Busy, busy, busy

I logged onto my blog the other day to get my recipe for red velvet cream cheese cupcakes. In doing so, I realized that I haven't posted since July 12. July 12! I couldn't believe the amount of time that has passed since my last post. A lot has happened since then.

Life has been whirlwind these past four months. Evan and I both started the first jobs of our careers, and these jobs certainly keep us busy.

In my new job as a 7th grade teacher, I am learning just how much goes into being a teacher. Yes, there are the 6.5 hours that you spend at school with the kids, but within that time you're not just teaching academic content. You're helping kids understand that their actions have consequences. You're helping them deal with all kids of conflict, and teaching them how to think before they speak. You're disciplining bad behavior, rewarding good behavior, checking homework and helping them reach high expectations.

Then, there's all the time that you spend outside of those 6.5 hours going to meetings, planning lessons, contacting parents, creating documents and grading. Sometimes, it's really difficult to for me balance my work and personal life. 

It's been a steep learning curve being a teacher. I struggle a lot with how to deal with certain situations that come up, especially since there are so many things that middle schoolers do that are inexplicable. But, the experience is invaluable. I know that God is preparing me for future teaching positions and he is teaching me things about myself that I would never have learned if I was anywhere else. 

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cupcakes!

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of posts in the last couple of months. In my defense, I was in Africa for a month, and we just moved to a new locale. That being said, I hope you readers are still out there and ready for a gluten-free cupcake recipe that will totally rock your world!

I love cupcakes. They are the perfect size to satisfy a sweet tooth but help you not go overboard (unless of course you have no one with whom to share your batch - then they are just dangerous!). But, when I went gluten free, baked goods, especially those with a lot of sugar because of Evan's diet, seemed to be a thing of the past.

That is, until I found this recipe on Pinterest.

Like I said, I love cupcakes, and red velvet cupcakes, well let's just say that I would ditch a chocolate cupcake for red velvet any day. And the ones in this recipe had a CREAM CHEESE FILLING!! As my mouth started producing an inordinate amount of saliva, I had to make some, and I had to figure out how I could make them gluten free so that Evan could revel in the red velvet glory with me.

These are the cupcakes created by this glorious recipe:

Do you see how amazing?? How pretty?? Trust me, you need to try them, and don't worry about the fact that red velvet cupcakes are typically slated for Valentine's Day. These should be made and eaten NOW.

Enjoy, my friends! Enjoy.

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Ingredients

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1 ½ tablespoons lightly beaten egg (break egg, mix with fork, measure)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Batter:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white rice flour
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar because we didn't have any white vinegar, and it was just fine)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon red food coloring
3/4 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons sour cream

Directions: 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line eight muffin tin cups with baking cups.
2.  Prepare your filling - Mix the softened cream cheese and honey together, and then add the egg and vanilla and set aside. Because of the viscosity of the honey, I found it was best to warm the cream cheese prior to use.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the white rice flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In another bowl, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, red food coloring, sour cream and vanilla. Once this is thoroughly mixed, slowly add it to the flour mixture until they are just mixed together.
5. Fill each baking cup about one third of the way with the batter. Spoon the filling over the batter so that each cup gets an approximately equal share of the filling.
6. Spoon the remainder of the batter over the cupcakes to form a bulls-eye pattern.
7. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes.
8. Eat and enjoy!

 

Spicy Thai Noodles

I love Thai food - the spices, the colors, the flavor combinations...seriously, everything about Thai food. Now, I can't make Thai food at home as deliciously as they make it in Thai restaurants. But, sometimes I come across a recipe that comes close.

This particular recipe is easy and quite delicious. What I love best is that it is so versatile! The first time I made it I topped my delicious, spicy noodles with cilantro and onions. The second time I mixed the noodles with broccoli, red bell pepper and some other veggies. It was delicious both times! This is a great recipe to experiment with. Its simplicity allows you to add just about anything that you like.

