Wednesday, September 7

Birthday Party and Family

I LOVE A PARTY!!!!!!!


Easy Gluten Free Peach Cobbler,
Cherry Chocolate Cake.

When the birthday comes, there are really only a couple of redeeming factors,

Family party: So, forty of my closest family came by, and ten of them celiacs.

Food: Brought five different g-f cakes to choose from. (Sorry, I didn't get the photo of the cherry covered chocolate one.)

Presents: And they bring the best presents of all. (A trip to the dollar store, a federal express envelope and photographs of the daughter in Hong Kong.)

It's all designed to make getting older, somehow nicer. And it worked.

Thanks Everyone!!!

Tuesday, September 6

Oklahoma Style Baked Beans

Since posting this the first time, I have discovered the extra secret.

Burn the Beans!

Okay, not specifically burned, but on 425 for at least an hour (maybe two) without foil to cook off the excess moisture and really compact the delicious flavors.

DO NOT mistake a can of green chilis for a can of jalapinos! Make certain you get the right one!

This is truly one of the best recipes I've eaten this summer!

First Posted 10-19-09

I spent fall break -- three days wandering about the wilderness with 150 kids and 50 adults in the same vein as the original Handcart Trek made by pioneers along the Mormon Trail. It was exhausting, yet delicious.
It was my job to help prep cook each meal. We started before dawn and cleaned up after dark, and thank heaven! that we did not eat as the original pioneers on a cup of flour each day.

I made pancakes for our GF kids before the rush and could have made funnel cakes first too, but they were too stuffed by the other offerings.We feasted on egg burritos, burgers, sausage eggs, berry pancakes, fajitas, smoked pork, and antelope tacos.

I could go on and on about the menu, organized and executed by "The Legend," a chef extraordinaire. The man is a culinary giant who believes in serving hot for that many people--well, I felt like a reality member of "Heaven's Kitchen".

My job as prep cook is how I got his recipe for the best batch of baked beans I have ever eaten and unless he slipped a secret ingredient when I wasn't lookin', here it is.

  • Saute six slices of bacon til crispy. (Do Not Drain. This is what makes it exclusively Oklahoman) (I being a Utahn at heart, put in Hormel bacon already cooked into a couple tablespoons of olive oil)
  • Break bacon up and add a cup each of green peppers,
  • and diced onions, and a
  • link of smoked sausage chopped. (again, the health foodie in me used turkey sausage)
Fry this until crispy, then add
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar,
  • a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce and
  • a can of diced jalapeno peppers.
Stir until well blended then pour this mixture over
  • a can of drained pork and beans and
  • two cans drained, of baked beans. (Drain the VanKamps! Bush's both of which are GF)
  • Stir together.
Bake in a 9 x 13 pan, in the oven an hour at 425, uncovered until the top layer becomes crispy. Serve as a side with 24 hour slow-roasted smoked pork on buns with chips.

It's delicious. I promise.

Sunday, September 4

GF Biscuit (BISQUICK) Mix

This is a repost of a recipe first attempted in March of 2010. I did not like it at the time as the finished product tasted a little prefabricated due to the starch content.

Since then, I have
purchased GF Bisquick and this recipe tastes and bakes up remarkably similar. So, here I am reposting it for everyone's monetary benefit--so that we can afford to make all those recipes that I have been using G-F Bisquick in.

ie., Cornbread and
Apple Carmel Bars
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3 tablespons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
3 Tablespoons Egg Replacer
1 cup shortning (I use butter)

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl and then cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender. Store in a 2 qt. container in the refrigerator for six months.

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This turned out to be one of "those" recipes. Pretty, but not to my taste. I bet it would be a lot better with the diversification of grains in the new healthier featherlight mix.


Somebody needs a good biscuit mix recipe. So here we go!

I tried a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks - Bette Hagman's GF Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods. The front of the book shows a beautiful chicken pot pie. (sometimes they lie--no one can make GF look like that--except maybe GF Girl and the Chef).
Bette's biscuit mix says, "keep this handy mix in your refrigerator for biscuits or pie topping in minutes," so I tried it. I remember now that I've made it before... before I began using more wholegrain flours. This was all starches.




Her recipe for pot pie is to top the standard chicken casserole with biscuit dough dropped from a tablespoon, baked at 40-45 minutes. I attempted to roll it onto plastic or wax paper and then turn atop the pie pan.
Our family didn't like the flavor after all was said and done. I'm sure it's because their tastes have refined beyond starches.


Thursday, September 1

Venus Has Sjogrens... Hmmm?


As you all know, Sjogrens is yet another related auto immune disease. Here is a follow up article to the information coming out about Venus Williams.

Again, struggling to answer the age old question, why so much auto-immune disease?

http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/whats-triggering-the-global-autoimmune-disease-epidemic/