maple pecan pie gluten free

one of the easiest pies to make and SO delicious! sorry my picture uploader is not working so i will be posting a picture as soon as i can.

maple pecan pie:
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter


3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

1.stir syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
2.increase heat and boil for 1 minute
3.cool till lukewarm (about 45 min, wait to start #4 till cooled)
4.preheat oven to 350
5.whisk eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium sized bowl.
6.gradually whisk maple syrup mixture into egg mixture.
7.stir in pecan halves
8.take strips of foil and cover edges of pie crust, leave on while baking until about ten minutes before it's done
9. pour mixture into unbaked pie crust.
10.bake for 40-55 min depending on oven heat, watch for a slightly puffed area around the edges and the center to be set.
11.cool completely and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream
enjoy!

apple crumble pie gluten free

hands down my favorite pie. the yummy crumbly top, the sweet cinnamon-y apples and the flaky crust. the only thing that makes this pie better is some vanilla icecream, i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do!

apple crumble pie:
filling:
6 cups of thinly sliced apples (i use 4 granny smith and 4 fuji apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

crumble topping:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter, cold

1 unbaked pie shell (see previous post for super easy pie crust recipe)

1.preheat oven to 375
2.place sliced apples in a large bowl (if you haven't already done so)
3.sprinkle with lemon juice and mix
4.sprinkle with sugar and mix well
5.sprinkle with corn starch and mix well.
6.sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. set aside

crumble top:
1.in a small bowl mix together brown rice flour, corn starch and brown sugar
2.cut stick of butter into small pieces into the flour mixture.
3.using your fingers incorporate the butter until the mixture looks like course sand.
4.pour apple mixture into unbaked pie crust
5.sprinkle crumble mixture over apples
6.loosely cover pie with foil
7.bake in preheated oven for 25 min, remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 min until top is golden brown.
8. let cool completely before cutting.

a little bit of work but totally worth it!

pumpkin pie gluten free

since thanksgiving is just a few days from getting us all stuffed more than the bird in the oven, i thought i would post these pie recipes for all to enjoy. i used the super easy gluten free pie crust recipe with all the pies that i am going to post. first is the thanksgiving favorite pumpkin pie. not even someone with celliac should miss out on the deliciousness so here it is.

pumpkin pie gluten free:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (and to be perfectly honest i always use more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger (again more to taste)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs

1 unbaked pie shell (see previous post for super easy gluten free pie crust)


1.preheat oven to 425
2.combine all the ingredients together, blending until smooth
3.before putting batter into the pie shell take foil and cover the edges of pie, i find if you don't do this the crust gets to brown while the middle is still soft. you can take this foil off 10 min before taking the pie out of the oven.
4.bake at 425 for 15 min, then lower oven temp to 350 and continue to bake for another 30-40 min or until pie is firm. do not over bake.

enjoy!

SUPER easy gluten free pie crust recipe

i don't know about you but pies are something that i usually leave to martha stuart and marie calanders. they are a little temperamental, a whole days worth of work and the difference in taste from the ones you get at the store is well, slim to none. that is until i found the easiest, most perfect pie crust recipe. pie filling generally is not that difficult to put together but the crust, is too much dang trouble. well set your worries aside and get a load of this. there are only 4 ingredients. that's right 4! 3 if you use wheat flour. you have to admit that sounds pretty amazing. i will keep you in suspense no longer.

gluten free crust: (makes 1 pie shell, double if you need a full top and bottom crust)

4oz full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
1 stick salted butter softened to room temperature

whip together in mixer until very creamy and fully mixed (switch attachment from whisk to beater) then add:

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (for those who eat wheat omit the xanthan gum and use regular flour)

mix thoroughly then add:

1 cup brown rice flour until a ball forms on the beater

put a little brown rice flour on your hands and work the ball till it's flat
*note: gluten free dough is difficult to roll out, the best way i have found is to flatten as much as possible and then in a greased pie pan place the dough in the middle and work it with your fingers till it starts working up the sides and fills the pan. i did this today and it worked like a charm!

use with any of your pie recipes and enjoy the buttery flaky easy crust!
p.s. pictured here is my pumpkin pie that i will be posting shortly.

