Caramel Popcorn

This is one of my husband's favorite treats!  In fact he's the one that makes it!  I love this caramel popcorn because it is soft and gooey!  Although if you let it sit it hardens up a little.  I got the recipe from my neighbor Allison.  She likes to use 3 bags of microwave popcorn, instead of the kind you pop yourself.  Both work great.

2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cube butter
popcorn

Pop 1 cup dry popcorn and place in a large bowl or pan.  In a saucepan, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.  Add sweetened condensed milk and butter.  Boil for 1 minute.  Pour over popcorn.  Stir and serve.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

This is a fresh tasting dip served with tortilla chips!  It's a standby appetizer for parties, football games, and get-together's in our home!  It's also a tasty way to add more beans into your diet!

1 15 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 11 oz can White Shoepeg corn, drained
2 - 3 diced Roma tomatoes
Cilantro, chopped  (about 1/4 bunch or to taste)
1 - 2 Avocados, cubed
Juice from 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix and serve with tortilla chips

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

This is one of our favorite dutch oven desserts!  It is by far the best peach cobbler recipe that I have ever had.  The original recipe comes from a scouting magazine article and was created by H. Kent Rappleye, the International Dutch Oven Society president.  I just changed the flour to use gluten free flour, and added xanthan gum and it works great!

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (32oz) peaches

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup tapioca

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1 1/2 cups featherlight flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 pkg (3 oz) peach jello

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup cold butter

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs, beaten

Sauce

1/4 cup featherlight flour

3/4 cup peach syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Drain the peaches, setting the juice aside for later use. Mix together the peaches, brown sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla in the dutch oven.

2. Topping: Mix together the flour, xanthan gum, Jello, lemon zest, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture becomes coarse. Add in the honey and eggs and stir into mixture. The mixture will be very coarse and thick.

3. Drop the topping by spoonfuls onto the peaches. It will look like dumplings. Cook for 45-50 minutes. Remove the dutch oven from the heat and allow cobbler to cool while making the sauce.

4. In a small Dutch oven, mix the flour and peach syrup until smooth; making sure there are no lumps. Add in the brown sugar, salt, butter, and zest. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often until the sauce thickens. remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the cobbler in the Dutch oven and serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Note:

•  I like to use the dutch oven liners shown in the picture below!  They make cleaning up so much easier!

Zucchini Rings

My husband loves Zucchini Rings!  He likes them dipped in ketchup!  You can also use this batter to make Onion Rings!

1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup featherlight flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
Zucchini, sliced (about 1/4 inch)

Beat egg.  Add milk and oil.  Stir together.  Add flour, xanthan gum and salt.  Whisk.  You want it to be the consistency of pancake batter.  If it's a little too thick, add some more milk.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep frying pan, on medium to medium high heat.  Coat slices of zucchini in batter one at a time, and place in hot oil.  Fry until golden brown, turning once.  When you pull them out of the oil, place on a plate with several layers of paper towel, to absorb the some of oil and cool.

Pear & Goat Cheese Salad

I like the way the ingredients in this salad combine to make a tasty flavor!  The goat cheese moistens up the salad, so you don't have to put salad dressing on this, but you certainly can if you'd like.

Green leaf lettuce
Goat cheese
Pears, peeled and cubed
Dried blueberries
Pecans, chopped

Cheese Sauce

A favorite meal at our house is a Baked Potato Bar.  One thing we like to put on them is cooked broccoli with cheese sauce!

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons featherlight flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add salt and flour and whisk for 1 minute, until flour is heated through.  Stir in milk.  Cook on medium, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Take off heat.

Pancakes

This is the recipe I used to use with white flour before I was diagnosed with celiac disease.  It works great just switching out the flour and adding xanthan gum.  My kids can't even taste the difference!  I freeze what we don't eat, and heat them up for a quick breakfast.  I love them with strawberry jam on top!

4 cups featherlight flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 beaten eggs
4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil

Mix together dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix together the beaten eggs, milk and oil.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk.  Grill on a hot 375º griddle.

Note:  I pour the amount I'd like on the griddle, then spread it around a little with the back of the spoon.

Tin Foil Dinners

Tin Foil Dinners are a family favorite!  We eat them all year long, cooking them in the oven.

Potatoes, peeled and cut up
Carrots, sliced
1 thick slice of an onion
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
Hamburger patty
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Spray a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.    (Use foil 3 times the width of the food.)  Place potatoes, carrots, and onion on tin foil.  Salt and pepper them.  Place butter on top.  Place hamburger patty on top.  Sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning.  

Fold sides up creasing foil at edge of food.  Keeping edges together make a 1/2" - 1" fold and crease.  Fold 2 - 3 times - leaving enough room in packet for food expansion and steaming during cooking.  Smooth ends flat, make four small triangle folds on each end from the edge of food to the edge of foil.  Fold ends of foil in using 1/2" folds.

If not using heavy-duty foil, wrap dinner again with another piece of aluminum foil.

Bake in oven at 350º for 1 hour.  You may also cook this in hot coals, for about 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.

Chicken/Turkey Marinade

1 part soy sauce
2 parts 7-up or Sprite
Horseradish Sauce about 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and add meat.  Let it marinate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.  Grill or bake meat.  If you grill, right before you pull out the meat at 1 tablespoon oil to help it not stick to the grill.

Note:  I usually use 1 cup soy sauce and 2 cups soda, for enough meat to feed a family of seven.

Mint Brownies

These brownies are delicious with the mint frosting and chocolate on top.  It is more of cake-like brownie!


1 cup water
2 cubes butter
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups featherlight flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare the buttermilk if making homemade.  Bring to a boil the water, butter and cocoa, then take off the heat.  In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, flour, xanthan gum, soda, and salt.  A little at a time add to the cocoa mixture.  Stir - don't beat.  Add the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Spread in a greased and floured jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes.

Let brownies cool, then frost.

Frosting:
1 cube butter
3 cups powdered sugar
mint extract (to taste)
green food coloring
milk (to the right consistency)

Melt 1 bag chocolate chips using a double boiler and spread on top of frosting.

Notes:
•  I make my own buttermilk, by putting 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a 1/2 cup measuring cup.  Then fill the rest with milk.  Let it stand for 5 minutes.