Apple Pie Bars (gluten free)

Crust (makes 2 9x9 inch crusts)

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter

10 tablespoons ice-cold water

1  3/4 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob Mills 1:1 that contains xantham gum)

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Cut cold butter into cubes and set aside in the freezer. Add ice cubes to a glass with a few tablespoons of cold water.

Combine the flours, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough blender. Mix until the dough resembles coarse meal with pea-sized pieces of butter.

Add 1 tablespoon of ice-cold water at a time, until the mixture starts to clump together. If you’re able to press some dough together and it holds, you’ve added enough water. Don’t over-add water.

Take the dough and divide into two. Place each ball of dough on wax paper, and press down to form two disks. Wrap in remaining wax paper and chill for 1 hour.

On wax paper, and plastic wrap, roll out the dough to pie size with a rolling pin. Carefully remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and transfer into a 9-inch pie plate. Push the dough very gently down so it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. If the dough splits or breaks apart just press it back together.

Filling:

5 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

1/2 tsp. Ginger extract

½ cup all-purpose gluten free flour

½ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

1½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

 

 Place diced apples in a large mixing bowl. Add extracts and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour flour mixture over apples and toss until evenly coated.

Assemble the pie: Divide pie crust dough into 2 equal portions. Roll first portion into a 9x9" rectangle  on a lightly floured surface. Transfer 1 portion of dough into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9" baking dish by placing a rolling pin in the center of the dough, folding one side up over the pin, then folding the other side on top. Carefully dump apples over the crust and spread them evenly in the dish. Roll out the 2nd dough portion in the same manner  Transfer dough over apples and tuck sides of dough down into the baking dish, sealing the apples inside the crust. Cut a few slits into the top crust and sprinkle Combine the Turbinado sugar on top (optional). Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour on a baking rack before cutting into squares.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted or softened butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ginger extract

2 tablespoons whole milk (more to thin, if necessary)

Make glaze.  Combine sugar, softened butter, vanilla and milk until smooth, adding more milk if necessary for consistency.  Spread glaze over top of crust after the pie has cooled with an offset spatula and let glaze set and harden.  Cut into 9 portions.

 **May add raisins this next time**

Adapted from 

https://lovegrowswild.com/2014/07/apple-pie-bars/

https://thehungrybluebird.com/apple-slices/

https://amotherworld.com/food/best-flaky-gluten-free-pie-crust/

Bahn Mi Rice Bowls

I had a friend post a similar recipe and I wanted to make this pronto. Great for people who have food allergies. 

Slow Cooker Bahn Mi Rice Bowls

 Prep Time-15 minutes

 Cook Time-6 hours

 Total Time-6 hours 15 minutes

 Servings 4

 

Ingredients

Pork

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 fresh jalapeño pepper sliced (optional)

Pickled Carrots and Radishes

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup shredded carrots

2 radishes cut into match sticks

3 cups cooked brown rice cooked with Ginger knobs

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber

1 small fresh jalapeño pepper thinly sliced (on the side)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

For the pork: Season the pork with the salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and jalapeño. Pour the mixture over the pork.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the pork is very tender, turning once halfway through, if desired. Transfer the pork to a large plate and shred with 2 forks. Reserve the sauce.

For the pickled carrots and radishes: In a medium glass bowl, combine the vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots and radishes, toss well, and let sit for about 30 minutes. Drain well and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, place ¾ cup rice in each of the 4 serving bowls. Top each with one-fourth of the pork and drizzle each with 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the slow cooker. Top each with ¼ cup shredded cabbage, ¼ cup pickled carrots and radishes, and ¼ cup cucumber. Divide the sliced jalapeños and cilantro among the bowls, and serve.

Bloody Mary Salsa

 Recipe Adapted from https://noteatingoutinny.com/2007/09/17/bloody-mary-salsa/

Summer Camping is a real thing and I love to find new creative meals to make for my camping group. I chose to make this with cheesy eggs and the salsa was immediately requested to make another appearance in future camping meals.

Bloody Mary Salsa

(makes about 6 cups)

4-5 ripe red tomatoes, finely diced

1 cup yellow grape tomatoes, quartered (optional, mostly for color)

2 stalks celery hearts plus leaves, very finely chopped

1/4 cup red onion, very finely chopped

2 scallions, both white and green parts, finely sliced

1 jar pimentos

1/2 cup Spanish pimento olives, rinsed, dried and sliced

juice of 2 lemons and 1 tsp of zest

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tb prepared horseradish (mild)

1-2 tsp Tabasco or Franks Hot sauce

2 tsp salt

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning, such as Old Bay

1 shot vodka (optional)

Combine everything in a giant bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving ( I did it overnight) with chips so that the flavors have had sufficient time to bind.  Keep up to one week covered and refrigerated.

Gluten Free Kentucky Butter Cake

This was one of the better gluten-free desserts that I have made.  High-quality ingredients help make this amazing.  You can either make this in a bundt pan or 2 loaf pans.  I made them into loaf pans and took one to work and one camping with me. Each loaf serves 6 hefty servings. I served with cool whip and macerated strawberries.  This cake is tender and moist and was the perfect summer dessert!  I want to take this cake base and make pineapple upside-down cake!

Pound Cake

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter (I used Kerrigold Butter)
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (or use the lighter cream cheese: Neufchâtel)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 6 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups good quality gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob Mills 1:1)
• 1/3 cup corn starch

Butter Sauce

• 1/3 cup butter (I used Kerrigold Butter)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a bundt pan or 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2.   In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light (medium speed -about 5 minutes).

3.   Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat another 30 seconds to mix well.

