Cranberry Orange Sauce

     I believe that I fall into that category that people call Traditionalist when referring to cranberry sauce. That means that I eat the can shaped jelly stuff. I love that the ridges that the can make in the jelly show you exactly where to cut the servings. I have been perfectly happy with my can shaped cranberry stuff for YEARS. People have brought the homemade stuff to our dinners before, but I have always chosen the canned over the homemade.
     HOWEVER, I felt that since I was writing this blog, I should make an attempt at the homemade cranberry sauce. Plus, cranberries were on sale for 99 cents a bag this week. I figured that if it was an epic fail I wasn't out too much.
      I decided that it would be fun to make a sauce that had a citrus flavor to compliment the cranberries. SO I decided to use orange juice as my liquid in my recipe. I also used brown sugar instead of plain old white sugar. I was shocked that the recipe only has 3 ingredients. I found recipes that had many more ingredients, but let's not get crazy here.....I mean I eat the canned stuff after all. It doesn't have to be TOO gourmet. So I adapted this basic three ingredient recipe by changing the liquid and using brown sugar instead of white. Here is what I came up with.....

Cranberry Orange Sauce
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 12 oz. bag of Cranberries (washed)

In a saucepan over medium heat dissolve the brown sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries. Cook until the cranberries start to pop (they start about 8 min. into cooking).  At this point you can smash some of the berries to release the juices (I used the whisk I was cooking with to smoosh). Cook for approximately 4-5 min. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Sauce will thicken as it cools. This can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

Combine orange juice and brown sugar in a saucepan.

Cook until cranberries start to "pop" you will hear them and visibly see their skins have a crack.

Use the whisk and smoosh some of the berries

Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

-Jessica



Corndog Muffins

     I ran across this super fun recipe on Pinterest. I sort of filed it way in my head and thought "Oh sometime I need to try that." Today I was getting ready to make the cornbread that goes in my cornbread stuffing and I remembered this recipe. I figured I would give it a try since I was already going to be making copious amounts of cornbread.
      The original recipe called for a gluten filled boxed mix of cornbread and hot dogs. Obviously that wasn't going to work for gluten free. So I decided to use my cornbread recipe and jazz it up a little.

These little muffins are a cross between a corndog and pigs in a blanket. They are sort of a grown up version of the corndog, but I think that kids would still love them. They would be really fun made in a mini muffin tin with the hot dogs cut into smaller chunks. That would be a fun way to serve them for a party.

Corndog Muffins

1 Eggs

1/2 cup liquid (water, milk, juice) I usually use milk

2 T sugar

2 T oil

1/2 Cup GF Flour (I usually use rice flour, or Annalise Robert's mix)

1/2 Cup Corn Meal

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

 

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

 

Shredded Cheese

3 Hot Dogs (I use turkey dogs) cut in 1/2

 

Mix all of the ingredients well (except cheese and hot dogs). Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill cups 3/4 of the way with cornbread batter. Sprinkle a pinch of cheese ontop of the batter.  Press 1/2 of a hot dog down into the batter.  Bake at 425 deg. in a well greased muffin pan for 25 minutes. This recipe makes 6 muffins. Serve warm with your favorite condiments.

 

 Mix dry ingredients

Add wet ingredients and mix well.

Divide the batter evenly among the 6 muffin cups.

Top the batter with a pinch of cheese.

Press 1/2 of a hot dog down into the batter.

Bake for 25 min.

Enjoy!!

-Jessica

Crab Rangoon Dip

     Unfortunately, there are no gluten free wonton wrappers out on the market yet. So I greatly miss crab rangoon. I ran across this recipe yesterday on Pinterest and HAD to make it. I did some research on gluten free canned crab meat. Chicken Of The Sea says on their website that theirs is safe, so that's the brand I went for.
     This was super easy to whip up.  I mixed it in the same bowl that it went into the oven in so cleanup was even a breeze. I basically cut the original recipe in half. You would want to double it for a party or potluck.
The original recipe can be found here: Crab Rangoon Dip Mine is as follows.....

Crab Rangoon Dip

Ingredients:

1 can crab meat (drained)

8oz. cream cheese (1 block)

1/4 cup sour cream

3 green onions, chopped

1  tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp lemon juice

 

Generously spray a oven safe bowl or pan with cooking spray. Microwave the cream cheese in the dish for about 1 minute. Chop the green onions. Add the green onions and crab meat to the bowl. Add the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, and sugar to the bowl. Mix thoroughly and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Serve hot with gluten free crackers or chips.

Microwave the cream cheese for about 1 min.

