Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I ask you, what is life without chocolate chip cookies?  Can there be life without chocolate chip cookies?  I hardly think so.  Who doesn't remember warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven?  Who doesn't smile when they think of it?  Then you go gluten-free, and you think your chocolate chip cookie days are over.  Oh dear, oh dear.

Those days don't look over to me.  What do think of these beauties?

The fact is, you can make wonderful gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and the procedure is no different than making "regular" chocolate chip cookies.  You may find that you like these even better, and since store-bought gluten-free cookies are so expensive (and horrible!), it behooves you to learn how to do this.  I promise you that this is easy.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and cream of tartar with a wire whisk.  I always use a whisk because then I know the xanthan gum is fully incorporated.  In your mixer bowl, add the sugar, brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla.  A scale really comes in handy here--no messy spoons or measuring cups.

Cream the ingredients on medium-low speed.  Don't beat it on high speed--we're making cookies here, not a cake, and we don't need to incorporate air.  Add the eggs one by one and mix well after each, again on medium-low speed.  See the nice golden color from the eggs?

Add your flour and begin mixing.  Scrape down the bowl if you need to do so.  You end up with a good cookie dough.

Here's a nice close-up of the dough.  Looks good, huh?  Now add your chocolate chips and mix until fully incorporated, no more than half a minute.

Before we bake the cookies, I'm going to show you something I usually do here.  I don't need 4 dozen cookies at once, so I freeze half of the dough.  Lay out a long piece of plastic wrap.  Scoop half of the dough onto it.  Roll it up, twisting the ends and folding under.  Do this TWICE with the plastic wrap, and you have a nice cylinder as you see in the middle.  Then wrap in a large sheet of tinfoil, twisting the ends and then turning them under.  Put the shiny side of the tinfoil toward the inside because labels don't like to stick to it.  Label your cookies, and then put the cylinder in a freezer bag and freeze.  That's four wrappings--2 plastic, 1 tinfoil, and 1 freezer bag.  This will keep for many, many months in the freezer.  When you're ready to use it, pull it out and leave it wrapped on the counter for a couple of hours to thaw and then use.  Or you can leave it overnight in the fridge to thaw out.

Roll some dough between your hands to form ping-pong ball-sized cookies.  Here you can see them just starting to melt in the oven.  Bake 12-14 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let them stay on the cookie sheets for a couple of minutes, and then remove them with a spatula to a cooling rack to cool completely.  On the right, you can see them cooling on a rack.  The ones on the left were baked a couple of minutes longer and will be a little crispier than those on the right.

And that's all there is to it.  I told you it was easy!

2 and 3/4 cups (358 g) gluten-free flour blend

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup (6.5 oz) shortening

3/4 cup (5.6 oz) brown sugar

3/4 cup (5.25 oz) sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbs vanilla extract

2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and cream of tartar in a medium-sized bowl with a wire whisk.  In the bowl of your mixer, add the brown sugar, sugar, shortening, and vanilla extract.  Mix on medium-low speed until creamed.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until combined.  Add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.  Roll dough between your hands to form ping-pong-sized balls.  Place on cookie sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit in the pans for two minutes.  Then remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes about 4 dozen.

TIPS:

1.  I use my own gluten-free flour blend, called "Mel's Magic Mix," which is a blend of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  My ratio is 3:1 (flours to starches), and I think this works well.  But you can use any good gluten-free flour mix.  If your mix already contains xanthan gum, then omit it when mixing up this recipe.

 

2.  You can refrigerate your dough to make it even easier to work with, but it isn't necessary.  If your flours are coarse, it can help to soften them up a bit.  I always use finely-ground flours.

 

3.  A scale is invaluable in gluten-free baking.  Not only does it prevent messing up spoons, measuring cups, etc., with ingredients, but gluten-free baking can be tricky.  What if your flour weighs a lot more than mine because it's made of different flours?  Then 2 and 3/4 cups will be too much.  That's why it's always good to weigh your ingredients.  This way, your baking will be much more successful.

 

4.  Freezing the dough does not change the quality at all.  You can also freeze the cookies after baking them.  Be sure to wrap very well and use a couple of freezer-grade bags to freeze them.

 

5.  All ovens are different.  Mine takes about 12 or 13 minutes to bake these cookies nicely.  Yours may only take 10 minutes or may take 14 or 15 minutes.  Check the cookies in the oven at about the 9 or 10 minute mark.  You want to see them starting to brown, not just barely, but actually some brown beginning to creep up the cookie.  Experience with your own oven and with using this recipe will let you know exactly how long you need to bake these cookies.

6.  Be sure that your chocolate chips and vanilla extract are brands that do not contain gluten.

 

7.  A word about shortening:  Yes, I know it is not the greatest thing in the world.  They are now making it almost completely free of trans-fats.  Cookies are not health food and are not meant to be health food.  They are meant to be indulgences, and a few cookies here and there won't kill you.  Shortening makes a nice, poofy cookie.  Yes, you can use butter (1 cup), but your cookies will be flatter and may bake in less time.  Also, if you do choose to use butter, you must refrigerate the dough for a few hours at least before baking.  That will help with the flattening problem.  Butter has liquid in it, and it will make your dough gooier.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

If there's one thing that old-timers here in Maine cook very often, it's the "boiled dinner."  If there's one thing that most old-timers here in Maine mess up very often, it's the "boiled dinner."  That's because here in Maine spices are not stressed or often used.  Things can be pretty bland here.  Also, they boil the daylights out of things, and they rarely use corned beef.  (Usually they use a cut of meat that resembles an old leather shoe.)  Well, that really just gets my "Irish" up, you know?  Because as an Irish-American gal, if there's one thing I like, it's my spicy corned beef and cabbage, otherwise known in Maine as "boiled dinner."  Dreadful name, that.