So, allow me to share this wonderful recipe with you! I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:


1 package rice sticks
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
3/4 cup vegetable or sesame oil
6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
Crushed peanuts, chopped onions and cilantro to taste

Directions:


1. Cook rice sticks according to package directions.
2. Heat oil and crushed red pepper over medium heat in a small pan for about 2 minutes (you can use more or less crush red pepper depending on how spicy you want your noodles).
3. Strain crushed red pepper out of the oil and save the oil.
4. Stir honey and soy sauce into the oil.
5. Toss cooked rice sticks in the oil/honey/soy sauce mixture and peanuts, onions and cilantro.

(modified from http://asmallsnippet.blogspot.com/2011/03/spicy-thai-noodles.html)

Bisquick Recipes

I have noticed that lately there have been a lot of recipes popping up on my Pinterest feed that call for Bisquick. I had no idea you could make so much out of the stuff - cakes, cookies, rolls, muffins...the list of baked goods from Bisquick goes on and on. I'm sure most of you knew that you can make all this stuff from Bisquick, but did you know that it's super easy to make your own?? I didn't, until I found the Wikipedia article on Bisquick. According to this article, one cup of Bisquick can be substituted for:

• 1 cup of flour (gluten free, of course!)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt 
• 1 tablespoon of oil or melted butter 

I tried it. It works wonderfully!

Cinnamon Rolls with Sugar Free Frosting

Have you ever perused the Breakfast display in a supermarket bakery? It is filled with muffins, croissants, coffee cakes, frosted breads, and of course, cinnamon rolls. These "breakfast" items are designed to give you a moment of pleasure and then leave you hanging in an hour or so when the sugar crash happens.

But that doesn't mean we can't still eat them!

What I love most about being on a gluten-free diet is discovering and trying new recipes. Last night, Evan and I made gluten-free cinnamon rolls that are truly delectable. They aren't quite as gooey as the Pillsbury rolls that come in the can, but they don't contain the additives and preservatives that you'll find in store-bought cinnamon rolls (the frosting has some because it's made from instant pudding mix). So, here is the recipe! I encourage you to try it.

Ingredients


Dough


2 cups gluten free bread mix
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
water

Filling


3 tbsp butter, partially melted.
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting


1 oz box sugar free pudding mix (any flavor - we chose vanilla for the cinnamon rolls)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions


1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream and the gluten free bread mix. It will probably crumbly, so add water as needed to create a doughy consistency. If you add too much water, making it really sticky, you can add rice flour to balance it out.
2. Roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper. You'll want about 1/2 an inch thickness and try to make it sort of rectangular. This helps make the cinnamon rolls similar sizes.
3. Mix together the butter, honey and cinnamon. Be sure it is completely blended, then spread it on the cinnamon roll dough. It is best to put more of the cinnamon mix near the end that you will begin rolling up the dough because as you roll, the mix will get pushed towards the end.
4. Roll up the dough and slice as thick as you desire using a sharp knife dusted with rice flour.
5. Place rolls in a circle and touching each other with the tails facing inside the circle on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with milk or heaving whipping cream and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. While the rolls are baking, mix the sugar-free pudding mix, milk and whipping cream using a mixer on medium speed. You will want the frosting to be fluffy but not too thick.
7. When the rolls are done, take them off the cookie sheet so they stop baking. Place on a plate, and spread frosting on the rolls. Enjoy while warm!

Store extra rolls in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Grilled Bananas

Okay, so I am a self-professed chocolate addict. When we go out to eat, I always have to take a peek at the dessert menu, and if anything includes the word "chocolate" I am immediately sold. Chocolate has all too often served as a pick-me-up on a bad day, or as a mode of stress relief.

That being said, this grilled bananas recipe is probably my favorite dessert. It's so delectably rich that I cannot get enough of it. It's creamy, flavorful and surprisingly simple! I know the picture isn't the best, but seriously, if you love bananas or coconut at all, you will want to try this one.

