Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup

Who doesn't love a fall day? I love waking up, looking outside and seeing the mist on the lake (yep, I have a lake view). Fall always gets me thinking of all of the yummy fall type foods I can make. However, being a gluten free family, I am now running into the issue of finding soups that do not use flour. Yes, I could easily use a gf flour, but it sometimes changes the taste of the soup, or the consistency. I have found the solution! Here is my Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup.


Ingredients
chicken stock
celery
milk
potatoes *no need to peel
broccoli
ham
butter
shredded cheese
sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

How to do it

In a large soup pot pour about a 1/2 a cup of chicken stock into the bottom, add the celery. Let cook for awhile. Add the potatoes (cut up of course) and the milk. Cook until potatoes are almost done. Add the ham (precooked) and broccoli. Cook until done. Add the cheese (its up to you how much) SLOWLY. <-- very important, this prevents the curdle look that most homemade milk based soups get. Use the sour cream and butter to thicken. Again, add slowly. Serve with your favorite bread.

This soup only takes about 30 mins to cook. I LOVE it!

chicken stock and celery

after adding potatoes and milk

finished product

Even my kids loved this! I love when we can find a new family favorite.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scone - Bars

With Fall just around the corner, pumpkin sounds good. Not a big pumpkin spice latte fan (thank you but I will stick with my caramel latte) but I really love pumpkin bread. And Starbucks Pumpkin Scones. After working there for 2.5 years, its one of the few things I miss (that and the free coffee each week). So I found a recipe on Pinterest that doesn't use a ton of flour. Today is the first real dreary, Seattle like day since moving over here and I feel inspired.

This recipe comes from Just The Little Things.

Starbucks-ish Pumpkin Scones

Scones
2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1/4-1/2 cup sugar *somewhere between there, and I used white sugar but would probably do brown next time
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
5 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball* dough didn't really form into a ball for me, it was a bit wetter, so I just poured it out onto a baking sheet

*Do this step if your dough forms a ball* Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Glaze:
Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

Icing:
Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

After they were baked

My husband says these are good. A "got milk" kind of bar.

Baked Blackberry Oatmeal

Once upon a time I made baked oatmeal. No one liked it. Then my husband and oldest son went blackberry picking. I needed something to do with these berries. We made a compote for pancakes and then I found a recipe for a different baked oatmeal here.

And I wouldn't be me if I didn't make changes :-)

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 – 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for top
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups blackberries, or other fruit

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8” square baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, egg, and butter.

Spoon in the oat mixture, and then pour in the milk mixture. Press the remaining berries into the oats, and sprinkle top with cinnamon.
Bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling vigorously and the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Slice up and serve with a sprinkle of fresh berries.

This was amazing!

After it was baked

The aftermath

Onion Rings and Cheddar Bacon Burgers

Tonight's dinner started out with a pregnancy craving. I wanted onion rings. After jumping on Pinterest, I found a recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-bloomin-onion-recipe/index.html

Dip *I made a few minor changes. I didn't use horseradish and instead used Apple Cider Vinegar

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Onion *I wanted beer battered ones, so of course, I made changes.

Jesse drinking the beer after reminding me I needed to use GF beer

• 1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/4 cup Bobs Red Mill All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cup Cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 bottle beer (I used Redbridge Gluten Free beer)
• 1 gallon soy or corn oil
• Kosher salt

Combine all of the dip ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Slice the onion (see below). Whisk the flour, cornmeal, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. In a small deep bowl, whisk the eggs, beer and 1/4 cup water.

Mix the dry mixture with the liquid mixture until it forms a batter. Coat the onion rings.

Heat the oil in a large deep pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 400 degrees. Pat off excess flour from the onion. Using a wire skimmer, carefully lower the onion into the oil, cut-side down. Adjust the heat so the oil temperature stays close to 350 degrees. Fry about 3 minutes, then turn the onion over and cook until golden, about 3 more minutes; drain on paper towels. Season with salt and serve with the dip.

 Here is the result

 

The Cheddar Bacon Burgers from Wildtree (www.mywildtree.com/lglover) were not only gluten free, but not too bad. I however did not take any pictures of them.

And here is one of the reasons (if not the main reason) why I cook gluten free.

