Gluten Free Banana Bread

  

   After several attempts at re-creating some baking classics sans gluten I am happy to say that I have finally put something together that tastes just as good as the gluten full version.  I now believe that I have been experimenting with this banana bread recipe for a decade......it's versatile and above is pictured with chocolate chips, below you will see cranberries!  I have also added walnuts in the past for something a little extra special.  Don't get me wrong, with nothing added it is just as good.  Hope you enjoy!

GF Banana Bread 

preheat oven to 365 degrees

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 apple sauce snack pack

1 TBSP butter

4 egg whites

3 ripe medium bananas (or 2 large)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp cloves

3 generous spoonfuls of non-fat vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups Trader Joe's gluten free flour

1 TBSP xanthum gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

    In a metal bowl cream together the sugars and apple sauce.  Once a smooth texture is formed add in the room temperature butter.  Whip in the egg whites.  Peel the bananas and smash them on a plate with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.  Add smashed bananas to the liquid mixture with yogurt and vanilla and mix well.  On top add the flour, xanthum gum, soda, and salt.  Mix all together until well blended.  Add in cranberries, walnuts, or chocolate chips if desired.  Spoon into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan that is coated with Pam.  Sprinkle turbinado (raw) sugar on top.  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes - check with a toothpick and make sure it comes clean.  Cool on a wire rack outside of the pan.

Mom's Coffee Cake

Batter:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sour cream or buttermilk (I used light sour cream)

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar 
2 tbsp cinnamon

 Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light.  Mix flour, soda, powder into creamed mixture.  Add margarine.  Spread 1/2 batter in greased (I used pam) angel food cake pan, sprinkle 1/2 topping on and then add the remaining batter and finish with topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until done (to me this means when a toothpick comes clean).

  Mine is good, but I did make a few changes.  I am thinking that my mom used to use buttermilk instead, the sour cream seemed a little thick - but I would like to try it the other way just to compare the difference.  Also my margarine was in the fridge so I microwaved it and added it in melted.  I think having it at room temperature and mixing it in would have been better.  I also used dark brown sugar, my mom always used light brown sugar....I bet that changed the flavor profile as well....at any rate I hope the recipients enjoy this one!  I thought it was fun that when I cut into the cake it looked like it was smiling at me!

Cranberry Almond Scones

This recipe is adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Book's recipe for Almond-Currant Scones.

4 cups flour
3TBSP granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
2 TBSP fat free vanilla coffee creamer
almonds and cranberries

  The original recipe also called for currents and buttermilk - not coffee creamer (but what the heck - you use what you got!)  It actually added a nice flavor to the scone...I would do it again. Also the recipe called for the zest of the rind of an orange which I would have used had I had any oranges....they are in season right now so they don't last too long around these parts....
    Add all the dry ingredients together.  Then cut in the butter....I cut it in cubes and then wear rubber gloves while I mix it...it's old fashioned but I don't have the proper equipment to complete such a task.....after all I am not in the masterchef kitchen....although sometimes I pretend I am and when I just throw something together the day before I need to go grocery shopping and you look in the fridge and think how in the heck is this going to happen....and then I think of Tim Gunn and I make it work!   I consider this to be my own version of a mystery box challenge!

  Back to the scones:
   Whisk all of the wet ingredients and then stir into the dry ingredients....add in the almonds and cranberries right away - otherwise the dough will be worked too much and become stiff.....I added what was left in the pantry...I am guess about 3/4 cup of each....if I had more I would have added about 1 cup each....just to have them burst with goodness!  I hand rolled the dough out in 2 squares then cut out triangles..I ended up with 16 all together....sprinkled the top with a little sugar and then baked in a 375 degree oven for a little over 20 minutes....actually I set the time for 20 minutes and then realized they were not quite done....so I got the roast pork ready for the oven....by the time that was done the scones were ready!

 Enjoy!

Apple Pie Muffins....

Being the mad scientist that I am in the kitchen I am always up for something new and interesting.....after making the best banana muffins ever I decided that it was time to experiment with the recipe....at the end of the school year I made apple pies for my AcDec'ers.....the filling was good, but I went overboard with the pastry.....I ended up having extra filling and didn't know what to do with it so I just threw it in a ziploc bag and in the freezer it went....until today!
  I ended up allowing it to thaw and drained off the excess moisture....then I mashed the apple slices up with a potato masher....this was not the easiest thing to do as the masher kept getting filled with too much apple so I had to cut it out....then repeat, and repeat....until I got the consistency I wanted!

  I basically used the same recipe as the banana muffins...except that I used 1/2 the amount of butter and only 1 cup of sugar as appose to 1 1/4 cup.....I just plain ran out.....and figured that with apple pie filling for flavoring that there was at least 1/4 cup of sugar mixed in there....


Apple Pie Muffins
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1  cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
apples for apple pie filling

   Apples for apple pie filling - you can really use any type of apple....I prefer granny smith.....perfect taste, perfect texture....unless of course I am participating in an apple pie baking contest......it's Gravenstein all the way!  All I do is wash, peel, and slice the apples....then add in some lemon juice (do they don't turn brown) and some cinnamon and sugar....

