Flour mix!

In the past I have always mixed some of this and some of that when I am making something from scratch.   The flours have included Tapioca  (light, fluffy), Brown Rice (nutritious, but still a bit of emptiness), Sorghum and Teff (nutritious and nutritious).  It has always worked well, except for banana bread which I have not been able to make well from scratch as a gluten free cook.  I can do it with mixes, but I hate buying mixes for something that is essentially a way to use up left over-and soft- bananas.

Last Christmas Quirky received a gift card to Barnes & Nobles. I went off to buy a book by Ellie Krieger and came home instead with a cookbook, Gluten Free Artisan Bread. . .  . YUM!   I bought more bags of flour in order to mix up the flour blends needed for these recipes.  In the end, I always stuck with making the Peasant Bread recipe as I like the hard edges and dense inside.  Sure, I miss the fluffy french bread but it was always a special treat when I was growing up, and not a staple. Whole wheat bread was the staple in the house---which is funny now as a celiac/gluten free/soy free person :-)   Don't fret on the missed Ellie book. . . I did get it this summer :-)  

This year I also broke down and bought my first bag of a cup for cup flour blend. I loved the simplicity of it, but I didn't like the amount of corn starch in it, nor the dry milk (family member has lactose intolerance), not the lack of nutrients in it. I shouldn't be upset about the last, I mean, plain white gluten flour isn't all the nutritious either.  A lot of times, I just make up for this by adding milled chia to the baked goods. This works for cakes, pizza, but not so much for cookies.

A while ago I asked some celiac friends for their favorite gluten free 1:1 flour recipes from websites. I was given four.  They are (in no particular order):

http://www.livinghealthymom.com/gluten-free-flour/

http://www.glutenfreeandmore.com/resources/food-allergy-substitutions.html

https://glutenfreegirl.com/2012/07/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix/

http://www.foodphilosopher.com/assets/docs/glutfree.cfm

I looked them over, and eliminated one off the bat. The other three, I printed out for my binder cookbook collection, and decided on one to make--The Gluten Free Girl recipe.  It was the easiest to view with types of flours put into categories and the amount of flour of each type.

I was wanting to make brownies and cookies as the Quirky freezer was bare.  I long ago went to freezing at least half of sugary treats so we wouldn't get in that mode after a hard workout where you just want food/sugar/energy NOW!  Not to mention that when we're in training mode for a race coming up none of this stuff is premade.

I made up a small batch of flour and cooked up the brownies. I loved how it worked with the recipe. (The recipe did the same thing as last time and took forever for it to cook in the middle. I remembered to write in the gluten free cookbook to use a 9x13 instead of 8x8 and maybe cook it longer if needed, but to go with the suggested time in a larger pan. I also left out the chocolate chips. Cocoa and melted chocolate chips in the recipe was strong enough on the chocolate front.)  Then I made up the a batch of cookies actually using the Cup 4 Cup recipe on their sack :-)  They turned out very well.

While I didn't take photos of any of the baked goods, I wanted to share the recipe and have it here in the future. Go to Gluten Free Girl's link above for all the flour options to use.

I don't like bean flours as I feel they leave an after taste. I don't use nut flours because I have a niece and nephew who are allergic, and why get great with a flour mix that could severely impact a loved one?

200 grams of Brown Rice Flour
175 grams of Sorghum Flour
25   grams of Teff Flour (It's not much, but Teff cooks up a lot differently than other whole grain flours, and I generally just use a little bit here and there for this reason)
300 grams of Tapioca Flour
300 grams of Potato Starch (I had this on hand for the artisan bread book recipes)

I mixed this up in a tall quart plastic container (like this) I purchased earlier this year at the kitchen supply store.  After I was done baking, I was able to use one of the former flour storage containers to store my read to use 1:1 flour blend in the refrigerator. I opened up a bit of space emptying the jars I had used to store the flours in the freezer and refrigerator.

Fresh Bread: Success!

One of the things I've made off and on over the last year (and really, the last twelve years) is bread. I've tried different ways, but I've had great success with this breadbook Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day  which I bought in 2016 (I found the receipt in the book the other day!).  I had really missed Artisan/crusty/peasant style bread.  Oh, the days of going to Panera are long gone, but being able to make that kind of bread, and have a meal of heart bread and great cheese are back. 

When I first bought the book I did make the Mix 1 and 2 as they suggest, and then one day I used the 1:1 flour blend I make and it turned out, so I started experimenting more with my flour blend and the recipes, and tweaking them a bit for our house.   One thing I read early on in the gluten free journey was to add Xanthum Gum as you use it, not to your flour as you create the blend. This allows one to control the Xanthum Gum levels for baked goods. Generally, it's 1 teaspoon for each cup of flour for making bread, and half a teaspoon for most other baked goods. 

The Mike doesn't care for the crunchy bread unless we are having soup for dipping :)  , so I have worked on some other recipes in the book.    If you're going to make a roll, or manipulate the flour, it really does help a lot (as they say) to refrigerate the dough after the initial rise. 

One of my recent finds is a long loaf pan. This one has a small rise in the bottom, which could be used for a long pound cake or angel food cake, but I buttered it up and used it for bread!  

I made up the Challah bread with my  flour blend, added milled chia for more nutrients, and a bit more water for that. 
I skip the initial "let rise in bowl" and I simply add it to the greased baking pan for it to do the rise. I let rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on how warm or chilly the house is that day.  

Placed just over half the dough in the pan after mixing, the rest I scooped as rolls in a separate pan. 

