It's Fall Time!

It is fall,one of my favorite times of year.  I love everything about fall but mostly it revolves around pumpkins.  Pumpkins pancakes, pumpkins muffins, pumpkins bread and one of my all time favorites....pumpkin donuts!  If you know me than you know I am a sucker for anything with the word donuts in it.  Tonight I tried this recipe exactly as it called for except I substituted gluten free flour for the all purpose flour.  They tasted amazing and no one would have known it wasn't "normal" had I not mentioned it. I got this from all recipes in case you want to know the source

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INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin 1 tablespoon lemon juice 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup evaporated milk Oil for deep-fat frying   FROSTING: 3 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon evaporated milk 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and butter. Add pumpkin and lemon juice; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 5-6 times. Roll to 3/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. doughnut cutter. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden, about 3 minutes; turn once with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Combine frosting ingredients; spread over cooled doughnuts.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I will start off by saying that I have experimented several times with trying to make a good gluten free pizza crust.  I have found a couple that are edible but I wouldn't go as far as saying they are good.  Tonight I decided to try out another one and I have to say this one comes close to being "normal."  It is a bit chewier but not by much.  The taste is great and got good reviews from the professional eaters... my kids.  I just did a copy and past from the website so here you go.  I did follow the tip and used a Pampered Chef baking stone.

This gluten-free pizza crust recipe can be rolled out, just like traditional wheat dough. You can make a thin crusted New York style pizza or thick crusted Chicago style, you decide. Then load it with your favorite toppings.

Use this recipe for Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blendor your favorite GF all-purpose flour blend.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder OR dry powdered milk OR Vance's Dari-Free Powder
• 1 teaspoon Agar-Agar powder (Vegan ) OR unflavored gelatin powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 package active dry yeast granules
• 1 teaspoons sugar OR 1/2 teaspoon honey OR agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (hot water will kill the yeast!)
• Extra tapioca flour for rolling the pizza dough
• Gluten Free cornmeal to sprinkle on baking sheet

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with gluten free cornmeal.

1. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed together.
2. Add sugar or honey or agave nectar, vinegar, olive oil and gradually add water.
3. Mix on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Scrape the thick dough on to a large clean surface liberally sprinkled with tapioca flour.
5. Work enough tapioca flour into the dough so that it can be shaped into a large ball. With a large knife cut the dough in half to make two medium pizzas.
   
   The key to shaping this dough is to continue to sprinkle the work surface and the dough with tapioca flour.
   
6. Shape each piece into a circle making sure to sprinkle enough tapioca flour on the dough and the work surface to prevent it from sticking.
7. With a rolling pin shape the dough into circles. Roll thin for New York style pizzas or thick for Chicago deep dish style.
8. Carefully place one prepared pizza crust on baking sheet or pizza stone (see tips) sprinkled with corn meal and bake for about 5 minutes or until the dough is firm. This is called parbaking. Repeat with second pizza.
9. Top pizzas with your favorite ingredients and bake an additional 7-10 minutes or until done. Or cool parbaked crusts, wrap and freeze for convenience.

Yield: 1 large, or 2 medium or 3 small pizza crusts

Tip

A pizza stone creates crisp crusts by absorbing moisture in dough. If you like your pizzas crisp consider using a pizza stone.

Rhubarb Crisp

I have been trying to cook healthier as well as I have been too cheap to buy premade desserts.  Desserts are yummy and my favorite part of a balanced meal but honestly they take time.  I can't just throw things together like I use to before my little one became GF.  I followed this recipe to a T with the exception I used GF flour mix.  I even picked the rhubarb fresh out of our garden so it helped keep the cost down.  I must say there is very little in this recipe that could pass for "healthy."  I know it calls for 4 cups of rhubarb but I am pretty sure between all of the different sugars and the butter, healthy is probably the furthest thing from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.
Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes.

The family gave it 5 stars and everyone wanted seconds.  It was very easy to throw together and by following the directions the rhubarb came out tender.  There was nothing tart about this (back to the sugar!) and it was pretty sweet.  I wouldn't say overwhelming sweet but definitely cured the sweet tooth I was having.  

Yummo Granola!  I love granola but the cost of it in the store is crazy.  Also a lot of the granolas have wheat in it so therefore Brooklyn can't eat them.  This way I know exactly what is in it and it is relatively healthy.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup nuts (I used peanuts but you could also almonds)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried coconut

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat.  Stir in the honey and brown sugar; cook stirring constantly, until bubbly.  Return the oats to the pan.  Stir in cranberries, nuts etc at this point.  Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so.  Pour out onto the cookie sheets and spread evenly.  I cooked mine at 250 degrees for 40 minutes and stirred it every 15 minutes or when I remembered.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Break apart if needed.