The Making of Chocolate Chip Cookies

The younger brother and I made chocolate chip cookies for our trip last weekend. They turned out to be about the best cookies we'd e.v.e.r. had! Here's our recipe...

1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

(we didn't use any this time)

:: cream butter and sugars ::

:: beat in eggs, one at a time ::

:: stir in vanilla ::

:: dissolve baking soda in hot water. add to batter along with salt ::

:: stir in flour, chocolate chips and nuts ::

:: place balls, about 1 inch in diameter on cookie sheets ::

:: bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes ::

::ENJOY::

:: be sure to try just a pinch of dough and at least 1 cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven! ::

Party Food

  We recently had a picnic birthday party for my sister. It was cold and dark outside so we spread a cheery pink tablecloth on the living room floor and surrounded it with all our potted plants. We made all kinds of treats for dinner - no forks allowed! Some recipes were tried and true, some were new ideas I found in a cookbook I was borrowing from a friend. These little roll-ups I'm sharing will become your new favorite!

Pepperoni Pinwheels

1/2 cup diced pepperoni

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 egg, separated

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the pepperoni, cheese, oregano, and egg yolk. In another small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy; set aside. Separate crescent roll dough into four rectangles; seal perforations. Spread pepperoni mixture over each rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal. Cut each into six slices. Place on greased baking sheet; brush tops with egg white. Bake for 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 dozen rolls

(Warning: These are very small, so be sure you have plenty!)

And the birthday cake:

I have really become fond of using M&Ms in cake decorating! In keeping with the picnic theme I created a lady bug. :o)

Cinnamon Rolls

6 cups flour

2 packages yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

For each rectangle:

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar

3 - 4 tablespoons hot coffee

1/2 teaspoon maple flavor

In a large mixer bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, 1/2 cup sugar and salt; mix well. In a saucepan, melt butter, and water and milk. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Divide into two parts. On lightly floured surface, roll or pat one half of the dough into a rectangle 12" wide and 15"-18" long. Brush with melted butter. Combine cinnamon, sugar and nuts; sprinkle over butter. Starting with a shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges to seal. Cut roll in to 12 pieces. Place cut side down in a greased 13"x9" pan. Repeat with other half of dough. Cover; let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degree over for 20 minutes until golden brown. Combine glaze ingredients; blend until smooth. Drizzle over hot rolls. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

To prepare these ahead of time, follow the recipe as written. Once the rolls are in the pans, do not let them rise, but refrigerate over night. The next morning take them out of the refrigerator and let them rise for about 15 minutes, then follow the regular baking instructions.

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

My "Finding Beauty in the Ordinary" post today will hold several pictures because I'm posting a recipe as well, and when I post a recipe I like to try to post a few photos with it.

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

1/4 cup butter

2 large sweet potatoes

3 large carrots

1 apple

1 onion

1 1/2 cups lentils

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 cups vegetable broth 

OR 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

plain yogurt

   Chop sweet potatoes, carrots, apple and onion. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Place the apple and vegetables in the pot; stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

   Stir the lentils, ginger, pepper, salt, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, and broth into the pot with the apple/vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

   Serve with plain yogurt for garnish, if desired.

And now for the bread recipe that I promised was coming:

Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread

2 cups water

1 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons butter

4-5 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 packages yeast

1 large egg

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons butter

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rolled oats and butter. Cool to 100-110 degrees. Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Blend well. Add rolled oats mixture and egg. Blend at low speed of an electric mixer until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in about 2 cups more flour and cheese to form stiff dough.

Knead in 1/2 - 3/4 cup flour on a floured surface, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball. Cover loosely with a light towel and let rest 15 minutes. Punch down dough. Press into a sprayed 13"x9" baking pan. Using a very sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1 1/2 inches apart, cutting completely through dough. Repeat in opposite direction creating a diamond pattern. Cover with light towel and let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover dough and redefine diamond pattern, if needed. Melt butter. Combine Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Pour the melted butter evenly over the bread dough. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Finding Beauty In The Ordinary

   Emily, over at Feathering The Nest has started a daily photo project for this month called "Finding Beauty In The Ordinary". I'm starting a day later than she, but I'll try to post a picture every day. Feel free to join in, and comment with a link back to your post if you'd like to share! :)

My picture for today is of "Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread" that I made last week. I hope to post the recipe soon, so check back - you'll love it!

A Delicious Variation...

... of French Bread. You've got to try it!

