Gluten-Free Blueberry-Blackberry Cobbler

Made this yesterday and it was delicious. Even the people who think they will die if they eat GF food thought it was great.

I have a habit of bagging up leftover blueberries and blackberries and throwing then in to the freezer. You know, when no one is eating them and it is time to use them or lose them? Yesterday, when I was cleaning out the freezer, I came across 8 cups of such berries. only about a quarter were blackberries. I doubled the recipe I am giving you below, so my pictures show a large cobbler...much larger than this recipe will make.


This is a recipe I manipulated from several cook books, GF and non-GF, so I guess it is my own. I'm not a fan of cinnamon with my blueberries and blackberries, several recipes called for that. I don't like cooking my filling beforehand because I like the berries to still be berries once the final product hits the table.

For the filling:

4 cups of blueberries and blackberries (whatever you decide--you can even do all of one or the other)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix the sugar and cornstarch. Pour lemon juice over berries and mix. Add sugar/cornstarch mixture and coat the berries. Place into a baking pan.

GF Topping:

1 cup GF flour (I use Carol's Sorghum blend I make several batches at home and store in a canister)

1/2 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup buttermilk (I use 1/3 cup milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice added)

Mix dry ingredients together, then add egg, melted butter and extract. Mix by hand until smooth. Drop by spoonfuls on top of the berries in the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  ENJOY!

Blue Hawaii

I first had one of these in Hawaii on my senior trip...... just a month before Hawaii changed it's drinking age.  The original version is GREAT...but I like my version much better.  In 1957, when Harry Yee came up with this fascinating cocktail, infused rums weren't a thing.



The original Blue Hawaii:

3/4 ounce rum
3/4 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce blue curaçao
3 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce sweet & sour mix

My version:

3/4 ounce Cruzan coconut infused rum
3/4 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce blue curaçao
3 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce sweet & sour mix


The coconut rum adds an extra level of flavor. Yum.

CHEERS!

King Ranch Chicken

chicken cooked in one jar of salsa

I don't always measure, so today won't have any "recipe".  This is what I made for dinner tonight. A friend taught me how to make Mexican chicken some time back. She uses a slow cooker, and I just cook it on my stovetop. The results are the same.

Today, I added 5 ginormous boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a large pot. Threw in one 16 ounce jar of salsa. Cooked it for several hours and allowed it to cool down. Once warm, I shred it using my hand held mixer. No need to  drain as the juices blend in with the chicken and create the perfect chicken for tacos, enchiladas or any other Mexican dish you may be creating.

I took half of the chicken mixture, added one can of gluten free cream of mushroom soup (if using condensed cream of mushroom, add the milk) and one can of tomatoes with green chiles.  Stir this together and you are one step closer to King Ranch chicken.

My mom made this dish growing up, but used chicken slices/cubes instead of seasoned, shredded chicken.  I add one layer of the chicken, soup, tomato mix to the bottom of the casserole dish, then add cheese and a layer of tortilla chips. Cover the top layer with cheese and bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes before serving.  Super simple.

first layer

chicken after shredding with mixer

Tom Collins

My husband's favorite cocktail is a Tom Collins so I endeavored to make a fantastic one.

First, I made the sweet and sour from scratch using a mixture of regular limes and key limes. You can buy sweet and sour mix, but it's not hard to make from scratch.

Sweet and Sour Cocktail Mix

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh key lime juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup simple syrup

Simple Syrup

2 cups sugar
2 cups water

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 1 minute. Cool and store in fridge.

Tom Collins

1 1/4 ounce sweet and sour
1 1/4 ounce gin

Mix in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Pour into glass with ice, add a splash of club soda and stir lightly.

The hubster reports that I make a really good Tom Collins.