 



Dice the green onions





Add the crab meat and green onions to the bowl.



Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Bake at 350 Deg. for 35 minutes

After 35 min. it should be bubbly and cooked through.

Dip should be served while hot.

Enjoy!!!!

-Jessica

Kinnikinnick Product Review: Cookies and Doughnuts Mmm Mmm Mmm

     I recently received a care package from Kinnikinnick. It contained three awesome products to review. I had Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts, Pancake and Waffle Mix, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
     I will have to being this review by saying that I am already a Kinnikinnick fan. I haven't tried ALL of their products, but everything I have tried I have liked. So I knew this little care package wouldn't be a disappointment.

     I have to confess. I immediately opened the chocolate chip cookies when the package arrived. I think that gluten free store bought cookies are a tough thing to like. Often times the cookies are so rock hard they about break your teeth. The other problem is, they have no flavor. HOWEVER, I think that Kinnikinnick does a great job with the chocolate chip cookie. They have very good flavor. The chocolate chips taste good. They are not rock hard. They are quite yummy. I would buy these again when I had a chocolate chip cookie craving.

Donuts......ahhhhhhhh I remember the doughnuts of my pre-gluten free days. I'm not sure if I am lucky or unlucky to have had all of those years of eating them ha. In all reality gluten free doughnuts and gluten full doughnuts are two different things. If you go into the game expecting them to be the same you will be sadly disappointed. I will say that gluten free doughnuts have improved greatly over the years though. I am so glad that companies like Kinnikinnick make them.
      I was already a fan of the Kinnikinnick doughnut before it arrived in my care package. However, the flavor that they sent was one that I don't often purchase. So I was excited to review it. My favorite flavor is their Maple Glazed. Mmmmmm Kinnikinnick sent me their Cinnamon and Sugar for a review.

      Kinnikinnick recommends that their doughnuts be kept in the freezer. So that's where my little gems have been waiting. I took one out....ok I took TWO out and placed them on a plate. I then microwaved them. The result was two steamy soft amazing smelling circles of goodness.
     I sat down with a cup of hot apple cider and my cinnamon and sugar doughnuts. They were amazing. They are a cake type doughnut. Lots of great flavor. The texture is wonderful. I loved them. I think that if I couldn't find my regular doughnut fix (their maple glazed) that I would pick up a box of the cinnamon and sugar.
     Kinnikinnick also makes other flavors of doughnuts. They have Vanilla Glazed, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Dipped, Maple glazed and then Cinnamon Sugar. I would LOVE to try their pumpkin spice doughnuts. I have never seen them in the store, but they are found on their website. I guess I will have to go on a Kinnikinnick Pumpkin Spice Doughnut search!!
        I'm sad to report that I am a slacker and I have not made any pancakes or waffles yet with their pancake and waffle mix. I will have to get that done soon and report back with that review. I just haven't been in a pancake/waffle mood and I wanted to get the review up of the other two products. So stay tuned for a pancake/waffle mix review in the near future.
     If you guys haven't tried Kinnikinnick yet, you should. I have yet to find a product of theirs that I hated.

Crafting may be hazardous to your gluten free health.

     Ok, so my title to today's blog is a little tongue-in-cheek. Sort of............

     I have been trying to do a few "homemade" items for Christmas this year. I saw this super cute idea for making bird feeders. I thought that it was a great gift idea for my Grandmas. I put the ingredients on my shopping list and set out for the store.
     The blogger suggested getting small bird food, like you would feed to a pet. So I headed for the pet department. I found the bird food. I have bought bird food before, but never really thought about what grains it contained. However, since this bird food was going to be put into my pots and pans and in my kitchen I wanted to see what was IN it. I was looking at the grains and (insert some dramatic music) it had wheat kernels. UGH! Wheat kernels are NOT going into my good cookwear. I strive soooo hard to keep a gluten free kitchen. I'm not going to screw that up for some bird feeding gifts.
      I decided I would take a walk back to the section of the store that carries outdoor bird food. I looked at EVERY bag of bird food. They all contained wheat kernels. DOUBLE UGH! I decided I would check another store, and if all else fails ask Dad. My Dad is a farmer and he would probably give me some Milo if I asked nicely. I could then just make my own mixture.
     The second store had jillions of bags also with wheat kernels. HOWEVER, they also had a couple of choices without. The bag that I picked even had allergy labeling on it. Pretty impressive, although I doubt the birds care. ha The mixture I ended up with has milo, sunflower seeds and millet. A gluten free bird's dream!
      The recipe is really easy to make. It would be really fun to do with kids on a snowday. I know I'm usually giving you guys recipes for food that WE eat, but I'm allowed to stray from the norm. Since I had to share my crazy wheat filled bird seed search, I will repay you with the fun recipe I was making.