Now, I ask you, isn't that a nice-looking sliced corned beef?

Well, I promise this "boiled dinner" will not be dreadful!  In fact, once you taste my corned beef and cabbage, you may realize that you actually like this dish and will eat it more often, not just on St. Patrick's Day.  I think this is more of an Irish-American dish than it is a true Irish dish, even though here in America we like to think it's the quintessential Irish dish.  It is most likely more of a new world kind of thing.  But I won't tell anyone if you won't, and come St. Patrick's Day, you'll be the talk of the town!

Place your spices in the bottom of a large sauce pan.  Fill it with a couple of inches of water and stir well to distribute all the dried spices.  Add your corned beef and then fill the pot with more water, at least a few inches (or more) over the beef.  I fill mine up to a few inches from the top of the pan.  Put your heat on medium low and bring to a SLOW boil, covered.  It should take at least an hour (or more!) to reach the boil.  If it boils before an hour's time because your heat is too high, you will have tough meat.  When it reaches the boil, turn the meat over, turn the heat down to very low/simmer, and cook another hour, covered.

Slice your cabbage into 8 wedges, removing the core.  Place as many wedges into the pan as will fit (usually 4 for me).  Bring to a quick boil covered, turn the heat to low, and simmer for half an hour.  Remove the cabbage to a plate.  Remove the beef and slice.  Add the remaining cabbage, bring to a quick boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for a half an hour while you are eating the other cooked cabbage and beef.

And really that's all there is to it!  I serve with a baked potato.  If your pan is big enough, you can add potatoes to the pan while the meat and the cabbage are cooking, then boil with them until done (potatoes take longer to cook than cabbage).  But I actually prefer the potatoes baked instead.  What makes this dish so outstanding is the liberal use of spices, some of which may seem very unusual to you but which impart a delicious flavor, especially to the cabbage.

3 to 4 pounds of corned beef

1 medium-sized cabbage

3 bay leaves

1 tbs powdered mustard

1 tbs pepper

1 tsp ground cloves

Add the spices to a large pan.  Add the beef with water to cover at least 3 inches, more is better.  Cover the pan and bring the beef to a very SLOW boil over medium-low heat.  It should take at least 1 hour for the water to boil, longer is better (an hour and a half is good).  After the pot comes to a boil, turn the beef over, cover the pot again, turn the heat down to very low/simmer, and cook for another hour.  Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges, removing the core.  Fit as many wedges into the pan as you can without overcrowding (usually 4 is good).  Bring to a quick boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for half an hour.  Remove cabbage and beef.  Cook the remaining cabbage the same way as the first batch while eating the beef and cabbage just removed.

TIPS:

1.  Sometimes a little spice packet comes with corned beef you get at a supermarket.  Immediately discard that as it's too puny to use and the spices are ancient and useless.

2.  Serve with potatoes.  You can boil your potatoes with the cabbage and beef, but baked potatoes taste better to me.  Whatever you like.

Recipe adapted from Malachi McCormick's "Irish Country Cooking."

Coop Cleaning Day

One of things you have to get used to as a homesteader is taking regular care of your animals.  Outdoor animals are a lot different than indoor pets.  For the most part, if you give them good food and room to roam, they'll pretty much take care of themselves.  Of course, they do need a place to get away from the elements now and then, and that place can't be your living room as it would be for a cat or dog.  Different animals have different shelter needs from sheds to coops to barns.

Today is coop cleaning day.  It's not a fun day, but you do get used to it after a while.  Every so often you have to remove all the old bedding, clear out the cobwebs, sweep out the dust and dirt, and shovel out the manure.  This all gets placed on the compost pile in the back, and then I let Mother Nature transform it into the best garden fertilizer in the world.  Nothing--and I mean nothing--grows a garden better than chicken manure.

Wow--what a disaster!  There is a TON of chicken poop spread throughout this litter.  Several feathers are buried in there too.  There are cobwebs, dust, and filth everywhere.  It's time to clean up!  First I remove the few things on the floor:  the food bin, the hanging feeder, the water, and the board they like to lay their eggs behind.  My chickens are weird.  I made them beautiful little nesting boxes in the beginning, but they turned their little noses up to them.  Instead, they prefer to hide behind a piece of old plywood and lay their eggs there.  That way they figure I might not find them.

I use a regular garden shovel and begin shoveling out all the old bedding and manure.  I toss it into a bin outside that I periodically bring to the compost pile as it fills up.  This goes on for a while until I get the major mountains cleared up.  Then I sweep away all the dust, cobwebs, and remaining litter.  You can see the floor here.  I put linoleum down when I first got this coop to try to protect the wood from their manure, but they have dug down and ripped a lot of it up.  Chickens are very destructive!

