Jamie’s Recipes

Does your special someone have a gluten allergy? Are they unable to enjoy tasty Valentine’s Day treats because of this allergy? Don’t leave them out this Valentine’s Day, make them some gluten free red velvet cupcakes.

The first time I tried this recipe was last year for Valentine’s Day, and it was my first attempt at making anything gluten free before. We invited friends over (who also have young children) for a Valentine’s dinner party. Being Valentine’s day and all I knew I wanted to make a dessert. I found the recipe on Gluten Free Cooking School’s website.

This year instead of making a whole cake I made little heart shaped cupcakes for my husband to bring to work. I am assuming everyone liked them, because the cake pan came back empty.

You could make this in two round cake pans, and have yourself a beautiful red velvet layer cake. I however, chose to make mine into heart shaped cupcakes. My mom bought me some silicone heart shaped cupcake molds and I was excited to use them for the first time. Needless to say, some of the cupcakes got stuck in the mold. Looks like I am not the only one that has had an unfortunate experience with silicone cupcake molds. There is a whole discussion at The Kitchn about baking with silicone molds –they actually made red velvet cake in theirs too. Maybe it is the cake and not the mold?

GLUTEN FREE RED VELVET (CUP)CAKES
from Gluten Free Cooking School

1 3/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten (room temp)
1 c. brown rice flour
3/4 c. sorghum flour
3/4 c. tapioca starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 c. milk substitute)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. red food coloring (this is one of the McCormick’s bottles) *I used just enough to give the batter a reddish color. Less than 1/4 of the bottle.
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together oil and sugar. Add one egg making sure it is completely mixed in before adding the other egg.

Sift together all the dry ingredients (leaving out the cocoa powder) in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the oil, sugar, and egg mixture in FOUR parts. Alternating the flour and buttermilk. Make sure the last one added is the flour mixture.

Make a paste out of the vanilla, red food coloring, and cocoa powder, and stir into the batter.

Pour batter into two greased and floured (GLUTEN FREE) round cake pans OR fill cupcake molds 2/3 the way full.  Bake for 25 minutes for the cake pans OR about 18 minutes (turning pans about half way through) for the cupcakes. Test the cakes and/or cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness.

Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, room temperature
2-3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts

In mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add the sugar while mixing on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.

You can stir in the chopped nuts or sprinkle the nuts on top of the frosted cupcakes. ENJOY!

OTHER RED VELVET (not gluten free) CREATIONS:
Red Velvet Cupcakes from Rue le Sel
Red Velvet Macaroons from delectable deliciousness
Red Velvet Bundt from Recipe Girl

Goldilocks & Red Riding Hood

It has been awhile since I have shared a sewing post. For Christmas this year I sewed some storybook friends for two of my nieces. I used the pattern for the Black Apple Doll from Martha Stewert’s site. You can download a template here.

The arms using the enlarged template seemed to be too skinny which made them difficult to turn. The dolls I made ended up being bigger than the template. I also wanted my dolls to have the appearance of longer hair, so I cut out two smaller pieces of hair from the felt. I didn’t have any fabric paint, so instead I cut the eye out of felt and hand sewed them on and hand stitched the mouths.

I gave these dolls to my nieces along with the appropriate book featuring the doll (Goldilocks and The Three Bears & Red Riding Hood).  These dolls are truly easy to make. The most difficult part for me was trying to sandwich the stuffed legs and arms in between the body front and body back and sewing it on my machine. If you have some sewing experience you probably can sew one doll from start to finish in a little over an hour.

Have fun sewing!

The holidays tend to be a time overflowing with traditions. May that be a specific meal or dessert your family serves or a specific place your family always gathers. For my husband’s family homemade noodles with chicken over boiled potatoes on Christmas Eve at his mom and dad’s is a tradition we all look forward to. My mother-in-law makes the most delicious homemade noodles with chicken. While sitting at the table on Christmas Eve, I realized I had never attempted this dish before. After my husband made a comment about how it was too bad that we only eat this meal once a year, I knew I had to try to make it at home.

The temperature here in Omaha has been several degrees below zero for what seems like the past month, with last week finally giving us a must needed reprieve with temperatures near the freezing mark. With all this cold weather I figured no time like the present to try to make this dish. After shoveling snow (and giving myself a fat lip with the shovel handle) I knew that homemade noodles with chicken would be the perfect meal to warm me up.

