Black Beans and Rice with Gluten Free Cornbread

I will post a picture later but this recipe is wonderful.  I double it for a large pan of cornbread (9x13) otherwise use an 8x8

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

Ingredients:
1/4 cup softened butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup gluten free flour (I use namaste from costco)
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 425*
Combine butter and sugar in large bowl, beat a medium speed until creamy.  Add eggs, mix well. Stir in sour cream and milk.  Reduce speed to low and add remaining ingredients and beat until just mixed.

Pour batter into baking pan (8 inch) and bake for 18-22 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm.

Squash soup improved

I've combined a couple if recipes to create this soup

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion chopped

4 Tablespoons butter

6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

3 1/2 cups chicken or veg stock

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 package cream cheese

1 Granny Smith apple cubed

Boil up the butternut squash until tender while you sauté the onions in the butter.  Once translucent add rest if ingredients until melded together, then add the butternut squash and remove from heat. Blend with a hand blender until smooth.

Pfeffernusse

German translation - peppernuts

Cut into small circles these cookies are peppery and nut shaped and a family favorite.  Fashioning a tool to get the perfect shape seems to be a challenge.  My husbands great grandmother used a thimble to cut each out and a toothpick to get the cookie dough out of the thimble.  His grandfather cut down a metal funnel.  I melted a plastic apple cutter and that lasted 16 years but broke this year on. Y first batch.  My husband's sister our down a plastic funnel and that is what I plan to try this week.

 

Ingredients:

Melt together

2 cups kyro syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

Stir together

6-7 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in a little cold water

Mix all together and store in a large Tupperware for a weak

Cut the cookies and bake at 375  for about 15 minutes... They should be they bear brown but not burned.  The cookies above are darker than they should be.

Wait to cool ...that's when they harden and crisp up.  

 

Christmas Cookie Intentions

Has anyone been way too behind in life itself to make the cookies they envisioned they would have this season? It's amazing that 2 years ago I made so many cookies my house was bursting with them.  It was great...kept me from spending money and shopping ...that's another topic.  Should I take that tangent now...ok.  

Anyone having a hard time not buying stuff that is not for Christmas?  The sales are beyond incredible right now.  Old Navy currently has these fleece jackets on sale for $8 in the store!!!!!  (they are $10 online)  How do you NOT buy one in every color despite that you don't NEED one in every color.  Even to put away for when you need a gift for someone?...or so you tell yourself when you are buying 3 at the check out counter and then promptly wear one as soon as you get home.  ERGH.

OK.. Back to the topic of cookies.  I had INTENTIONS of making cookies but finding out about my gluten sensitivity has taken some of the fun out of it.  The real excuse...my time gets away from me.  We are all distracted Americans and pride ourselves in being too busy. This is not good.  

We need to enjoy the season and sometimes cookie making can be sort of zen.

I will have to schedule the time to make cookies.  I mean I have to ... the in-laws are flying in from Seattle in a few days and  I am completely out of pfeffernusse!!!  I broke my special tool for cutting them out.  I'd like my next batch to be gluten free.  I'll post the recipe when I make them this week. 

For today?  I'll make the dough for pfeffernusse (it is supposed to sit for 7 days but I'll cook them Tuesday - I hope).  Cookie intentions.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Missing family far away but live spending the day in the kitchen cooking up a storm with no other place to be.

Pie and more pie

Last year was the first year in a while that I didn't make pecan pie for Thanksgiving.  This year I am making chocolate cream pie in addition to the traditional pumpkin. The challenge this year is the gluten free crust.  It doesn't want to hold together but  was able to manage after some crafty trickery.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I love Pinterest.  It inspires Anne to make delicious things.  Together with Sean they made these delicious mushrooms.

Black Bean Soup

I wouldn't exactly call today soup weather.  It has cooled some and maybe hit 70 today but it's sunny and gorgeous.  I started soaking the black beans yesterday.  I woke up at 7am.  Popped down to the kitchen and began rinsing the beans to cook.

Cooked on high for about 5 hours in 5 cups of water and 1 cup of stock

Then I added the rest of the ingredients and cooked for about 2.5-3.5 hours more...I went and saw a movie during that time.  Gravity with Sandra Bullock...very suspenseful.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried black beans (soaked overnight)
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 1/2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 corn
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt 

After its' done cooking, I used my hand blender and pureed about half of it.  Served it with shredded cheese and sour cream.  

Fall is in the air, time for a favorite -only this time gluten free

I am remaking this recipe
Pumpkin Muffin Cookies

I will be subbing out regular flour for Pamela's Bread Mix & Flour Blend.  With out the yeast it's basically a regular flour substitute.  I'm using organic butter and organic dried cane juice instead of shortening and flour.

These cookies don't last 24 hours in our house so we'll see how they are when subbing our those key items.

Happy Birthday!

It's birthday season in our family.  Sean has requested an encore of last year's birthday.

Linzertorte and Pesto Lasagna

As I reflect on the moments 12 years ago I remember one good moment in that tragic time ... The country united! Political differences disappeared for a short time. I hope we don't have to wait for another tragedy to see our country working together again.

Not winning it in the kitchen lately

So finally our big event is over.  We have other big events coming up but nothing like our event last week.  Basically that combined with chronic back pain equals me being a total loser in the kitchen.  No energy to grocery shop or even be slightly creative....and yet I have no problem buying new clothes and shoes. 

I have a problem.  I need to curb the apparel shopping and step it up in the kitchen once again.

Well...lets hope I'm turning a corner.  Went to the back surgeon and the back does seem to be responding to anti inflammatory medication.  That's a plus...downside is that eventually I will likely need back surgery.  I started yoga again last night and again today.  Hopefully strengthening my muscles will help.

Going gluten free has really thrown me for a loop.  I can get by but it makes meal planning even more challenging than before.  I think I have to start eating meat again which is ok I think.  I've been eating a lot of kale salads that really aren't too exciting to post on this blog.  I think it may be time to give this one up.

Looking forward to more European travel this summer.  Oxford, UK and Germany and of course the old homestead of the Pacific Northwest.  It's a cold and damp place but there is where my family is so that is where my heart is.

A long week ends well

Owen's birthday is today. It has ended well after some drama this week. One of the dudes cleaned out Owen's wallet while he was visiting last week. It was full of iPad savings. Owen was devastated. We figured out who it was and the kid was sorry after coming clean. He returned every penny.

Today Owen was able to combine that savings with money he received for his birthday and we ventured to the apple store. Then all he wanted to do was go home and play on his new iPad mini. Makes life easy.

We got him the full collection of 007, 22 DVDs in all. He is a happy camper.

It just reminds me not to sweat the small stuff.

Dudes

On Wednesday night Owen asks to have a couple of friends spend the night.  There was no school on Friday so we are talking Valentines night.  He will be 13 in a week and a half and I make him swear that they won't be up all night.

I get home from work on Thursday afternoon and suddenly there are like 6 dudes in my basement.  I don't even recognize my own sons voice...

I always wondered when his voice would change and it happened yesterday.  I pretty much shut them up in the basement and then Sean spent a few hours cleaning down there today. 

Little dudes are cool but messy.  Other than that and a broken fan blade, I think it went rather well.

Easy stir fry

This comes together quickly and it's Anne's favorite.

 

Cook 2 cups basmati rice in 3 cups of water on high, boil for one minute, turn down and cover until water is absorbed...about 20 minutes

Add oil (sesame or olive oil) to hot wok

Add broccoli Fleurettes, shredded carrots, snow peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage (...and whatever you like in your stir fry) stir until slightly coated with oil, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover to steam a little, once steamed but still firm and crispy add soy sauce or tamari and coat...remove from wok.

Add more oil to wok, add eggs and scramble up.  Now add your cooked rice, stir to distribute the light coating of oil, add soy sauce or tamari and sprinkle with ground ginger and stir around until it looks ready...add the veggies back in and stir again.  

Clearly I was out of many of the veggies today, much to Anne's dismay.  All I had were the carrots and broccoli but it is still yummy and heats up nicely the next day for lunch.

Broccoli Pie and Salmon

What to do when Broccoli Pie has been requested but it's not the favorite for the other two?  Cook up some salmon as well.

Looking for a delicious snack?

Costco just started carrying this and you will not be disappointed. Very satisfying!