Ah....now that looks much better!  I put a couple of bales of clean pine shavings down.  The gray areas you see are where I sprinkled on some food-grade diatamaceous earth.  Diatamaceous earth is fossilized remains of diatoms, which is a kind of hard-shelled algae.  It is a way to keep the insect population down.  The fine powder absorbs lipids from the outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, which causes them to dehydrate and die.  It is a very helpful and natural way to keep your chickens clear of the many bugs that would otherwise plague them.

Chickens are unbelievably nosy.  It looks like a visitor has already decided to stop by, and I have barely even finished my work!  She just wants to make sure that I'm taking good care of her house.  Now this will keep the chickens good for another few months, and then come the January thaw, I'll be out in the coop again.

It's imperative to take care of your animals.  You must make sure they have access to good food, clean water, and comfortable bedding.  Filthy lice-invested areas are just a recipe for misery for your animals.  Having said that, there are people who go overboard.  I know some people who clear out a coop every few days!  That is unnecessary and simply wasteful.  I know one woman who goes in every morning after her chickens go out for food and removes a board she places under their roosts to catch their poop every night!  Wow.  I'm not going to do that.  During the winter, if the weather gets really cold as it does here in Maine, sometimes I will add some clean pine shavings right on top of the old stuff.  Believe it or not, all of that old manure can help to keep a coop a little warmer in the winter.  As long as the weather's not too bad, I clean out every three or four months or so.

Chickens absolutely adore straw, but I never give it to them.  Straw has a tendency to mold, and mold is the enemy of chickens.  Always remember this!  They have very delicate respiratory systems (hence all these "bird flus" you hear about), and mold can actually kill them.  So, much as they love straw, they get clean pine shavings from me.  As long as you have good ventilation (vents up at the top of the coop--always open 365 days a year), the pine will not bother them.  They also love to bury themselves in the fresh new shavings.  Chickens are strange critters.

Uninvited Animals!

I went into the hoop house to continue my fall cleanup.  After filling both long boxes with compost a week or so ago, I've been procrastinating and doing my best to think of a million better things to do.  But today, I knew I had to get out there and work.  Upon entering, I looked for the few field mice who live in there because they sort of keep me company.  Actually, they don't look much different from a hamster, and everyone loves hamsters, right?

 

But instead of seeing my little mice, I find this guy!  A baby fisher.  I figure he must have just left his mom, it being late October and all.  He certainly isn't full size yet, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief to find that his mother was nowhere in sight.  While fishers don't usually attack anything bigger than a porcupine, you never know what a cornered animal might do.

At first he was scared of me, but he got bolder.  Bold animals are not to be trusted.  Yes, he's a wee tike right now, but he won't be for long.  I wondered how long he'd been hanging out in my hoop house.  How did he get in?  The doors were closed.  How long did he plan on staying?  I sure hope he doesn't think he's going to stay for the winter, because he'll get much bigger and there could be a real problem when I go to harvest my winter spinach.

I watched him for a bit and saw how he got in and out--so simple, really.  His long body twists gracefully in any which direction.  The plastic to the hoop house is held down outside by heavy sandbags, but in between the sandbags are tiny "openings."  He'd found them all and wormed his way in and out quickly.  He had a million ways to get into my hoop house, which I had heretofore thought closed and protected.  Well, except for the mice.

 

And speaking of the mice, he had killed them all.  I saw a dead one behind one of the large planter boxes . . . then all of a sudden it was gone.  I looked again, and there was the fisher eating the mouse.  Now I feel a bit strange about losing my mouse friends.  I'd rather have them in the hoop house than my home, of course, but I guess the population would have skyrocketed and I don't need that either.

After he finished the mice, he left but I think he'll be back.  I hope not, but I think he likes it here.  That might present a problem for me.  I don't want anything to do with an adult fisher as they can be quite vicious.  Oh well.  Some people have to deal with traffic.  I have to deal with fishers.  Life is still good.

Delicious Chicken Wings!

Do you like chicken wings?  I sure do.  I can't get enough of them!  Did you know that they're actually called "chicken wings" and not "Buffalo wings"?  It's true.  Buffaloes don't have wings.  This comes as a shock to most people, but I tell it like it is on my blog.  Haha.  Okay, I'm being funny, but I promise to be very serious about this gluten-free chicken wings recipe!

Now, if that doesn't look mouth-watering to you, I don't know what does!  Can you see the fried coating holding onto all of that sauce??  It makes for a delicious experience!

 

 

Chicken wings, those hot and zesty morsels, originated in Buffalo, New York at Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar.  And how do I know this?  Because half a century ago I lived in Buffalo.  I stayed there for about a quarter of a century, and I can assure you that I ate many chicken wings.  I also knew Frank and Teressa (not personally, but everyone had met them because of the chicken wing phenomenon).  Now their wings, and almost all wings served in Buffalo, are deep fried "naked" and then have a hot sauce applied to them.  So very delicious . . . but did you know there is an even better way to make them?  The way I make them, there is a "coating" that grabs onto that hot sauce and holds every last drop of it.  If Frank and Teressa had known my mother, they would have known about this secret.  But now you know me, and I'm going to share it with you!

