SUPER SIMPLE GRAIN-FREE, FLOUR-FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE RECIPE

I have a bad sweet tooth. The fact that these cookies are so easy to make doesn't help matters either (3 ingredients, 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish).

What You Need
1 cup peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter - I like almond butter)
1 egg
1 cup sugar (I like sucanat because it is basically unrefined ground sugar cane)

What You Do
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Drop mixture onto cookie sheet by the heaping teaspoon. Bake in oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies have slightly browned. Cookies may not look completely cooked in the center. That's okay. The residual heat from the cookie sheet will continue to cook them a few more minutes after you remove them from the oven. After about 5 minutes of cooling you can transfer the cookies to a wire rack for cooling.

Best enjoyed warm, with a nice cold glass of milk. Makes one dozen cookies.

GLUTEN-FREE ZUCCHINI BREAD/MUFFIN MIX

What You Need
3 cups gluten-free flour (I like Better Batter)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
What You Do
Grease 2 loaf pans or muffin tins. Preheat oven to 325.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until well combined.
Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix well.
Stir in zucchini and add nuts/chips (optional). Pour into pans or muffin tins.
Bake 40-60 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before cooling on wire rack.

GLUTEN-FREE SANDWICH BREAD

Within 24 hours of making a loaf of this bread, there were only crumbs remaining. The celiacs in our house had to quickly learn to pace themselves. This is an excellent, moist and tasty bread ... great for sandwiches (hence the name).

What You Need

dry ingredients

1 1/4 c brown rice flour

1/2 c almond flour

1/2 c amaranth flour

1/2 c quinoa flour

1/3 potato starch

1/4 c tapioca starch

1 T xanthan gum

1 1/4 t bread machine or instant yeast

1 1/4 t salt

wet ingredients

1 1/2 c water (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)

2 T olive oil

2 T liquid honey

1 t cider vinegar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 egg whites, lightly beaten 

** I used a Bread machine to make my bread.

What You Do

1. Pour wet ingredients into bread machine baking pan.
2. Add dry ingredients.
3. Select the gluten-free cycle, select your crust darkness and press start.
4. One to two minutes into mixing use a rubber spatula to scrape flour from sides so that it can be incorporated into the dough. Close lid.
5. Once the loaf has baked promptly remove it and allow it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
   
   
   
   
   

Holistic Granola Bites

Looking for a simple, nutritious snack made from whole food ingredients? Give these Granola Bites a try. They are a favorite in our house, and easily adaptable for a number of food allergies.

What You Need
1 cup rolled oats (no quick oats)
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup nut butter (I use organic peanut butter)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup honey, raw preferred
1 tsp vanilla extract

What You Do
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl, and mix until well combined.

Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator, and roll into 1/2" balls.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week (but they won't last that long).

Peach & Basil Pizza

I made this delicious pizza last fall when the peaches were perfectly ripe and I was still harvesting basil from my garden. The recipe fell in my lap and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to use some of the fresh ingredients that I had around. It turned out absolutely delicious and when I received a bag full of basil in my bountiful basket this week, I longed for some juicy ripe peaches. It must be spring time, cause I'm already looking forward to the yumminess that comes from fresh summertime fruits. I'll share today and you can pin or bookmark for future reference. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, sliced in half length-wise
2 tsp olive oil
1 dash sea salt
4 ounces, sliced Brie or Mozzarella cheese
3 whole ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh basil

Instructions:
Place bread on a baking sheet and brush olive oil over each half. Sprinkle with a dash fo sea salt. Top each half with cheese and peaches.

Place pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven to broil and let broil for 30 seconds or until the cheese gets a tiny bit brown and bubbly.

While pizzas are baking, place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes or so).

Drizzle balsamic reduction evenly over pizza and top with basil. Cut pizza into slices and serve.

Mini Cheese Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST ~
1 1/3   cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4      cup white sugar
1/4      cup margarine (Melted)


CHEESECAKE ~
32       oz packaged cream cheese (Softened at room temperature)
1         cup white sugar
2         tbsp lemon juice
2         tsp  grated lemon zest
1         tsp  vanilla extract
4         eggs
1        can cherry or blueberry pie filling OR
          raspberries, strawberries or blueberries OR
          chocolate syrup



DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Grease 4 - 6 cup muffin pans. 
3. Mix together crust ingredients with a fork, until combined.
4. Spoon into the bottom of each muffin cup and press firmly.
5. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove and cool.
6. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla until  fluffy.
7. Mix in eggs.
8. Mixture should be smooth and silky.
9. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
10. Bake for 25 minutes.
11. Cool completely before removing.
12. Refrigerate until ready to sere.
13. Top with fruit or fruit filling. 