gluten free s'mores bars

there is nothing better in the world than a s'more. these are amazing but VERY VERY sweet, i wondered if i should double the recipe to make a bigger pan and i am glad i didn't because you only need a small piece to be satisfied! thanks charity for the recipe, it was easy to convert and to make! enjoy:)

S’More Cookie Bars gluten free
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour mix (3/4 cup brown rice flour, ¼ cup corn starch, 1/3 cup sweet rice. ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum)
3/4 cup gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized dark chocolate bars (if you can't find king sized go for 4 reg. sized, i used ghirardelli baking bars)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized ghirardelli bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick.
Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.
Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (i took large handfulls and patted them like a hamburger patty until flat and laid them on top of the fluff).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cool completely before cutting into bars (seriously if you don't you have a mess, i who like everything warm, liked them even better the next day when it was completely cool and easy to cut)
Makes 16 cookie bars.

gluten free summer berry cobbler

i have been doing a lot of baking these last few weeks, i think there is something very therapeutic in taking ingredients mixing them together and making something that your friends and family can enjoy. here is one of my all time favorites, taken from one of my mom's recipes and made gluten free. i use frozen berries because it is WAY easier and very inexpensive, i once made this with fresh berries and it cost me fifty dollars for the berries alone! so i would go with the frozen and then you can have a cobbler with berries that are not necessarily in season. my favorite combo is blackberry and raspberry because the tartness goes well with the sweet dumpling like topping. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do!

Summer berry cobbler with coconut pecan topping (gluten free)

Toss together:
8 cups blackberries (or other berries, if frozen thaw slightly)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup instant tapioca (granulated)
juice of ½ a lemon
pinch of salt

after tossing the berries with the sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and salt spoon into a 9 by 13 baking dish and set aside

dry ingredients:
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup pecans coursly chopped

wet ingredients:
½ cup cold butter cubed
1 egg

1.Preheat oven to 375
2.in a med bowl combine all the dry ingredients together
3.Add the butter to dry ingredients and knead the butter until incorporated (mixture should look like course sand)
4.Blend in egg and arrange topping over the berry mixture in baking dish (the mixture should be sticky and clumpy)
5.Bake the cobbler for 45-50 min or until the entire top is golden and crisp and the filling is thick and bubbly.
6.Let cool and serve with vanilla icecream

gluten free blueberry crumb bars

This recipe was posted to one of my favorite fashion blogs and i wanted to make it instantly. Of course, she isn't gluten intolerant so i had to tweak it to make it work for me but it was buttery and delicious and turned out just like what i thought it would. Here is my tweaked recipe but i will add a note for those who just want to make it with regular flour. i hope you enjoy it as much as i did!

Blueberry crumb bars

2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
(or use 3 cups all purpose flour instead of above ingredients)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
the zest of 1 lemon
1 cup cold butter
1 egg

4 cups fresh blueberries
the juice of the zested lemon
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 9 by 13 pan
2. place the blueberries in a med sized bowl and set to the side
3. in a med bowl stir together sugar, flours, xantahn gum, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
4. using your fingers mix in the butter until a grainy, sand like mixture then add the egg and mix. the dough will be slightly sticky and crumbly.
5. pat half of the flour mixture into the bottom of prepared pan
6. in a another small bowl mix together the 1/2 cup sugar and 4 teaspoons cornstarch
7. take the bowl of blueberries and pour the lemon juice over the top mixing gently
8. add the flour/cornstarch mixture to the blueberries and mix gently until coated
9. pour blueberries on top of the crust in pan
10. crumble remaining dough over the blueberries
11. bake for 45 min or until top is golden brown (mine took about 55 min, this one is better to cook longer than too short) cool completely before cutting into squares

gluten free white chocolate cranberry cookies

Gluten free white chocolate cranberry cookies

Dry ingredients:

2 cups brown rice flour

½ cup corn starch

½ cup sweet rice flour

¾ teaspoon xantan gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 cup packed golden brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups dried cranberries