 

Place your gluten-free flour blend in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag.  Then cut your chicken wings and place them in a colander in the sink.  I usually do drumette sections first.  Rinse the wings with water, let drain a bit, then dump the drumettes into the bag.  Zip the bag shut and shake it up!

Here you can see the floured wings arranged on a cutting board.  I did the drumettes first, and do you see how I placed them?  This is so that they'll fit better in the pan.  I use a large rectangular electric frying pan set at 375 degrees.  Put no more than 1/4 inch of oil in.

Fry until brown and then turn.  If the pieces stick together, just gently force your thongs between them and they'll separate.  In a small bowl, put the butter and hot sauce.  Place on the back burner of your stove and set for low heat.

When the wings are nicely browned on both sides, remove them to paper towels to absorb the extra oil.  Then put the wings in a large bowl.  By now, the butter should be melted.  Stir the sauce well and dump it on top of the wings.  Mix and stir well so that all wings are coated with lots of sauce.

And you will end up with something like this!  Does that look good, or what??

1 cup of gluten-free flour mix

12 to 15 whole chicken wings

4 tbs butter

1/2 cup of Frank's RedHot Sauce (1/2 cup or MORE, I never measure)

oil for frying

Preheat your pan to 375 degrees.  Put no more than 1/4 inch of oil in the pan, less is fine.  Place the gluten-free flour in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag.  Cut the chicken wings up and place in a colander, drumettes first.  Rinse the drumettes, drain, and place in the flour bag.  Seal the bag and shake well.  Place the drumettes on a sideboard and repeat with the other sections.  When all the pieces have been coated with flour, place them in the hot oil.  Fry until brown and then turn.  Put the sauce and butter in a small pan and set this on the back burner of your stove on low heat.  When the wings are browned on both sides, remove them to paper towels to drain briefly.  Then put the wings in a large bowl.  At this point, the sauce should be hot and the butter should be melted.  Mix well and pour it over the wings and stir well.  Remove the wings to a serving platter.  Serve with bleu cheese, baby carrots, and celery sticks.

TIPS:

1.  Use a gluten-free flour blend here, not just one gluten-free flour.  Some flours brown better than others when fried, and this way you'll have a better chance at getting a nice brown color.

2.  Make sure you use Frank's RedHot Sauce.  It's just not the same without it.  Trust me.

3.  Buy whole chicken wings and not pre-cut wings.  The pre-cut wings are always so puny.  By the time you get the fried coating browned, a puny wing would be overcooked in the center.  It's not hard to cut wings up.  Just make sure you have a sharp knife.  Do NOT throw the wing tip sections out!  Save them in a bag in the freezer.  When you fill up a gallon-sized bag with them, you can make a nice pot of chicken broth.

My Homestead

I live on a small homestead in Maine.  It's very small but very beautiful.  The ocean is directly in my front yard as my home is built on the rocks of the shore.  In my backyard are my gardens and hoop house and chicken coop.  There is no pavement around here as I live 1.5 miles down a dead end dirt road on a peninsula off an island off the mainland.  And that's the way I like it.

February 2013.  I took this picture off my front porch.  That's the Atlantic Ocean in the background.  Hard to believe I'll be planting tomato seeds indoors in a couple of months and then putting the plants out in the hoop house come mid May.  But I will be.  Life's good.

I love to plant vegetables.  Every year I get so excited to start the process anew.  I have to start many things under lights in the house here in Maine because our growing season is so short.  I use a shop light ($10 up at a home supply store) to do it.  No special "grow lights" are needed at the early stage of a plant's growth, no matter what the seed catalogs tell you.  So a plain old shop light with ordinary fluorescent bulbs works just fine for me.  It's always so much fun to fill the little pots up with soil and press the new seeds in.  I often use old yogurt or sour cream containers to start the veggies in, making sure to poke some holes in the bottom for drainage.  When the plants are ready and the weather is warm, they go out into the gardens or the hoop house.

I've planted many things over the years.  Tomatoes are one of my main crops because I love them so much.  What would our world be like without spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, ketchup, or salsa?  It would be boring, indeed.  I also plant a lot of hot peppers because I love hot sauce!  When I eat my homemade canned hot sauce in the dead of winter here in Maine, I smile.  I smile because I remember the summer, and I know it will come again.  My blueberry and strawberry jams have the same effect on me.  I smile.  My plantings have varied over the years but have included cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, tomatillos, many squashes, cantaloupes, onions, garlic, beets, carrots, beans, peas, brussels sprouts, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, and plums.  There are others but I just don't remember them all.

As the year wears on and things begin to ripen, I get very busy.  I can, ferment, dry, or freeze much of my harvest to preserve it for leaner times, like winter.  Nothing tastes better than food you have put by yourself.  It's all grown without any chemicals (just chicken manure).  I only use organic bug or fungus products when I have to, and that doesn't happen every year.  Of course, none of my vegetables or fruits are irradiated like they are in any commercial store, organic or not.  I wonder what that does for the plant makeup and ultimately the human body?  That's one of the many reasons I love to grow my own.  There are many, many jars of preserves, sauces, plain vegetables, etc. in my house.  Sometimes I have to find some pretty creative ways to store them because my house is so small, but I manage to do it.  Preserving my harvest gives me such a feeling of peace and comfort.

