to LOW. Cook, covered, until very soft, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Reserve both cooked beans and their liquid.
2. Heat oil in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook slowly, stirring often, until soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and remaining ingredients. Sauté about 1 minute.
3. Add onion mixture to beans in the slow cooker; stir well. Set temperature to very LOW and let beans cook 1 hour.

Variation: If you prefer to pre-soak the beans, soak them in a bowl of water overnight. Drain and rinse well. Then proceed with the recipe, cooking the beans in a slow cooker about 50 minutes on HIGH and 1 1/2 hours on LOW. You can prepare this recipe on the stovetop as well.

—Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon

easy chicken cordon bleu

I love chicken cordon bleu, but quite honestly the rolling and stuffing intimidates me. Then I found this recipe-no rolling or stuffing needed!  I have made this enough that Zoe complained when she saw me making it about how often we are eating this dish.  I didn't pay much heed.  This is tasty and easy therefore it is a keeper.

*Note: fresh bread crumbs here make all the difference. I save the heels of my bread stashed in the freezer for just a recipe like this when I need to grind up fresh bread crumbs quickly in my blender or food processor. Also, try to find really thick chicken breasts – it makes it easier to cut them in half lengthwise and still have a good-sized portion.

*Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
12 slices deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 to 1/2 pound thinly sliced swiss cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.

While the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly, while cooking the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking.

Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

Make Ahead Instructions: Assemble the chicken, ham and cheese according to the recipe. Store the prepared bread crumb/butter mixture in a resealable plastic bag or other container. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store it and the bread crumb mixture in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. When ready to bake, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and bake according to the recipe, adding anywhere from 5-15 extra minutes since it was refrigerated prior to baking. Make the sauce while the casserole bakes or make it ahead of time, let it cool, and store it covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, reheating over low heat and whisking to recombine before serving.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Sweet and Spicy butternut squash

I love butternut squash and was looking for a way to change it up.  I also had feta cheese on hand and this is the recipe I found.  This is powerful good.  I didn't have the fancy asian pepper sauce, I used good ol' Cholula.  It probably didn't have as much kick as it would have.  I will have to try it with the fully loaded pepper sauce next time.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (suggested: Sriracha)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Toss squash with olive oil, maple syrup, chili sauce and salt.
3. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, give the squash a stir then bake for another 20-25 minutes until the squash is tender and caramelized.
4. Top squash with feta cheese and basil leaves.

frosting...mmm

Zoe wanted buttercream frosting for her birthday cake.  I tried this recipe out.  I am not usually a frosting fan, but this is mighty tasty.  A keeper.

Ingredients:

Yield:
12
cupcakes Units: US | Metric
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:

1
In a bowl combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat till blended.
2
Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/vanilla-buttercream-frosting-from-sprinkles-cupcakes-222188?oc=linkback

Banana Bread

For ever the banana bread recipe I used was cut out from the back of a C&H sugar bag.  I don't know where that one is now, and I don't care.  For me and my rotten bananas this is a better bread.
-full disclosure, this is a recipe from allrecipes.com.  But there are soo many banana bread recipes there.  I wrote this down and didn't want to loose it, so here it is.  *found it, so handy to look up by ingredients!http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-ever-banana-bread/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=banana%20bread%20with%20buttermilk&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Preheat oven to 375

3 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 oil (substituting some apple sauce works, wouldn't get rid of it entirely)
1 1/2 c bananas (about 3)
2 1/4 c sugar
2 1-/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt

mix all the wet ingredients, throw in the dry, bake it up.  Here is the hitch.  I think this makes 2 loaves of bread, but I never actually put it in bread form because, I live in Arizona and it is too crazy hot 80% of the time to fire up my oven for and hour and 20 minutes, so I always make muffins.  And I can't at this time remember how long to cook them for.  Hmmm.  Lets guess 30 min. but don't go too far cause your gonna have to check em.  (next time I make them I will take note)