Homemade carmel corn

Carmel corn is a great gluten-free treat around the holidays.  It is not too expensive, too time consuming, it is very easy to make, and tastes like you absolutely spent hours creating it.  Did I mention that it looks great in clear cellophane bags as well?  We often package the carmel corn up and give it out as gifts for Christmas.  It was so loved that it became a yearly request from friends and family.

I acquired this recipe in the early 80's while I was working at Joyland Preschool in Citrus Heights.  Pat "the cook" was our chief cook and bottle washer there. Pat  had some incredible recipes and was always creating phenominal dishes.  She knew I had a love for cooking and would often share her family recipes with me.  I had never tasted carmel corn this good in my life, nor have I since.

1 ¾ cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp salt

½ tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

6-8 qts popped corn

Melt butter, stir in brown sugar, syrup and salt. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 min. Remove from heat, stir in soda and vanilla. Gradually pour over popped corn, mixing well. (use a turkey roasting pan) Bake in 250o oven for 1 hr., stirring every 15 min.

Gluten free Panda Express orange chicken

This is a recipe I have been missing for a very long time.  I did not like many fast food Asian restaurants, but this was one of my favorite recipes and of all places Panda Express.  I love the spicey bite to it and the overall sweeteness with a citrus component.  I love the internet becasue if you seek a recipe you are more than likely to find it here; and then I easily convert it to gluten-free.  I found this particular recipe on Recipe Zaar.  While it was delicious, I am still looking to tweek it a bit and when I originally looked for this recipe I only found a few and the one I chose was my favorite from that list.  But when I looked this recipe up now I found 10 plus recipes on the first page of the search.  Check back because I will be tweeking this recipe in future.  I loved the orange zest in this recipe.  It really adds some zing!  My daughter does not like spicy food, so if I had made this just for me I would have added more crushed red pepper flakes.  My husband has a horrible sweet tooth and so this was a heavenly dish for him.  Note that you need to fry up the chicken prior to making the sauce.

2 pounds boneless chicken pieces, skinned


1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

White pepper

Oil (for frying)

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup featherlight flour (recipe follows)

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Dash crushed hot red chiles

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon rice wine

1/4 cup water

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry:

2 teaspoons minced zest and 1/4 cup juice from 1 large orange

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons chicken stock

1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce (La Choy)

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

Cut chicken pieces in 2-inch squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.

Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F. Add chicken pieces, a small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp. (Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thick. Stir in 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

Featherlight flour Mix


1 part brown rice flour

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch (arrowroot starch if allergic to corn)

1 tsp. potato flour (not starch) for each cup of flour not starch

Gluten free sugar cookies

Bette Hagman gave us so many wonderful recipes and among them were her flour mixes. Amy Radbill from the Davis Food Co-op gluten-free baking classes, being inspired by Bette Hagman and always making each recipe unique to Amy as only Amy can do, has made slight alterations in order to make a great gluten-free cookie that was free from grit, easier to roll out, easier to cut out with cookie cutters, and bit more nutritious. The results are fantastic!

The idea with this sorghum flour mix is that it will become your cookie flour. You will then be able to take any wheat flour cookie recipe and use the sorghum flour mix 1 for 1. Now there is no cookie that should be a challenge.

With the sugar cookie recipe you can roll it into a log and freeze it. Then when you need to bake cookies all you need to do is take the roll out of the freezer, slice, decorate and bake. You can also follow the more traditional way of making sugar cookies and chill the dough, roll out to about 1/4 " thickness and using floured cookie cutters make lovely cookies for any time of the year. Don't you love how the options are really limitless?

The gluten-free cookie flour recipe we use was given to us by our dear friend and gluten-free mentor, Amy Radbill. Amy teaches gluten- free cooking classes at the Davis Food Co-op. The sorghum Featherlight flour mix is Amy's adaptation of Bette Hagman's Featherlight flour mix using sorghum flour instead of rice flour. The sorghum flour has a nutty flavor, more protein and without the gritty texture of rice flour. This gluten-free flour mix is so amazing because you can use it 1 for 1 with ANY wheat flour cookie recipes, with the addition of xanthan gum. I mix up this flour mix and have it ready in the fresszer so that whenever my family has a hankering for cookies we can make them just as easily as we could with our former wheat cookies.


