GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES using EGG

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup butter (room temp)
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg*
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp unflavoured gelatin
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (scant)
1 tbsp milk

DIRECTIONS:

preheat oven to 375*F

In a large bowl, beat margarine and shortening until creamy. Add sugar to cream.
In a seperate bowl whisk egg and vanilla. Add to creamed butter mixture.
Add rice flour, xanthan gum, gelatin, baking powder and salt. Beat well.
Add tapioca starch and potato starch. Beat until well combined.
Add milk if needed.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours.
Divide the dough in half and chill the unused portion of the dough until needed.
On a lightly rice-floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time, to 1/8” thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (if the dough becomes sticky, return to the fridge to chill again.)
Bake at 375*F for 7-8 minutes (for 2 ½ inch cookies; less for smaller ones, more for larger ones) or until the edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

From Sheri L. Sanderson's "Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids" cookbook.
*I've tried making this without eggs... doesn't convert. The cookies melt out of shape too much.

ROYAL ICING

INGREDIENTS:

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Royal Icing Using Meringue Powder:

4 cups (440 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
3 tablespoons (30 grams) meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)
1/2 - 3/4 cup (120 - 180 ml) warm water

DIRECTIONS:

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

For Royal Icing with Meringue Powder: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

NOTE:
To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing.

Makes about 3 cups (Enough for a double batch of the sugar cookie recipe listed above)

Homemade Chicken Stock

A savory stock perfect for soups, stews and a variety of other dishes, brought to you by The Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients:
3 (5-pound) chickens
3 large onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in 1/2, optional
20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot with 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface as needed. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill. Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.

Yield: 6 quarts

Lentil Sausage Soup

This is a delightful soup brought to you by The Barefoot Contessa (Episode: Tale of Two Soups). It's the perfect soup for a cold winter night with a wonderful meaty flavor in which thick rich lentils add to the hardiness of this flavorful soup. We often have bulk mild Italian sausage on hand which is easily subbed for the kielbasa, just brown in a separate pan and add at the same time.

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Dinner Rolls

I wish I had the genius mind that concocted this gem of bready goodness... alas you should know that full credit belongs to Art of Gluten Free Baking. All I have done is simply copy her recipe here for ease of locating it. Please go check out her site (and try not to drool on your computer when doing so) she has some lovely pictures and a wonderful post in which she talks about how she developed this recipe.

DINNER ROLLS
-makes about 20 rolls

Note: This recipe uses my gluten-free flour mix:
Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix (mix together and store in fridge):
1 1/4 C. brown rice flour
1 1/4 C. white rice flour
1 C. tapioca flour
1 C. sweet rice flour (also known as Mochiko)
2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

(you can also use the gluten-free flour mixture (not baking mix) of your choice–just be sure it contains xanthan gum. Or, you can add 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum per cup of gluten-free flour. If you use bean flour, it will add a bean taste to the rolls)

Special Equipment Needed
-stand mixer is really helpful, but a hand mixer will do
-muffin pan

Ingredients
3 C Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
1 TBL xanthan gum
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 C sugar
2 TBL active dry yeast (I use Red Star)
2 C warm but not hot milk
2 tsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 large or extra large eggs
1/4 C olive oil (or neutral vegetable oil)
melted butter for pans and for brushing tops of rolls
tapioca flour for pans

-butter and flour muffin tins
-in a small bowl, whisk sugar into warm milk
-add yeast, whisk to dissolve; set aside to proof (start the yeast working)–it will get foamy on the top
-in a medium bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking powde, and salt; set aside
-in bowl of mixer, beat together eggs, vinegar and oil
-add yeast mixture, beat to mix
-add flour mixture, beat on high with paddle attachment for about 3 minutes
-spoon dough into prepared muffin tins–filling about 3/4 of each cup
-with a butter knife that has been dipped in tapioca flour, cut a deep slash in the top of each roll
-don’t worry if there’s a little extra tapioca flour left on the rolls
-turn on oven to preheat to 375 degrees
-put muffin tins on top of stove to let dough rise in proximity to warmth of the preheating stove. Let rise until about double in bulk–about 40 minutes
-once rolls have risen, brush the top of each with melted butter
-bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes–until the tops are a nice golden brown
-release rolls from tins–I often put them into a tea-towel lined basket to keep warm
-these rolls keep well, although you’ll probably eat them all the day you bake them! I have put them on the counter overnight to see what they would be like the next day–and they were yummy!

*Note: you can also make these by dropping large spoonfuls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Follow rising and baking instructions for the muffin-tin rolls.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Dates

I adore this simple appetizer. It's savory, sweet and there's never a single one left!

1 pound sliced bacon, cut in half
1 pound pitted dates
OPTIONAL for Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
4 ounces blue cheese OR 4 ounces chorizo

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

OPTIONAL
Slice dates in half, and open them up. Pinch off pieces of blue cheese or small chunks of chorizo, and place them into the center of the dates. Close the halves of the dates.

Wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.

Bake for about 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is crisp. Turn dates over after the first 20 minutes for even cooking.

Apple-Cranberry Cake

Ingredients:
• 1 3/4 cup (approx. 165 grams) fresh cranberries
• 1 apple, washed, core and diced (I used Gala)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 Tbs. orange zest (optional)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or non-dairy alternative, melted (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
• 1/4 cup "natural" (unsweetened) applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (Neilsen-Massey® Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla)
• 1/4 cup sour cream, dairy or non-dairy (Follow Your Heart® Soy Sour Cream)
• 1 1/4 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• Sugar-cinnamon mixture for topping (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F (static) 300° F (convection)
Wash and remove stems from cranberries. Combine in a medium-sized bowl with the apples, brown sugar, apple cider, orange zest and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Pour into a 9 x 9 square baking pan or a 10-inch pie plate and set aside.
Beat eggs and granulated sugar until light, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add butter, applesauce, vanilla and sour cream, beating until well mixed. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt; beat until fully integrated and smooth.
Pour flour batter over the fruit mixture; sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture, if desired.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with or without ice cream (dairy or non-dairy).

~ Jules Gluten Free

Banana Bread

This is an old family recipe. My mom used to make this for me and my sister when we were little girls. She'd cut the slices into "fingers" and serve to us warm with a little butter. Divine! It converts easily to GF with only a change from using wheat flour to your favorite gluten free all purpose flour.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sifted all purpose gluten free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium sized) mashed ripe (brown) bananas
1/3 cup of milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350*.

Sift flour with soda and salt. Cream butter. Gradually add sugar, creaming well. Add eggs and bananas; blend throughly. Combine milk and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the ry ingredients. Blend well after each addition.

Grease bottom of a 9"x5"x3" bread pan. Pour in batter and bake at 350* for 60 - 70 minutes, until bread springs back when lightly touched in center. Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool.