GF Candy Bark

It's that time of year to start thinking about candies and cookies. My problem is that I always think, but never actual put into motion my plans to have things made ahead so I'm ready for the Holiday Season! On Thursday, I took a step in the right direction and made a batch of candy bark. I saw a recipe on Pinterest and adapted tweaked it a bit to be gluten free and to my family's taste. It is a no-bake recipe and my boys were able to help. Only a couple of caramels went directly to their mouths instead of the bowl! After getting the caramels into the bowl, it turned into a mini science project as they watched the candies melt after several turns in the microwave. The hardest part was waiting the 2 hours while the candied firmed up in the refridge! The taste test was a success and the boys are ready to make other goodies to fill the freezer so Santa has a variety to choose from when he hopefully stops under our tree!

Candy Bark:
1-2 cups GF pretzels
1 bag caramels
1 1/2 tbsp cream
1 bag peanut butter chips
1-2 cups mini M&M's

Line a 8x8 or 11x7 pan with parchment and lightly grease with nonstick spray. Place the pretzels in a single layer in the pan. Open the caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl along with the cream. Microwave for 15-20 second intervals and stir in between. When the caramel is melted spread over the pretzels. Melt peanut butter or chocolate chips in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals. Spread the melted chips over the caramel. Sprinkle the M&M'S minis over all and lightly press into the melted candy. Let candy firm up for at least 2 hours in the refridge. Cut the candy with a knife run under hot water. Enjoy or store in the freezer for a month.

Gluten Free Taco Casserole

For dinner last night, I had thawed out ground beef for tacos, but we had to have a quick dinner with easy clean up due to family obligation that popped up so I decided to combine all the ingredients into one dish. This recipe took about 45 minutes from start to table. I also made guacamole to go along with the casserole.

Taco Casserole:
Serves 8

1 lb lean ground beef
Taco seasoning ( recipe below)
1 pkg corn taco shells
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cheese
24 oz sour cream
1 small onion, diced
5-6 cherry tomatoes, diced
Shredded lettuce

Cook meat over medium heat. Drain fat and then stir in taco seasoning and canned tomatoes. Turn heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Crush taco shells and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Layer meat mixture then the black beans and onion. Next, spread the sour cream evenly over all as if icing a cake. Now, layer on the lettuce and fresh tomatoes. Lastly, sprinkle the shredded cheese over all. Cover and bake at 350* for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Let casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with salsa and guacamole if desired.


Homemade Taco Seasoning:
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Stuffed Manicotti

A couple of weeks ago when I made chicken parmigiana, I made a double batch of sauce and froze the unused portion. Pairing the sauce with some manicotti noodles I had in the pantry and I was half way to a tasty week night meal! Because the sauce was done ahead, the start to table time was about an hour and fifteen minutes with 40 minutes of that being cooking time. I stuffed the manicotti with sausage and cheese. We prefer Johnsonville sausage links over the bulk sausage varieties so I've gotten a little creative to get it diced up for the manicotti filling. I first cut eat link into 4 or 5 pieces before browning. After it has cooked, drained and cooled, I use my Pampered Chef chopper to dice it up into fine crumbles. Not sure if the makers of the chopper intended it to be used in this way, but it works like a charm!

Sausage and Cheese Manicotti:
Serves 7-8

8 cups sauce (recipe below)
1 lb package sweet italian sausage
2 tbsp olive oil
1 box manicotti noodles
15 oz ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg

Cook noodles per package directions. Drain noodles and let cool on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes. While the noodles are cooking, drizzle olive oil in a pan and place over a medium heat. Slice up sausage links and cook in the heated oil for 5-7 minutes. Drain the sausage and set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, 1 cup of mozzarella and egg. After the sausage is cool, finely dice and fold into the cheese mixture. Stuff the sausage and cheese mixture into the cool manicotti. This recipe uses two 9x13 baking dishes. Spread 2 cups of sauce into the bottom of each dish. Place half of the stuffed manicotti into each dish and cover each with an additional cup of sauce. Cover the dishes and bake for 35 minutes in a 350* oven. Remove cover and sprinkle the other cup of cheese over the manicotti. Bake for 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Sauce:

4 29oz cans of tomato sauce ( I use Hunt's)
1 8 oz can of tomato paste
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 small onion diced fine
4 cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp each of basil, oregano and thyme
3 tbsp sugar
2 cups water
Olive oil

Drizzle 2-3 tbps of olive oil into the pot you are using for your sauce. Heat up over low-med heat. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent. Add diced garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the spices and cook another minute to start releasing the flavors. Add the cans of sauce, paste and diced tomatoes. Stir gently to combine. Add sugar and water stir again. Turn heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours. Stirring occasionally. Taste after 1 hour and add spices and/or sugar to taste.

Angry Birds Birthday Cake

My oldest son celebrated his 10th birthday this week and tonight we went out to eat with our family to honor this milestone! He asked if I would make a chocolate cake like the one I made the other day for the Cub Scout cake walk.  One of his favorite games is Angry Birds so I used that as my inspiration for decorating.  I've always enjoyed decorating cakes since I was first introduced to it in my early teens.  Back in the days of bake sales, my friend, Mary's mom would create really neat ccakes!  She had many different Wilton pans and could make just about anything you wanted!

For the bread part of this cake,  I made two 9-inch cakes using the Hershey recipe published in another entry.  For the icing, I made a triple batch of buttercream.  I do this so I'm sure I have enough because you can never get the exact match if you run out of a color and have to tint another batch!  For tinting, I use the gel colors as they give you a more consistent color.  I learned the recipe when I took the Wilton courses t my local hobby store. The classes are great for any level baker.

Wilton Buttercream Icing:

1 cup solid shortening (I use the Crisco sticks)
1 teaspoon butter flavor extract (you can use clear vanilla also)
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon meringue powder
1/2 lb (4 cups) confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, water and extract. Add meringue powder and slowly add the confectioners sugar.  Beat on medium for 2 minutes. The icing will be very dry. Add water 1-2 teaspoons at a time. I find that the icing will get to a medium stiffness after about 4-5 teaspoons. Transfer the icing to a lidded airtight bowl.  Keep refrigerated when not in use.  Reserve 1.5 cups to thin with a little more water.  You can use the thinned icing to create a crumb coat on your cake which will allow your decoration to go on more easily and have no bread showing through.

Treat From My Neighbor - Peachy Bread Pudding with Carmel Sauce

This evening, there was a knock on our back door and I was happy to see my neighbor was here for a visit.  We haven't seen each other much because her father-in-law came to her house under hospice care so social time is at a minimum.  Not only did she come to chat, but she brought us some bread pudding fresh fom the oven! It was a little piece of heaven on a plate!  The bread pudding has peaches in it and then drizzled with caramel sauce. She took a recipe from Allrecipes.com and modified it.  Her first modification was the use of 4 peach cups with half the syrup drained off as this isn't he time of year for fresh fruit.  She also used vanilla extract in place of the rum called for in the caramel sauce.  Thank you, Sherry for the lovely dessert!

Cub Scout Cake Carnival: Chocolate Cake

Last night was the annual Cub Scout cake carnival.  The boys had lots of fun watching magic, playing games and getting their faces painted.  While all that goes on, there is a silent cake auction to raise funds for the Pack.  This year, I made Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake.  It is an easy and fun cake to make.  I always make a double batch of icing as I hate to run out! Plus, I like to have enough icing to thin some for a crumb coat which helps make a smooth cake.  The dividend for the boys is getting to have a chocolate treat while I clean up.  At the end of the night, the cake brought $10 for the pack and won a certificate for "Most Delicious Looking"!  Hope you try this at home, it is sure to be a winner in your house too!

A Blustery Day Calls For Warm Chicken Pot Pie

It is starting to feel wintery outside as the wind blows from the north and the rain turns slushy. It is a day for a cozy fire and a warm, filling meal. As part of my weekly meal planning, I knew that I would have leftover chicken. While the chicken roasted, I simmered the giblets for about 30 minutes and saved the rich chicken stock to make chicken pot pie tonight. This cut down on prep time and mess tonight. I also made this recipe gluten free by using rice flour, but it works with regular flour too. The recipe below includes all the steps that I did last night so if you decide to do it from start to finish, it would take about 2 hours.

Chicken Pot Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 stick butter, cut up
8 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading
Pinch kosher salt
1 egg yolk
1 to 2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:
Olive oil
3 shallots, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed & chopped
3 pounds skinless chicken legs and thighs or about 3 cups roast chicken
4 cups rich chicken stock
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 sage leaves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water, for egg wash

Directions:
To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the ingredients start to come together and resembles Parmesan. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water. Pulse a couple of more times until the ingredients start to form a ball. If the mixture is exceedingly wet, add some more flour. Or conversely, if the mix is dry add in a few more drops of water.
When the mixture has come together into a ball, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it a couple of times to help it come together. Dust it with flour, form it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use. This can be done a day ahead.

To make the filling:

Coat the bottom of a stock pot lightly with olive oil put over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and sprinkle with salt, to taste. Saute the vegetables for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt, then add the uncooked chicken and the chicken stock. If the stock doesn't cover the chicken, add water until it does. Bring the stock to a boil, over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, add the butternut squash to a large bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and add salt, to taste. Toss to coat the squash with the oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until the squash is cooked but still has some texture, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the stock and put into a large bowl. Reserve the stock. When the cool enough to handle, remove the bones from the chicken and stir into the vegetables. Add the roasted squash to the chicken and vegetables. Stir to combine and season with salt, if needed. Stir in the chopped sage.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir to combine with melted butter. Cook stirring frequently until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand and is starting to turn a little beige, about 6 to 7 minutes. Gradually whisk in the reserved chicken stock. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. When the stock is combined into the roux, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until it has a gravy-like consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. If the gravy reduces too much and becomes too thick, whisk in a little more chicken stock or water.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the chicken mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish or 4 individual crocks. Ladle the gravy over the chicken mixture until the dish(s) are 3/4 filled.

Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into the shape of the casserole dish or large enough to cut circles to cover the individual casserole dishes. Whichever dishes are being used the dough needs to have generous overhang of dough on the edges of the dish. Brush the outside edges of the dish with a little of the egg wash to help "glue" the dough to sides of the dish. Fold the edges of the dough under and press it onto the edges of the dish. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining egg wash. Cut a couple of vents in the top of the dough to allow the steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven until the dough is golden brown and the inside is hot and bubbly, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.