Although this day was a little warm, I preheated the oven to 105ºF, then shut it off, and covered loosely with plastic wrap, and set in the oven to rise for the next 2 hours. 

I thought half full on the loaf pan would be fine. 

Then it rose in the oven. 

Removed the pans from the oven, removed the plastic wrap, applied an egg wash of 1 egg and a splash of water, scrambled and then silicone brush for applying.  I then preheated the oven to 350ºF and then baked for 55 minutes. 

The rolls. 

OMG This bread!  

POOF. It was TALL.  

It did deflate a little bit, but held it's shape remarkably well.  We managed to not cut into it until it had cooled completely. That was an endeavor!   

This loaf lasted us a week. It was great for fresh with butter, for grilled cheese, for tuna melt (The Mike requested) , and for a cold ham and cheese sandwich.

I realized I probably should have done something simple to the bread, and remembered to do that this next time.  . . . put a few slices in the top of the risen bread. 

This week I made another full batch of the dough.  I split the mix evenly among the two long loaf pans, and so they didn't rise to topping the pan. 

Risen, egg wash, and three angled slices across the top. 

Bake: 350F 60 minutes. Switched and rotated the loaf pans after half an hour. 

Oh, YUM!  

Long Loaf Pan = approximately 15x4x4. One of mine is Wilton, the other is vintage West Bend

The only problem with this, is how to wrap the second loaf to keep it!    

Bread Loaf Recipe: 

Dry ingredients. Weigh and mix together. 

920 grams / 6 cups of my Gluten Free Flour blend,* plus 6 teaspoons of Xanthum Gum 

1 scant Tablespoon kosher salt  (I generally under add salt, figuring we will be using the bread with plenty of salted things like cheese and ham :) 

10 grams of rapid rise yeast, which for me is 1 1/4 envelopes. 

30 grams/ 1 Tablespoon  of milled chia more protein and fiber) 

Wet ingredients: 

4 eggs (farm fresh large/jumbo eggs for me,  totaling 252 grams)

1/2 cup of honey (farm fresh as well. Sometimes I have to heat it up or scoop it out if it solidifies--which happens if it's real).

110grams of Olive Oil (California Olive Ranch for me), or half a cup. 

3 cups of lukewarm water (100ºF to 105ºF) 

Weigh and mix the dry ingredients together in stand mixer bowl.  Measure wet ingredients and add to a separate mixing bowl or container.  All at once, add all the wet ingredients to the dry.  Attach paddle and mix on low for a few minutes to incorporate all the ingredients, then turn to 6  speed, and mix for a couple minutes.

Grease two long loaf pans (15"x4"x4"), or one long loaf pan and one 12-muffin tin.  

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm /draft free area for two hours of rising. General temps for optimum yeast product rising is 80F to 115F.  I put my oven at 105F. 

When rising is complete, preheat oven to 350ºF.   If bread was in oven proofing, remove from oven before preheating.

Remove plastic wrap from pans, scramble one egg with one teaspoon of water, and gently apply to the top of the bread with a pastry brush, silicone kitchen brush, or a folded paper-towel that won't lint/shred.   Then, using a serrated knife, make three slices across the top of the bread.  

When oven has reached temperature, place pans in center oven. Bake for one (1) hour for long loaf pan, 40 minutes for smaller rolls). 

Remove from oven, let cool in pan ten minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing with serrated knife. 

* One reason I started making my own flour mix was my desire to have more than "just" white flours in baked goods. Mine has brown rice flour, sorghum, and teff in addition to tapioca and potato starch.  

Choc chip cookies and homophones

Last month businesses started releasing some recipes to the public since we weren't able to enjoy them in the establishments. I found the recipe for the Hilton DoubleTree Signature Cookie Recipe   and adapted it to be gluten free, then tweaked it again.

I dubbed this "The Cookie Challenge".  Can I make these cookies and have them measure up?  The Mike was asking for chocolate chip cookies just before I came across the recipe.   I made a batch in April, and a batch last night. The first batch I kept mostly to the recipe, but I did adapt the recipe using my 1:1 gluten free flour blend, and using the Bob's Red Mill Quick Cook Rolled Oats.   The first half of the mix baked did spread more than I expected; however, the second half baked didn't spread much. I presume that letting the mix set allowed the dough to set a bit.  

Yesterday's batch I modified a bit more. Namely, I used more flour, more vanilla and lemon, less sugar, adding baking powder (for lift), and using cook oats, not the quick oats, as well as omitting the walnuts. Did I then make a new recipe as it is changed, or is still a recipe from Hilton DoubleTree?

1 cup/ 2 sticks butter 

3/4 c granulated sugar 

3/4 packed brown sugar (in my container I put a bag of dark and light in at the same time, side by side, so I get a mix of the two when using it)

2 large eggs 

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp lemon juice 

2 3/4 cup GF 1:1 flour blend 

1 1/2 tsp xanthum gum 

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill oats 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 package Artisan Kettle semi sweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup Guittard dark chocolate chips 

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Using my Kitchenaid mixer, I mixed the butter and sugars, then scraped down the sides and added the eggs, vanilla and lemon juice.  I scraped down the sides.  Then added half the flour/x.gum/oat/soda/powder/salt/cinnamon mix and mixed until well blended. Then I added the other half of the flour and slowly/gently mixed.  When combined, I tossed in the chocolate chips to quickly blend on high.  I wasn't sure it would incorporate well, but definitely the chips were mixed well through the dough.  