Out in the back is a chicken coop.  I am down to only 15 hens now but have kept many more and will probably keep many more in the future.  I lost my last rooster this past May but will have another one someday.  I love to hear a rooster crow.  It reminds me that I'm home.  My hens give me plenty of eggs, and I have not eaten a store-bought egg in a very long time.  Store-bought eggs are so sad looking.  When you crack them open, their yolks are so dull and dreary and they lay flat in the pan.  Not so with fresh pastured eggs!  The yolks are large and almost orange, so loaded they are with vitamins.  They stand up in the pan and do not spread around, and they taste wonderful.  I sell some of my eggs because I end up with more than I can possibly use.  My customers love them.

I have harvested my chickens on occasion but not lately because this batch is over a year old now.  The first time I butchered a chicken, I was shaking from head to toe.  I didn't know how to do it and I couldn't find anyone to help me, so I went online and found some videos.  Believe it or not, that's how I learned.  It's a very humbling experience.  I thought I might not be brave enough to do it, but I found out I was.  Homegrown chicken tastes different from store-bought chicken.  It's "chewier."  The flavor is very good.  I try to eat with reverence and thanks.

I love my little homestead, but I have a dream.  Someday soon I will have a larger homestead.  I know more of what I need now.  I need a larger home for storage of what I grow.  A full cellar would be wonderful.  I need barns too, not just a coop.  I would love to have goats for milk and sheep for wool.  A horse might be nice someday.  I'll need pastures, of course, for the animals.  I want a stream out back so I can go fishing.  And woods, lots of woods.  I will definitely have that for hunting and wood for my fire.  Of course, I will continue to have fields in which I grow what I eat.  Self-sufficiency is such a noble goal, I think, and it's really all I've ever wanted.  I will continue to strive for it.

So I'll bide my time, planting, growing, learning.  There's still so much to be grateful for around here.  Nothing will go to waste, including all the knowledge I've acquired.  I will miss my small homestead, but I so look forward to my new farm/homestead.  In self-sufficiency, there's always something to do, something new to learn, something challenging.  That is what I love about this life. 

A Simple Gluten-Free Cornbread

Cornbread is such a versatile food.  You can butter it warm and eat it along with a bit of tea when you don't feel well.  You can fry it and eat it with barbeque pork or sausage.  You can sweeten it up a bit and turn it into a desert, drizzling it with icing or syrup.  You can even use it as a base for strawberry shortcake.  Actually, there isn't anything you can't do with cornbread, now that I think of it!

Look at that nice fluffy wedge of cornbread.  And it tastes as good as it looks!

Everyone loves cornbread, especially children.  Just because you're gluten-free does not mean you shouldn't be able to enjoy it.  Gluten-free cornbread is one of the simplest things to make.  Most people I know cannot tell that it's gluten-free -- and why is that?  Because people are used to cornbread having a bit of a "meal" sort of texture to it, so they're not surprised when they find it to be that way.  In fact, they look forward to it and would be disappointed if it were otherwise.  This is one of those rare gluten-free foods where wheat prejudice does not come into play, so live it up!

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour mix, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.  I like to use a wire whisk because then I know the xanthan gum is completely distributed throughout.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and then add the oil and beat again.  The eggs act as an emulsifier so that when you add the milk, it will mix in completely and the oil won't float to the top.  After beating your oil and eggs together, add the milk and stir.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon.  Remember:  gluten-free flours are always "thirsty," so make sure none of the flour is hiding at the bottom of the bowl or stuck in a big clump to the spoon.  Mix well.  Use a rubber spatula and scoop the mixture into an 8 x 8 " greased pan.  Smooth it out as best as you can.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let cool in the pan only for a minute or two, and then flip out onto a rack to cool.  Try to let it cool some before you devour the entire thing!

1.25 cups (163 g) gluten-free flour mix

3/4 cup (105 g) cornmeal

1/4 cup (50 g) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 1 tbs milk

1/4 cup (50 g) oil

1 extra-large egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" pan and set aside.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.  In a small bowl, beat the egg, add the oil, and beat again.  Stir in the milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, making sure there are no clumps of flour at the bottom of the bowl or on the spoon.  Scrape the mixture into the greased pan and smooth the top out.  Bake the 8 x 8" pan for 20 minutes or the 9 x 9" pan for 18 minutes -- until done.  A toothpick inserted will come out clean, and the bread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Allow to cool in the pan for a minute or two, and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

TIPS:

1.  I use my own gluten-free flour blend, called "Mel's Magic Mix," which is a blend of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  My ratio is 3:1 (flours to starches), and I think this works well.  But you can use any good gluten-free flour mix.  If your mix already contains xanthan gum, then omit it when mixing up this recipe.

2.  You can use either an 8 x 8" pan or a 9 x 9" pan, but I think the 8 x 8" pan makes for a fluffier bread and a better product.