Key Lime Pie Martini (Gluten-free, of course)

My youngest two graduated high school ending our 17 years journey of homeschooling. So I'm celebrating by expanding my cocktail recipe repertoire. Tonight I made sweet and sour mix from scratch and made a batch of simple syrup. I made my husband a Tom Collins and I'm now ready to celebrate Independence Day!

I've always loved PF Chang's key lime pie martinis. I finally found a recipe to make them.  Perfection in a glass. It tastes just like a tart key lime pie! YUM! I didn't believe it would turn out until I tasted it. The results are nothing short of amazing. It really tastes like key lime pie!

Simple to make and oh so refreshing for summer. I used Schar gluten-free graham crackers to rim the glass. Of course, if you aren't allergic to wheat or gluten, you can use regular graham crackers.

I bought key limes at the grocery store to make my version, but you can purchase bottled key lime juice, too.  Licor 43, a Spanish liqueur, is the secret ingredient. It's a citrus liqueur made with 43 ingredients, hence the name. It is fairly affordable, which is a bonus. I paid $24 at the ABC store.

Key Lime Pie Martini

1 1/2 ounces Licor 43
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ounce key lime juice
3/4 ounce half-and-half
canned whipped cream

Rim martini glass with crushed graham crackers. I use a slice of lime and roll it around the rim before dipping it in the crushed graham crackers. It adds a bit of tart to each sip.

Fill a shaker with ice, add Licor 43, sugar, key lime juice, and half-and-half. Add 3 -4 swirls of whipped cream to the top. Close shaker, shake and strain into glass.

Rosemary Sugared Strawberries

Need a simple dessert on a hot summer evening? Use the rosemary sugar recipe in my previous blog post on top of fresh strawberries. The result is divine.

I made sure to get my rosemary sugar in this photo. I love the slight green tint the sugar takes on once blended in my Vita Mix.

Rosemary Lemon Drop

I assure you, I have been cooking. I've just been a tad busy running for Congress, getting the last two kids off to college all while my oldest graduated from college and got married. Want to check out my Pattie Curran for Congress website? You can view it here.

I never follow recipes, I mean, I always adapt recipes.

My version of a Rosemary Lemon Drop

Rosemary Sugar for Rimming the Glass

I mixed 2 tablespoons of hopped rosemary with one cup of sugar and stored in an airtight container for 5 days. Before using, I ran it through my Vita Mix. Not long enough to powder the sugar, of course.

Rosemary Lemon Drop

1 1/2 ounces Ciroc Vodka

1/2 ounce Villa Massa Limoncello

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

1 ounce simple syrup  (some recipes call for 1/2 and ounce, but I prefer a sweeter cocktail)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Optional: one drop of food grade rosemary essential oil (adds a great rosemary flavor! It's my "secret" ingredient)


Rim a large martini glass with rosemary sugar. Place ice, rosemary sprig and ingredients into a shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into sugar rimmed glass. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary, if desired.

Gianna's Cookbook

My friend's daughter has spina bifida.She also has a latex allergy. Gianna just published her first cookbook!

I'd love for you to check it out here.

I've been MIA on my cooking blog because Obamacare is financially destroying my family and all of my energy has been spent working to fight and repeal the law.

Eggs in a Muffin Tin

This is super easy. I greased the muffin pan with butter. Placed the eggs in an baked at 350 degrees for just over 20 minutes. ( stoneware has a slightly longer cooking time, so I'd say 18-20 minutes in a regular pan.)

My Favorite Potato Bread

This recipe is one I made from several recipes, really.  I never have potato flour or potato flakes on hand, so I use potato water.  What is potato water? The left over water from boiling potatoes.  I often store it in a jar in my fridge for up to a week. 

3 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup dry whole milk
1 1/8 cup potato water

Combine all ingredients and knead together until you have a soft, smooth dough.  Add more potato water or flour to make the dough the proper consistency.  Cover and let rise for 1 hour.  Shape dough for loaf  and place in loaf pan or on sheet. Cover and let rise about an hour. For potato rolls,  I like to add 3 small balls of dough to each muffin in a muffin pan to make clover shaped rolls. Let rise for one hour.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. For loaf, approximately 60 minutes, tenting in the last 15 minutes, if needed.  For rolls, bake approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.  I thought I had a picture of my potato rolls to share. May have to add one next time I make them!