Ingredients


1/2 cup coconut cream
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 bananas
Juice and rind of one lime
1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
1/2 cup dry, unsweetened coconut

Directions


1. Beat the coconut cream and the heavy cream together in a bowl until thick but floppy. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. Peel bananas and toss in lime juice and rind. Lightly oil a preheated grill pan and cook the bananas, turning once, for 2-3 minutes, until softened and browned.
3. Toast the dry unsweetened coconut on a piece of foil under a broiler until lightly browned. Serve the bananas with the coconut cream, sprinkled with toasted coconut. (NOTE! The browning of the coconut does not take long, only about one minute! Be very careful with this step because it is super easy to burn.)

Lasagna!

Coming from an Italian family, I grew up eating lasagna. Delicious, messy, meaty lasagna. Of course, when you're married to someone who a) did not grow up in an Italian family, and b) is gluten free, you don't get to eat lasagna very much. When I first asked Evan if he like lasagna, he said he didn't really remember. It had been over ten years since his last lasagna, and he was pretty sure it was Stouffer's.

Then, one lucky Christmas, my aunt gave us some rice lasagna noodles. I bought a casserole dish, and we created Evan's first every homemade lasagna. It turned out perfectly. The mozzarella cheese browned a bit on top, and the inside of the lasagna melted into a delectably gooey mess.

After we got married, we realized how difficult rice lasagna noodles are to come by (and how expensive they are!). Luckily, our very resourceful neighbors mentioned that they had used zucchini slices in place of lasagna noodles. We were very skeptical at first - after all, neither of us very enthusiastic about zucchini. Still, we decided to try it, and we were amazed with the quality of our lasagna! Not only was it incredible the first time around, but it kept excellently in the refrigerator, so we were able to take it with us to work for lunches.

Now, we always use zucchini for our lasagna noodles, and you can really use any lasagna recipe, but I've put mine here, just in case you'd like to try it.

Gluten Free Zucchini Lasagna


Ingredients


2 zucchini, cut into thin, vertical slices (a cheese slicer works well for this)
1 16 oz container ricotta cheese
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 lbs cooked ground beef
Grated parmesean (optional)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
Basil, rosemary, crushed garlic and oregano to taste

Directions


1. Thoroughly mix tomato sauce and tomato paste, heat on the stove and add as much basil, rosemary, garlic, and oregano as desired (you can add other seasonings too, these are the ones we like in our lasagna)
2. Lay zucchini slices down in a 13x9in baking pan. Create a single layer and cover the bottom of the pan.
3. Heat ricotta slightly in the microwave, and mix in a handful of mozzarella (the heat makes it easier to spread the cheese).
4. Spread approximately 1/3 of the sauce on top of the zucchini, along with about half of the meat and ricotta cheese mixture.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 to create another layer. (Be sure to put a final layer of zucchini on the top)
6. Spread the remainder of the sauce on top of the last layer of zucchini, and cover with mozzarella and parmesean.
7. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and slightly browned around the edges.

Mennonite Cooking

Like many of you gluten free eaters, I am always looking for new gluten free recipes to try. But when my in-laws gave us Keepers at Home Gluten Free Cooking*, I was slightly skeptical about it. I never expected a gluten free cookbook to be compiled by the Amish and Mennonite communities, but after trying some of the bread and cookie recipes, I figured out what a great resource it is! It contains some truly delicious recipes and several different gluten free flour mixes. One of the best resources in the book is the tips on converting just about any baked recipe into a gluten free recipe:

• When substituting rice flour in a cookie recipe, add 1 tsp gelatin to every 3 cups of flour.
• Adding an egg if the recipe already calls for eggs improves texture because rice flour is lower in protein than regular flour.
• Xanthan gum is an important additive!
• For breads add 3/4 tsp. per cup of flour
• For cakes add 1/2 tsp. per cup of flour
• For cookies add 1/4-1/2 tsp. per cup of flour.

I know I am going to have fun experimenting with various recipes that normally call for wheat flour. I think I'll try to improve upon the chocolate chip cookie recipe my neighbor created.

*Keepers at Home Gluten Free Cooking is published by Carlisle Press, located in Sugarcreek, Ohio.