3.  Obviously, the possibilities are endless here.  You can add a bit more sugar and make a cake-like confection.  Or (what I love to do), you can add 1 tsp of chili powder to the dry ingredients and one cup of shredded cheddar on top of the raw batter in the pan with sliced pickled jalapeños on top of that.  Then bake the same way, maybe adding a few minutes on to the bake time to ensure that the center cooks through.

4.  This freezes exceptionally well.  Slice into squares and wrap individually with plastic wrap.  Then place the wrapped squares in a labeled and dated freezer bag and freeze.  You can place a piece of unwrapped and frozen cornbread into the microwave and cook for about 30 seconds or so and have a piping hot slab of cornbread in no time flat!

Best Ever Pesto Sauce!

A good basil pesto sauce is one of those recipes that is surprisingly easy but makes the chef look like a genius to those who don't know how to cook.  Its heady and fragrant aroma is outstanding, and the intense, complex flavors will make everyone think you are a culinary god.  I would suggest you allow them to think that way.

One pound of Tinkyada penne gluten-free pasta smothered with pesto sauce!  I like to use gluten-free pastas with a shape that can really hold all the sauce in, so each piece is screaming pesto at me.  Penne is a good choice as is rotini.

Pesto is not a cooked sauce.  It is a raw sauce that is used most frequently over pasta (gluten-free, please!), but it also makes a fantastic sauce for a gluten-free pizza.  It is wonderful as a topping for grilled meat or when used as a sandwich spread.  It's also good in salads or tossed with cooked vegetables or as a garnish for soups.  Everything comes to life with this special, zesty sauce.  Here are some photos to show you how to make perfect pesto, but shhhhh, don't tell anyone how easy this is to make!

Place your pine nuts in a single layer in a pan.  I use my toaster oven pan.  Then roast them for a few minutes until browned.  This step is vital--do NOT use raw pine nuts in your pesto!

Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor fitted with the blade.  Process until smooth.  You may want to scrape down the sides once or twice during processing to make sure no large pieces are left in the sauce.  You want a nice smooth sauce.

2 cups (2 ounces) of fresh basil leaves

1 or 2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of pine nuts, roasted

2/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

dash of lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor bowl fitted with the blade.  Process until smooth, scraping the bowl down as needed.

TIPS:

1.  Use the BEST olive oil you can afford in this because the sauce is raw, and the olive oil is second only to the basil in flavor.  A good olive oil will take your pesto sauce from "good" to "divine."

2.  Again, since the sauce is raw, go easy on the garlic.  I LOVE garlic, but I only use one clove when I make this.  Otherwise, the garlic is overwhelming.

3.  Do be sure to roast your pine nuts for a few minutes.  It makes all the difference in the world in flavor!

4.  I use Tinkyada gluten-free pasta because it is readily available and I find it to be superior to most other brands.

5.  You can freeze pesto sauce by spooning it into ice cube trays.  Allow to freeze for 24 hours.  Then pop the cubes out of the tray (you might need to gently prod them with a butter knife) and quickly put them in a labeled and dated freezer bag.  When you are ready to use them, just pull out one or two cubes as needed and allow to thaw.  It's great for single servings!

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken & Biscuits

Wait.  What?  You didn't think that just because you're gluten-free you couldn't have fried chicken and biscuits, right?  I sure hope not.  Because you can have the most delectable fried chicken and biscuits on a gluten-free diet!  A nice crispy and crunchy coat, soft and juicy meat, and crisp little biscuits can all be yours, and it takes no more trouble to make than "regular" fried chicken and biscuits.  Although, I must confess:  it is healthier because there's no wheat!

Go ahead.  Tell me you don't want to dive into that, lol.  What a crunchy experience!

And fried biscuits.  Aren't they divine?  You can almost feel the crispness through the photo, and there's nothing tastier than these little guys.

What goes into the making of good fried chicken?  We start with fresh chicken, of course, but we also need a good marinade.  We're after one that doesn't impart too much flavor (as most marinades do and are supposed to do) but does soften the meat and make it juicier.  After that we need a nice coating of some kind of starch.  Then there's oil for frying and seasonings to make it irresistible.  Of course, fried biscuits are like icing on the cake, and if you can do all of these things, your family and friends will be your slaves forever.  For real--this chicken is that good.  :)

Place your chicken in a large bowl.  Here I have six wings (with tips removed), three thighs, and three legs, for a total of 12 pieces.  If you're using breasts, you might not be able to fit 12 pieces in your pan, so plan accordingly.  Pour a quart of buttermilk over the chicken and let it soak in this for several hours.

Now set your work station up like this:  Chicken on the left, gluten-free flour mix in the middle, and cutting board or platter on the right.  Grab a piece of chicken, hold it above the bowl, and let it drain for about 5 seconds.  Place it in the flour, and then grab a handful or two of flour and toss it on top.  Then press down well, making sure that the piece of chicken is thoroughly coated with flour.  Keep doing this until you can't feel any moisture seeping through the flour.  Place on the cutting board.

On the left you can see all the pieces of chicken nicely coated with gluten-free flour mix.  On the right, I have just placed them in a large electric frying pan set at 325 degrees with about 1/4 inch of oil.  Don't put too much oil in because as you add chicken the level will rise, and we don't want to submerge the chicken completely in oil.  We just want to fry each side.  Go ahead and season with whatever you like:  salt, pepper, Lawry's, etc.