Zero Net Carb Turkey or Chicken Gravy

As I just posted in my Low Carb Roux post, Xathan Gum is the magic zero net carb thickener.  Xanthan gum has 7g of carbs per serving and 7 g of fiber per serving for a 0 net carb rating. :)

When making gravy from my roasted/baked turkey or chicken, I add one teaspoon of xanthan gum at a time.  Xathan gum soaks up much more liquid than flour and thus thickens with far less!  I use a mixture of Xanthan gum and water to make a thickening gel for my youngest (he has Mitochondrial Disease, which causes him to have swallowing problems). Xanthan gum is also used in gluten-free baking to give products more of a wheat texture and helps the products rise.

This is really something you'll have to play around with. Since my baked turkeys and chickens never yields the exact same amount of liquid, I've learned to add a little at a time until the desired gravy thickness is reached.

Happy low carb eating!

Low Carb Roux (0Net Carbs)

Being from Louisiana, going low carb was difficult. So many recipes start with, ahem, ROUX! I've found a wonderful, tasty solution with 0 net carbs. That's right, 0 net carbs. I've been using it for about 6 months and it hasn't failed me.  Even my non-low carb friends didn't notice a difference in my gumbo or sausage and gravy recipes.

What is the secret ingredient? Xanthan gum! Xanthan gum has 7g of carbohydrates per serving and 7g of fiber per serving for a 0 net carb total. The biggest trick to using Xanthan gum as opposed to flour is to remember that you use FAR less Xanthan gum than you would flour. I use one tablespoon of Xanthan gum for recipes calling for 1/2cup - 1 cup of flour. So, for gumbo, I heat 3/4 cup oil and then add one tablespoon of Xanthan gum. I brown it to the desired color and make my gumbo as I would with regular, flour based roux.  I also use this ratio for my sausage and gravy recipe. 

For recipes using a butter roux (etoufee, etc) use one to two teaspoons per stick of butter, depending on the amount of liquid you will be adding.  The first roux I made with Xanthan gum, I substituted the same amount of Xanthan gum for the flour in the recipe, and I couldn't add enough liquid! The Xathan gum roux just soaked it up. I had so much roux after that, that I cooked with it for a week and ended up throwing away what was left.  Melt your butter, add the teaspoon of xanthan gum and darken to desired color.  I usually go with a peanut butter color for my etoufee.

Last tip: Xanthan gum darkens faster than flour, so be sure to stir constantly!  It does seem to burn a bit faster, too, so have your other ingredients ready to add or space on the stove to push it aside.

Happy Cajun Cooking!

Chocolate Doughnuts

Christmas morning, I made our favorite chocolate doughnuts from a recipe I tweaked years ago.  I bake mine, but they can also be fried.

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup double dutch dark cocoa
4 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup milk ( slightly more if you are baking doughnuts - add enough to make a thick batter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate, stir to combine. In large mixing bowl combine the butter and chocolate mixture with the eggs and sugar. In separate bowl, mix together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa. Add this mixture to the egg mixture. Add milk and vanilla.  If frying, wrap dough with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour.  Roll dough and cut into shapes before frying in 350 degree oil.  If baking, place in doughnut pan and bake at 350 degrees until doughnuts spring from sides of pan and to touch (about 20 minutes).   Glaze and  Enjoy!  I use a simple glaze of glazing sugar, milk and vanilla.

Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls and More

I've been really bad about blogging my kitchen adventures.  Yesterday we had a great day in the kitchen. I made a cherry pie, pound cake muffins (for a friend in the hospital) and came up with a sugar-free creme brulee.  I also found out that I could make some really wonderful tart cherry muffins by adding the tart cherry jam I made this summer to my basic muffin recipe.  Yum. 