  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!
  
   These particular muffins shall be shared with at the Casa Grande Anglers Inc board meeting tonight....I am going to see what there budget is for next year and whether or not they are still interested in funding opportunities for Casa Grande Wildlife students....I wouldn't be Donna Reed if I didn't bring something from the oven!  Wish me luck!

Lemon Poppyseed Tarte

  I am not sure if I was more excited about using this new nine inch square baking pan, or a little uneasy about the lemon curd filling, or enthralled with the idea that I was about to use my rolling pin!  What is most important is the fact that I felt inspired.....it has been some time since I have posted and to tell you the truth cooked anything of any real substance......for purposes here "substance" shall be defined as something that is blog worthy.....if it's good enough to want to talk about it more....this is what should be happening everyday in my kitchen, everyday in every kitchen....to some extent at least.....I have to admit that I am not all about being a slave to your stove....that should really only happen when you are planning on a significant contribution to a bake sale....but we should want to want to enjoy preparing the fuel that propels us through life.....

  Not so easy I know, as life, gosh darnit, seems to always get in the way and can easily make us feel as though we are left with no time to do what we want to do, let alone plan out and execute an entree, 2 sides, and one heck of a decadent dessert.....everyday.

    Moderation is the key.


OK, now to the dessert....reading my rants and raves are worth it if the end result is tasting this masterpiece.

POPPY SEED PASTRY:

   This of course is not a recipe that I am responsible for....this comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.....if you are anybody who knows anybody who likes to cook then you have seen this before....if you are kitchen savvy chances are it is on a bookshelf somewhere....

  For the pictured piece I doubled the recipe....actually made 2 batches of it....then combined...this is always dangerous with crust.....next time I will most likely use my my great grandmothers crust recipe....it calls for lard not butter.....it is much better! 


LEMON CURD:

 

  Clearly this is from the same Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.....it was so freaking good.....I have to admit that next time I will use this and make individual tarts.....I doubled this recipe as well (all at once)......for the nine inch pan.....I ended up using 5 lemons, thanks to my wonderful neighbors.....they have the best lemons and I am hoping that sharing this dessert with them will encourage them to hand more of their fruit harvest this way!

Enjoy!

My First Cheesecake....

I am not sure why I had the idea in my head that cheesecake was so terribly tricky and difficult to make, perhaps it was from watching too many episodes of the golden girls when I was younger?......or maybe that is where I got an appreciation for the decadent dessert.....after talking to one fine lady in the library Ms. Helen gave me her recipe for cheesecake and mentioned how easy it was.....not too surprised, but she was right!

Royal Cheesecake:

CRUST
- 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 TBSP butter
- 2 TBSP granulated sugar

FILLING
- 3 8oz packages of cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPING
- 1 can cherry pie filling

Blend first three ingredients together; press firmly against bottom of spring form pan.....I was so excited to be using my spring form pan for the first time....I have had one for years, but feared making cheesecake so there is has sat in my cupboard, then packaged for the trip to California over 3 years ago, and finally after kicking some dust off of it it has been christened with royal cheesecake!

Blend filling ingredients using an electric mixer....this takes several minutes.....doing this is a great test to determine the quality of your hand mixer....mine is not so great as it took some elbow grease as well to get all the lumps out......but then again what do you expect for a mixer that was purchased some seven years ago for the whopping price of $9.99......who am I to complain....it works......although I have to admit I was secretly hoping that it would burn out and "force" me into an upgrade.....all in due time!

Pour filling into crust and bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes.....I baked mine for 40 minutes and probably could have taken it out about 5 - 7  minutes earlier.....next time I experiment!  Chill thoroughly and garnish edge with pie filling.....

I of course had to slice off a sliver.....it was delicious, rich, and totally worth every bite!  I wrapped it up and put the remaining cake in the freezer....I am thinking next time company comes over I am set! As you can see the crust was a little crumbly....I am thinking this is due to the fact that I couldn't wait until it was cooled thoroughly to slice into it!

~Enjoy!

Cinnamon Spice Muffins...

As you will quickly notice these are very similar to the banana nut muffins.....just slightly altered for those you are not too wild about bananas.....

When preparing the apples cut them into small 1 inch cubes and simmer in a pan with the apple sauce, lemon juice and spices....it will smell so darn good....almost like apple pie.....but not quite.....


After the apples are soft I mashed them with a potato masher to get an even consistency, then added them to the rest of the muffin batter.  Which can easily be mixed while the apples are simmering....dry ingredients first, then get the eggs, sugar, and milk together....let the apple mixture cool before you add it to the rest of the wet ingredients, the last thing you want to do is end up with in omelet in the middle of one of the muffins.....mix all together and spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.  If you read the banana nut blog then you are well aware of the walnut/sugar mixture that I used as a topping to get a nice crunchy muffin top....I had some left over so I used that on these ones as well....I think it worked!

~Enjoy!

Cinnamon Spice Muffins
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
5 in season apples (I used Gala - this time)
5 cap fulls of lemon juice
2 snack packs of apple sauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar