Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies....Gluten Free Style :)

Before I made the gluten free change, this cookie was a wonderful treat! Soft and chewy, melt in your mouth gooey goodness! This recipe was found on a Land O Lakes butter carton. I recently made some (with wheat flour) for two special sisters going off to college this week and just had to try to make them gluten free. Oh my! They were just as good. I just substituted my Bob's Red Mill gluten free All Purpose Flour for the wheat flour (1:1) and added one teaspoon of xanthan gum.




Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies...Gluten Free

4 1/4 cups gluten free All purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chunks

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla..continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Let stand a couple minutes and then move to cooling rack.

This will make about 26 jumbo cookies.

You can make smaller cookies but I love the jumbo size!

Gluten Free Macaroni Salad

It has been 6 months since I have blogged. I must admit that I really have not missed it. Next week, we will start a new adventure in my home....I will begin homeschooling my daughters! This will be quite an adjustment. I hope to blog more this next year..about homeschooling and adding more gluten free recipes.

For this macaroni salad, I used Tinkyada brand Brown Rice Penne Pasta. This pasta does not get mushy, like some gluten free pastas can. I only measure the dressing ingredients. For the rest, just throw in however much you like.



Gluten Free Macaroni Salad

1 16 oz bag Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne Pasta, cooked according to package..rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly

Chopped green pepper, red pepper, celery

6 slices crispy, crumbled bacon

Frozen peas

diced cheddar cheese

For the Dressing

3/4 cup mayo..I use Hellman's because it says "Gluten free" on the bottle

1 T mustard

a little salt and pepper to taste

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

Mix all the dressing ingredients well

Combine it all in a big bowl (makes a lot), chill and enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

Ok, so I've wanted to mash cauliflower for a while now. I bought me a head of the white stuff and decided it was time. I kept the kids out of the kitchen while I cooked supper last night. Of course I was going to tell them it was cheesy mashed potatoes! I mean really...if I had told them what it really was, they would have never touched it. When they were finally allowed in the kitchen, the room was filled with ooohs and ahhhs! They thought it smelled so good in there and then came "Can I have a bite of mashed taters"..."Well SURE", I said happily. Boy you'd have thought they were the best mashed taters they'd ever put between their lips! So time to plate up supper. Daughter #1 dove right in! Daughter #2 nibbled a bit on everything. She was sick with the wonderful stomach bug, so eating still hasn't been a favorite of hers recently. Onto seconds for Daughter #1. Finally when she was just about done, I couldn't resist..I told her the harsh truth. I thought she was going to give me all of those cheesy mashed "taters" back! So anyway..she recovered and the next morning confessed..."Mama, they were good". So here ya go..my take on Mashed Cauliflower. Try it..you just might like it :)

Mashed Cauliflower

1 med-lg head cauliflower
2 cups chicken broth
4 T butter
2 T heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
dash of nutmeg

Cut the cauliflower into small to medium size pieces and cover them with chicken broth into a pot. Boil until it is tender. Drain very well. Add butter, cream, cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Mash with electric hand mixer. Will be slightly lumpy...but good :)

Parmesan Chicken

Going gluten free is definitely an adjustment, but it isn't as hard as it may seem. I keep "safe" flour, etc. on hand. I have made my own gluten free shelf in my pantry with all my goodies. I am finding it fairly easy to substitute in most recipes. For instance, this Parmesan chicken calls for breadcrumbs..but I just used cornmeal instead. It turned out very good!

Parmesan Chicken

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs OR cornmeal
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix cheese, crumbs or cornmeal and seasonings in shallow dish.

DIP chicken in butter; coat with cheese mixture. Place in greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Adapted from KraftFoods

A Woman Inspired

If you have never "attended" a conference by A Woman Inspired, I highly recommend it. This is an online conference that is a week long. There are many different speakers every day and it is such a blessing to hear these ladies and the topics they are speaking on. This conference is about having a creative and efficient life. I think all of us women probably desire for our lives to be more efficient and creative at times. Check the site out for the next conference and hop on board.

Tomorrow I am planning to post a recipe for gluten free Parmesan chicken..yummy!

Going G-Free

It's been quite a while since I lasted blogged. One reason is because it was the holiday season and I was quite busy. Another reason is because I have discovered that I have an intolerance to gluten. I was tested for Celiac Disease, but the results were normal. I have learned that even if you do not have the disease, you can still have a gluten intolerance. This really stinks for someone who loves to cook, bake and EAT! So for the last month I have cut gluten from my diet. Now..this doesn't mean that I have cut it completely..there are times when I want a bite of something that someone in my family is having, or when I am just stubborn and think I can handle the effects of that hot dog. I have had tummy troubles for over 10 years and I am really glad that I have discovered what probably is the cause. Fortunately, I don't have to take any medication...all I have to do is leave the gluten out of my diet. This can be hard, but I am learning to manage and adjust. It's amazing how much better I feel! I am reading Elisabeth Hasselbeck's The G-Free Diet. It has been a tremendous help! I will still bake and cook gluten containing meals (for my family) and hopefully get back to blogging. I will even try to include some yummy g-free recipes. I am still learning!! This is going to be a journey full of blessings, bellyaches ;-), and lessons learned!