Carrot Cake

Baked and arranged by my lovely daughter, Emily.

CARROT CAKE

   Preheat oven to 3
Mix these three ingredients together50*

    1 cup        brown sugar
    1 cup        oil
    4               eggs

.Add these ingredients (except the grated carrots) to the first three. Mix well, than add the grated carrots. 
    1/2 tsp      salt
    1 1/2 tsp   cinnamon
    1 1/2 tsp   baking soda
    1 1/2 tsp   baking powder
    1 tsp         xantham gum
    1 cup        rice flour
    1/2 cup     potato starch - tapioca starch
    2 cups      grated carrots
    
Bake for 40-50 min. Cool.

If you can have dairy, slather this moist cake with cream cheese frosting. If dairy is a problem, try the plain white frosting below. It really is quite nice - if you can keep yourself from thinking about cream cheese! 


                                                                 FROSTING

    3 cups       icing sugar
    2 tsp         margarine
    1 1/2 tsp   vanilla extract

    non-dairy substitute such as Rice Dream
Mix the icing sugar and margarine together, than add milk till the icing till the icing is shiny and has a creamy consistency.

"Make-It-All-Better" Dairy Free Frappuccino

Like I said yesterday, we are enjoying a beautiful, warm Indian summer. After a few hours of working out in the yard doing fall cleanup, I come in tired, hungry, hot and grumpy (not really ;)). A tall, cold glass of frapp makes it all better!
I have often wished that I could order one of those delicious frappuccinos at Starbucks or Tim Horton's. Of course I can't because of the dairy in them...but to be honest, I don't know if I could get myself to spend the $3-$5 dollars for one!
So, if you, like me are dairy-free, a spend thrift or both...this is the recipe for you!
This recipe makes 2 very large glasses.

Dairy Free Frappuccino

3 cups           ice
1 1/5 tbsp     instant coffee (I buy a nice quality kind - but even the cheap stuff taste good.
                                          Decaf will also work)
3 tbsp          granulated sugar (honey works too)
1 cup           coconut milk (I usually just use the whole 398ml/14oz can)
1 cup           water
1 tsp            vanilla

Directions:
-Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth.

Options:
-Mocha: add a couple of tbsp of cocoa powder
-Java Chip: blend in some semi-sweet chocolate chips - or dark Lindt chocolate chunks
-Top with whip cream and caramel sauce.

Dairy Free - Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts.

Part of it has been because of the lack of mental energy to do anything extra.

Part of it has been because of my obsessive habit of "All-Or-Nothing": 

If I don't have have time to do something REALLY WELL, I don't want to do it at all! 

:(

An Indian summer is upon us, I am taking advantage of the warm days to enjoy smoothies.

My ingredient measurements are a little vague...I rarely measure anything but go by "lumps" or "spoons".

I'll do my best to put that into tablespoons and cups for you.

This recipe makes a frozen treat for two.

Dairy/Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

3-4 Tbsp.     coconut milk (more if you want it richer and creamier)

1                  farm-fresh raw egg, preferably organic (if you only have access to store bought 

                    eggs do not use raw egg because of increased risk of salmonella)  

1                  ripe banana

1 tsp            psyllium husks (optional)

1 tsp            flax seed (use more if you like to)

2 tsp            flax seed oil (optional)

dose for 2 people of vitamin D3 drops (optional)

2 cups         frozen fruit - any variety or mix

1                 thin slice of lemon, including peel if organic (this gives a little sparkle of flavor)

1 cup -/+    water as needed to help smoothie turn over in blender 

Directions:

-Put all ingredients into blender. 

-Blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed and tamping down to help it move.

-Divide into two large glasses and enjoy along with good conversation.

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake (*Corrected Version*)

This morning I needed a dessert to take to our church potluck. I needed something easy and quick to make - and that did not contain chocolate (I've had too much of that lately!). I thought a coffee cake would be nice, but I really did not have a good recipe for one. I didn't have time to search out a gluten free recipe, so I just googled "blueberry coffee cake" and copied down the first recipe that came up!

It looked easy to convert to GF... and it turned out beautifully! I neglected to take a picture of it before we left for church, thinking that I would take a picture of a leftover piece after we got home.

Well.... apparently it was a big hit! :) There was only crumbs left. It WAS really yummy!

BLUEBERRY STRUESEL COFFEE CAKE

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1/2 cups tapioca starch

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/2 cup butter or other solid fat

1 cup milk or milk substitute

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 380 degrees.

Combine the flour, starch, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum and lemon peel (which is optional - I was out of lemons, so I just added a little lemon flavoring) in a mixing bowl.

Cut in the butter or other fat.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour/fat mixture and stir until completely moistened.

Spread batter in a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over batter and lightly press down.

Mix streusel topping and sprinkle evenly over berries.

Bake for 35 min or until set - a toothpick should come out clean or with a crumb on it from the center of the cake.

Cool for 30 min and then drizzle icing over warm cake. Enjoy!

STRUESEL TOPPING

2/3 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup butter or other fat

1 tsp cinnamon (I used 2 tsp)

Combine to make course crumbs.

ICING GLAZE

1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup almond flavoring

3-5 tsp milk or other non-dairy liquid

Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Cow Pie Cookies

I know that my Mother would not like the name of these cookies...

but that is just how they look!

:)

They are a crispy cookie that taste like oatmeal - chock full of all sorts of yummy stuff.

Cow Pie Cookies

1 cup rice flour

1 cup tapioca or potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup melted butter, margarine or lard

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (or mixed coconut and nuts like slivered almonds)

2 cups gluten free corn flakes, broken

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups raisins (or mixed dried fruit: dates, craisins, etc)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~In a large mixing bowl, combine the first set of dry ingredients (flour, starch, etc.)

~ Add the melted fat, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

~Stir in the coconut, broken corn flakes, chocolate chips, fruit and nuts (if using).

~Drop tablespoons of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets. Wet the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass and flatten cookies.

~Bake for about 10 minutes or until set. Makes about 8 dozen 1 1/2" cookies.

Melting Moments

*These cookies are egg free* I will be posting some pictures as soon as I have mine baked. :)

Christmas would not seem like Christmas without these pretty pink and white shortbread cookies as dessert. They are a family tradition from my Grandma Olive. These were always on the table at her house at Christmas. I remember one Christmas when I was about 14: I stayed with my Grandparents for a few days before Christmas to help Grandma prepare. We baked these little cookies together and sat at their oak dining table visiting while we iced them. It was a treat to be the only grandchild there while we worked together, baking, cleaning and decorating: pinning up the felt gingerbread man valance on top of her blue gingham dining room curtains. Oh what blessed things memories are!

Melting Moments

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup butter (I will say no substitutes because that is what Grandma said... but we can not eat butter, so I do substitute with Imperial Margarine - maybe coconut oil would work?)

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup corn starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

Cream butter and sugar. Add the sifted dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl and mix ingredients until very smooth and light.... about 5 min.. Chill for 20 min. Roll dough into SMALL balls (1/4 of a Tablespoon). Press down with a wet fork to make a flatish-round cookie. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 min or until set but not brown. Cool. Sandwich two cookies together with a very light pink vanilla icing (flat sides together).

Chocolate Melting Moments

I know you can't improve upon perfection, but perfection can come in more than one variety: vanilla and chocolate. :)

Make the above recipe, adding 1 square of melted unsweetened chocolate to the batter and increasing the icing sugar to 3/4 cup. Bake a couple of cookies. If they are kind of runny or do not hold their shape, add a Tablespoon or two of potato starch. (I'm sorry this isn't very definite, but this is the way I bake and it has been a year since I made these... when I bake this time, I will take notes and write this out better:-) Bake as above.

To ice, melt some semi-sweet chocolate (can be baker's chocolate or any chocolate bar, etc) adding 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine. Stir while melting and add a little milk or milk substitute if it seems too thick. Put cookies together with the chocolate, propping them so they do not slide apart before they set up.

Devilish Dessert

My husband named this "Devilish Dessert" because he said the wicked stuff always overpowers his better judgement to have a second piece. :)
My Dad suggested "Heavenly Dessert", for pretty much the same reason.
This recipe makes a 9x13 pan.
BASE:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
Combine the crumbs, margarine and sugar together thoroughly. Place in a 9x13" pan and press down firmly and evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Cool.

PUDDING LAYER:
4 cups warm milk or milk substitute (I use coconut milk - it gives a wonderful flavor - I take
one can of rich coconut milk and dilute with pure water to make the 4 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (or equivalent in unsweetened chocolate)
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp rice flour
2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 tsp butter or margarine, optional
Place flour, cocoa, sugar and salt in a sauce pan, whisking to mix. Slowly add the warm milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Stir over medium heat until thickened. Whisk in the beaten eggs and cook for about 1 min, stirring to prevent burning. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter (if using). Pour over crust and place in fridge to cool.

TOPPING:
Beat 1 cup of cream or whip topping and apply to cooled pudding. Cut into squares and serve.

VARIATIONS:
Make vanilla pudding by removing the cocoa and decreasing the sugar if desired. Instead of whipping cream on top, you could add meringue - and you have a traditional "Flapper Pie".

You could make Banana Cream by making the vanilla pudding: first slice 2 or 3 bananas on the crust and pour the pudding over. Top with whipping cream.

Note: The chocolate recipe makes a semi-sweet chocolate - if you prefer a sweeter chocolate, increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. If you own a Vita-Mix blender, this recipe was developed from the one on page 108 of the recipe book that comes with the mixer. You can follow their directions for using the mixer to make the pudding.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

I mentioned in the last post how I had been working with breads this last week. I used the Potato Bread from the last post to make a Cinnamon Roll Loaf that has received rave reviews by the family. It turned out soft and moist on the inside with a crusty outer crust. We always have a special brunch on Christmas morning and this year, I plan on serving this bread. :) It is, like most gluten free baking, best eaten fresh. Once it is a day old, warm in microwave.

First of all, I made a single loaf of potato bread, following the directions in this post. If you make the whole recipe, you will have two loaves: you can half the recipe to make one loaf...or you can make the whole recipe and have one plain loaf and one cinnamon roll loaf.

Next, I mixed the filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup rice flour
Use a fork to mix well and cut in the margarine.

Grease a pan to bake the bread in. I used a small oval roaster as it had a nice shape. If you use a loaf pan, use a large one - not the regular size as it will be too small.

Then lay out a tea towel that has a smooth grain (not waffled) and dust it liberally with tapioca starch.

Scrape the bread dough into a pile in the center of the tea towel. This is a very soft dough and it would be impossible to work with any other way.

With a spatula, spread the dough into a rectangle shape - about as wide as the length of your pan. I spread it about 3/4" thick. It may make it easier to keep dipping your spatula in water as you spread the dough to keep it from sticking.

Spread the cinnamon-sugar-raisin mixture over the dough, leaving about 2" at the end uncovered so it will seal after rolling the dough.

Now gently pick up the end of the towel opposite the end that you left the 2" plain. As you lift the towel, the dough will start rolling.

Keep lifting and rolling the dough until it is almost at the end. Then with one hand, pick up the bottom end of the towel, hold it over your greased pan and let the dough roll into the pan.

It should look something like this. I have made this bread three times and it rolled different every time - once tearing the dough a little... but in the end, it turned out fine and looked nice.

Let rise and bake according to the potato bread recipe instructions and ENJOY! The bread below was delicious, but the swirl was a little lopsided... my subsequent efforts turned out more even. ;) The last time I baked this, I iced the loaf which was nice.

Be sure to shake the tea towel outside to remove most of the starch before laundering. :)

The Quintessential Gingersnap Cookie

When I tried this recipe (converted from a gluten recipe), I had one goal: to bake a cookie that my husband could not resist.

And that was no easy task... as Steven is not no cookie lover.

He doesn't like chocolate chip (too rich).

He will rarely eat a gingerbread cookie (too "gingery").

Sugar cookies are too sweet.

Snickerdoodles are too bland.

And then there is texture: it should not be hard and crunchy, nor should it be doughy.

That was my challenge... and these Ginger Cookies were my triumph.

They are 100% Hubby approved!

And he is not the only one who has enjoyed them...

Emily from "In His Hands"

THE QUINTESSENTIAL GINGERSNAP COOKIE

3/4 cup butter, shortening or lard

1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses (I use unsulferated blackstrap molasses - THE BEST FLAVOR!)

1 1/3 cup rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup cinnamon sugar for dipping cookies in

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 F.
-Sift the flour, starch, xanthan gum, soda, salt and spices together to blend evenly.
-Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and beat until smooth.
-Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until a soft dough forms.
-Use a spoon to scoop a ball of dough, about 1" in diameter. drop the ball into the cinnamon sugar to coat one side. Place the balls, sugar side up on a baking sheet.
-Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the tops are slightly cracked and the edges look firm and slightly browned.

The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie

These are crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle.

These cookies receive rave reviews by all who try them... gluten intolerant or not!

THE DECADENT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

1 cup butter (can substitute margarine or lard)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar - packed lightly

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups rice flour

1 1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp hot water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

-Cream the butter and sugars until smooth.

-Beat in the eggs one at a time and them stir in the vanilla.

-Dissolve the baking soda in hot water and add to the batter along with the salt.

-Sift the flour, starch, xanthan gum and cream of tartar together and stir into the batter along with the chocolate chips and nuts (we can not eat nuts so I substitute 1 cup of coconut which tastes great).

-Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

-Bake for 9-10 min in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly browned.

-Try not to eat them ALL in one day - I can not be held responsible for your ruined diets or gained pounds. ;)

Iced Lemon Cake

ICED LEMON CAKE

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp grated lemon rind (I grated off the zest from 1 small lemon)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan.

-In a mixing bowl, cream the butter or margarine and the sugar.

-Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest. Beat on high

for about 3 minutes - or until light and fluffy.

-In a separate bowl, thoroughly sift the flour, starch, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.

-Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture along with the lemon juice and stir until just

blended.

-Scrape batter into the greased pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a

tooth pick comes out clean.

-Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

-Ice when cool.

GLAZE:

-1 cup icing sugar with enough fresh lemon juice to make a glaze. Spoon over top of cake.

NOTE: If this cake is doubled, it can be baked in 9" spring form pan for 45 min or until a

toothpick comes out clean. Most gluten free baking goes dry and stale

very quickly, but this cake keeps very well - staying moist and tasty for several days if

tightly covered..

Cinnamon Buns

I tried this recipe from the I Am Gluten Free blog site. She also included a link to another site that had great pictures showing a step by step method to make these cinnamon buns.

I made the buns for our Sunday brunch and I followed the recipe exactly. We found them much too sweet (this could be helped by cutting back on the filling) and rather "pasty". My Hubby can not tolerated baked goods that are doughy or pasty or dry or crumbly or.... you get the idea. These buns were "OK" in his opinion but he gave no rave reviews. He really likes the bought Kinnikinnick cinnamon buns. They are soft and slightly chewy with just the right amount of sweetness.

I have included this recipe because it was very easy to follow, had great pictures and the product was tasty. Will I make it again?? "No." But not because does not have value but because it just does not suit our family's tastes.

It did give me a place to start from and I will be experimenting to find a cinnamon bun recipe my family loves. I think I will go back to a secret cinnamon bun recipe I was once given (wheat of course) and borrow some ideas for my gluten free ones. I'll keep you posted... :)

Gluten Free Banana Bread

This was reprinted from my other blog, "At The Rose Cottage" - it was posted last May.

We did some applied math today.... at least Millie did. The result was multiplication.

You see, we were able to get 20lbs of ripe bananas for $1. Thus we were going to bake banana bread to put in the freezer. We started with a recipe for 1 loaf. We multiplied it to make 6 loaves. Then we realized that our mixer bowl would not hold that much batter, so Millie was going to divide the recipe to make two batches of 3 loaves.... we didn't write it out, she was just doing it in her head.

All went well, she mixed the two batches, started putting them in pans.... when she realized that she had put the whole salt amount in both half batches! OOPS!

We tasted the batter and it did taste salty. Solution: add a two loaf batch to each 3 loaf batch (our mixer would JUST hold that much). Bake one batch while we eat supper and the second while we clean up. Fine. All is well that ends well (minus a few tears).

It is an ill wind that blows no good.... three good things came. First, Millie realized she had missed the baking powder in both batches and was able to fix that :)

Secondly, we got LOTS of banana bread in the freezer.

Thirdly, I promised her that I would type out the recipe on the blog and then print it for us. Thus we will have a much neater recipe to work from... so our multiplying will not get out of hand again!



GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD

This makes just 1 loaf - multiply with caution :)

1/3 cup cooking oil or butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or other nut/seed - optional

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - optional

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream the oil or butter and sugar together.

-Add the eggs & mashed bananas and mix well.

-Add all dry ingredients at one time. Mix until smooth.

-Scrape batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Let sit for about 5 minutes before removing form the pan and place on a cooling rack until cool.

-If I am freezing this, I wait until the next day and then slice the loaf and then wrap for the freezer. Multiply and enjoy!

Oreo-Type Cookies

This is a recipe that I do not make very often. Not because it is not good, but because it requires more than one step :) My daughter, Millie is more ambitious than I and made up a batch with mint icing... Grasshopper Cookies.

They were very tasty, and I wondered again why I don't make them more often... oh ya, I don't like icing cookies...

If you store them in a loosely covered container, they stay crunchy. If you cover them tightly, they get moist (my favorite). Try with mint or vanilla icing... I bet these would make good ice cream cookies, too!

OREO TYPE COOKIES

3/4 cups butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup rice flour

2/3 cups tapioca starch

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/1 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup milk or milk substitute (I use coconut milk)

METHOD:

-Cream butter or margarine and sugar together. Scrape the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

-Combine all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and lightly mix together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well - I use the cookie paddle on my upright mixer.

-Chill the dough so is easier to work with.

-Roll out on a tapioca starched board - if dough is still too sticky to work with , kneed in a little tapioca starch. Cut out with a glass or round cookie cutter - Emilie cut out rounds that were almost 2" in diameter. These were plenty big, and you may want to cut smaller ones for daintier cookies.

-Place cookies on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10minutes. Cool on racks.

-Cool cookies before icing and then sandwich two cookies together with the bottoms sides together with mint or vanilla filling.

Mint Filling:

2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1+ Tbsp milk or milk substitute

green food coloring

1 or 2 drops peppermint extract.

Cream the icing sugar and butter or margarine together. Add milk a little at a time until it is a cream, spreadable consistency. Add the peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring to get a mild green color. Spread between cookies.

Perfect Pie Crust (Well... Almost Perfect!)

This recipe was a bit of a challenge, but since my hubby loves pie,

I was highly motivated to come up with something workable.

PIE PASTRY

2 1/2 cups rice flour

1 1/2 cups tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

4 Tbsp sugar1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups lard - cut into cubes

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup water

METHOD:

-Combine dry ingredients together.

-Cut in lard until the size of small peas.

-Whisk eggs, vinegar and water together and stir into flour mixture until just blended. Do not over blend. Because rice flour does not absorb liquid the same way as wheat (it does not absorb as much or as fast), the dough may be a little wet looking at first, but in a minute it absorbs the extra.

-Now the handling of the dough... typically gluten free pastry is very hard to handle, however, I find this dough fairly workable. You can simply press the dough into a pie plate or you can roll it out. The following instructions are how I roll out this dough. This is not a tidy process, and it really helps if you hold your tongue in the corner of your mouth while you work. :-)

1. Start with a round piece of dough on a well floured cutting board - I use tapioca starch on the board.

2. Roll out the dough on the board, keeping the general round shape. Of course, if your dish is a different shape than a pie plate, roll out your dough accordingly.

3. Take a pancake flipper and slide it under the dough on the board. Do this all around your piece of dough to loosen it completely from the board.

4. Hold the board over the pie plate and start the dough sliding off the board onto the pie plate. Go slow because if you get it in the wrong place, it will probably fall apart while you attempt to straiten it.

5. Finish letting the dough slide off the board.

6. Straiten the dough - fitting it to the dish. Trim the edges.

7. You now have pie shells ready to fill. Use the same method for the top crust of the pie, wetting the edge of the bottom crust so that they will stick together. Crimp edges and cut slits in the top. The same method works for pot pie or deep dish pie.

Rhubarb Pie With a Twist

My birthday was on August 1st. I turned the lovely age of 34!

We also had to go to a wedding that day so birthday stuff kind of got put on hold for a couple of days. That was just fine!

On Monday, my husband kindly ordered Chinese food for supper to give me a break from cooking (from a restaurant in our town that will coat their ginger beef with only corn starch on request :).

In the afternoon, I got to thinking that I would really like a rhubarb pie for desert. I haven't made one yet this year and it is one of my favorites! So, because it was my birthday, I thought I would splurge and make some pies. They were delicious (!!!) served with my daughter's homemade dairy free ice cream (I've got to post that recipe soon while it is still hot out). I vacillated over making a custard pie or a regular one... but I finally decided to try out an idea that I had (using an extra ingredient) with the regular rhubarb pie recipe...

RHUBARB JELLO PIE

Pastry for a 2 crust pie (either for a mix or using the recipe that I will be posting separately so it is easy to find :)

4-5 cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

pinch salt

4 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 small package of jello (I used strawberry, but cherry or raspberry would be good )

METHOD:

-Prepare GF pastry according to directions.

-Put all other ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss to mix and coat the rhubarb.

-Turn fruit mix into the pie shell.

-Roll out top crust according to directions, flute edges and cut slits in the top.

-Sprinkle the top crust with sugar. Bake on bottom shelf at 350 degrees for 45-55 min.

-Serve with whip cream or ice cream - it is heavenly warm!

Mocha Naniamo Bars

These squares are truly an indulgence. They are also my husband's favorite. :) If the Graham Cracker crumbs are already on hand, they are actually quite easy and quick to make.

MOCHA NANIAMO BARS

Crust: Melt 2 squares of semi sweet chocolate and set aside. Cream 1/2 cup of softened butter or margarine, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 egg. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Now stir in 2 cups GF graham cracker crumbs, and 1 cup unsweetened coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Press into a 9" square pan. Chill. (Since we like these bitter-sweet, I use 1 square unsweetened chocolate and 1 square semi-sweet. I also omit the sugar. The walnuts are optional - just increase the coconut by the same measurement.)

Filling: Whisk 1-2 Tbsp of instant coffee with 1/4 cup milk or milk substitute. When dissolved, add 2 Tbsp of custard powder. Cream 1/4 cup butter or margarine and add the coffee mixture to it. Beat in 2 cups of icing sugar until smooth. This should be like a thick, creamy icing. Spread over base and chill about 15 min.

Glaze: Melt 4 squares or semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tbsp of butter or margarine. Add a little warm milk or milk substitute if it seems too thick to spread. Spread over the filling layer and chill until just firm. Cut into squares (makes 25) and finish chilling. (Again, to make this less sweet, I use 1/2 unsweetened chocolate for the glaze.)

You can change the flavor of these squares by adding whatever flavor you like to the filling instead of the coffee. Mint is nice. You can also leave out the coffee and just add a little vanilla.

GF Graham Cracker Crumbs

I am including this recipe to go with the last post (Danish Apple Cake) and to go with the next post (Naniamo Bars). But really, these can stand on their own. We have made them into crackers just for snacking - they are very popular with the little ones. We also use the crumbs for pie crusts and sprinkling on ice cream (although I have another favorite for that which I will post later).

You can buy GF crumbs, but they are very expensive. These are quick and easy and taste great. I like to keep some on hand in the freezer for making easy deserts! Enjoy!

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour (white will work fine)

1 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

METHOD:

Cream the margarine, sugar and vanilla together. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture. Blend well. Your mix will now look like course crumbs.

For crumbs: spread the crumb mixture out on a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with sides. Just loosely spread them, do not pack them. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring once after 7 min. Let cool and break up any chunks. Use for dessert recipes or store in the freezer.

For crackers: add about 1/4 cup cold water to the crumb mixture and mix in till blended. Spread the crumbs onto 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with sides. Get out your rolling pin and roll the crumbs to pack them very firmly. Try to make the mixture all the same thickness and pack it well. Score the crackers with a knife. I usually just cut rectangle shapes. Bake the crackers at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Watch that they do not get too dark on the bottom - you may have to bake them in the top 1/4 of the oven. They should be lightly browned. Let them cool and harden and then break them apart and store in a tight container. These work great for GF S'mores. You can melt chocolate and spread it on each cracker first and then just roast marshmallows over the fire to squish in between two chocolate covered crackers :) :) Or they are just great plain as snacks for the kids.

Danish Apple Cake

Wow, I am finally back! The lengthy interruption in posting more recipes has been caused by an acute case of morning sickness :) But I am getting back to normal and am once again able to look at a recipe without gagging! YEA!

You may have noticed that I had offered a gluten free cook book for free to the first person who e-mailed me a new gluten free recipe. That sweet person was Carol: she sent in this recipe for Danish Apple Cake which our family looks forward to trying during this hot weather! Note: all the notes in italics are from me, Jenny :)

DANISH APPLE CAKE

2 cups dried crumbs (crushed GF cornflakes or GF graham cracker crumbs)

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (could sub margarine to keep it dairy free)

2 1/2 cups tart apple sauce (crab apple sauce would be good, I think)

1 cup whipping cream (or substitute)

2 Tbsp. sugar

Red jelly or jam for decoration.

METHOD:

Brown crumbs in a skillet with the 1 Tbsp sugar and the butter. Arrange the crumb mixture and applesauce in alternate layers in a glass serving dish. Chill in refrigerator. Whip the cream with the 2 Tbsp sugar for the topping and decorate with dabs of jelly on top. (Try swirling the jelly a bit :)

For a crunchy texture, serve immediately after preparation. Advanced preparation will create a moist blend of layers. This cake looks elegant served in a crystal 1 1/2 or 2 quart bowl.

You can adjust this recipe to suit your family needs, increasing and decreasing ingredients as you like. Carol usually doubles this for her family of seven.

Yellow Cake

This cake is a recipe that I converted to gluten free from a commercial cook book. It was a tried and true recipe that I had great hopes for... and I was not disappointed. When I follow the recipe carefully, it almost always turns out. The room temperature of ingredients is important. It rises nicely, has a tender crumb, and is moist. We often use it for birthdays and special occasions.

1 1/2 cups white or brown rice flour (I usually use brown because that is what I have on hand)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup potato starch

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp xanthan gum

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cooking oil (I actually use olive oil - and find it leaves no olive-taste)

1/4 cup milk or substitute, room temperature (often I just use water)

5 eggs, room temperature

3 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk or substitute, room temperature (again, water will work fine)

METHOD:

Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Add the oil and mix in till well distributed.

Add the first amount of milk and mix for 1 minute.

Combine the eggs, vanilla and second amount of milk and slowly add to the flour mixture.

Beat for 2 min. Scrape the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently touched in the centre, or a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

If you are making cupcakes, this makes 22-24.