1 pkg. white chocolate chips

1. pre-heat oven to 350
2. in a large bowl wisk together dry ingredients
3. in standing mixer (or hand mixer) beat butter until fluffy
4. add both sugars to butter and beat until blended
5. beat in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla
6. switch standing mixer to paddle attachment and on med speed add dry ingredients a cup at a time until well incorporated.
7. Using a spatula stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips
8. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake for approx 10 min, or until the top of cookies is just golden (do not overcook)

gluten free yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting

So since realizing that i was gluten intolerant months ago i have been trying to replicate all of my favorite baked goods, some with success some...lacking. One of the biggest challenges has been cake. Every time i tried a different recipe it would be grainy or tasting slightly of beans...yummy in a burrito but not so much in a cake. Well, i finally scoured books at the local Barnes and Noble (to the chagrin of the employees who had to put them all away) and found this recipe. It is the closest i have come to what i remember yellow cake is supposed to taste like. It's fluffy and light, just the right amount of sweetness and actually tastes yummy warm (a requirement in my book). First of all the trick was to change up my flour, i realized that the Red Mills gluten free flour is good for many things but for sweet things like cakes i needed a more finely ground and sweeter flour. This recipe calls for white rice flour, which is not very healthy but let's face it, if you are making cupcakes is not really a requirement. i found it easy to make and topped with my favorite chocolate frosting it was delish! Even my mom, who is an amazing cook and baker, said she couldn't even tell they were gluten free which is the ultimate compliment! So here you go!

Classic Yellow Cake

1 cup plus 2 Tbls. white rice flour

1 cup corn starch

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. xantham gum

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1. preheat oven to 350

2. grease pans or prepare cupcake papers

3. in med bowl wisk together dry ingredients (except the sugar)

4. in another larger bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs and beat.

5. add dry ingredients and mix until combined

6. add milk and vanilla and blend until batter is thoroughly combined and fluffy.

7. bake rounds for around 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, if cupcakes it's right around 18 minutes.

8. frost with your favorite frosting.

(from Elizabeth Barbone's book Easy Gluten Free baking

pandora

So the other day daniel had music playing through the computer when i came home and i asked him what he was listening to and he replies, "pandora" HUH? What is pandora?...and thus my world has changed. I think that I am the last person in the world to figure it out but if you are like me and you have no idea what i am talking about prepare to be amazed. Go to www.pandora.com to try it. All you do is put an artist or a song in, for example regina spektor, and they CREATE a station for you based on whatever band or song you put in. So you get to hear all sorts of amazing music that sounds similar to the music you love! i KNOW i couldn't believe it either AND it's totally free. I am LOVING it and finally feeling like i can be cool enough to say, “have you heard of the broken bell?” now all i need is some some jorts that have the pockets hanging out, oxfords and a bowler hat.

clothes i need

under shirts

another summery dress

a perfect leather jacket, soft and light but still tough

how CUTE is this?!

i love dresses

summery dresses

a floral skirt

floral watercolor (i truly had this description on my list and i think this dress hits the nail on the head)

more summer skirts

though not on my list exactly it is now

this just says "wear me to the beach" but can also be great for work

a fun flirty blouse

a button-up white blouse

casual "weekend" pants

black trousers

kind of like wearing my yoga pants but not so shlumpy

i couldn't decide which ones i liked better so i put both "black heels for work"

So, i have an ever growing list on my phone of items that i need to buy, so that when i am out shopping i don't say to myself..."what am i forgetting that i need?!" What tends to happen anyway is that i pick up things i like and not the staples i need to stretch my wardrobe. Buying a white button up is infinitely less interesting than buying a flowered skirt or bright heels, so i am going to go through my list and post pictures of options for myself so i can get inspired to get the pieces i truly need.

quinoa fail

rinsing the quinoa

sauteing the onions in oil and a little butter

the finished product with BBQ'd chicken and veggies

This was my first time trying to make quinoa and to be honest...it wasn't my favorite, I liked the nutty flavor but it felt like maybe something that should be given to cows to bulk them up for the slaughter. I was going to post the recipe but I think this one isn't worth passing on. The veggies and the chicken were amazing, thanks to the hubby and his mad grilling abilities, but i would have gladly just eaten those and not the livestock food. Oh well you can't have a winner every time!

way too late to be cool

(the blue veil*)

i know, i know. EVERYONE has a blog now but i decided that since 1. i didn't have one yet 2. i just started being gluten free 2a. i started collecting recipes that were gluten free 3. i waste my time on so many other things why not start something else to fill my time 4, 5,6-100. why the hay diddle diddle not? Sooooo here i am, starting a blog about whatever my whimsy of the day is, so i hope you enjoy!

*the print that daniel got me for Christmas that i am wanting to frame.