French Herb Bread

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons butter

  In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. In a saucepan, combine milk, water and 1/4 cup butter; heat until approximately 110 degrees. Add this milk mixture to the flour mixture along with the the vinegar. Beat dough until silky and smooth (about 3 minutes). Stir in 1 1/2 cups more flour. Knead (adding a little more flour if necessary), about 4 minutes until smooth. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled. Punch down, and roll dough into a 16"x8" rectangle. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat garlic, onion, salt, parsley, and butter until butter is melted. Spread over dough, and roll up tightly to form a long loaf. Place bread seam-side down on a greased baking sheet and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slit top of loaf 5 times; bake 20 minutes.

Apple - Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Cake Batter:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon allspice

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare filling: Beat first three ingredients until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour and vanilla; mix in well. Set aside.

Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir in eggs, canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans. Spoon 2/3 of the apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Swirl filling through batter a little. Spoon remaining apple mixture over filling. Bake at 350 for one hour, or until done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool completely. 

Praline Frosting:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Stir gently 3-5 minutes, or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

{my picture from Lens Love this morning}

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies

   I recently found this recipe on All Recipes and thought that it looked delicious! I made it for dinner last night, tweaking it just a little to fit my taste. My family and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to share it with you!

1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

8-10 ounces frozen french cut green beans

1 clove garlic minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/4 cups Italian shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 1 hour, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool slightly and shred the pulp with a fork. 

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.

 Drain, and mix in the peppers, onion, garlic and green beans. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Mix the squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.Remove from heat and mix in 2 cups cheese. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy! Serve with salad and garlic bread.
I had a pretty big squash, so I doubled the rest of the ingredients and cooked it in a 9"x13" dish. It turned out perfectly - definitely a keeper! :)

The Best Marinade

Steak Marinade 

1 cup oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon pepper

2 tablespoons mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced

Mix together all ingredients (except for onion) in 

a large measuring cup. 

Place steak in a casserole dish and, using a fork, pierce meat 

all over both sides.

 Place the onion slices over the meat.

Pour marinade over the steak. Cover and let sit for about 10 hours.

Grill and enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Chocolate Pudding Pie

1 Graham cracker crust (recipe follows)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups rice milk

1 tablespoon egg replacer

   OR  1 egg

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy saucepan. Add the rice milk, whisking until fully combined. Add the egg replacer, whisking until light and frothy.
  Set the saucepan over medium heat. Warm slightly, add the chocolate pieces, and cook, whisking, until it comes to a slow simmer and has thickened, about 5 minutes. If it lumps at all, whisk more vigorously.
  Once it has thickened to a pudding consistency, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, just below a simmer, stirring with a  wooden spoon, for 20 minutes. The pudding should be soft and chocolaty, and should slowly drip off of a wooden spoon. The pudding must reach this thick rich stage or it will not set, so it's better to err on the side of cooking a little longer than not cooking long enough. Once really thick, remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla, and cover with wax paper. Let cool while preparing the crust.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/4 cups basic gluten-free flour mix

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup golden flax seed meal

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening

 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  Whisk together the flours, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  In a large bowl, combine the shortening, brown sugar and agave nectar; mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined about 30 seconds.
  Pat into greased 9" pie plate. This makes a fairly thick crust, so if you like it thinner, you could make graham crackers out of some of the remaining crust. Prick with a fork across the bottom, and bake for 18 minutes.
  Cool; fill with chocolate pudding. Refrigerate for several hours until set, and serve as is, or with Vegan Whipped Topping.

Vegan Whipped Topping

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup rice milk

1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  Whisk together the cornstarch and rice milk in a small heavy saucepan until smooth, being sure to whisk out any lumps.
  Bring to just below a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens. (This happens very quickly, in about 1 minute or less.) Remove from the heat and stir vigorously until smooth. Set aside to cool.
  In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, then add the vanilla. Continue to beat while adding the cooled rice milk mixture, until fully incorporated, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Beat for 2-3 more minutes, or until light and fluffy, making sure you've whipped out any lumps. Serve at room temperature (it solidifies when chilled).

Lacto-Fermented Salsa

   Lacto-fermentation is a fairly new thing in our house. When I first heard of it, I thought, "That is gross; there is no way I'm eating rotten food!" But when a friend that had started making it gave us a jar, I decided I would go ahead and give it a try since it has good health benefits. It really isn't even bad! You can use many different kinds of vegetables, such as cucumber (this tastes a lot like pickles), zucchini, or cabbage (this, I'm sure, would be similar to sauerkraut). My favorite way is to make salsa and ferment that. It tastes very salty, but that is the important ingredient in this recipe. Since you don't can it, salt helps preserve the vegetables while they are fermenting. There is a big difference between fermented and rotten! :) I just made a batch Tuesday, so here is my recipe.