After 20 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over with a pair of thongs.  They may stick to one another at the sides.  If they do, just press the thongs between them until they break apart.  Season again.  After you do this, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Then in a small bowl, mix the gluten-free flour mix, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.  Measure out the milk and set aside--don't mix them together yet.

After the second side of the chicken fries for 20 minutes, remove it to a baking dish and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Turn your electric frying pan up to 375 degrees.  In the meantime, pour the milk into the flour mixture and mix well.  It will poof up a bit from the baking powder.  Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter into the oil.  (I only used half the recipe here because we're more meat eaters in my household.)  Fry for a few minutes until you see the bottom edges browning.  Grasp each biscuit by the sides with thongs, turn, and fry for another few minutes.  When browned, remove to a plate lined with paper towels and turn your frying pan off.

By now your chicken should be just about done baking.  This baking is an important step--it really helps to crispen things up.  On the left you see the biscuits, and on the right you can see the pan of chicken and the biscuits.  Mmmm, mmmmm good!

8 - 12 pieces of chicken

1 quart of buttermilk

oil for frying

2 cups (260 g) gluten-free flour mix

1 tbs baking powder

1 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 and 1/4 cups (10 oz) of milk

Marinade the chicken pieces in the buttermilk for several hours.  Gluten-free flour is expensive, so we'll try not to waste it here.  Put a few cups in a large bowl.  Grab a piece of chicken and let it drain over the buttermilk bowl for about 5 seconds.  Then place it in the flour bowl.  Grab some flour and toss it on top.  Then press in well.  Keep pressing and putting flour on until you don't feel any moisture around the chicken.  Set the piece aside and continue, adding more flour as you need it.  Don't throw the flour away in the bowl yet because we'll use it for the biscuits.  Fry the chicken at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Turn the chicken over and fry again for another 20 minutes.  Be sure to season your chicken with whatever seasoning you like.  In the meantime, measure out 2 cups of gluten-free flour mix into a small bowl.  Add the baking powder, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum.  Mix well and set aside.  Measure out the milk and set aside--don't mix the two together yet.  After the chicken finishes frying, put it in a large baking dish and place in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Turn the heat on the frying pan up to 375 degrees.  Pour the milk into the flour mixture and mix well.  Drop by tablespoonfuls into the oil and fry for a few minutes until browned.  Grab each biscuit by its sides with a thong and turn over.  Fry the other side until browned.  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, and turn off the frying pan.  Remove the chicken from the oven after 20 minutes.  Serve with buttered and salted corn--delicious!

TIPS:

1.  Buttermilk can vary.  Most sold in the supermarket is thicker than what I have here and will provide an even thicker coat of flour--meaning even more crisp and crunch for you when fried!

2.  I use my own gluten-free flour blend, called "Mel's Magic Mix," which is a blend of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  My ratio is 3:1 (flours to starches), and I think this works well.  But you can use any good gluten-free flour mix.  If your mix already contains xanthan gum, then omit it when mixing up the biscuit recipe.

 

3.  You can re-use the buttermilk in the biscuits instead of using milk.  In that case, use 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk.  I like using milk better because I think it makes a fluffier, less dense biscuit.

 

4.  Any remaining flour or buttermilk must be thrown out because it had raw chicken in it.

Gluten-Free Coconut Fried Shrimp

Many gluten-free people think they have to give up anything fried that has a batter.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  I have a very useful gluten-free tempura batter that I love to use for many applications, including this coconut fried shrimp.  Once you taste my shrimp, you'll know that your gluten-free days of self-prohibition are over--and it's time to indulge!

If that doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will!  I like to serve my gluten-free coconut fried shrimp with my famous "Spiteful Lass Cayenne Slather"--one of my customers' favorites.  A mustard sauce would be good too, and you can't go wrong with a nice mango sauce.

Beat one egg in a small bowl.  Add one cup of cold water.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the gluten-free flour with the salt and xanthan gum.  Add the egg and water mixture to the flour mixture, and mix well with a wire whisk so that all the flour is incorporated.

Drop all your shrimp into the tempura batter.  Then remove them one at a time.  While holding a shrimp, all it to drain for a few seconds.  Then place it on top of a pile of dessicated coconut (unsweetened).  With your other hand, pick up a handful of the coconut and drop it on top of the shrimp.  Then press well so the coconut really sticks to it.  Place aside on a board and do the same with all the shrimp.

Pour some oil into a large nonstick frying pan and heat over medium heat for about five minutes.  Add the shrimp and fry for a few minutes.  It doesn't take too long.  When it begins to brown nicely, use some thongs to turn each piece over as you see in the second photo, and fry the other side.  A splatter screen helps here because the shrimp really like to misbehave!