Yields 24

Spinach Pie with Greek Salad

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach Pie ~
1/3   cup         Olive Oil
2      lbs          Fresh Spinach (washed & drained)
1      bunch     Scallions (White & green parts - chopped)    
1/4   cup         Parsley (finely chopped)
1/2   lb            Feta Cheese (crumbled)
1      large       Egg (lightly beaten)  or {2 small eggs}
1      cup         unsalted butter (melted)
1      lb            filo pastry sheets



Greek Salad ~
2                    Cucumber (seeded) and sliced 1/4" thick
2                    Red Bell Pepper (large diced)

2                    Yellow Bell Pepper (large diced)
2                    Pint Cherry or Grape tomatoes (halved)
1                    Red Onion (sliced in 1/2 moon rounds)
1/2      lb         Feta Cheese (diced)
1/2      cup      Calamata olives (pitted)
4         Cloves Garlic
2         tsp       Oregano (dried)
1         tsp       Dijon Mustard
1/2      cup       Red Wine Vinegar
2         tsp       Kosher salt
1         tsp       Black pepper
1         tsp       Olive oil

DIRECTIONS: - Spinach Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan.
3. Add half of the spinach and saute until wilted. (Apx 2 min.)
4. Remove spinach, squeeze out excess liquid then chop.
5. Repeat with remaining spinach, remaining oil, scallions, parsley, salt & pepper.
6. Cook over low heat (apx 2 min) then remove and cool.
7. Stir in feta and eggs to moisten the spinach mixture.
8. Butter a 9X13" baking pan and spread sheets of filo.
9. Brush each with butter.
10. Spoon the spinach over the filo.
11. Cover with 6 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet.
12. Score the top 3 sheets with a sharp knife.
13. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is golden.
14. Let stand 15 minutes, then cut into squares.
15. Serve warm.

~ Greek Salad

1. Place cucumber, peppers, tomatoes & red onions in a large bowl
2. For Vinaigrette: Whisk together garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Continue to whisking and slowly, add olive oil.
4. Pour over the vegetables.
5. Add feta and olives, then toss lightly.
6. Allow flavors to blend at least 30 minutes before serving at room temperature.

Serves 8-10 people

Guacamole

Guacamole
Four ripe avocados
Juice from 2 small limes
Half Tablespoon garlic powder
Half Tablespoon chili pepper
Half a chopped red onion
Four seeded cherry tomatoes, chopped
Half Tablespoon Hot Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
For extra spicy, add half a chopped chipotle peppe
Halve and empty contents of avocados into a large bowl.
Use a fork to crush into chunks
Add garlic powder and chili pepper, mix well
Fold in onion, tomatoes, and chipotle pepper (if using)
Mix hot sauce and lime juice together
Add to guacamole and mix well
Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving

I'm told the game kicks off on NBC around 6P (EST).  Don't forget Madonna and Cirque du Soleil will perform during this year's half time festivities.

If all else fails and you REALLY don't want  to watch the game then set up a separate room for the non-sports fans to watch movies!!!

Sticky Riblets, Garlic Mash and Asparagus

Ingredients (Riblets):
5 lb                        pork riblets
1/3 cup                  ketchup
1 tsp                       salt
3 cloves garlic      (minced or thinly sliced or coarsely chopped)
1/3 cup                   soy sauce
1 bottle                   vinegar
2                              limes
4 stalks                  scallion/green onion minced or chopped.
2"                            ginger root peeled and minced or chopped
4 rings of sliced pepper (Jalapeno, chili, habanero, scotch bonnet, etc. seeds removed.)
1/3-1/2 c                Honey      

Directions (Riblets):
1. Cut/separate ribs while partially thawed.
2. Place riblets in a bowl and wash in generous amounts of vinegar and lime juice (apx 2 minutes) Pour off excess liquid and repeat.  Combine all ingredients while constantly coating the meat.   Add the honey last. (Refrigerate to marinate overnight or let stand 30 minutes.  The longer it marinates the better the flavor.)
3.  Arrange riblets in a foil lined baking pan; and cover with marinade and foil.  Spoon marinade in the pan over the ribs occasionally.
4.  Cook 30-45 minutes or until meat starts to pull away from the bone, in a 350 ºF oven.