Lacto-Fermented Salsa

4 medium sized tomatoes

1 green pepper

2 jalapeno peppers

1/2 onion

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

Chop all the vegetables. Add spices and stir well. Fill pint canning jars, leaving about 1"-1 1/2" head-space. Fill the rest of the way with water. Wipe off the outside of the jar and screw lid on tightly. Store in a cool place for about 2 weeks. Fermentation will take place and it will be ready to eat then, but it should last for several months. After opening the jar, store it in the refrigerator. Makes 3 pints.

You can add more jalapenos and spices to taste. I thought since this was supposed to be healing for my gut, I shouldn't make it too hot.

Lacto-fermentation helps replace the good bacteria in your gut.

Cashew Chicken

  I love trying new recipes! I made one the other night for dinner that turned out really good. I had always heard of Cashew Chicken, but never had the opportunity to try it. So when I was helping my Mom make the menu for last week's dinners and ran across this recipe in one of our books, I was eager to try it!

Cashew Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes

1 medium onion

4 cups frozen broccoli florets

3 1/2 cups boiling water

2 cups long grain rice

6 or 7 fresh mushrooms

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger

pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups salted cashews, divided

Slice mushrooms and onion.

 

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients.

Transfer to a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in 1 cup of cashews; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cashews.

Enjoy!

Yield: 8 servings

Corn Muffins

Corn Muffins

1 cup rice milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with

2 tablespoons rice milk

1/4 cup shortening, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups liberally with vegetable shortening.
2. Combine the rice milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the flour mix, cornmeal, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. 
4. Add the rice milk mixture and stir to combine. Add the egg replacer and melted shortening. Stir a couple of times until smooth. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Turn out immediately onto a cooling rack. Serve warm. 

 Yield: 1 dozen muffins

From Cybele Pascal's The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook. 

Baked Banana Oatmeal

  Baked oatmeal was one of my favorite breakfasts before I went egg-free. You can use one basic recipe and make all kinds of delicious fruit and nut variations. Until this morning, I have really missed it. Today I finally tried one more time and it worked. Yay! I was looking at my friend's blog and found her recipe for Banana Baked Oatmeal. That was one fruit we hadn't tried before and I thought it looked so good! Here is my ef, df version of Lynn's Baked Banana Oatmeal.

Baked Banana Oatmeal

3 cups quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup rice milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer 

mixed with 1/4 cup rice milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup mashed bananas

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together and stir well.

Spread in a greased 9"x13" pan.

Bake at 350* for 27 minutes. If you like it crispier, bake it longer.

Enjoy! 

This is also good served with rice milk poured over it.

Gluten-Free Potato Bread

Potato Bread 

1 1/4 cups water or Rice Milk

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 packet (or 1 tblsp.) instant yeast

3 1/2 cups Gluten- Free Bread Flour Mix

1/2 cup millet flour

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

1 cup mashed potatoes

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 

2 tablespoons room temperature rice milk

1. In a pan, combine the rice milk, sugar, mashed potatoes, salt and shortening. Mix well. Heat until warm and the shortening is melted. Pour into a large bowl and let come to 100 - 115 degrees.
2. In another bowl, mix together the flour mix, millet flour, xanthan gum, and yeast.
3. Add the egg replacer to the liquid mixture; mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
4. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture in two batches, mixing well on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, until the dough is fully combined. 
5. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan liberally with shortening. 
6. Use a rubber spatula to turn the dough out onto a well-floured board (or counter), flour your hands well, and pat the dough into a disk 7" in diameter and 1 1/2" thick. Flip, and then pat into a rectangle about 11" long and 1 1/2" thick. Roll up, and seal seam tightly, pressing down lightly to press out any trapped air pockets. Make sure the seam is on the bottom. Tuck both ends of the loaf under (against the seam), so the dough will fit in the pan. The dough will be soft but don't worry, it's supposed to be. Transfer the loaf to the pan. Place the loaf pan in your sink or a large dish pan filled with hot water to come about half way up the side of your loaf pan. Cover with a towel, making sure none of it touches the water. Let rise about 1 hour or until doubled.
7. After the dough has risen for 1 hour and has about doubled in size, place the loaf in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 40 minutes longer, or until the loaf is deeply golden on top. Transfer to a cooling rack, turn out of the pan, and let cool.