I baked my test cookie for 20 minutes @ 300F, but when I baked with two sheets in the oven, I bumped that up to 25 minutes.   I scraped and folded over/mixed  up the bit of flour on the bottom of the bowl that didn't get incorporated.  Using my 3T cookie scoop, I dished up 27 cookies with 6 cookies per parchment covered cookie sheet.

To reduce temptation, and create a surprise when I next clean out the freezer,  I froze over half the cookies and left out just a few.

With the weather turning cold, and a freeze expected, I cut the few tulips and some of the Hyacinths I had to bring in and enjoy a little longer.  Using the vintage Flour salesman sample jar with a flower always creates a smile.   I used a piece of white cardstock with holes punched in to create a surface to stabilize the other hyacinths for the vintage McCoy vase

We used old sheets to cover up the grave vines, some flowers and hostas. This morning the grape vines were exposed thanks to some stronger than expected breeze, and many of the leaf/grape clusters emerging look to have been damaged. The few areas that had larger leaves were damaged with the frost.  The hostas and flowers were fine, so I probably could have risked the tulips and hyacinths being outside.  Surprisingly, the decorative tall grass was heavily frost damaged.  Here's hoping the grape jelly & syrup supply won't be too impacted this fall! 

I forget how much movement is involved in yardwork. We trimmed the bridal wreath spirea today. Squat squat, bend, stand up, hold back the branches, cut cut cut, squat squat squat. :) 

Happy Mother's Day out there.   

Planning to visit the cemetery tomorrow, and do a drive by drop off at my MIL's.
Tonight saw a 6' apart line at the local flower shop that had tables and flowers set up outside. 

Recipes: Mac and cheese---Real Simple recipe put to the test. Faux Chicken Pot Pie

Do you remember the creaminess of homemade mac and cheese? 

I have news for you. You can have it again!

I'm heading out of town for the weekend and made up some dishes for The Mike. 

I gave The Mike some options for the casseroles and he said, "I would never turn down mac and cheese".   He can pair any of these with fresh veggies, a spinach salad and some grapes.
He will also have some left over lasagna from yesterday and the faux chicken pot pie below. 

I also made a chicken pot pie--of sorts--where you use mashed potatoes on the bottom. 

Then the filling just sits in a well in that. I've had this recipe for a while too, Feb of 2009 was at the top of the printout, but no name as to who it was from, but by googling the name and glutenfree/dairy free I was able to find that it is a Rachel Ray recipe.

I took one out of the freezer to show ya.
I'm not sure I'll make it again,but will let The Mike be the judge of that. 

You don't bake the finished product.

Boil potatoes (1.25 pounds, I used four larger Yukon Gold ones)

1 cloves garlic, mashed

5T olive oil

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt/pepper

1 small onion

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups chicken broth

1 c frozen peas/carrots

1 cup broccoli florets

2 T cornstarch

1 tsp dijon

I thick wedge sliced the potatoes and left the skin on, then boiled them. Next time, I'd only use 3/4 to 1 pound of potatoes. I had plenty left over.  The store was out of "peas and carrots" so I used, peas, and carrots, and greenbeans. 

I cooked the chicken broth in a covered skillet with 1T of oil and about 1/3 cup of water. Then removed the breasts to the cutting board and added in my cheater method of the day--dried diced onion. I don't use it very often, but didn't feel like cutting up an onion yesterday.  I let them absorb some of the moisture in the pan, and then added in minced garlic and the thyme.   Let that cook for a couple of minutes. Add 1.5  cups of broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the veggies, stir,and cook for a couple of minutes. 

While that's going on, add the other 1/2 cup of broth to the cornstarch in a separate bowl. Let the cornstarch become dissolved, then add to the pan and stir until thickened. 

  **Next time: I actually would use more broth, like 3 cups or so, to have a good sauce at the end**

I used three separate containers for the frozen dishes for The Mike. I put some of the potatoes in each one, and smoothed them around/up the edges, creating a bit of a dip/well in the middle. Then I added in the diced chicken in each, making it even for each serving. On top of that I put a couple ladles of veggies and then went back and put some broth sauce in each one as well. I'd want more sauce if I was going to do this again, but I think the same amount of cornstarch would be okay. I let them cool, then lidded and froze the containers. 

Just out of the oven

I have had this recipe since November 2006. How do I know this?  It's from Real Simple magazine and says so on the edge.  I have made homemade mac and cheese before, from scratch and from a recipe.  However, I have no recollection of ever having made this recipe. Thus, it's a shocker I still have it in my collection! 

Funny thing, the recipe in the link is the same one from the magazine, except the one online says to bake at 400º and the recipe from the November magazine says to bake at 350º. I think the thing that would happen at 400 is that the top would get a little more done. 

The recipe originally calls for: 

1 pound elbow macaroni

5T unsalted butter (plus more for buttering your baking casserole dish)

1/2 c all purpose flour

6 c milk (whole or low fat)

1 1/2 cups (6oz) Cheddar Cheese

2 cups (8oz) Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional). 

I used Fontina cheese, as I couldn't find Gruyere in the stores.  It has a slightly nutty flavor. I also used sharp cheddar cheese, but you could use medium or mild as well.  My flour was 1/4 c tapioca flour, plus a few tablespoons of sorghum flour. I added an additional 1T of corn starch to some cold milk and used that to help thicken as well.  I boiled the pasta for 10 minutes instead of the 15-16 that it called for. Even then, it was still just about done-done and probably could have been 9 minutes instead, knowing it was going to bake for 25 minutes as well. 

After making this dish, for an 8x8 casserole pan and for 16oz of Tinkyada pasta, I'd change the recipe to the following for 1 pound of pasta (I bolded the changed measurements) 

1 pound elbow macaroni

4T unsalted butter (plus more for buttering your baking casserole dish)

1/3 c all purpose flour

4 c milk (whole or low fat)

1 cups (6oz) Cheddar Cheese

1 3/4 cups (8oz) Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional).

My other thought was to use 1 1/2 packages of the pasta, and use a 9x13 pan instead.  

Yes, I had a "catcher" pan in the oven from the lasagna yesterday,
and used it 'just in case' for the mac and cheese

Sorry, no other pictures while I was making it.  Running two pans and then trying to get the pasta cooked just right enough tasking for me!  

I started out with two pans, one for cooking the pasta in and the other for the sauce. If you have two large pans of the same size, I'd recommend that. 

When the pasta had been boiling for a couple minutes, I started on the sauce. I melted the butter and microwaved the milk (in a glass container) for a minute or so to take the chill off of it. I didn't want it to get too shocked in the hot pan and curdle. I added the tapioca and sorghum flour to the pan of butter to make a roux--the flour and butter will create a thick cream --sort of the consistency of sour cream, you can still stir it, but it's not watery).  

After a couple minutes of the sauce being thick, I added the milk and stirred until the roux was incorporated in the milk. I added the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper at this time. Then I added the cornstarch/milk mixture and stirred to get it to a thicker state. I had about two minutes left on the pasta timer at this stage and slowly added the grated cheese, alternating with adding a handful, stirring until melted, repeating.  Once the cheese was all added and melted, I drained the pasta, rinsed that pan (which was the larger of the two), put the pasta back in the pan and then poured the sauce on top.  I realized there was going to be too much sauce and had to stop pouring--that was tricky. 

I probably could have put all the pasta and sauce in the 8x8 but I didn't want it to overflow/bubble over in the oven, so I used the small Longaberger mixing bowl as well. Great bowls, as they can be used in the microwave or oven, or used for sides of veggies or fruit on the table. 

Enjoy. 

Awesome pizza

A few weeks ago The Mike and I rode our Big Dummy bikes downtown and browsed the sidewalk sales, before heading to a movie and the grocery store.

We found this Stonewall Kitchen GF pizza crust at the herb store. The store has been there for a few years, but has "daytime" hours so I've never been. . . and we're usually out of town on the weekends. Last night I decided to this mix for dinner. I made a trip to the store especially for Hormel's Turkey Pepperoni, which The Mike had to take back and return since the pepperoni was green--there was a hole in the bag. I just grabbed one off the shelf. I suppose in the future I should check to ensure there is still an air in the bag.   

The directions were pretty basic as far as making a bread goes.  I added the yeast to warm water, along with the sugar for the yeast to feed upon. Then put all the ingredients in the mixer. I decided to try to the bread hook (which I haven't used since 2006) on the mixer and it worked divinely!   

The batter was a little sticky, but held together and was 'sturdy'.  I tossed it on some parchment paper and used the reserved 1T of flour mix to help coat the dough.  After pressing it into a circle, I used the rolling pin to finish the job. 

The box does say it makes one large or two smaller pizzas. I originally went with the "one large" and then realized it wouldn't fit on my Pampered chef pizza stone. I cut off about five inches of one side for a 'mini pizza'--although The Mike suggested using it for breadsticks.  I still cannot roll a pizza crust, from scratch, into a circle.  I worked at Pizza Hut in college, I should be able to do so!  

After rolling out,  one is suppose to let the dough rest for twenty minutes in order for the yeast to go to work.

We topped this with Dei Fratelli pizza sauce, it was the first time I had purchased pizza sauce (I usually make my own). Then added bacon, fresh onion, Hormel turkey pepperoni, Canadian bacon, black olives, large cherry tomatoes and fresh shredded cheese.  

Stonewall Kitchen pizza is a definite WIN.  It was crunchy on the bottom where it was on the pizza stone. The dough itself had a great flavor and texture to it.  We will make this again.  The price tag was a bit steep, but knowing that it was so good and made a HUGE pizza crust definitely will lean in the favor of parting with the money. (The website says $9.95, but we paid $7.95!).  

Contents:  Tapioca Starch, Sorghum Flour, Nonfat Dry Milk, Potato Starch, 

White Rice Flour, Corn Starch, Corn Flour, Xantam and 

Guar Gums, Salt, Yeast, Gelatin, Basil and Garlic. 

The pizza was great and Chebe won't be the only pizza mix in the house, but the Stonewall Kitchen brand does contain milk, so it won't be ideal for everyone's home.

As I said, after buying the mix we went to a movie (We're The Millers--hilarious, though lots of foul language) and the grocery store afterwards. We needed to get some Canola Oil mayo (one of the few soy-free brands on the market) as we were about out. 

A few weeks later, I went to get the new bottle of mayo out of the cupboard and didn't find it. I thought maybe it was in the fridge. No, not in there either. I went to The Mike, who was in the garage with the Big Dummy bikes and asked him about the mayo. No, he didn't recall putting it away. He checked the bags on both Big Dummys and came up empty.

It dawned on us that maybe it bumped out of the bike bags and is sitting some where along the nine mile trail system from the grocery store to our house. We learned our lesson and will make sure the grocery bags loops are tied and that we need to secure the loops in the storage area of the bike bags! 

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cold Winter, I mean Spring day. Furnace was turned off last week with 80+F weather. 

Today it is 35F, windy (50mph gusts of wind), snowing off and on and so far not accumulating. 

Friday I did some steps (hills for this flat lander) with neighbor

Then I tried 10min of Barre and made it to almost 6 minutes. HARD!

Yesterday Debi and I did four miles on an undulating course for us to work on elevation. Surprisingly, both days were about 100 feet elevation change! 

After some debate between broccoli soup, chicken tortilla and cheesy potato, and then debate on making a cheesy potato eith broccoli and chicken, #TheMike said to make Cheesy Potato, so I did. #goodwife 🤣🙃

Ingredients: 

1 onion diced 

3 carrots peeled and chopped. 

2 pounds of potatoes. Peeled & diced to bite size

1 quart milk. 

3T heavy cream 

1cup freshly / cubed or shredded cheddar 

3T flour + 3T butter to make a roux

1 bay leaf

1T paprika

2tsp oregano 

2tsp basil 

1tsp Marjoram

2tsp onion powder

1.5 T black pepper and salt to taste

Green onion tops chopped for topping (or chives)

If using fresh potatoes, dice, rinse well, boil for a few minutes. Rinse. 

Bacon cooked and chopped for topping. Set on paper towel. 

To the bacon fat (or if skipping bacon, add 1T butter& melt) add the diced onion to cook. After a minute, add a little salt to onion. Add bay leaf. Add Carrot. Cook for a couple minutes. 

Add diced potatoes, stir all. 

Add seasonings to and stir onion/carrots/potatoes. 

Let cook while you make your Roux of butter, pepper and flour. Melt butter in skillet. Add flour. Stir and cook until bubbling. Cook a couple minutes. Turn off. 

Add milk and cream to the soup pot. Bring to boil. Add Roux. Stir well and boil. 

Add cheese, stir to blend. 

If it's too thick, you can thin with water (mine was too 'heavy' so I added some water and then some more- about 2 cups total.)

Bring to boil, then simmer. 

Add pepper and salt to taste. 

Serve and top with bacon bits, scallions or chives, sour cream or shredded cheese. 

*you can add celery to it which would be good. #theMike has been reacting to celery/ celery salt/ celery seed so I omitted. 

*you could add chicken broth or stock instead of water. I did not as it usually has celery in it. 

#Denbypotteryusa #ImperialBlueCoupe bowls for making the food more eye pleasing. 

#glutenfree #glutenfreetastesgreat #quickeats #celiac #coeliac #soyfree #soyoilfree #foodallergies #celeryfree #goodsoup #fullbelly #foodintolerances

Chicken Soup

The Mike had asked if we had any soup in the cupboard and I hadn't bought any in sometime. I did head to the store on Sunday and bought some gluten free/organic soups that we can heat up (with ingredient lists that  are not scary).

Thursday night we had some ice and the weather turned cold (and frightful). . .
After the snow came on Saturday evening/Sunday morning we had about 4 inches of (delightful) fresh powder.  The Mike went out snow-biking (wide tire bike) and I baked away in the kitchen (banana bread, cookies, rice krispie treats--the box now says "gluten free made in dedicated facility!)

Three hours later The Mike came home from his bike ride, cold, but not frozen, and I whipped up some fresh Hershey hot chocolate to warm his body.  Then we had some of the soup I bought at the store with UDIs bread grilled cheese sandwiches.

Later, when the cookies were done baking, I made this chicken soup for Sunday evening.

Chicken cheese soup

I modified a recipe I had printed off the internet for Chicken Tortilla Soup and sadly, the page I had printed out didn't have the webpage/owner on it, so I cannot give credit. However, since I modified the recipe, I can say this one is my own.

I used three Just BARE Chicken breasts (14oz package), cooked those in the stockpot. When they were done, I removed them and --when cool--cut into small cube

To the hot pan I then added:
1 diced onion
 and heated until translucent.

Then I added:
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2Tgarlic

When these were all in the pot and had been stirred/heated to let the flavors of the spices come out, I added a can of diced tomatoes, two small cans of diced green chiles. I added in the cut up chicken.  

I let that heat up/simmer while I made the 'roux'/thickening agent.  The recipe calls for 1 cup room temp milk, so I just microwaved it for 30 seconds or so and got it up to room temperature. [If you're doing a paleo version, you could use other milk, or just chicken broth at this point]

In a small pan, I melted 2T butter [or ghee, or coconut oil], added 2 T of tapioca flour, mixed that together until it thickened, then poured in and started whisking the milk into the flour mixture.  I added in a cup of shredded cheese at this point and whisked that until smooth. [you could leave out the cheese]

Then I poured all of this into the mixture of the chicken/tomatoes/onion and stirred well.  At this point I added in about 16 oz of chicken broth and then brought all of the soup up to a small boil and then simmered for about ten minutes.

I served with sliced avocado, crushed corn crackers ( Food Should Taste Good® is what we had on hand).

You can finish off with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced fresh tomatoes, diced cilantro, guacamole or whatever interests you!

I'd say it took about 40 minutes from start to finish, but I wasn't really watching the clock.

The soup would be fine without the cheese if you're doing a paleo recipe

Colorful chicken soup for the holiday season

 Ingredients/shopping list:

Chicken ( I used 14oz, you can use more or less)
1 diced onion ( I used white onion since it was a chicken dish)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2Tgarlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 small cans of diced green chiles

1 cup room temp milk [other milk or extra chicken broth]
2T butter [ghee, or coconut oil]
2T of tapioca flour
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar)  [this could be omitted]
16 oz of chicken broth

Toppings:
sliced avocado
crushed corn crackers
sour cream
shredded cheese
diced fresh tomatoes
diced cilantro
guacamole

or whatever interests you!

