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.