Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is one of my Grandma Carlson's recipes.  She was one of the best cooks ever!

1/2 to 1 cup water
5 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp salt
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained (keep juice)
2 cups chicken (cooked, bite sized pieces)
2 Tbsp GF soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sliced or diced onions
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice in a separate bowl.  In a saucepan combine water, cornstarch, brown sugar and salt. Stir until mixture is smooth.  Add the pineapple juice to the saucepan.  Cook over medium heat about 5 to 7 minutes, until mixture starts to thicken.  Add chicken, soy sauce, and vinegar.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add pineapple chunks, onions, and green peppers to chicken mixture.  Cook until vegetables are slightly tender.  Just before serving, stir in chopped tomato.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

Notes:
•  I like 1 cup water.  It makes the sauce not quite so strong.
•  I like to cut up the pineapple chunks.  You can also use tidbits.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home Magazine.  I took it to a Halloween party and the pot was licked clean!  This recipe fills a crockpot.  You could half the recipe easily if that's too much.  Enjoy!

12 chicken tenders or 3 chicken breasts

1 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp butter
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups hot water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 qt half and half cream
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans (16 oz) cream-style corn
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.  Brown chicken (seasoning it with a little salt and pepper), onion and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.  Dissolve the bouillon in hot water.  Add to pan along with cumin; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add cream, cheese, corn, chilies and hot pepper sauce.  Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted and soup is heated through.  Stir in tomato and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Note:  You can keep the soup warm in a crockpot for a few hours if you'd like.  Just wait and add the tomato and cilantro until you're ready to serve.

Brownies with Marshmallows

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law.  It's a family favorite!  I just adapted it to make it gluten free.  I like the featherlight flour, but I'm sure any GF flour would work great.  My husband's coworkers are always nominating him to bring these brownies for work potlucks!  They're always a huge hit!

4 cubes butter
1/2 cup cocoa
3 1/2 cups Featherlight flour
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 teas salt
8 eggs
Mini marshmallows

Bring to a boil the butter and cocoa in a saucepan.  Take off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes.  Add GF flour, sugar, xanthan gum, salt and eggs.  Stir until smooth.  Bake in an 18 x 12 x 1 inch baking sheet at 375º for 20 minutes.  Cover the brownies with miniature marshmallows.  Put it back in the oven for a couple minutes to puff up the marshmallows.  Take out of the oven and let cool completely.  Top with chocolate frosting.  (The recipe below is the exact amount of frosting you'll need to cover the baking sheet.)

Chocolate Frosting
1/4 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
milk

Beat butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa together, adding milk until it's the right consistency.

Chunky Mushroom Crockpot Chili

1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, diced
1 green or red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole tomatoes
15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce (salsa)
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 teas cumin
1 1/4 teas salt
3/4 teas oregano

Brown hamburger, onion, pepper, and garlic, with some salt and pepper.  Drain and pour into a crockpot.  Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.

BBQ Chicken & Rice

This is hardly even a recipe because it's so easy!  My kids love it and it's a great no-brainer!

Chicken Tenders
Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbeque Sauce (yes, it's gluten free!)
Rice

Place chicken in a greased baking dish.  Generously pour barbeque sauce all over the chicken and bake!  Bake @ 375º for 20 - 25 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Chicken Pasta with Fajita Sauce

12 oz brown rice macaroni noodles

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 small onion, diced

6 -7 tomatoes, cubed

1 pkg McCormick Chicken Taco Seasoning Mix

2/3 cup water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic salt

3 Tbsp Italian Dressing

Parmesan Cheese

Boil noodles until tender.  Meanwhile, saute chicken & onion in nonstick pan.  Add tomatoes, chicken taco seasoning, and water.  Simmer 5 - 6 minutes.  Add olive oil, garlic salt and Italian dressing.  Simmer 1 - 2 minutes.  Drain noodles and add to chicken tomato mixture.  Mix together.  Sprinkle with 3 or 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese.  Serve.

Robin's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are my go-to treat!  Nobody can tell they are gluten free!  Everyone gobbles them up!  This recipe makes a giant batch!  I will often bake about half the batch and refrigerate or freeze the rest.
If you choose to freeze them, using a spoon or your hands, drop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheet and space them close together.  Put in the freezer and as soon as they are frozen, take them off the pan and put into a freezer bag.
For my non-gluten free friends:  You can make this recipe with your regular flour, just omit the xanthan gum.



1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups butter

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon xanthan gum

6 cups featherlight flour

2 12 oz bags milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375º.  Cream together sugar, brown sugar, butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.  Add baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and featherlight flour.  Mix.  If the dough is too wet to grab with your hands, add more flour.  Sometimes I add anywhere from 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on how wet the dough is.

Stir in chocolate chips.

I use my hands or a large spoon to drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  Don't roll them into a ball!  (They cook weird if you do.)

Bake @ 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Waffles

These waffles are incredible!  They are super light and fluffy!  I especially love them cooked in my Belgium waffle iron.  I love to freeze them and then heat them in the toaster when I'm in a rush.  I love them with strawberry jam on top!

4 cups featherlight flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 T sugar

2 T baking powder

6 eggs (separated)

½ cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

3 1/2 cups milk

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Separate eggs in 2 other bowls; whites in one bowl, and yolks in the other.  Put about 1/2 cup oil into a 1 cup measuring cup.  Spoon applesauce into the oil until it fills the cup.  Add it to the egg yolks. Add milk also into the yolks and stir until combined.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk. (The mixture will seem runny at first, but as it’s mixed the xanthan gum will start to thicken it fairly quickly.)

Beat egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.

 Cook in hot waffle iron.  Makes 28 - 32 Belgium waffles.