This morning, Sean made cinnamon rolls using Wildtree's Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls . They are so easy to make that my fifteen year old did it all on his own!  All of my boys ate them up!

I took pictures as I read The Daily and drank my morning coffee.

Sugar-free Vanilla Creme Brulee

These turned out quite yummy. I wasn't sure how it wold turn out, since I'd never attempted to make sugar-free Creme Brulee and I did not have a recipe! I used all natural Xylitol from Birchwood (I purchase mine at Swanson Vitamins). Use the same amount of Xylitol in recipes as you would sugar-- there is no conversion. Over consumption, however can cause GI upset. Xylitol also makes a mean sugar-free cheese cake. I can't even tell the difference between sugar sweetened and Xylitol sweetened Creme Brulee and Cheesecake.

Sugar-free Vanilla Creme Brulee

4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated Xylitol
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat the egg yolks on high until thick and lemon colored, beat in Xylitol. Mix with whipping cream in saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot. Stirring constantly, heat until it thickens about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not let mixture boil.  Spoon into creme brulee dishes and refrigerate 2- 24 hours.   I chose not to add sugar on the top (I'm still avoiding sugar!), but you can always add sugar and use your kitchen torch to glaze it. 

Finished Sugar-free Creme Brulee

Bananas

I tell you... I think my kids pick out the LARGEST bunch of bananas and only eat a few on purpose. They wait until they start getting brown and then beg for banana bread.  The recipe I use is a recipe from King Arthur Flour's cookbook that isn't found on-line. In their cookbook, they call for sour cream and the recipe, is well, different, delicious and yummy.  One can substitute buttermilk or yogurt for the sour cream, too. Since it isn't my recipe, I can't post it on-line- you'll have to get their recipe book! But, here is another excellent banana bread recipe from King Arthur Flour: Heavenly banana Bread  

We also love Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins  

Two loaves of banana bread.

Awesome Pizza Sauce

Everyone in my family LOVED this pizza sauce. Surprisingly, I started with Prego.  Sometimes, you've just got to use what you have on-hand. We were tired after getting back from vacation (we traveled over 4,00 miles by car!)

Awesome Pizza Sauce:

1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce
Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend
1 tsp black pepper
Perfect Pizza Sauce Seasoning Blend

Simmer for 30- 40 minutes while you make your Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. I don't usually buy Prego, but Sean begged me for it the last time we were at the store. Now I am glad I said yes, because I made the most incredible pizza sauce ever!  My hubby told me  3 or 4 times while he was eating it that it was the most awesome pizza he's ever had!

Camping

We recently returned from a two week camping trip.  It was loads of fun.  We used many of the Wildtree products while out there. The skillet meals were perfect!  I cooked them in my dutch oven on the Coleman stove. We also cooked over an open fire, when there were not fire restrictions in place. 

The Alfredo Sauce came in handy!  I made pasta Alfredo one night, added it to some mac and cheese....and one morning, we were making eggs and found we had no more cheese.  I mixed a bit of the sauce mix with milk and used it in our omelets -- the kids loved it! 

I used Garlic Galore and the Cajun Seasoning in our other dishes.  I packed all of my spice blends in my dutch oven that was stored in a duffel bag.

Chicken Kabobs

These are what we served for the 4th of July.  Absolutely yummy and very easy to make!  We marinated the chicken and veggies overnight in the Wildtree Italian Dressing Mix, then placed them on skewers and barbequed.

Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant

This turned out really yummy!  We took the zucchini and eggplant we'd grown in the garden, sliced them, drizzled  Natural Grapeseed Oil on them, then sprinkled the Lemon Rosemary Blend over them, and placed them on our George Foreman Grill. Once they came off the grill, we sprinkled Parmesan cheese over the top.  Delicious!