Ginger! Gingerhouse that is.

Gingie! Gingy! Whichever is the way you say it, gingerbread is awesome, and making a gluten free house is so much fun.  I recall decorating one when I was a kid. I helped my niece and nephew make one a few years ago and was a little jealous, so last year I found a recipe and used my 1:1 gluten free flour mix to create a gluten free gingerbread house at home.  (Link to my 1:1 gluten free flour recipe) 

I found this recipe at Simply Recipes for "how to make a gingerbread house" and substituted out the flour.  The Mike made the pattern cutouts with cardboard from the dimensions and sample pattern in the recipe link. That was one of the reasons i liked this link and pattern, as it gave suggestions.  The Mike did make some modifications to the layout this year based on last year's construction. Namely, we varied the chimney measurements, and we added a cutout gingerbread base as well, so we could move it around while making.  
Michael's craft store had Wilton gingerbread decorations earlier this year and I managed to get some while I could.  I say that because today we were running out of the mini gumdrops and sought out more at Michaels. Today, the section was depleted of most decorations. 

Another thing to mix up the decoration was that instead of making my own royal icing from scratch this year, I just bought the Wilton's box mix, used my Kitchenaid and added water.  I put a piping/icing bag in a Weizen beer glass to fill it with the royal icing mix.  This glass shape worked well as the to of the bag easily folded over the edge of the glass.  Ironically, this glass is used for "wheat beers". 

The Mike got to roll out the dough. I still have problems with my wrist from the car collision two years ago. (FYI: Don't slam on the horn if you think the dude running the stop sign is going to clear the intersection).  Mike rolled out the dough, and used the cardboard pattern pieces he made to measure and then cut with the pizza cutter. It made a LOT more sense, and a quicker process, than cutting out with a knife. 

We cut the dough into quarters and then used a quarter of the dough at a time, to keep the other fresh. We also bought those Wilton rolling pin edges for rolling to a certain measurement.  That was faster than last year measuring with a ruler! 

After baking came making :-)   First we had to fix the foundation problem, as the base broke when I was removing the parchment sheet from the cookie sheet.  It slide off the cooling rack. #Oops !  Thankfully it happened on the bottom piece and not the pieces. I prepped the jelly roll pan with the large piece of aluminum foil for easy cleanup in the new year.  The Mike called himself the Construction Contractor.  I piped in the mortar and he smoothed into the joints.  #Teamwork.  

The royal icing has egg whites in it and allows for great adhesion.  After constructing the sides, we left the house alone for an hour or so to firm up. Then we added on the roof tiles.  We put small bamboo skewers in from the roof down to the interior to hold the pieces in place for setting up.  Last year we used tin cans and that worked, but we liked this better. When it was dry, we removed the skewers and frosted over the holes :-) 

Windows on, roof decoration, side decoration, then icicles The ridge vent was decorated, then the front.  I smoothed frosting over the aluminum foil and covered with unsweetened coconut flakes from Trader Joe's.  I bought the Brachs regular size gumdrops for finishing off the decor.  

While Wiltons and Brachs don't say "gluten free" specifically, they are not made with gluten. They are made in a factory that also processes wheat, but that disclaimer is voluntary for a company to add--so if it's not there and it's not labeled gluten free, there's no guarantee the item actually is gluten free.  I say this as a disclaimer, because I feel comfortable using Wilton decorations for this house but I know other Celiacs may not feel the same.

Finished house:  

The recipe does make extra dough which is great in case you break a piece. We left that dough alone until after everything was baked, and then I cut out bells, trees, angels, camels, and gingerbread men.

Happy Holidays from The Quirky House to yours.  

broccoli cheese soup

I received this recipe from a friend and mostly followed directions. Here is what I used and/or how I'd tweak it for next time. 

Ingredients:

3T butter

1 medium diced onion 

1tsp minced garlic 

2T gf flour blend 

2C milk (I used whole)

2c veg broth/chicken broth/water* See note 

1.5 pounds broccoli- diced

1C diced carrots (diced/bite size)

1tsp salt/pepper, Hungarian Paprika

1C American cheese block, cubed

1/2c sliced from block cheddar cheese (white cheddar)

*optional cubed ham, cubed chicken, Avocado

*[note] While we thought TheMike was reacting to Annato /orange coloring in cheese, it turned out he is reacting digestively to celery/celery seed/salt/coriander/cilantro/parsley (which are all part of celery family). 

As to this, I had crock pot cooked a chicken earlier this week using some seasonings *not celery*. 

I had leftover gelatin/stock from this and used it in the recipe for flavoring, and then used water.....as the chicken and veg broth I have on hand uses celery (as most will). 

Directions: 

In stock pot melt 3T butter.  

Add onion. Cook until almost translucent. Add garlic. Cook for a minute. 

Add flour and mix, stir, blend, and cook for 2 minutes. 

Add Vegetable/Chicken Broth/ *OR* water, add milk. Stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add chopped broccoli and carrots. Use larger pieces if you want that. Use diced/bite size pieces if you want that-or don't want to use food processor /hand held blender to blend to a smoother consistency.  

[I had used larger pieces and then removed, let cool a bit, then blended to puree. Next time i will dice broccoli and carrots to small pieces in prep.]

Cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. 

Add salt, pepper, paprika (and whatever seasonings you'd like- Thyme or Marjoram would be good). 

Add cubed  or sliced cheese.  Stir to blend. 

Top with cheese or avocado if desired. 

Would be good with precooked cubed chicken or diced ham after adding broccoli and carrots - or after pureeing the veggies. 

Enjoy!   Perfect for after a snowshoe hike on overcast day! 

*Denby blue bowls are perfect contrast to first eat with the eyes. 😊 

Not a dream, this is our reality

What a strange year this has been, at the beginning of the year we were facing some changes, and I was preoccupied and apparently more anxious than I had thought I was about the event.  What event? The Mike's company was offering a separation to whomever wanted to take it. It was a great offer, but the company still had the right to grant anyone's separation. Until the middle of January, I was a apprehensive of what was going to happen. Once the date passed, it was more a sense of getting use to being home 24/7 together!   Within a few weeks we were hearing of the virus in Asia, and we were talking of how that must be impacting his former workplace--and relieved he wasn't having to work with changing production due to the virus. 

One pot Fiesta Soup from the cookbook The 150 Healthiest 15 minute Recipes on Earth.
This is so delicious and filling, but the recipe makes a lot-even when halved!  half a pound of 93% ground beef, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, ranch mix, taco mix, jalopenos, onion, garlic, and corn.  The mixes I used are Simply Organic by Frontier Co-Op.  It is so full of flavor. I can't believe I had been wary of trying this recipe!  I freeze half the can of beans, so the next go 'round I am already set!  

We topped the Fiesta Soup as above  with shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado. 

Towards the end of the January,  I experimented with Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes  A Day  breadbook.  Why? Simply because I have found the recipes to be good, easy,and -most importantly-I had found some pecans and decided to experiment :)   While it is a bit to get use to working with dough that is sort of like gluten dough, but still a little sticky, it works well as, after they say in the book, to let it set in the refrigerator a few hours or a day before using.  I do use my own flour mix rather than the recipe that they suggest in the book. (I had used the book version at first, but found I like using my blend). 

Let me say how much I LOVE the bench scraper I got at a local school surplus auction.  They are great for scooching off the counter, but also cutting the dough into rounds as well.  Most of the time I still use parchment paper under the dough, but it did work well with just the flour dusted counter top too. 

Don't hold back: experiment with gluten free!  

January I had some abdominal pain with exercising, and afterwards, so I decided to lay off and see if it helped. It seemed to, so I thought I had injured something (not sure what, when I was only on the treadmill. . . ). My previous PCP would have told me I was exercising too much and to back off, so that's what I did to be more informed when I go to my internist.  

What to do with left over banana bread?
Why, make banana bread french toast of course! 
I used the Betty Crocker cookbook recipe for banana bread, but added 6T of sour cream or vanilla greek yogurt and it turns out beautifully moist and such a great treat!  

In February we ventured to our state's Cap City to be advocates for cancer with American Cancer Society, and to share our stories.  We were in for a day!    We started off with leaving the hotel room and I almost immediately had excruciating pain radiating on my left side through my body to the back as well as around the outside to the back.  I braced myself against the wall and just kept my torso as set in place as I could.  After what seemed like several minutes, but was probably a minute, the severe pain left and I shouted internally "Not today body, NOT today!"  I had no idea what was going on, but I wasn't going to let my body interfere with asking for more funding for cancer!  My side was sore for the rest of the day from whatever this was. 

At the Captiol we met with our local Representative and Senator, shared my Melanoma cancer experience, my mom's passing from pancreatic cancer, and as we were there with American Cancer Society, we were asking for stricter smoking /juuling regulations, as lung cancer is the top cancer killer--the only one the ACS breaks out into 'smokers' and 'non smokers' statistics, and one where The Mike lost a family friend and an uncle to late stage lung cancer. It is an horrific cancer that is often not diagnosed until late, can grow quickly (or not) and is so devastating.  

While The Mike was driving home, I called the internist's office for this pain. My side was still sore, or maybe my brain was just remembering how awful the pain was.  I had an appointment for the a few days later, and he ordered an abdominal ultrasound which was ten days out.   In the meantime I tried not to worry. I was hoping my Melanoma wasn't inside, and that my pancreas was fine. That's it. That's what I was worried about!   

Clear Lake Iowa Ice Kite Festival.
A definite 'must see' if you're along I-35 in Iowa the third Saturday of February.
Last year we went and there were more kites than this year, but they were also spread out further. This year, the water a 'ways out' was not iced, and everyone was fairly close to shore.  My favorites are the twirling/spiral kites, the Spaceman, and the octopuses that looked like the things from the Matrix when they were flying, especially with the large one and then smaller ones around it as well.

Ultrasound day came and there wasn't much to it. I just had to breathe and hold my breath, and repeat several times.  

The nurse called *that* afternoon. I was worried, and she told me what the diagnosis was to help me rest easy, but it gave me something else to research.  She said the doctor said I could just have this added on to my appointment in April, or I could come in earlier. I wanted to come in earlier. We made an appointment for the next week.   

First, we celebrated The Mike's birthday. He requested a lemon merguine pie, which I have only made a few times, and I think it turned out fairly well.    I used the Wholly Wholesome gluten free pie crust (they had been on sale and I had put some in the freezer). The Mike was surprised I was squeezing lemons and such---as if I was going to skimp and use concentrate for his birthday.  If I'm going to make a convoluted recipe, I'm going to make it the way it's written!  

The next week we met with the doctor regarding the ultrasound. I have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD and was only diagnosed because of the excruciating pain. He said most people never know the have it. He said that my long term use of prednisone in my 20s/30s probably played a big part as to why I have this.  When I started looking at the symptoms of this, I actually wonder if this is why my body has been in such an upheaval for the last. . . gah, eight years now. Since 2011 I have been complaining (to previous PCP) about no energy, and increasing weight, and increasing abdominal area.  and she would just reply that I was 'fine' and that I was 'pretty' and that I shouldn't worry. 