Ingredients

Makes about 16 large cookies or thirty 2 1/2-inch cookies

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Amy’s Featherlight sorghum flour mix (recipe to follow)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum



• 1 sticks plus 3 tablespoons, unsalted butter, softened (or Earth balance which is the closet to butter with flavor and texture in baking)

• ¾ cups sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and zest of 2 lemons

• 1/4 cup fine sanding sugar, for decorating (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.

2. Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg.

3. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice and zest.

4. Add flour mixture a little at a time, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and the dough is soft and smooth.

5. Divide the dough in half, and roll each portion to ¼ inch thickness between sheets of floured parchment or waxed paper. Place both rolled out portions of dough onto a cookie sheet and chill them in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes or 20 minutes in the freezer.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Cut out the cookies with a floured cookie cutter and transfer them on to the baking sheet. If the dough becomes too soft to handle, chill it for a little while until you can work with it again.

7. When you can no longer cut cookies from your piece of dough, roll the scraps into a ¼ inch sheet again, and chill the dough as you did the first time.

8. You can decorate the cookies prior to baking with sanding sugar, if desired.

9. Bake until edges just start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

10. May be in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 2 weeks.


Amy’s Featherlight Sorghum flour Mix

1 part sorghum flour

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch (arrowroot starch if allergic to corn)

1 tsp. potato flour (not starch) for each cup of flour not starch

*Note:  Rule of thumb for gluten-free cookies is 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of cookie flour in ANY cookie recipe.

Buttercream Frosting and/or Icing

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pound box (about 3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar

* 1/2 cup butter, softened (or Earth balance)

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 3 - 4 tablespoons cream

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add more cream if necessary for spreading consistency. Spread onto cookies and decorate with sprinkles, etc.

If desired, separate icing into small individual bowls and add a little food coloring to each bowl. Combine the color well and decorate your cookies



This recipe makes enough for a 2-layer cake, 13x9 cake or 24 cupcakes.

Habichuelas Guisadas, Puerto Rican beans

This Puerto Rican dish has always been an ultimate comfort dish.  It smells and tastes delicious, while warming your insides and providing you with a complete meal in one pot.  This recipe actually will serve 4 people for dinner with several leftover lunches to boot.  Habichuelas is pronounced A-bee-ch-well-us and is a very typical Puerto Rican dish that can be served at any meal from breakfast to dinner.  It is usually a side dish and not the main course.  All of our friends loved my mother's bean recipe.  They could never pronounce the name and since we are Puerto Rican, it was lovingly termed "Puerto Rican Beans".  Nor could anyone recreate these beans like my mother and so it was one of the hottest requests made for potlucks, pic nics, and gatherings.  It was even a highlighted dish at my wedding reception.  Once you taste these beans it is difficult to believe that my mother did not have any formal training in cooking. 

While these beans are spicy, they are not hot - spciy, as there are no chilies in the recipe.  If you like garlic and pork, this recipe is right on the money.  Every time I smell these beans I can imagine my mom in her kitchen chopping, and stirring, while singing some of her favorite Spanish love songs.  She would seemlessly put this dish together and serve it up with love.

If you are afraid of gasiness from beans soak the beans overnight, or take some beano before consuming the beans.  make sure that the beano is gluten-free.

½ lb. pink beans

7 cups water

1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, finely minced

1/2  green bell pepper, chopped

cilantro


2 tbsp olive oil


6 oz. pork (We use Country Style Ribs)

1 sm. can tomato sauce

salt  and pepper to taste

*adobo for pork:
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
salt 1-2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil

Cook the pink beans in water and boil over  medium heat.  Season the pork with the adobo and cook with a little olive oil until browned on all sides.  Meanwhile, add the onion, garlic, bell peper, cilantro, oregano and browned pork to the beans and continue to cook until the beans are tender.  Add tomato sauce, mix well and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with white rice.  And for a very special treat serve with tostones (fried slices of green plantain)

Gluten free gingerbread men

  Over the years, I have made gingerbread cookies, doodling and dabbling with different recipes to come up with the best gluten-free gingerbread cookie.  This year I think I may have found it. I completed a recipe, adapted from the Joy of Baking and it came out beautifully. This cookie is actually more a bread than a cookie, a little less sweet but that works out nicely because once we begin to decorate them with royal icing and sprinkles, it would make them extremely sweet.  This is the perfect balance.  This year my husband and I made the dough together and our 12 year old daughter, Autumn rolled out the dough, cut out the gingerbread men, and decorated them.  Quite the talented little chef.

The gluten-free cookie flour recipe we use was given to us by our dear friend and gluten-free mentor, Amy Radbill. Amy teaches gluten- free cooking classes  at the Davis Food Co-op. The sorghum Featherlight flour mix is Amy's adaptation of Bette Hagman's Featherlight flour mix using sorghum flour instead of rice flour.  The sorghum flour has a nutty flavor, more protein and without the gritty texture of rice flour.  This gluten-free flour mix is so amazing because you can use it 1 for 1 with ANY wheat flour cookie recipes, with the addition of xanthan gum.  I mix up this flour mix and have it ready in the fresszer so that whenever my family has a hankering for cookies we can make them just as easily as we could with our former wheat cookies.

Gingerbread Cookies:


3 cups gluten-free cookie flour (recipe to follow)

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup unsulphured molasses (We use Brer Rabbit)

*Note: To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non-stick vegetable spray (like Pam).

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups confectioners
(powdered or icing) sugar, sifted


or

Royal Icing Using Meringue Powder:

4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup warm water

Food Coloring (I use Gel Pastes)

Amy’s Featherlight Sorghum flour Mix aka:  Gluten-free Cookie Flour Mix 


1 part sorghum flour

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch (arrowroot starch if allergic to corn)

1 tsp. potato flour (not starch) for each cup of flour not starch

Rule of thumb for gluten-free cookies is 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of cookie flour in ANY cookie recipe.

Gingerbread Cookies: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.


In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving is  a very special time for my family.  We enjoy getting in the kitchen together and cooking our Thanksgiving meal.  We enjoy celebrating the culinary tradtions that were so important to my mother and my children's Abuela.   Each person in our family, my husband, Michael and my children, Daniel, Caitlyn and Autumn get to choose what dishes they make for the meal.  This year it is very intimate since Daniel is in Iraq, and Caitlyn is with friends.  Although we are sad to not be able to include Daniel and Caitlyn we cherish our family time together, the memories of Thanksgiving past, the recipes of old, and the rich aromas that will surely waft from our kitchen.  Autumn has her two classic dishes that she has been making for the past 3 years.  She enjoys making the candied yams, which was my mom's absolute favorite dish for Thanksgiving, and the homemade cranberry sauce.  She is quite the expert with her dishes and dilligently makes them without any guidance, and with love and memories of her Abuela.  Michael is the expert at making the rub and he seasons the turkey.  Caitlyn normally enjoys making the red cabbage and salad.  Daniel will normally help out with whatever is needed, but he is the expert at eating.  Wish we could send him a care package with turkey and all of the fixings to Iraq, but it would take too long to get there.

Although we are Puerto Rican, minus Michael who is Puerto Rican by virtue of marriage, we take pride in honoring our American heritage on this day more than ever.  We enjoy celebrating some of the foods that were passed down through history to all Americans with a few adjustments.  My mother did not grow up celebrating Thanksgiving Day in Puerto Rico, even though Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States.  I believe they may celebrate it now though.  My parents did not come to live in the United States until they were 19 years old and my sainted mother did not even know how to boil water.  A complete shock to my senses.  I admire my mother and her many accomplishments.  I am proud that she made it her life-long endeavor to cook only the finest foods for her family and friends.  My mother grew up in a time where being a wife and mother was something to be proud of.  That was my mother's career and she pulled it off with amazing precision.  She came such a long way with her cooking abilities and it was so important to her that everyone enjoyed her creations.  Food was not something to just slop on your plate and plow into your tummies.  To quote a friend, Chef Tom Herndon, Take a moment, breathe and bring your attention to what you are about to eat. It’s about being present to the experience."  That is what each meal with my mother was like.  Of course my mother made all of her dishes with a bit of Puerto Rican flare and flavor.
 

As I was growing up the memories I have of Thanksgiving  were of me and my mother rising early to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, while she made the stuffing for the turkey.  My parents lived in New York for many years before they moved to California and so the parade was part of their ritual.  I was the only one in my family to be born in California yet I always felt a strong connection with New York.  My parents would probably still be there today if had not been for the fact that they had Mother-in-law issues.  They only came to California to escape those issues. 

My mother would season the turkey with love even though she herself did not particularly care for turkey.  Yet it was part of her new life and so she incorporated this into her repetoire of recipes.  I remember she would only eat the turkey wings becasue she contended that they had the most flavor out of all of the turkey parts. My mother's stuffing was pretty original as she would use rice instead of bread. Rice was more a part of her culture and she made it with an American and Puerto Rican twist.  For me the aroma of my mothers stuffing on Thanksgiving Day is what gives my Thanksgivning meaning.  Those aromas have such visceral memories for me that I can often imagin that my mother is still with me.  These are the kind of memeories I would like to create for my children.  And no matter where they are in the world, these are the smells that can instantly bring them back home.

One of my mother's favorite dishes was her red cabbage.  We only had this dish one time a year.  The red cabbage is a German recipe that I am not completely sure where my mother had gotten it from.  I do know she had friends from all over the world and would often get recipes from them. It was always one of my favorites too and so it has now become a part of our tradition as well.  It is such beautiful purple color that is a must on our Thanksgiving dinner table.

I love that mother taught me how to make so many things from scratch, as it makes cooking gluten-free so much easier.  The turkey was absolutely succulent and the many sides that we incorporate into our meal were absolutely delicious!  We decided to have a Blackstone Pinot Noir wine for dinner with turkey, along with sparkling apple and pomegranite juice.

For dessert this year we made gluten-free pumpkin pie and pecan tassies.  The pecan tassies were  a definite hit.  They are like tiny pecan pies in a cream cheese dough.  Delicate and not overly sweet.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Need ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers?  Turkey shepherd's pie is perfect to create with your Thanksgiving Day leftovers.  It is also another one of our go to comfort foods. It's great because it is relatively inexpensive, you can dress it up if you'd like, and it is not all that time consuming once all of the pieces of your shepherd's pie are created. One of the great things about it is that you can make it all in one dish, casserole style, and you can place it in the oven while your children work on their homework. All of the layers of the turkey shepherd's pie can be made on different days, or made up totally from Thanksgiving leftovers and then put together at the last minute.

The first layer is bread stuffing. Since most celiacs do not have the benefit of Stove Top Stuffing (since it is not gluten-free), no offense but given the choice, would use it? Creating your own gluten-free bread stuffing is not all that difficult. Take a loaf of store bought gluten-free bread and add all of the fine details to it to make it a stuffing. It is all in the seasonings and aromatics that create such an incredible flavor. Add lots of fresh crushed garlic and a large onion to a sauté pan with olive oil. Sauté until translucent and add your celery and fresh herbs. Add chicken broth, and butter. Once the bread mixture has cooled add in beaten gg and combine; then bake.

The meat is the next layer. All this is, is sliced or chopped up pieces of your leftover turkey. Next add leftover veggies to the top of this layer. If you do not have any leftover vegetables you could use any veggies that you have on hand. Pour the gravy over the top of the whole thing and then layer the top with leftover mashed potatoes and a bit of butter. Place it in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top, and WA-LA! You have turkey shepherd's pie.

