Homemade Gluten free flour blend

Normally I buy a gluten free flour blend from The Big Dipper (our local bulk/specialty food store), but after not being able to buy it for several weeks I got impatient and searched for a recipe to make my own. 

This recipe can be used cup for cup for regular flour and is less expensive than buying it already mixed from a store.

Gluten free flour

Yields 4 3/4 cups

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour (can also use white rice flour) 

1 cup tapioca starch (sometimes called tapioca flour which also works)

1 cup potato starch (different than potato flour)

1/4 arrowroot flour

Mix all together and store in an airtight container in your cupboard. I doubled the above recipe!

Happy birthday to me!

My birthday was in July but I haven't got around to blogging in months and months. Partly this is due to not having Internet at my house and only using my iPhone to do everything online, but I prefer not to blog on it. I also prefer to take pictures on my Canon Rebel and uploading them over using my phone, but I have been missing blogging so I will sacrifice quality of pictures just to have some blog content. 

First up is my 29th birthday! 

I was a little sad that family was going to be out of town for my birthday this year so I decided to plan a party for myself. I invited some friends and we BBQ'd and played Ladder Golf and Frizz Sticks, and sat around outside visiting. Then we ate cake and ice cream....actually I ate a lot of cake and ice cream! 

I recently discovered Birthday Party ice cream (sometimes called Birthday Cake ice cream) and OMG! I never ever eat ice cream but I can't stop eating this kind. It is wonderful. And it goes nicely with birthday cake. 

This year I didn't make my cake from scratch because I wanted to try the Betty Crocker Gluten Free cake mix, and it didn't disappoint! No one could tell it was gluten free and it had a nice texture. Sometimes gluten free cakes are quite dense but this one wasn't. I've bought more of the cake mixes to have on hand if I need to whip up a cake or cupcakes, which can be found at all of the local grocery stores.

There are only two negatives to this cake mix: 1) The price- because it is gluten free of course the price is insanely high (between $6 and $7/box), and 2) You need to buy two boxes to equal the amount you would get in one regular cake mix. I wanted two layers for my cake so I had to buy two boxes, where normally I would only need one box of every other boxed cake mix so the price of my birthday cake was quite high! 

I then made a vanilla buttercream frosting to ice my cake and used LOTS of sprinkles. 

 

 

 

Gluten Free Carob Brownies

My mom first made these brownies last Fall for a family supper, and they were good but I knew I could make them better. My mom's recipe turned out more cake like and I prefer fudgier brownies. I made a few changes to the recipe and came up with a brownie recipe that everyone loves. The best part? No one could tell they are gluten and chocolate free!

Gluten Free Carob Brownies
1/2 cup gluten free flour blend
6 tbsp. carob powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup carob chips
Optional: nuts, chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together and pour batter into a greased baking pan. I added some carob powder to the pan to prevent sticking as well. The batter will be thick. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F in a metal pan or at 325 degrees F in a glass pan. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Corn Bread Muffins

Earlier in the week I made some yummy Taco Soup but wanted something to go with it, so I whipped up a batch of my favorite cornbread recipe. I make this cornbread with chili a lot and always change it up a bit. This time I made the recipe in muffin tins instead of a pan, but sometimes I add jalapeno peppers to the mixture for a little heat!

Corn Bread Recipe
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup gluten free flour blend
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Mix butter and sugar. Add in eggs and mix well. Add in greek yogurt and milk and mix again. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
2. Pour into a greased baking pan or muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes in a preheated 425 degree F oven or until the top is golden.
3. Let cool slightly then serve with butter.  

My favorite way to eat this cornbread is with soft butter and honey, but it is good dipped into chili and soup too.

Taco Soup

Last week I pushed Mother Nature and wore sandals to work, although there was still some snow on the ground. This week Mother Nature decided to push me back and snowed. A lot. The sandals are back in the closet for a while.

Usually my lunch consists of a salad and some type of protein, but as always when the weather gets cold, I crave something warm. Monday night I decided to make Taco Soup. I didn't have a lot in my fridge or pantry because I hadn't gotten groceries over the weekend, but that's why I like this recipe. Anything you have works.

Taco Soup
1 pound lean ground chicken (or turkey, or beef)
1 large onion, diced
half of green pepper, diced
1 handful of grated carrot
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 container chicken stock
1 package taco seasoning (I actually didn't use this. I used Epicure's Louisianna Hot and Spicy mix, and salt and pepper instead.)
1 can corn

Optional: grated cheddar cheese, corn tortilla chips, green onion, sour cream or greek yogurt

1. Brown the ground chicken in a large soup pot. Add the onion and green pepper and cook until softened.
2. Add the other ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Turn down heat and simmer for approx. 45 minutes.
4. Add optional toppings and eat!

Normally I would have added more veggies and beans, but like I said, I needed to get groceries so I used what I had. It turned out great and I had lunch for a few days.

Caramel Corn and a movie night

 

I am very, very, very, excited because tonight is finally the night that I get to watch Breaking Dawn Part 2. I am a huge Twilight fan (books more than movies, but love the movies too!) and never got to see the movie in theatres, and even though I bought the movie a whole week ago and it has been taunting me from the shelf it sits upon, I HAD to wait until my friends were free for our annual Twilight movie night. A bunch of us girls (because no guy would ever admit to liking these movies or be caught dead watching it with anyone besides his girlfriend/wife) get together every time a new movie is released to watch together. Tonight is the night.

 

I decided to make caramel corn for us to eat, along with regular popcorn. I love this recipe because it is super simple, and there is no corn syrup in it! I pretty much lived off of this caramel corn all summer while I travelled around Canada.

 

Caramel Corn

 

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. vanilla

 

1. Pop the popcorn and put it into a very large bowl or separate it into two bowls. Remove any un-popped kernels to save your teeth.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove.

3. Add the brown sugar and water to the saucepan.

4. Stir until it comes to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes until the mixture hits soft-ball stage (use a candy thermometer, or drop a bit into icy water, or wing it like I do).

5. Add the vanilla and baking soda to it and stir. It will bubble up so be careful.

6. Drizzle over the popcorn and lightly stir.

7. Pour the popcorn onto large baking sheets and let cool. I like to throw mine into a 200 degree F oven for 30-60 minutes to let it set up, but it's unnecessary.

8. Eat until you have a tummy ache.

 

*I store my popcorn for a few days in an airtight container.

 

 

No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

I just finished saying to a friend that I need to get super strict and cut out sugar from my diet so I can wear my bikinis on Spring Break. Then I made these. A one piece is cute too, right?

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa ( I used carob powder instead because it is caffeine free)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups oatmeal ( I used wheat free oats)

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar, cocoa, and milk. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, time for one and a half minutes and stir constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in oatmeal until well coated. Use two spoons to form cookies on waxed or parchment paper. Let cool. Or don't...I like them best when they are still warm and gooey. They will harden as they sit.

Easiest cookies ever! My dad used to make these for us when I was a kid and we called them "dad's cookies".