I am warning you that this isn’t an impulse dish. After the noodles are rolled and cut, they need to dry for two hours, so plan accordingly. I have made homemade egg noodles in the past, using my Great Grandma Dorothy’s recipe. When making the noodles this time I had forgot all about her recipe and used one from an old cookbook (which I will post about later since after googling it I learned it is worth more than the $4 I paid for it at the antique store).

My mother-in-law makes her homemade noodles with chicken using chicken broth to add moisture. I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts, which I thought were slightly dry. I thought the noodles and chicken needed something a little more substantial than broth to bring it together; so I mixed up a little chicken gravy and added it to the dish. It brought it together nicely. This dish was very warm and comforting on cold Nebraska night.

HOMEMADE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN
noodle recipe from Mary Margaret McBride’s Encyclopedia of Cooking

2 c sifted enriched flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 or 3 teaspoons cold water (I had to add a little more water)

Sift flour with salt into mixing bowl or onto a board (I mixed it together on my counter top). Make a “well” in the center.

Drop in eggs and combine with a fork, adding spoonfuls of water as necessary to form a ball of dough that is compact but not hard.

Knead dough until as smooth and elastic as possible, about 5 minutes.

Roll out on a lightly floured board (I just floured my counter top). Use the rolling pin from the outer edges toward the center, turning the board as necessary for easier rolling.

When the dough is rolled evenly thin, let stand 20 minutes in order to dry so that it will not stick together when rolled up.

Roll up lightly and use a very sharp knife to slice 1/8 inch thick, or 1/4 inch thick for broader noodles.

Toss the noddles lightly to separate them and spread on lightly floured surface. Let dry thoroughly at room temperature, about 2 hours, then store in covered jars. (I used  my noodles immediately)

TO COOK THE NOODLES:
Drop by handfuls into boiling soup or boiling, salted water (I used chicken stock) for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving 2 c chicken stock.

FOR THE CHICKEN:
I used three boneless/skinless chicken breasts which I poached* for about 10 minutes. Using two forks I shredded the chicken.

* Put chicken into pot, add enough water to cover chicken. Bring chicken up to boil. Once boiling put lid on pot, take off heat. Let sit 7-10 minutes before removing the chicken.

FOR THE GRAVY:
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 c chicken stock

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Simmer until gravy thickens.

Combine shredded chicken and noodles. Pour a little gravy over and toss to combine. You want just enough gravy to coat the noodles and chicken.  Serve as is or with boiled potatoes. (I used boiled purple potatoes) Season with salt & pepper.

The new year is coming fast, we are just days away from 2010. Can you believe that? I am sure everyone has satisfied their sweet tooth with all the delicious Christmas candy, sweets, and treats (I know I have). I had a couple more Christmas candy recipes I wanted to share with you, but instead my computer charger decided to fizzle out on me. My battery died moments after posting my chocolate covered toffee recipe and it was a long ten days before a new charger arrived. My battery is now fully charged, but I figured my readers did not want to hear about chocolate-covered-this and peanut-butter-smeared-that. I will spare you the sweets and save it for next Christmas.

Many of you may have plans to attend or host a New Year’s Eve party or a New Year’s Day brunch. Here are some recipes from my archives that may inspire you. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010. Thank you for reading, I enjoy your comments and feedback so keep it coming.

See you in twenty-ten!

Jamie

NEW YEAR’S EVE IDEAS:

Boneless Chicken Wings

Olive Penguins

Date and Cheddar Cheeseball

Homemade Irish Cream

NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH IDEAS:

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Gluten Free Sticky Rolls

Marbled Chocolate Banana Cake

Breakfast Cups

Egg Bake or Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is a first for me, it is the first time I was successful making candy. The last time I tried boiling sugar I burned it. I burned it badly. I actually had to throw away the pot because the sugar had scorched the bottom. This time around I did not leave the room, I did not quit stirring, and I actually used a thermometer which my eyes never left. As soon as the temperature reached 300 degrees F, I turned off the burner and removed the pot promptly.  Heath Bars are one of my favorite candy bars, and I really wanted to succeed in making them at home. I may have actually danced with joy when I sampled these. Delicious chocolate and buttery toffee meet, and it is love.