Ingredients (Garlic Mash Potatoes):


1-3 heads                   Garlic (separate by cloves.)
3 TBSP                       Olive Oil
2  pounds                   Potatoes (peeled and diced)
1/2-1 stick                   Butter (cubed)
1/2-1 cup                    Whole milk
Salt & pepper to taste.



Directions (Garlic Mash Potatoes):
1. Place garlic in a pie pan and drizzle with olive oil. (Reserve 1 clove to boil with potatoes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Place in 450ºF oven until tender and brown.  Let cool.
2. Boil potatoes in salted water (12-15 minutes), until tender.  Remove and drain. Return the potatoes to the pot.
3. Using a fork, crush the garlic until smooth.
4. Add garlic and butter to potatoes, then cream or mash.  Add milk until desired texture is achieved.
5. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.


Ingredients (Asparagus):

1 bunch      Medium asparagus (apx 1lb)
2 TBSP       Extra virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP       Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 TSP         lemon zest (Freshly grated lemon rind)

Salt & freshly ground (cracked) black pepper.


Directions (Asparagus):
1.  Rinse asparagus thoroughly.  Break off any tough or white bottoms and discard.  (Optional - diagonally slice into 1-2" sections.)
2. Fill a saucepan half way up, and bring to a boil.   Submerge asparagus and reduce heat to slightly simmer.  Parboil asparagus for 2 minutes.  Drain the water and toss in a olive oil, Parmesan and lemon rind mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  (Asparagus should be al dente.)


Serves 6

Mini Crab Cakes

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 ounces fresh lump crab meat, picked over, patted dry, coarsely shredded
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Fresh chives or green onions, cut into pieces



With a mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg; beat to blend. Beat in sour cream, citrus peels, 4 teaspoons chopped chives, coarse salt, and cayenne pepper. Fold in crab meat. (DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)



Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 2 mini muffin pans. Toss breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons chopped chives in small bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over, tossing with fork until evenly moistened. Press 1 rounded tablespoon breadcrumbs mixture into bottom of each muffin cup, forming crust. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon crab mixture into each cup. Sprinkle rounded teaspoon of breadcrumbs mixture over each (some may be left over).
Bake crab cakes until golden on top and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Run knife around each cake and gently lift out of pan. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Arrange on baking sheet; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven 6 to 8 minutes.
Arrange crab cakes on serving platter; sprinkle with chives.


Special equipment: 2 mini muffin pans

No-Knead Whole Grain Bread

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. It is what (used to) get me out of bed every morning. (Now I have a little human alarm clock that doesn't have a snooze button). Often as I fall asleep the night before, I think about what I'm going to make for breakfast the next morning, along with how I will prepare my coffee (pour-over? drip? French press?).

I mean, think about it. You got your eggs. Creamy, yolk-y, salt and pepper. You got fruit, and sometimes veggies. You got my favorite grain, oats, in the form of warm, comforting oatmeal or snappy, crunchy granola. And, you got bread, in all of its various forms. Muffins. Scones. Pancakes. Biscuits. Toast. How could anyone not love breakfast?

Maybe I should re-title this blog to be "Becky Baker." This is the third post in a row that is baked. Baking is, after all, my life aspiration. Sure, I still cook most days. But baking is what really gets me motivated.

If you've tried making yeast bread before (or have been too scared by the idea) this is the easiest bread to make. One would think that, with such an easy bread, taste would be sacrificed, or texture, or something. No, friends, this bread is full of flavor, chewy, good as it is or toasted, pairs well with sweet jam or savory cheese, and is beautiful to behold. You can make it into a sandwich. You can top it with eggs. A smear of butter? Sprinkling of sea salt? Lovely.

One caveat: you need a cast iron dutch oven to bake it in. I have not tried to bake this without one, so I can't say if you would get good results. The dutch oven is pre-heated in the oven, which helps the bread to have a crisp, chewy crust. The bread is baked with the lid on for most of it, and then the lid is removed for the last ten minutes.