Bird Feeders (not for human consumption)

1 Cup Birdseed (be sure to look for glutenous grains, remember that's why I wrote this post)
1/4 C Water
1 Small Envelope Knox Gelatin
Cookie Cutters, molds, mason jar lids (the open circle part)
twine or small ribbon
Wax Paper

Instructions:

mix together the envelope of gelatin with 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer while stirring. continue stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.

remove from heat and let cool for a minute.

stir in the 1 cup birdseed. adding a little more if there is liquid still in the bottom of the pan.

lay your cookie cutters out on wax paper and fill half way with the birdseed mixture.

cut your twine, knot the end and push the knot down into your birdseed.

continue filling with birdseed, covering the end of your twine and knot.

pack the birdseed evenly into the cookie cutter until it's full. Press it down firmly so that it is tightly packed

allow them to dry overnight. turning them over every now and then.

remove from the cookie cutters and hang them in your trees.

then wait by the window to watch for your first guest.

These are a few of the shapes while they are drying. I let them dry about 15 min. then pushed them out of the cookie cutter. Then just layed them on the wax paper to finish drying overnight.

Stocking shaped bird feeder

The finished products drying. Now just to wrap them up for Christmas gifts.

Butterscotch pie.......drool!

 

     Butterscotch pie is amazing. It is often times my choice of birthday treats. Butterscotch pie is sort of a misleading name, it tastes nothing like those little yellow/orange candies that you get from a candy dish. It also tastes nothing like butterscotch baking chips. So don't go into this expecting those flavors. This is WAY better!

     This pie recipe comes from what I like to call the old cooking bible. The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. My edition says 1976, which makes it older than me. There are other editions of the New Cookbook, but in my opinion, they are not as great. This is the same cookbook that my Mom used and cooked out of when I was growing up. I searched and searched tag sales and finally found the same edition. It's the best. It comes from a time when people actually COOKED!!! Not like now where people buy food that is already made and just microwave dinner for their families. Pizza rolls are NOT a food group. Anyways....I won't go into that rant. On to the pie..............

     Pie can be sort of intimidating. I think that comes from the crust portion of pie. So I cheated and used these new pie crusts from Kinnikinnick. I saw them at the store a while back and HAD to try them out. Gluten free cooking can be tricky enough, we deserve all the short cuts we can get! Overall the crust was pretty good. All you had to do was defrost it a little, pop it into the oven to bake it and then put in the pie filling. Pretty darn easy! After baking, the crust did have some cracks so that was disappointing, but I used it anyway. I wasn't making pie for a contest or anything.

It wasn't cracked when it went into the oven, but it was cracked when it came out. Darn.

     Butterscotch pie is a basic vanilla cream pie, but you use brown sugar instead of white and the amount of butter is increased by a tablespoon. Traditionally cream pies are topped with meringue, but some people don't care for that so it can be left off.

Butterscotch Pie

3/4 C. Brown Sugar

3 T Cornstarch (my pie filling was slightly runny still, so I am going to increase this to 4 T)

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 C Milk

3 slightly beaten egg yolks (save the whites for your meringue)

3 T. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 gluten free baked pie shell

Meringue

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 min. Remove from heat. Take a couple of spoon fulls of the hot mixture and add it into the bowl of yolks. (this is so that your yolks don't cook and get gross when you add them to the pan, it brings their temperature up). Immediately add the yolk mixture back into the pan of hot mixture. Stir to combine and cook for another 2 min. Keep stirring, this is KEY! Remove from the heat. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until all of the butter is melted and combined. Pour into the baked pastry shell. Spread meringue on top of the pie. Bake at 350 deg. for 12-15min. (if you leave the meringue off, there is no need to bake this pie after you fill the shell). Cool the pie completely before serving. It may be jiggly in the middle until it sets up and is completely cool.

Meringue

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar (I didn't have any, so I left this out and it still worked ok, just didn't get mile high meringue)

6 T Sugar

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff and glossy and all sugar has dissolved. Spread the meringue over hot pie filling, sealing to the edge of the pie. Bake at 350 deg. for 12-15 min or until golden in color.



Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt in your pan.

The key when making the pie filling is JUST KEEP STIRRING! You don't want lumpy pie filling.

The cracks are mostly covered up with the yummy filling.

Whip those egg whites until they are stiff and fluffy.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie filling.

Bake the meringue until it is golden.

Not too shabby if I do say so myself ;)

Mmm Mmmm Mmm!