Have faith dear reader, you can make these yourself. You need to be patient and keep a watchful eye on the candy thermometer. Some people (more experienced than I) can do this without the trusty thermometer. If that is you congratulations. The sugar mixture will turn a lovely caramely brown when it is done. Or if you are like me and prone to burning sugar when you try to do it by “eyeing it” it is done when the thermometer reaches 300 degrees F.

These toffee bars should be added to your holiday treat platter. Make them for your family, make them for your friends, make them for your neighbors, and snitch some for yourself. Wrap them up in pretty paper and give them as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED TOFFEE “HEATH BARS”
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T water
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 c chocolate chips

Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil, and set aside. Melt butter, sugars, and water in a heavy sauce pan over a medium high heat. Using your candy thermometer monitor the sugar temperature. Stir constantly until it becomes a carmely brown color and the temperature reaches 300 degrees F, turn off burner and remove pan, stir in pecans (I forgot this step so I sprinkled them on top once they were covered in chocolate). Pour sugar mixture onto jelly roll pan and spread out. Wait a couple minutes as the sugar cools and the toffee begins to set.

Using a pizza cutter slice toffee into desired size. Let cool completely. (As you can see in the top left corner my daughters and I had to sample the plain toffee. It was amazing )

Once toffee is completely cooled and hard, gently break apart into individual pieces. Put chocolate into a double broiler and melt gently. Drop one piece of toffee in at a time, cover completley with chocolate, shaking excess off, and place onto parchment paper to cool completely and have the chocolate set.

If you want to sprinkle with chopped nuts do so before the chocolate cools. ENJOY!

Becoming a food blogger has caused my children to want to pose with the food. They are some silly girls!

It has been awhile since I have posted a new recipe. I have still been busy in the kitchen and have a few new recipes to share with you later this week. Today I wanted to share with you some of my seasonal favorites.

HOMEMADE “BAILEY’S” IRISH CREAM

I made this for the first time in the spring. It was deliciously creamy and would make a wonderful addition to your holiday party.

LOW FAT PUMPKIN BARS

If you aren’t all pumpkind out from Thanksgiving, give these delicious pumpkin bars a try. The cream cheese is swirled into the bar instead of smeered on top. They clock in at just under 70 calories per bar. Not too shabby, concidering all the high sugar and fat filled treats that are tempting us on every holiday table. *I am pretty sure these bars would taste wonderful with the Irish Cream.

APPLE PIE TWO WAYS:

APPLE PIE WITH STRUDLE TOPPING

The studle is made of oats, flour, and sugar. I personally love oats and apples together.

APPLE BRIE PIE

This pie is the first time I made a double crust pie from scratch. I hadn’t realized how easy it was before. The combination of brie and the spiced apples is one of my newest favorite flavor combos. Don’t be afraid, give it a try!

OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES

For me cranberries are a favorite this time of year. These cookies are also lower in calories than your typical Christmas cookie. If you aren’t concerned about calories (lucky you!) you could toss in some white chocolate chips to take them to another level.

EGG BAKE/BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

I love brunch! I think it is a perfect meal/menu for family get togethers or an office party. Eggs are so forgiving, if meat isn’t your thing you can toss in roasted vegetables and this dish is still delectable. This strata/casserole is wonderful hot out of the oven but if you need something to bring to your office potluck it is still delicious served at room temperature.

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite seasonal recipes. Happy eating!

If you are a self proclaimed (or otherwise proclaimed) foodie from the Omaha area, head over to Gastronomic Fight Club to place your vote for the Best-ter-est of Omaha Restaurants.  We all have an opinion about the food we eat when we eat away from our kitchens, now is the time to share that opinion. Hurry, you only have until the end of the month.

Here are the results from last year.

Happy Eating!

Many months ago I found these adorable penguins when I was gawking at foodgawker. It was love at first sight. I couldn’t wait until my next party so I could make them.  Luckily for me my penguin loving daughter was having a birthday party. These appetizers were a hit, and they sent the cute factor through the roof.

All you need is two different sized pitted olives (I used jumbo and small), soften cream cheese, whole carrots, and toothpicks. With a little time and effort you too can have an appetizer that will be a real ice breaker at your next party. Sorry for the cheesy pun, I couldn’t resist.