Shepherd's Pie with Thanksgiving leftovers

Layer 1 - gluten-free bread stuffing (see recipe)


Layer 2 - 1lb. turkey meat sliced or chopped


Layer 3 - Left over veggies from Thanksgiving dinner


Layer 4 - gluten-free gravy (see recipe)


Layer 5 - mashed potatoes (see recipe)

Gluten-Free Bread Stuffing:

1 loaf of your favorite gluten-free bread, chopped into cubes

(This time I used Udi’s white bread, which is like a French bread)

1 large onion

1/2 head of garlic 3 to 4 stalks celery, chopped

fresh thyme to taste (2 to 3 sprigs)

¼ cup thyme, fresh, leaves pulled from stem

¼ cup sage, fresh, finely chopped

¼ cup rosemary, finely chopped

1/8 cup, marjoram, finely chopped

1/8 cup savory, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup broth

olive oil

1 to 2 eggs, beaten



Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Then add in chopped celery, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to saute for a few minutes. Add in the bread cubes and stir to combine. Stir in melted butter and broth. Spread out all of the ingredients in a prepared (buttered) 11 x 7 pan and put in a 350 degree oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Now that you have all of your layers created it is time to put together your Shepherd's Pie. Take a prepared 9 x 13 pan and your first layer will be the gluten-free bread stuffing. Press it down and around the sides of your pan. Next add your meat, veggie, and gravy mixture on the top of your bread stuffing. Make sure to leave enough room for your mashed potatoes, about 1/2 to 1 inch. Like me you may need a larger pan, or you can make two shepherd's pies. Last add the mashed potaoes, and spread out ove the entire top. Add a (2 tbsp.) little melted butter to the top and blend in. Score the top of the mashed potatoes with a fork. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Gluten-free gravy

1/4 cup unsalted butter or butter substitute

1/4 cup sweet rice flour or Featherlight flour mix

2 cups chicken stock (or juices from the roasted turkey)

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan on low to medium-low heat. When it has completely melted, sprinkle in the rice flour in small handfuls. Stir and stir. When you have added all the flour and the mixture has become cohesive let it cook in the pan for two to three minutes, stirring all the while. When it has cooked, it will be solidified and have a tinge of brown. Take the roux off the heat and let it rest for a moment.





Put the roux back on low to medium heat. Slowly, in small amounts, add the chicken stock (or turkey juices), whisking the mixture vigorously until all the liquid has been absorbed in the roux. Continue to do this, in small drizzles, until the roux has expanded and liquified into gravy. This will take awhile, perhaps ten minutes or so. Be patient. When you have reached the consistency you desire for the gravy, add salt and pepper. Taste the gravy, and season according to your taste. Take it off the burner and serve it, immediately.

*Note: Bette Hagman's Featherlight Rice Mix

1 part white rice flour (or brown)

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch

3 teaspoons potato flour (not starch)



For Extra Gravy: This can be made up to 3 days ahead. If you would like extra turkey gravy make sure to buy extra turkey parts (drumsticks, wings, and legs) season the turkey parts just as you would the turkey, lay on a bed of fresh garlic cloves and one rough chopped onion. Roast for 1 1/2 hour. Then boil in filtered water with 1 more chopped onion, garlic, and poultry herbs for 1 hour. Strain the broth and set aside for turkey gravy.

For Mashed Potatoes:

6 potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup warmed milk

salt and pepper to taste

Peel 6 large potatoes, and chop into bite sized chunks. Place all chopped potatoes in salted water so that they won't turn red or brown. Put large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once water is boiling add the potatoes. Allow to slow boil for about 20 minutes or potato chunks are fork tender. Drain and mash. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and about 1/4 cup if warmed milk. Stir to combine and put to the side.

Umm, the ultimate in comfort food, at least for today! And remember you can make any one of these dishes separately on different days, freeze and then pull this dish together when you want to. This does not need to ALL be created on the same day. Who says that casseroles and gluten-free ones no less, have to be lack-luster? Why should you sacrifice flavor, texture, or visual appeal, just because this is a gluten-free casserole? No one should have to!