Chunky Applesauce

To accompany our lunch today, we decided to have some apples. I used the peeler/slicer and got a little creative (just a little).
Chunky Applesauce - Quick and Easy

Peel and slice an apple or two (or more!) and place in a microwaveable bowl
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the apples, to your heart's content
Microwave on high for 2 or 3 minutes (or more if there are a lot of apples)
Stir the apples, crushing them as much as you want.


We used some granny smith apples, and not too much cinnamon sugar today, so the sauce was a bit tart (so good). After we ate a little, we thought we might turn it into a dessert. Out comes the whipped cream. This will satisfy a pretty good hankerin' for pie, I think. Some vanilla ice cream would be really good on this hot applesauce, too.

Cheesecake Brownies

I thought I had already posted this, but alas, I haven't. I didn't realize there had been such a huge gap in my last two posts.
I thought I was having serious problems with Blogger, but it turns out that something is interfering with running scripts on my computer (I think it's XP). So, I write over here and save, and then I go into Andy's office and edit and add my pictures in there (his computer is slower than mine, so I don't like to type on it - I type faster than it can think).

So I have been wanting to make cheesecake brownies for a very long time using the saucepan method, but I just could never seem to remember to do it. Well, I remembered (finally!)! Andy had to work the Sunday before Christmas (he's a firefighter), so we made the brownies after church and took them up to the station later in the afternoon. They were still warm when we got there, so they really weren't set. But they were quickly devoured.

Cheesecake Brownies

One recipe saucepan brownies, prepared as directed, and poured into 9x13 pan.

*Cream together:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/3 cup softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar

Drop cheesecake mixture by tablespoonfuls onto brownie batter, then swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until sides pull away from pan and top of brownie parts start to crack.

*The cheesecake portion of this comes from Roben Ryberg's The Gluten-Free Kitchen.

Peanut Butter Cookies for Newbies

This is an old standby for peanut butter cookies for us gluten-freers. But I am not kidding, this actually makes the best peanut butter cookies. The other firefighters always have Andy make these. They call him Keebler, and they tell him to go Keeble (it's their verb for make cookies).

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Place drops of dough on cookie sheet (size is up to you). Use a fork to make crisscross patterns (this is easy to do without sticking if you will keep your fork in a glass of ice water when not using it). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes. Watch them, so you will know when it's best to take them out. When they start to brown, and just barely give off a smell of burning peanut butter, then they are done. Let cool partially on cookie sheet, then twist to remove, and put on cooling rack.

Additions:
Chocolate chips go great in these cookies, without having to change anything else. You can also use 1/2 chunky and 1/2 creamy peanut butter. In the past, I have made "trail mix" cookies using half chunky peanut butter (and half creamy), and adding some chocolate chips and raisins.

Easy No-Bake Cheesecake

Ah, cheesecake. How I love thee - let me count the ways... Sometimes, you want cheesecake NOW! And sometimes, you want to control the fat and calories a little more. This recipe is fast and easy. You can even do it without any gluten-free specialty ingredients if you want.

No-Bake Cheesecake

1 crumb or nut crust
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese (can be low-fat - I think even fat-free works)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tub of Cool Whip (can be low-fat of fat-free)

Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Scoop into crust. Chill and serve.


Crumb Crust:

A crumb crust is really easy. Just use enough crumbs from your favorite gf cookies or gf cornflakes (you may need a little sugar if you use cornflakes) to cover the pie plate, and enough melted butter to stick it all together. Obviously, I don't generally measure this stuff. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, so it will stay together better. You can skip the crust part if you want and just sprinkle the cookies on top.
My favorite way to make the crust is using about 1/2 Health Valley Rice Bran crackers (they taste like graham crackers, but way different texture), and half pecans. You can also use just pecans and butter for this crust, and it is still superb.

Easy Crustless Pecan Pie

This will be one of Mom's contributions to Turkey Day Dinner. She has been making this pecan pie for years, even years before I went gluten-free. She just doesn't like crust. I don't know where it originally came from, but this recipe is so easy, and so good.

Easy Crustless Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
6 eggs
2 Tbs margarine
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups pecans

Mix all ingredients in pie dish. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Adventures in Pie Making

Apple Pie. That's our quest for today. I want to make a scrumptious apple pie for my dad. I must admit, I have been quite apprehensive about making pie, but it really was not that hard at all. I combined a few recipes to get what I think I want. I'll take you through my journey. Please keep in mind that this was my very first foray into the pie making world - I can't recall even making a gluten one (though I probably helped my mom make one when I was little).

I made up a pie crust recipe. This one is from Roben Ryberg's upcoming book. Sorry, I cannot give you the recipe; you will just have to wait until April and buy the book like everyone else. I rolled the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper, and then stuck it in the fridge for a few minutes, before putting it in the pie plate (and pinching and trimming the edges). I baked it in a 400 degree oven for 9 minutes. Next time, I think I will stick with 7 minutes (or maybe only a few minutes if I do a 2-crust pie), because the extra strips on top did not get as dark.

For the filling, I used 5 granny smith apples. It was a little adventure to affix the apple corer slicer parer, because the lip of my counter top was too thick, and my table edge is rounded. So I used my lazy susan, and hung it over the edge of the counter.

After getting the apples ready, I put them in a bowl with 1/2 cup sugar (because they are tart apples), 2 & 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (because I wanted to keep it apple-y for dad - he's very picky). Then I microwaved the apple mixture for 8 minutes (on high), stirring twice. Then I poured the filling into the pie crust (which had been cooling while I prepared the apples).

While the apples were in the microwave, I rolled out the extra bits of dough, and cut them into strips and chilled. When the filling was in the crust, I laid the strips across the top and sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar mixture (which I always have in the cupboard for cinnamon toast). I baked at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Next time, I think I will bake at 400 until the crust is ready (about 12 minutes).
Voila! Apple pie. This one will get eaten, and I will make the necessary changes to produce the prettiest one I can for Thanksgiving. It will probably be a 2 crust pie - maybe I'll even cut out some shapes with little cookie cutters. After all, my dad did bring me back half a suitcase full of gluten-free food from Trader Joe's.

Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

Ah, that orange drink that Mom used to buy when we were kids (in huge containers larger than my head). Brings back memories, doesn't it? Well, did you know that Tang makes some pretty good cookies? I wasn't sure about these the first day, but on the second day, they became quite addictive.

Orange Dreamsicle Cookies

1/2 cup powdered Tang
3/4 cup sugar
1 & 3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup vanilla baking chips
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix until well-blended.
Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake about 10 minutes, until tops are lightly browned (or edges start to brown). Cool five minutes and then remove cookies to a wire rack. (It works best if you let the cookies cool enough that you can twist them off the cookie sheet.)
Makes 2 & 1/2 dozen

World's Best Brownies

There is no better way to kick off a gluten-free blog than with a scrumptious brownie recipe. Hide the scale for a few days, or better yet, get yourself to a Zumba class right away.
These originally came from the Hershey website. The secret is homemade goodness.

Supreme Chocolate Saucepan Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup gf flour mix (rice/potato/tapioca mix works great)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and cocoa; stir to blend. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda; stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan and begin to slightly crack; do not underbake. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes about 24 brownies.

You may want to make these the day before, especially if you are taking them somewhere. The chocolate chips need a long time to re-harden. If you don't, they are still extremely good, although pretty messy (and very hard to eat off a napkin).