OLIVE PENGUIN APPETIZERS
as seen at Once Upon a Plate
Jumbo pitted olives
small pitted olives
soften cream cheese
whole carrots
toothpicks

Drain the juice from your olives. Peel the carrots and slice into coins. Take the jumbo olive and cut out a small wedge. Fill with cream cheese. Cut a small triangle out of the carrot coin. The triangle now becomes the penguin’s beak. Insert the large end of the triangle into the opening of the small olive. Place the small olive on top of the jumbo olive, secure with a toothpick. Place carrot coin on the bottom of the jumbo olive, pushing the toothpick far enough in so it pierces the carrot. Line up the penguins on a platter for an adorable penguin army. Enjoy!

December 2007 I started this web log, and I really had no idea what I was doing. I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, and it seemed to me that recording my recipes in my virtual recipe box would be a great way to document my cooking process and save my recipes. This whole process has been a “learn as I go” adventure.

A few areas where I want to improve are the quality of my writing, the quality of my photographs, the frequency of posts, and to create more of a relationship with my readers. Getting feedback from readers helps me to hone my skills. Have you tried any of my recipes before? Did it work? Did you adapt it in any way? Do you make something similar? Let me know! I would love to hear from you. Please share.

Here are the top 5 posts:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls/Sticky Buns
The Best Cinnamon Rolls
Sourdough Bread Bowls and Broccoli Cheese Soup
Baby Bok Choy
Chicken and White Bean Soup

Here are the top 10 countries that visit:
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
Singapore
New Zealand
Malaysia
Philippines
Ireland

Top States where visitors are located:
California
Nebraska (were I live)
New York
Iowa
Texas

Traffic Sources:
62% Search Engines
31% Referring Sites
8% Direct Traffic

Another interesting tidbit. Most of my spam is written in Russian or comes from a .ru address.

If you want to stay up to date with my postings you can subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the Entires RSS in the far right column under the Meta headline.

Happy Eating!

Jamie

Æbleskiver, have you ever heard of it? Maybe you’ve seen it spelled more “American” as ableskiver, aebleskiver, or ebleskiver. Æbleskiver is a delightful Danish fluffy pancake-like ball.  These pancake balls can be filled with chopped apples or your favorite jam, and enjoyed sprinkled with a little powdered sugar.

Before you get excited about this Danish breakfast treat, I must let you know that you have to have a special Æbleskiver pan. Æbleskiver pans have several half-circles which you pour in your batter and fry that side first. Then using a skewer or knitting needle you flip them over to fry up the other side. For years I have been wanting a pan, and within 10 months I have been gifted two (thanks Mom & Grandma!). Below are pictures of what my two pans look like.

With Fall in the air and Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have been seeing lots of recipes featuring pumpkin pop up. Nicole from Pinch My Salt made pumpkin cake doughnuts that I could not get out of my mind. I have made yeast doughnuts before, and have always wanted to try my hand at making cake doughnuts. Unfortunately, one needs to plan ahead if one wants cake doughnuts for breakfast. This is where the idea for pumpkin Æbleskivers was born. Æbleskivers don’t require all the time that is required for doughnut making, but taste just as wonderful. Instead of dusting them with powdered sugar, I rolled them in a sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg mixture. I served the pumpkin Æbleskivers with a dollop up whipped cream. I hope my Danish ancestors would be proud of my adaptation.

PUMPKIN ÆBLESKIVER
2 1/4 c AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 T sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
4 T butter, melted
2 c buttermilk
vegetable oil for frying

Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir together egg yolks, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and butter milk. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Beat egg whites together until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites in to the batter.

Over medium-medium high heat preheat your Æbleskiver pan. Pour a little oil into each cup. Add about 1-2 T of the pumpkin batter to each cup. Cook for about 2 minutes, then using a skewer or knitting needle turn each Æbleskiver over. Cook for another 2 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Toss with sugar mixture. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. ENJOY!

SUGAR MIXTURE
1/2 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all together.

WHAT OTHERS ARE COOKING UP:
The Mennonite Girls made Frosted Pumpkin Doughnuts
Food for Thought made traditional Æbleskivers
and of course the inspiration Pinch My Salt’s Pumpkin Doughnuts