Dinner tomorrow night is chicken strips, fried pickles and roasted green beans.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

   The other night we got down to the last of the bananas. You know, when they start turning brown and you stop eating them. Or at least we do in our house. There is always the tried and true banana bread, but in a gluten free household, flour is at a premium. When I spend over $7 on two pounds of all purpose flour, I tend to horde the stuff. So finding something that tastes good and doesn't use flour is a bonus.

Pinterest has some amazing looking things. But really until I've tried it or someone I know has, I really don't know how its going to turn out.

I used the recipe for Banana Oatmeal muffins from Keeping Up With the Joneses. I made a few changes. I used 3 bananas instead of 2, I added cinnamon (cause in my opinion banana bread needs cinnamon) and I baked them in mini muffin tins.

 Ingredients
*2 /1/2 cup oats (old fashioned kind, not quick cooking)

*1 single serving cup (or 1 cup) of plain low fat greek yogurt

*2 eggs

*3/4 cup sweetener of choice, I used the real stuff: sugar! or 2 tbs stevia sweetener

*1 1/2 tsp baking powder

*1/2 tsp baking soda

*3 bananas

Important: The paper liners don't work well when baking with a base that does not include flour, they always seem to stick to the paper. I sprayed the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or you can use foil cupcake liners or a silicone muffin pan.


Let the Baking Begin!
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tin with non-stick cooking spray or line 12 muffin tins with silicone or foil liners, (or just use a silicone muffin pan). *I have baked them both as mini muffins and as regular ones. The minis came out SO much better.
2. Place all of the ingredients, including bananas in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. *Important: I add the oats a cup at a time and then add the liquids. I have to stop the blender and stir a few times throughout as well. 
3. Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.*if using the mini muffin tins, cut bake time in half
4. Most importantly: Enjoy!!!

Here is how they turned out

 

And here is Jacob enjoying them

 

These were a HUGE hit with everyone in the family. Super easy to make. Moist, not too dense.

Please feel free to share my posts, pin them, whatever you would like to do!

Gluten Free Series

        I am going to do a gluten free series. I have a bunch of recipes pinned on Pinterest that I am dying to try. Something can look yummy, and just not turn out. Pictures are deceiving that way. Most of these the reviews, or comments say things like "I can't wait to try this". Okay, did you try it? Did it turn out? Was it tasty? I'll be honest here. I miss my gluten full breads. Olive Garden bread sticks, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls. You get the picture.  For my own sanity (and pregnancy cravings) I need to find an acceptable substitute for these items. Thus the Gluten Free Series. It won't be a daily post (or it might be) but anytime I make dinner and use a new recipe or make it GF, I'll share it here with you. Some recipes are my own, some will be trials from other bloggers.

I hope this is something you enjoy. Please feel free to share this blog and/or pin it.

Being Gluten Free

5 months old and starting to fade away

I am gluten free because my baby needs me to be. He was born a healthy 9lb baby. The pregnancy was normal and smooth. He was the perfect newborn.... for a week. He cried all the time (and this was not my 1st baby), 3 weeks old, he was sick with a cold. Where did that come from? It took over a month to get better. By 3 months, he never slept. Never. I was a walking zombie, even though big brother still took naps, there was no way mommy could even try to sneak one in. Then one day, he slept all day. I knew something was wrong. He had pneumonia. 3 months old and my baby was really sick. But mommy caught it in time. I just *knew* something wasn't right. The months went on, he cried and cried. And never seemed full, 5 jars of baby food, nursing, a bottle and still it was never enough. He was up to a whole 13 pounds by 6 months when he ended up with RSV. We have battled countless colds by this point, many sleepless nights and a constant runny nose. Then my big boy gets sick. Really sick. Countless hours are spent on the internet, researching things to make him better. When suddenly it occurs to me that it might be a gluten issue. My mom has it, so maybe my kids do too. A trip to the doctors and three days later we have our confirmation. Big boy is sensitive to gluten and little man can't have it at all.

12 months old and thriving

Now, just 4 months later, my 13 month old is starting to develop and grow. To do the things that babies are supposed to do. He finally doubled his birth weight, and is out growing his 9 month size clothes. He stands, and talks and naps. Oh those glorious naps!

What a difference a few months and no gluten has made in my baby.