And really that's all there is to it.  What?  Were you expecting it to be hard?  Gluten-free cooking is easy when you know how!  You can do this entire dish from beginning to table in a half hour or less.  That gives you more time to eat and enjoy.  :)

1 or 2 pounds of shrimp (I used 1 lb, but there's plenty of batter for 2 lb)

1 and 1/4 cup (163 g) of gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of xanthan gum

Dessicated coconut (unsweetened)

Oil for frying

Peel and de-vein the shrimp.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, salt, and xanthan gum with a wire whisk until well blended.  In another small bowl, beat one egg and then add one cup of cold water and mix well.  Add the egg and water mixture to the flour mixture and mix well with a wire whisk until all flour is incorporated.  Drop your shrimp into the batter.  Remove each shrimp one at a time and allow to drain for a few seconds while still holding it.  Place the shrimp onto a pile of dessicated coconut, and with your clean hand, grab some coconut and pour it over the shrimp.  Then press well to make sure that the coconut sticks to the shrimp.  Repeat with all the shrimp.  I like to add more coconut as I go and as I need it because you will have to throw out what's left over, so you don't want to use too much.  (Or you could give it to the chickens like I do.)  Heat some oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat for about five minutes.  Add the shrimp and fry, turning when brown.  When done, remove the shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels.  Serve with your favorite sauce!

TIPS:

1.  A gluten-free flour blend works better in a tempura batter than just one particular gluten-free flour because the starches have already been added and they balance things out nicely.  I use my own gluten-free flour blend, called "Mel's Magic Mix," which is a blend of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  My ratio is 3:1 (flours to starches), and I think this works well.  But you can use any good gluten-free flour mix.  If your mix already contains xanthan gum, then omit it when mixing up this recipe.

 

2.  There is easily enough tempura batter here for 2 lbs of shrimp.  I only used 1 lb above, but go ahead and use 2 lb if you'd like.

 

3.  Use a splatter screen because this stuff loves to splash oil!

The Easiest Gluten-Free Pancakes

Pancakes . . . so simple, and yet out of reach for many gluten-free people because they don't know just how simple pancakes are to make.  Gluten-free pancakes are just as easy to make as wheat pancakes, and they taste just as good!  If you know the secrets of gluten-free flours, there's very little you can't do.

One of the biggest gluten-free flour secrets is this:  Gluten-free flours are "thirsty."  That's right.  They seem to need more liquid in a recipe than regular wheat flour does.  They seem to absorb the liquid more than wheat, and where a batter should be relatively thin, with gluten-free flours it often ends up too thick.  This can change the final results of your recipe.  However, as long as you keep this peculiarity in mind, you can easily work around it.

Okay, so I like a lot of maple syrup on my pancakes.  Arrest me!  :)

You can use any gluten-free flour mix you like for this recipe.  I use my own mix, called "Mel's Magic Mix," because I find it to be the best for all-purpose baking.  It's a mixture of sorghum and rice flours with corn, potato, and tapioca starches.  I find a 3:1 ratio (flour to starches) works best for me.  But I think any good gluten-free flour mix will do just fine here.  If your mix already has xanthan gum in it, omit it from the ingredient list below.  Let's get started!

Place your gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in a bowl.  Mix well with a wire whisk.  I think a whisk really mixes all the ingredients together well.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork and then add the oil and beat again.  Then add the milk to the egg mixture and stir well.  When you mix the egg and oil together first, the egg acts as an emulsifier.  An emulsifier allows you to mix oil and liquid together without the oil separating and floating to the top.

Now add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well.  TAKE NOTICE HERE:  This is where the gluten-free flour gets "thirsty."  It just loves to hide in clumps on the bottom of the bowl!  So really scrape down there with your spoon.  Then check your spoon.  You'll find a big clump of it stuck there as well.  Mix it all in.  And then . . . WAIT.  Let the batter sit for a good five minutes while you heat up your pan or griddle.  After five minutes or so, use a wire whisk and mix the batter again.  You won't believe how much it has thickened!

Grease your pan with your oil of choice and pour out some pancakes.  You'll see some bubbling in the middle of the batter as they cook and get closer to the flipping point, but not as much as you might see with wheat pancakes.  So watch the edges of the pancakes and flip them when they start to brown nicely.  Don't worry.  If you flip too soon, you can always re-flip.  :)

This recipe makes eight 6-inch pancakes, enough for two people to have a pancake breakfast or four people to have pancakes as a side.

1 cup (130 g) gluten-free flour
1 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 extra-large egg
2 tbs (25 g) oil
1 cup (8 oz) milk

Mix the dry ingredients well with a wire whisk.  Beat the egg and then add the oil and beat again.  Add the milk to the egg mixture and mix well.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, being sure to get any gluten-free flour clumps up from the bottom of the bowl as well as from the spoon.  Let the mixture sit for a good five minutes.  In the meantime, heat your pan or griddle.  After five minutes, mix the batter again with a wire whisk.  You will find it has thickened a bit.  Grease the pan and pour out some pancakes.  Flip when edges start to brown nicely.  This recipe makes eight 6-inch pancakes, enough for two people to have a pancake breakfast or four people to have pancakes as a side.

TIPS: 
1.  Use a digital scale.  I can't stress enough that it is a necessity in gluten-free baking.  One cup of gluten-free flour can vary dramatically in weight from brand to brand.  If you use a scale, you'll always use the proper amount of flour needed with respect to the liquid ingredients.  It makes the difference between a good baker and great baker!

2.  Keep in mind that gluten-free flours are "thirsty"!  Don't worry that your batter may seem too thin when you first mix it up.  After five minutes of sitting, it will thicken up considerably.