Frosted Cranberry Salad

Are you looking for a new last minute dish to serve your guests this Thanksgiving? This is one of my favorite Shamburger family Thanksgiving traditions. It is a very "fancified" version of the traditional cranberry sauce (which is also very good). *smile*

Frosted Cranberry Salad 

1 13 1/2 oz. can crushed pineapple

2 3 oz. packages lemon jello

7 oz. ginger ale

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

6 oz. whipped topping

6 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Drain pineapple reserving juice. Add water to make 1 cup. Heat to boiling; add jello and stir until dissolved. Cool. Stir in ginger ale. Chill in an 11"x7" dish until partially set. Blend pineapple and cranberry sauce and add to jello mixture; mix well. Chill until firmly set. Mix whipped topping and cream cheese; spread over top. Toast nuts in a little butter and sprinkle over top. Chill.

*The topping *does* contain dairy. The jello would be good without it too!

Apple-Date Oat Chews

Apple-Date Oat Chews

1/2 cup water

1 cup grated apple (with peel)

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup oat bran cereal OR milled oats*

1 cup chopped dried dates

2 cups regular rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, simmer dates in water for 5 minutes. Mash with a fork into a puree'. Add grated apple and oil and beat well with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Let stand 10 minutes to thicken. Mix again; drop by teaspoonfuls onto dry cookie sheet. (Batter does not spread in cooking, so chews can be placed close together.) Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges. Makes 24 chews.

Variation: Substitute 3/4 cup pumpkin puree for the dates. 

Add about 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar.

 *Milled oats can be made by running in blender for a minute. They will be coarse, but that's what I used and these turned out great!

Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix

4 cups superfine brown rice flour

1 1/3 cups potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca flour

Combine all flours in a large bowl. Mix well, and store in a ziploc bag or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 6 cups.

Gluten-Free Bread Flour Mix

1 1/2 cups millet flour

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour

2 cups tapioca flour

1 cup potato starch

Combine all flours in a large bowl. Mix well, and store in a ziploc bag or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 6 cups.

 Recipes from Cybele Pascal 's "The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook". My sister and friend just bought this book for me and it is the BEST cookbook I have ever seen! *grin* I have so enjoyed looking through it and trying the recipes!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

   My very favorite season of the year is Fall! I like the cool, crisp weather, the changing leaves on the trees, and the foods that people start baking and serving when Fall rolls around again. :) Last night I made a new sweet potato recipe that my family and I loved! My sweet potato skins burned before the insides were soft, so I didn't get to stuff them, but it was still quite tasty! I think I will try turning the oven temperature down to 400* next time. 

Apple-Pecan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

4 medium size sweet potatoes (a/b 3 1/2 lbs.)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter

1 large apple, chopped

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

a small dash of allspice

1. Place sweet potatoes on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425* F for 1 hour or until tender.
2. Heat nuts in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 5-10 minutes or until toasted. Remove from skillet.
3. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple; saute' about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Remove from heat. 
4. When potatoes are cooked, cut in half lengthwise; scoop pulp into bowl, being careful to leave shells intact. Add apple mixture to sweet potato pulp in bowl; stir until blended. Spoon mixture into shells. Place on baking sheet.
5. Bake at 350* F for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with pecans.

   This was so delicious - I think it's our new family favorite! Enjoy!

Dairy Free

  There are many alternatives to cow's milk for those that are allergic or lactose intolerant. I have tried soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk and rice milk. Since Rice Dream Rice Drink is my favorite, that is what my recipes will call for. You can substitute 1:1 with any of these other drinks that I listed. These are quite a bit more expensive than cow's milk, so I have come up with a recipe to make my own rice milk. I use homemade rice milk in all my baking and mix it about half and half with Rice Dream for drinking or on cereal. You can use brown rice, (it's more healthy) but I don't care for the taste other than in baking. 
  Here is my recipe:

Rice Milk

1 cup cooked white rice

6 cups water

about 2 tablespoons honey, sugar, or other sweetener 

Mix the rice and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, watching carefully, (mine always either tries to boil over or stop boiling altogether) for 20 minutes. Stir in honey until dissolved; cool. 

 Blend in blender on "liquify" setting for about a minute and a half or until blended.  Add 2 cups water and blend again. At this point, if there is any grainy sludge, strain through a fine sieve. (Brown rice will have a lot of this, but white rice shouldn't.) Add 2 more cups water, stir and pour into glass quart jars. Store in refrigerator.   

Makes 2 quarts and keeps for about 2 weeks.