Don't make the mistake of taking the bread out too early because the crust is golden. I did once, and was sorely disappointed when, after letting it cool, I sliced it open and found a gummy interior. Sad. The crust will get very dark, even bordering on burnt in a few places. This will create a rich, chewy crust and an interior that is full of flavor and not dry.

This variation is from Mary Jane's Farm magazine, and the original is by Mark Bittman, but the original original no knead bread is by Jim Lahey. Credit duly noted. The dough is left at room temperature for 12-18 hours. I have left it for as long as 24 hours with no ill effects. You can probably leave it to rest for as little as 8 hours, but the flavor may not be as developed. 

A word about flour. I use half whole wheat bread flour and half all purpose flour. I have also done it with half regular whole wheat flour and half white bread flour, and I have done it with half whole wheat bread flour, 1/6 spelt flour, and 1/3 white flour. The author recommends all whole wheat pastry flour. So basically, the sky is the limit. You have to use mostly wheat flour, though, for the gluten to develop. Using too much spelt, or too much low- or no-gluten flour won't result in the type of bread we're looking for here.

No-Knead Whole Grain Bread

From Mary Jane's Farm Magazine

Makes 1 large loaf

6 cups flour (see note above)

1/2 cup oats

2 tablespoons flax seeds or flax meal

1/4 cup quinoa (rinsed, if you want -- I never have)

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (I have always just used 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, and it has turned out fine)

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

cornmeal for the Dutch oven

1) About 12-18 hours before you plan to bake the bread, mix together the above ingredients in a large bowl (minus the cornmeal). Add 3 cups of water and stir until blended. If there are a lot of dry ingredients left, add 1/4 cup increments of water (not exceeding 4 cups total). The dough will not be very wet, but should be shaggy. Don't worry about getting every last speck of flour wet.

2) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 12-18 hours. The dough will not double in size, so don't worry if it doesn't look that much different than before. 

3) Place a covered Dutch oven in a cold oven, and heat to 500 degrees. While oven and  pot are heating, dump the dough onto a floured work surface. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough, and fold over onto itself twice (as if you're folding a business letter). Don't deflate it, and don't overwork it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest until the oven is ready. 

4) When the oven is hot, carefully remove the Dutch oven. Remove the lid and sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the pot (it will smoke a little -- if you have a fan, turn it on). Scoop up the dough (I use a large spatula and a bench scraper) and plop it into the Dutch oven. Don't worry if it's not in a perfect boule shape; it will add to the rustic appearance. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and slide it back into the oven.

5) Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Don't be alarmed if the crust is already very dark when you remove the lid. If you take it out too early, the bread will be gummy (and then you'll be resigned to slicing it up and using it for toast to "finish" the baking). When the bread is finished baking, and the crust is very dark (bordering on burnt in some spots), remove from the Dutch oven and cool completely on a rack. Cooling the bread completely before slicing into it ensures the bread will not dry out inside.

A couple of additional notes...

- I usually bake two loaves (I'm blessed with two! Dutch ovens) and freeze one

- This bread freezes well, but I recommend slicing it in half and freezing half loaves. This way, you're not stuck with a whole loaf of bread that you can't consume within a few days

- If you eat it fresh, it will keep for about five days in an airtight container. I slice it up all at once, because I don't want to mess with a cutting board every morning. But, if you slice off a bit at a time, it will not dry out as quickly, and will keep for as long as a week.

- My two favorite ways to eat this bread are with butter, or with cheddar and eggs on top. My mother-in-law loves it with almond butter. Justin likes it with jam, or to dip in his soup. Anything goes! 

 Bon Appetit

Banana & Almond Milk Smoothie

I woke up around 5am this morning dreaming of a milkshake.5 hours later, after more sleep, our morning run some fruit and general fluffing around I managed to pull together the ingredients in my imagination and make the most delicious, creamy milkshake I've had since giving up dairy.


Banana & Almond Milk Smoothie

1 x Large Banana
1 cup Almond Milk
4 ice cubes (and an extra one for the puppy)
1/2 cup or so of pot set Greek yogurt (the pit set stuff doesn't have any numbers)


Blend it all together in your blender, pour into a tall class and drink with straw.


Delicious.  You could probably add some cinnamon for extra flavor but it really doesn't need any sweeteners  because the almond mil is so sweet already.


I was aiming for a non-dairy milkshake but because my stomach seems need a bit of extra help with digestion the cultures etc in natural yogurt are really helpful for me at the moment.  You could certainly just cut that out and have it as a vegan drink.

Veggie Juice Dinner

My Running, Workouts and the onset of warmer weather makes me particularly dislike eating.  I can be starving hungry but nothing will strike my fancy so I usually end up eating fresh veggies out of the crisper yet    Again.


Last night I was hot, hungry and not interested in food but knowing I hadn't come anywhere near my intake of good nutrition of the day.  So I grabbed some celery, a carrot, half a giant cucumber, 2 plums and 6 oranges.  This all went through the juicer and straight into the blender where I added some ice, 2 big handfuls of baby spinach and a splash of blackcurrant and apple juice.  After blending it made just over a liter of juice for my dinner.


Delicious and nutritious (anyone finish and place the quote?!).


And now I'm hunting down more excellent juice combinations.  Any you can recommend?

Roasted Tomato and Pumpkin Salad

I bought an enormous box of sauce tomatoes the other day. I think the only thing that made these delicious looking Roma's 'sauce' tomatoes is that they are on the ripe side of ripe and not perfect.  To other people.  To me - perfection in a $13 box.

They left the shop with me without any real plan except to use them before they die.  I could make sauce out of them but that takes time I don't have.  So far I've made Tomato and Cashew Pasta twice, eaten it on every sandwich, fed it to Andrea and made this salad. As it is there will be more than one repeat.

Give it a go and let me know what you think.




One good size butternut pumpkin - diced into bite size cubes
8 ripe Roma tomatoes - quartered length ways
1/2 packed cup of fresh basil - chopped
Olive Oil
Salt
Palm sugar
Baby Spinach
3-4 stalks of spring onion - sliced into little bits (I could write a cook book with instructions like that)

Preheat oven to 250ºC
Toss the cubes of pumpkin in oil and lay out on a baking tray.
Oil a second tray and place tomato slices skin side down.
Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and sugar.  Just enough to touch each slice and give it flavor.
Spread the basil over the top.
Place both trays in the oven until the tomato is a bit crispy and pumpkin is good and brown.  Stir pumpkin once if you want.

It takes about 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin and tomatoes and your oven.

When it's done lay out your baby spinach on plates or bowls, add the pumpkin and tomatoes then sprinkle with spring onion.

It was pretty delicious without any dressing because the tomato is so nice and juicy but I'm a big believer in taking things up a notch and dressing salads with something.  So I made a yogurt dressing to go with it.

Dressing

1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
tablespoon of honey
tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
splash of oil
4 garlic cloves - crushed (we keep garlic in the freezer and then grate it.)

Mix ingredients together and add as much as you want.

And there you have it.  A little bit of delicious.  Veggies that you will crave.



I have a strong suspicion that I've promised some of you recipes for things at different times but don't really remember who or what.  So now's your chance.  What do you want to hear about? A recipe I've mentioned that you'd like to try? or something else?

Let's do this.

Vegan Chocolate Orange Balls

You know how you find something super delicious and think 'I want to eat this every day'?  And sometimes it's even a healthy thing? Like Mangoes?

I discovered these little chocolate orange bars that made it to that 'eat every day' list.  Except for the price.  $4 or something crazy.  But they came from the health food store and list of ingredients were all things I could buy myself.  Cashews, sultanas, dates, raw cacao and cold pressed orange oil.

Did you know that cold pressed orange oil is about $75 a litre?! Even a little bottle of that stuff is outrageously expensive.  So I figured that oranges are kind of oily if you zested the skin and substituted the oil for zest.

Since making this first batch we've experimented further and discovered all other flavor combinations.   They're a hit with pretty much everyone who tries them. My hairdresser even makes them.

Go on and get your chocolate fix the healthy way.


Chocolate Orange Balls

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup sultanas
1 cup dates
1/3 – 1/2 cup raw cacao (depending on taste)
1 orange

1.     Place dates in a bowl and cover with water for 10 minutes to rehydrate.  Drain and set aside.
2.     In food processor blend cashews for a few seconds being careful not to blend too fine.
3.     Using a fine grater grate the zest from the orange.
4.     Add dates, sultanas, cacao and orange zest to cashews in processor.
5.     Blend until mixture holds together.
6.     Roll into bit size balls and eat or keep in fridge.

Variations

1.     Lime zest instead of orange zest.  Limes are not as oily as oranges so you might need to use some of the lime juice as well.
2.     Freshly grated ginger instead of the orange zest.
3.     Replace sultanas with raisins.
     Vanilla or peppermint essence.  Go easy though.

Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

You know risotto right? That rich, creamy, cheesy rice dish?

 That one. That risotto.

 Well now we have it.  Without cream or cheese but with plenty of flavor.

My recipes are instinctual so just go with the flow here and please accept this for what it is: genius at work. Kidding.  Not really.  Just give it a go.  It will taste different from the one I made last night but then I never make it the same way twice.  And it's always good.


Aborio rice.  Or brown rice if you want the whole grain option but be prepared to take a lot longer getting the gluggy goodness.
Vegetable stock.  Plus some water.  Depends on how much of this stuff you want to make.
Pumpkin.  Cubed and roasted.
Onion
Garlic
Oil
Fresh herbs roughly chopped: chives, thyme, oregano, parsley.  A combination of these works great. I use a good handful in total.
Nutritional Yeast Flakes.  But only if you want to.


Sauté onion in oil until nearly clear and add garlic at the end.  Stir in your rice to coat with oil.
Pour in some stock and get stirring.  gradually add more stock and water until just about done.
Mix in your chopped herbs and roasted pumpkin cubes.
Smash it all around a bit.
Stir in the Yeast Flakes. about 2 tables spoons.  Start small and add until you get it to how you like it.

Add some salt and pepper if you like.   And don't burn your tongue.

Having written that out I feel embarrassed to call it a recipe.  It seems particularly lame and easy.  But give it ago.  The flavor is ginormous.

My Gingerbread House

This year I had a little time and Christmas just isn't Christmas without a "Gingerbread" house.

Making a Gingerbread house is a family tradition, even my daddy can do it. haha

We would start the week of Christmas and start baking process and then start building our master piece.

This year I wanted to make several houses to take to the hospital for the kids, but as you can see my Gingerbread house looks like a log cabin instead ..so sad. 

I started not to show it but I found the pictures and photo shop them so they would fit into the blog. 

I know my house could use the show "Home Improvements" on the job, but believe me it could have been worse. 

Making a gingerbread house is no simple task (unless of course you get one of those pre-fab houses, in which case these notes will be of little help). This house took several days, one day to make the dough and the pattern pieces, another to roll out the dough and bake the pieces, one to assemble the pieces, and another to decorate. The joy is really in the making, of the coming together to work on all the steps that are required to build a gingerbread house from scratch.

The following are instructions I used with many gingerbread houses.If you plan on making a gingerbread house yourself, I hope you find them useful.


INGREDIENTS
6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup dark molasses
1 Tbsp water


METHOD
Make the Gingerbread Dough
1 Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

2 Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and well blended. Beat in the eggs, molasses and water until well combined.

3 Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead (or use your mixer's dough hook) until well blended. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

4 Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out.


Create and Cut Out Pattern Pieces
Create a gingerbread house pattern by cutting out pieces of stiff paper (like that of a manila folder) or cardboard. I like cardboard because it's almost as thick as the gingerbread house pieces will be, and you can create a house model easily using the pieces.(1 inch on the pattern = 1 inch in real life), but if not, the dimensions are also given on the pattern so you can use a ruler and create your own.

Make the Gingerbread House Pieces

1 Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.

2 Divide the dough in two. Spread parchment paper or wax paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough, and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

3 Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough. Place the pattern pieces on the dough, as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently. Depending on how soft the dough is, you may need to use scissors to cut the wax paper or parchment paper. You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper, placing the dough pieces with the paper directly on the cookie sheets. If you are not using parchment paper or wax paper, you may need to use a large metal spatula to transfer the dough pieces to a greased cookie sheet. Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other. If dough pieces stretch during the transfer process, push them back into shape.

You can cut out a door and window(s) at this point, or you can wait until after baking, soon after the pieces have come out of the oven while the cookies are still warm.

4 Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces. Rotate the cookie sheets half way through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

While the pieces are still slightly warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and use a large straight chef's knife to trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking spread beyond the pattern.

Remove pieces to cool directly on racks to cool completely.