4.   Place a sifter/sieve/strainer over a bowl. Measure the flour, cornstarch, and xanthan gum, and dump into the sifter. Sift together the dry ingredients. You can repeat to sift another time or I just used a whisk and really whisked them together well.

5.   Break the 6 eggs into another bowl and set aside.

6.   With your mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the eggs to your butter/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

7.   Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).

8.   Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan, then gently loosen the sides with a table knife or plastic spatula before turning over onto serving plate.

9.   Butter Glaze- Add butter and sugar to saucepan and mix together.  Add water and vanilla and mix. Cook on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Poke small holes in the cake and pour warm glaze over the cake. Cook the cake and serve.

NOTES

As always, be sure to double-check your ingredients for gluten. Feel free to try this with your preferred gluten-free flour blend, but I only guarantee a delicious, non-gritty result if you use one of the flours I recommend!

https://www.backtomysouthernroots.com/kentucky-butter-cake-with-a-butter-glaze/

http://mygluten-freekitchen.com/cream-cheese-almond-pound-cake-gluten-free/

Caramel Churro Chex Mix

Recipe from http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/caramel-churro-chex-mix/
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Yield: 15 servings

Ingredients

9 cups Corn Chex™ cereal
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Place cereal in a large, heat-safe bowl. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick baking spray.

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup until the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour over cereal and stir until cereal is coated.

Spread cereal on a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for about 5 minutes, then flip with a spatula and bake for 3 more minutes, until cereal turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then break up and store in an airtight container.

Samoa Truffles-GF

Dayum.  These are AMAZING!   Give up buying those boring and lame Girl Scout Cookies and get your hands on these amazing flavor bombs.  We kept them in the freezer and they are still chewy straight from the freezer.   These were perfect to bring camping!

Recipe adapted from https://www.shugarysweets.com/samoa-truffles/

Ingredients

7 oz sweetened, shredded coconut
1 can dulce de leche (14 oz)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 box (11oz) Nilla Wafer cookies, crushed (about 2 cups crushed) or GF animal crackers
8 oz Ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers

Instructions

On a large baking sheet, spread coconut into a single layer. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to turn and flip the coconut every 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

In a bowl, combine coconut, dulce de leche, sweetened condensed milk and cookie crumbs. Stir until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop one tablespoon of mixture (I use this scoop) onto the parchment paper. Repeat until all mixture is used. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate wafers according to package directions (about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds). Dip the bottom of each truffle in melted chocolate and return to parchment paper.

Once all truffles are dipped, put the remaining chocolate into a small ziploc bag. Snip off the corner and drizzle over truffles. Store in the refrigerator (or freezer) in an airtight container.

We made these gluten-free by substituting Nilla Wafers for gluten-free animal crackers.

Triple Cinnamon Scones

Recipe from ladybehindthecurtain.com

TRIPLE CINNAMON SCONES

scones

3/4 cup half and half or evaporated milk

1 cup cinnamon Flav-R-Bites or cinnamon chips

2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pats

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

filling

3/4 cup Baker’s Cinnamon Filling*

3 tablespoons water

*Or substitute 5 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for the Baker’s Cinnamon Filling mix and water.

glaze

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

7 tablespoons water

Directions

1) Combine the Cinnamon Flav-R-Bites with the half and half or milk in a small bowl. Let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes.

2) While the cinnamon mixture is resting, get started putting together the rest of the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3) Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

4) Add the eggs and vanilla to the cinnamon-milk mixture, stirring to combine.

5) Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

6) Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Pat/roll it into a rough 9″ square, a scant 3/4″ thick. Make sure the surface underneath the dough is very well floured. If necessary, use a giant spatula (or the biggest spatula you have) to lift the square, and sprinkle more flour underneath.

7) Spread the filling over the dough. Fold one edge into the center and over the filling, as though you were folding a letter. Fold the remaining edge over the center to complete the three-fold. You’ll now have a rectangle that’s stretched to about 4″ x 12″. Gently pat/roll it to lengthen it into a 3″ x 18″ rectangle; it’ll be between 3/4″ and 1″ thick.

8) Cut the rectangle into six 3″ squares. Transfer the squares to a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet. Now you have a choice. For large scones, cut each square in half diagonally to make a triangle; you’ll have 12 scones. For medium scones, cut each square in half diagonally again, making four triangular scones from each square. Gently separate the scones (if you like scones with crunchy edges), leaving about 1″ between them. For softer scones, separate the scones just enough to break contact between them.

9) You may also choose to make scone strips, or tiny squares. Cut each 3″ square into three 1″ x 3″ rectangles, for a total of 18 scone strips. Gently separate the strips, leaving about 1/2″ between them. Or cut each 3″ square into nine 1″ squares, to make 54 bite-sized mini scones.

10) For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

11) Bake the scones for 16 to 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the scones to cool right on the pan.

11) Make the glaze by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon, and water. If the sugar seems particularly lumpy, sift it first, for an extra-smooth glaze.

12) Now you’re going to coat each scone with glaze. You can dip each one individually, which is quite time-consuming. Or line a baking sheet (with sides) with parchment, and pour about half the glaze atop the parchment. Set the scones atop the glaze, swirling them around a bit to coat their bottoms. Then drizzle the remaining glaze over the top. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over each scone, to coat it entirely. The glaze is very thin, so this is easily done.

13) Transfer the scones to a rack set over parchment, to catch any drips. As you pick each scone up, run its sides over the glaze in the bottom of the pan, both to use up some of the extra glaze, and to make sure all sides are coated. Allow the glaze to set before serving the scones.

Yield: one dozen triangles, 5″ x 3″; 2 dozen triangles, 2 1/2″ x 3″; 18 strips, 4″ x 1 1/2″; or 54 mini (1 1/2″) squares