Gluten free pizza

From:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-pizza-crust-mix.html

Bob's red mill has gluten free pizza crust so why not...

This wasn't actually my first attempt.  I love pizza but even most gluten free crusts have a corn product in them, and I definitely don't like to do corn, so...

The first time, I think I was thinking the dough will level out like a cookie and it didn't.  I know very little about baking, so no surprise I got it wrong.

This time after mixing the ingredients (and again forgetting the proper way to add the yeast) the dough balls really didn't rise.  However, I still patted out two small pizzas with a much thinner crust -- as thin as I could get it.  I also sprayed cooking spray on the baking sheet.

The toppings were organic basil pasta sauce from a jar, lots of it -- make sure every inch of the dough it covered.  It can help mask some of the inadequacies of the dough.  We added some veggies (olives, onions, tomatoes) and some turkey pepperoni.  Then, top it with a ton of cheese.

Don't forget to add some oregano or basil on top of the cheese!

It was pretty darn good...or close enough for not having to leave my house nor have a reaction to corn product.

Cheers!

Gluten free vanilla cupcakes

Inspired by the little one watching cupcake wars and:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/key-lime-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/218425/cupcake-princess-vanilla-cupcakes/


Used Bob's Red Mill -- GLUTEN FREE ALL PURPOSE BAKING FLOUR and XANTHAN GUM -- to make it Gluten Free.

Used Almond Milk instead of milk to make it lactose friendly.

Note:

Read the all recipe reviews on this one and consider baking powder not soda as well as more butter.  They cupcakes were edible but I wouldn't say great.

As usual, I also mixed things in the wrong order.  One of these days, I will get it right.

Christmas Brunch Casserole

Inspired from:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/21554/sausage-egg-casserole/

Forgot to take picts both years.  Great to make ahead of time and to feed a large group.  Just pop into the oven for an hour before folks arrive.

Notes:

1.) Use gluten free flour instead of regular flour.
2.) Can add more eggs if you have more people.
3.) For a vegetarian option remove the sausage and use peppers and tomatoes instead.
4.) Use lactaid cottage cheese possibly instead of regular for lactose intolerant peeps

First made in 2013...In 2015, it seemed a bit heavy...not sure why.

Note for 2016 --
Remember to drain sausage or use turkey sausage or some other meat alternative.  Many of us have given up pork in our young/old age anyway.
Make sure top is good and brown.
Let sit overnight (to much pub crawling in 2015 and forgot).
Maybe regardless of using meet or not, add more veggies like peppers and tomatoes.
Might be good to try out with some chopped, steamed potatoes.

Ham and potato soup

Inspired from:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/56927/delicious-ham-and-potato-soup/

This recipe is an after Christmas recipe when figuring out what to do with the left over ham..  My friend, Gretta, recently started making split pea soup with ham so I went on All Recipes and found this highly rated recipe since I had potatoes and ham.  


Beyond cubed ham (which I had plenty off) and red potatoes, I had some of a raw veggie tray left over, so I added green onions (4), celery, carrots, and a bit of Cauliflower - why not,  

For the broth, I don't use chicken bouillon cubes because they're an MSG, preservative nightmare.  Instead I used a box of organic veggie broth and the broth from the collard greens that was left over.  I added a couple glasses of water.  Then, I added some garlic salt, salt, pepper, celery salt, and parsley. 


I am lactose intolerant so I skipped the milk portion of the recipe.  Regardless, it still tasted pretty great.

I brought it to a boil and cooked the potatoes.  Once those were soft I reduced the heat, added those couple glasses of water and seasoning.  I did let it simmer for an hour or two after cooking until the potatoes were falling apart and I thought the seasonings had melded together.  

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Alternative to bouillon cubes -->

Veggie Chicken Broth Mix
1-1/2 c. nutritional yeast
3 T. onion powder
2-1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. salt
1 t. celery seed
2-1/2 T. Italian Seasoning
2 T. dry parsley