Scones

This is adapted from Better Homes and Gardens' Scones recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (+ a little more for kneading later)

2 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 c. butter

2 eggs

3/4 c. cream or half and half

1/2 c. dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, currants, or raisins)

1 tbsp. milk (to brush on top)

2 tbsp. sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Keep all cold ingredients in the refrigerator until you need to incorporate into mixture.

In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the mixture and place bowl in refrigerator. Take out eggs and cream.

In a small bowl, beat eggs then add cream and mix. Add dried fruit. Retrieve bowl with flour mixture and pour in liquid mixture. Using a fork, incorporate liquid mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Turn mixture onto a floured surface and knead into a disk about 3/4 inch high.

I like to use a round cutter for my scones. Dip cutter into flour and cut out scones and place on ungreased cookie sheet. You should have about 12. Brush milk on tops of scones and decorate with sugar. Bake in 400 degree oven for 17 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

Tahini-free Hummus c/o Everyday Exotic

1 15 oz. can Garbanzo beans

1 small container Greek yogurt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic

Paprika

Salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

Process all ingredients in a food processor. Prepare topping, below.

1/2 red pepper, diced

parsley, chopped fine

Sugar

olive oil

Mix red pepper and parsley. Sprinkle over hummus and add a pinch of sugar and drizzle with olive oil. Delicious!

A new and truly amazing and delicious pie crust recipe!

After much experimentation, I found a better pie crust. This one is easier to roll out and is flakier. Watch out, though, for humidity levels. Just add more water if it's low, and less when it's high (one tablespoon at a time). This recipe will make two pie crusts.

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free flour

1 tbsp. sugar (1/2 tbsp. for a savory dish)

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1/4 tsp. salt

8 tbsp. cold butter, cubed

4 tbsp. cold shortening, cubed

1 egg, slightly beaten, + 2 tbsp. water to start (see note above)

In a food processor, measure and mix all dry ingredients. Add butter and shortening and pulse until incorporated (do not over mix). Add egg mixture (use leftover to brush on the pie crust before baking) and pulse a few times more until it starts to come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface (I like to put down a sheet of cling wrap and gather the dough together using the edges to fold the dough over onto itself, kneading lightly). Cut in half and wrap each half separately in cling wrap, flattening into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Then it's ready to use.

Curry chicken

No photo this time but had a wonderful dinner with some friends last weekend. My friend Yoku, her husband Yoshi, and her sons Koki and Genki (both are friends of Ian and Noah) had us over for a truly wonderful meal. Here is one of the items she cooked for us. I cooked it the next day for the kids and served the chicken threaded in skewers -- irresistible to the kids when presented this way!

Ingredients

2 tsp. curry (or more if you like)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. potato starch

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 cup olive oil for frying

Mix all dry ingredients together and pour over chicken cubes. Mix well to coat and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. A few minutes before cooking, preheat oil in a pot. When thoroughly hot, start frying a few chicken pieces at a time. Test for doneness with a meat thermometer (180 degrees) and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Thread a few pieces onto skewers and serve.

Gluten Free White Bread

My husband, Bob, always complains about the gluten free bread that I make. He doesn't like the texture. So, I searched for a soft white gluten free bread and found this one from Celiac.com. It is the best tasting and best texture gluten free bread I have baked and you will not be disappointed! I've have the same trouble with it rising too much and collapsing after baking. So, I've modified it slightly.

In a small bowl combine:

1/2 cup warm water

2 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons dry yeast granules

Set aside and let stand for 15 minutes

2 cups white rice flour

2 cups tapioca flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons xanthan gum

2/3 cup dry milk

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine the above six ingredients in a large bowl (use largest mixing bowl).

1 1/2 cups water

4 tablespoons melted butter or oil

1 teaspoon gluten-free vinegar

3 eggs

Mix above dry ingredients in a large bowl, and the four liquid ingredients in a small bowl, then add the butter mixture and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Use two small greased bread pans, as one large one seems to cause the bread to rise too high and become like a mushroom. Allow to rise in pan, then bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes covering with foil for the last 10 minutes. Adjust time depending on size of loaves.

I've made dinner rolls with this recipe. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop three balls of dough into each cup of a prepared muffin pan. Adjust baking time to about 20 to 25 minutes.

I also just used this dough as the base for cinnamon rolls. Since the dough is too soft to roll, generously flour your work surface with gluten free flour. Instead of proofing the dough in loaf pans, use a large bowl and after proofing, pour the dough onto the floured work surface. Add these additional ingredients: 3/4 cup melted butter (cooled), 1 cup brown sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon softened butter to grease a 9x13-inch pan. Dip your fingers into melted butter and flatten dough into a nine by eighteen rectangle. Spread the sugar cinnamon mixture on top of the butter and carefully start rolling the dough into a log (I've found it easier to assemble on a silicone measurng sheet). Cut the dough in half and cut each half into four pieces. Carefully transfer to prepared buttered pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and top with glaze.

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Blizzard of 2010 round 1: In between storms, Wil played outside standing on a pile of snow that Bob dumped onto the ground. Bob was up on the kitchen roof for most of the afternoon on Tuesday (2/9) trying to alleviate the weight of the snow.  

Traditional Mexican Rice Side Dish

From Mexican Food Recipes: Traditional Mexican Rice Side Dish

Ingredients -

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cold water

½ onion

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

¼ cup tomato sauce

Roma tomato, chopped into 8 pieces

1 teaspoon cumin powder (or seeds crushed into powder)

1 chili pepper, sliced lengthwise

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Put the oil into a medium saucepan and heat to a medium temperature. Add the rice and brown it in the oil while stirring.

Add the garlic when the rice is nearly browned. Add the water, then the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Cover, with a small air escape, and turn the heat down to medium low.

Cook the rice for 20 to 30 minutes but check after 20 to see if it is ready.

You do not need to stir the rice or lift the lid while it cooks. It is ready when the rice is fluffy, all the water is gone, and the grains are split open (because of the browning).

If it is still sauce-like rather than dry, cook a few minutes more. Adjust the spices and serve hot as a side dish with tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. You can also eat this dish by itself as a snack.

(Serves 4)

Gluten Free Scones

I always used the scones recipe from Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book, and, although the scones were delicious, they were tough. With a little modification to the recipe, they came out with the right texture.

2 1/2 cups GF flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice (for currants, cherries, and cranberries, add the zest of one orange; for blueberries, add the zest of one lemon; or just add chocolate chips)

Milk

Sugar sprinkles 

1. Set oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center.

2. Beat eggs in s small bowl. Add whipping cream and mix well. Mix in dried fruit or chocolate chips. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and incorporate using a fork until just moistened.

3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently until the dough is almost smooth. Pat out into a 9-inch circle — about 3/4 inch high. Using a round cookie cutter, cut scones and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet. You should have about 12 scones.

4. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then put into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer scones onto a cooling rack and serve with butter.