Make Royal Icing
Royal icing is not only used for decorating, but it is the mortar that holds the gingerbread pieces together to form the house. The following proportions should make enough icing for both the mortaring step and for decorating for one gingerbread house.

2 large egg whites
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 Whisk together until smooth the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of the powdered sugar.

2 If you are planning to eat your gingerbread house, and are concerned about the safety of raw eggs, you can microwave the egg white powdered sugar mixture for several seconds (30-40) until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees, but not higher than 175°F. You can also use pasteurized dried or liquid egg whites.

3 Add the remaining 1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar to the sugar egg mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until the icing holds stiff peaks. If it doesn't form stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar.

4 Place a dampened clean towel over the bowl of royal icing. Keep this towel over the icing to prevent it from drying out while you work with it.

5 When you are ready to mortar or decorate, fill a pastry bag with the icing. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can make your own with a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, just cut off the tip (a small cut) of one of the corners of the bag. Plastic or metal piping tips are available in supermarkets which you can also use with a freezer bag, for more controlled piping.


Construct the Basic House, Mortaring the Pieces Together with Royal Icing
This is where it really helps to have more than two hands working on a house, and why making a gingerbread house is so much more fun with company than alone. If you are working on this alone, it may help to grab some canned goods from the pantry and use the cans to help prop up the pieces while the icing mortar is drying.

1 Pick a solid base for your gingerbread house - either a flat cookie sheet, or a thick, sturdy piece of cardboard. If you want, line the base with aluminum foil or wax paper.


2 Pipe a thick line of icing along a short end of one of the side pieces. Press the iced side piece against the edge of either the front or back pieces. Hold in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set. Repeat with the other side piece. Prop up with cans if necessary. Repeat with the other short edges of the side pieces and the remaining front/back piece. Pipe icing along the seams, inside and outside of the house, to fill in any gaps and to add extra stability. Pipe icing along the edges of the house where it meets the base. Let set for at least an hour before attempting to add the roof pieces.

If any of the gingerbread house pattern pieces breaks, as can happen easily when working with what are essentially cookies, most likely you can repair them. On my house I forgot to cut out the door and window until the front piece had almost completely cooled. When I went to make the cuts, the piece broke. Fortunately, it was easy to mortar back together with royal icing. We even created a "splint" out of cardboard and used royal icing to hold the splint to the piece. Let harden completely before using the piece for the house construction. When it comes time to decorate, you can pipe icing right over the broken seam and no one will be the wiser.

3 Once the royal icing has dried enough so that the base structure is solid, you can go to work on the roof. Pipe icing all along the top edges of the structure, front and back and two sides. The roof pieces are a rectangular shaped. Place the roof pieces so that the long ends of the rectangle are running along the top of the house. It helps if you have two people working together to place the roof pieces on the house at the same time so that they meet easily at the top center, and extend out a little bit, forming an overhang at each end. Gently hold the roof pieces in place for a few minutes until they are set enough so they don't slide off when you remove your hands. Pipe the top seam of the house with extra icing. Let the house stand for at least an hour, and preferably 8 hours before decorating.

Note: If you have pets in your house, keep them away from the gingerbread house during all phases of construction and decorating. Non-gingerbread-house-building-participating adults and children should be informed to keep their hands off the house as well.

4 The chimney. The dimensions of the chimney can be a bit tricky because of the angle of the roof. Although you may have cut your chimney out of a pattern, these small pieces likely have spread a bit through cooking, and you may have to use a chef's knife to cut the pieces and adjust the angles of the pieces so they align better with the roof. It's easiest to assemble the chimney first upside down, separate from the house. Pipe the pieces together with royal icing and let set until stable. Then, turn the chimney right-side-up and attach it to the roof using piped royal icing. You can do this either right after the house has initially set (1 hour after assembly) or later, during the decorating process.

Decorate the Gingerbread House

This step requires a trip to the candy section of your local grocery store. You can decorate your house with whatever types of candy pleases you. Be careful taking kids along to the store however, as you will invariably buy more candy than you actually need (though they do have the best ideas of what candies would be good for various decorative effects). Red hots are really practical, as are small gumdrops, and candy canes. Audrey used a whole bag of chocolate truffles for the stone wall around her house, and some type of waffle-patterned cookies for roof tiles.

Pipe royal icing to make decorative designs around the walls of the house and roof. Use royal icing to "glue" pieces of candy to the house.