So, what to do?  He said to tell the GI when I see them in April.  I called the GI office and was told internist should have ordered blood work and that they'd talk to me when I saw them.  I have no idea what to do for this condition. When I look at things on line I find an article that says to do xyz and another that says to do abc. The literature for main research hospitals says they don't know why it happens, or what to do about it. Great. :( 

The end of February I went on a road trip with my sister M and our friend M.  My niece's team was in a robotics competition-the first I ever attended. They won to advance to Nationals! 

Really is fascinating to watch!  

Sunday morning before we headed back to the competition, we found a restaurant, Ginger Sue's, which had a gluten free menu.  We didn't know what would be available as a soy oil free option too, but we were game to try.  We were glad we tried!    They were able to make omelets for my sister and I without the 'vegetable' oil, and we got a side of fruit (bananas, apples, blueberries) to go with.  Definitely recommend this place!  

Ginger Sue's omelet with subbed fruit 

With the trip to KC metro area, I was a bit leery with the virus stuff in the news, and here I was going to be in a gymnasium packed with high schoolers from all over (it was a regional competition).  We were all a little worried in the back of our minds.  

Back home, March was lunging in like a lion, and I was getting ready for my trip to DC for Melanoma Advocacy.  My nerves with the Covid19 virus was ramping up and I was actually debating on not going. Apparently many others had that idea too. Of the almost one hundred who were registered, only sixty-some came to the event.  

I always have to take a photo of the monument when I land and am leaving the airport. 

Mostly, I could tell in Chicago that the airports were definitely taking a hit mid March. I flew out on the 6th and back on the 11th. I always wipe the arm rests and tray down when I fly and normally I get the 'weirdo' side eye from people.  Not this trip. This trip everyone was wiping things down.  The media was even suggesting wiping down the actual seat. I didn't do that, since I wasn't doing that when I was seated in the actual airport either.  

The airport was easy enough to navigate without having to thread and weave my way through fellow travelers. There were some school groups and I was surprised.  When I got to DC, my sibling there took the afternoon off work -- I'm sure that was hard to do on a Friday ;) and picked me up at the airport. I had wiped my bag down before putting it in the car. We were off to food at Outback Steakhouse and to do grocery shopping, as well as hauling things out of the basement for the trash. My sibling told me that some members of Congress had been exposed to Covid19 at a conference, and I was more leery about going to visit my members on Cap Hill.   

Monday was all day training of what to expect, and hearing from a researcher about gains in treatment and such for Melanoma cancer.  Reminder to use Purell--and no shaking hands!   

A few of us walked to Capitol City Brewing Company and then had to walk through this gorgeous pedestrian area afterwards. 

As we headed out on the day, we were told the changes were no handshakes, and wash more than usual.  We were able to walk from the hotel instead of needing transportation, but most of us carpooled in taxis over to the building for our morning meeting.  I was surprised at the other people visiting the office buildings who had no care. I will gladly hold that door open with my foot, and yes, I am putting as much as I can into my bag to send through the conveyor belt. What we were doing, seems so odd two months later! 

No going in this building for me, and we were blocked from even walking down the roadway. Turns out, our POTUS and VPOTUS were inside, so we were told to cut across the lawn. 

Time to fly home. The airport was quiet, already businesses were canceling travel that was not necessary. I was suppose to have an empty seat next to me, and was glad for it. I was wiping down my plane area when this guy sat down next to me. Not sure why, but he did move to the aisle seat when the doors closed, and I wonder if he just forgot he had an aisle seat and not a middle seat.

Quiet airport .  

An amazing view. I love being in the clouds. . . physically, not mentally ;-)
Flying with American Airlines 

The Mike picked me up from the airport and we went to the grocer to get some quick food for dinner. I picked up some TP, not knowing the situation at home. The Mike questioned, but he didn't really know what the situation was either.  Friday I went back to the grocers to refill the refrigerator and cabinet space, as we had cleared out a lot over the last few months of winter.  We weren't hoarding food, but getting what we needed. . .and then Muir Glen things were on sale at Natural Grocers, so maybe I did get quite a few there.   One thing The Mike said to get was dry beans, so I've been trying my hand at beans from dry instead of bean dishes with canned items.

White chicken chili. . . with a splash of color with canned tomatoes

I've been spending time making masks, and I can say that it is time consuming. I'm not sure how some folks are able to make so many, but I do find it cathartic to do so.  The Mike has started printing some of the plastic pieces for the 'ear savers'.

Olson Mask pattern pieces

My whimsical fabric supply is dwindling. 

My April doctor's procedure appointment with the GI was rescheduled to September. 

I'm suppose to have a doctor appointment this summer. . .will be interesting if that is in person or phone or postponed.  Some nights we just have something simple--and probably isn't good for my fatty liver, and some days we have more fiber and fruit. . .and does fruit count if it's in a cobbler or pie? hmmm.  Fresh apples, carrots and celery sticks are our snacks as well.

I found a bottle of bleach two weeks ago at the grocery store and thought I struck gold!  We don't have any wipes in our house, and I've been making a bleach solution for the spray bottle after shopping. I had about a pint of bleach left in the house. Then last week I found a pack of toilet paper at Target.  Who knew we would be so excited for these things?!    

Keep well, and be as constructive as you can, quarantining and staying safe!

I can't wait to get my hair styled again, but I'll wait to browse stores in person.

Let me know what you'd like to see in the posts!